Hellboy: Wake the Devil

This is the second collected volume in the Hellboy series, even though a footnote tells me chronologically it falls after another story that is in the third book that contains shorter tales. Nevertheless, it's still early on in the shown career of "The World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator" and some of those crazy Russians and Germans show up for another go round. John Byrne, who scripted the first volume, Seed of Destruction, is absent this time, setting up Mignola on words and pictures. And he does a fine job. His dialogue is better than Byrne's, but his sequencing of events is a little shaky. There's quite a lot going on in Wake the Devil, and some of it has a lot less impact than maybe was intended. In particular, Mignola seems to have trouble doing anything with the supporting cast of the BPRD. Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman are joined by a couple of dead men walking. One of them sports and eye patch, and he blemishes the mystique of said accessory by dying. It's a sure thing that Nick Fury, Snake Plissken and Molotov Cocktease are disgusted beyond belief. But anyway, they basically get into trouble that doesn't concern anything in the greater story nor do those events get developed. It's a weak spot that fortunately doesn't blemish a strong overall work. The back story of Rasputin and some of the Nazis he worked with is expanded and tied into Mignola's version of folklore like Dracula and the Baba Yaga. It all comes together in an explosive finale that sees Hellboy more informed of his true purpose. And let's not forget the artwork. At this point Mignola had refined his style enough to where he was completely unique. While his stories do have some Jack Kirby in them, it's in his drawings that you can clearly see the King's influence. The blocky figures and black dots are joined by his excellent use of black space and shadow, able to create suspense and set an eerie mood. It's perfect for the stories he's telling of Victorian castles, monsters in dark depths and pulp heroes and villains. Overall, Wake the Devil is another impressive foray into the Hellboy universe, and I can't wait to dive in further.