October 6, 2015

Review: Hellboy Vol.2: Wake the Devil by Mike Mignola


Title: Hellboy: Wake the Devil

Author: Mike Mignola

Publisher: Dark Horses Books

Date of Publication: 1994

Number of Pages: 146

Find it at: Book Depository


Summary

When strangeness threatens to engulf the world, a strange man will come to save it. Sent to investigate a mystery with supernatural overtones, Hellboy discovers the secrets of his own origins and his link to the Nazi occultists who promised Hitler a final solution in the form of a demonic avatar.

Review

Up until now, I knew Hellboy only by his image. I didn't really know anything about him, whether he was a superhero or what his deal was. I hadn't even watched Guillermo del Toro's films. So while opening this comic book I would encounter a world that I didn't expect to find.

Strange creatures have awakened, things that shouldn't exist. For this reason, the Bureau of Paranormal Research has taken over the investigation. Hellboy is an agent for this bureau, but he's not the only one. Clark, Sapien, Waller and Sherman are all agents and they are divided into small groups, in order to search all the possible locations of the paranormal activities.

But what is really going wrong? People who should be long dead are rumoured to be alive, like Vladimir Giuresku. There is also more to it. The nazis wanted to build a whole army of vampire men, but while encountering the true power of Giuresku, Hitler decided to kill him. But Giuresku has the ability to return back while being in his own castle. And there is still a nazi scientist, Ilsa Haupstein, who wants to see Giuresku alive once again. This is exactly what the Bureau is trying to stop. From this point, it really gets complicated and I won't spoil it.

The antagonists in this comic book are amazingly constructed. They have a master plan, they are all devoted to their own ideals and beliefs, they are willing to sacrifice everything in order to achieve their ultimate goal. It's a shock to find out that there is a definite connection between them and Hellboy. It's even a shock for the hero himself. But this also gives us a very believable explanation about those two things in Hellboy's head. The art in these pages is breathtaking.

Wake the Devil is dark. You can guess that just by looking at its cover, but there is a time in the story when everything is going wrong. You can see that the protagonists can barely survive, that maybe this time the bad guys will manage to take over the world. The art style also emphasizes the atmosphere, making it one of the most memorable comics I've ever read.

The edition I own is completely drawn in black and white. The truth is that I missed a little the colours. Maybe if Hellboy was red, it would make a difference. But I know that newer editions have colour, so I would urge you to find those ones.

I don't say that Hellboy: Wake the Devil is without flaws. In fact, there are some plot holes and I still don't understand how the antagonist's plan failed. But it's definitely one of those comic books that get you pumped up for more and I will most certainly read the other stories. A dark, action-packed story for all the comic book lovers out there!

So, my advice is...

Go Hellboy!    

2 comments:

  1. I did the tag you nominated me for!

    http://lessrealitymorebooks.blogspot.ie/2015/10/tags-book-boyfriend-one-lovely-blog.html

    ReplyDelete

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