When I was asked to write a book review, I must admit I had no idea what I would write about at first. Although I’m an editor, I’m not really a big reader – I guess I read so much at work during the day that the last thing I want to do when I get home is curl up with a book… But I do read for pleasure sometimes, just not your standard fare. Which goes some way to explaining why my review is of the comic book Hellboy: Seed of Destruction.
This trade paperback is actually a compilation of the first four Hellboy comic books. It tells the story of Hellboy, a demon conjured up accidentally by Rasputin (!) on behalf of the Nazis, who are trying to summon unearthly beasts to help them win the war and conquer the world. Now you might think that being a demon would automatically make Hellboy a villain, but you’d be wrong – he’s found by the Allies rather than the Nazis, and is brought up in America. He becomes a heroic investigator for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, fighting for good against evil.
The investigation central to this book revolves around an Arctic expedition undertaken by Hellboy’s mentor, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm. He and his team discovered an ancient temple in a cave ‘at the top of the world’, but as he recounts his story to Hellboy, a plague of frogs descends and Bruttenholm is killed. Hellboy begins to investigate the expedition, and the apparently related death of his ‘father’, and discovers more about his own origins at the same time.
No review of a comic book would be complete without commenting on the artwork. Mike Mignola is a fantastic artist, and his stylised work perfectly matches the tone of the story and John Byrne’s script. The backgrounds can be very minimal at times, allowing the plot and characters to take centre stage, and the muted palette and heavy use of black only add to the atmosphere. The bright red colour used for Hellboy’s skin leaves you in no doubt as to who the star of the show is, though, and he’s a very charismatic character – dark and brooding, but with a sense of humour and a healthy dose of smart arsery.
This is a very entertaining book – there’s action, mystery, horror and humour. The story gallops along, the characters are both witty and cool (and some are properly evil), and all in all it’s a brilliant introduction to the world of Hellboy. If you’re a fan of the magical, mystical and paranormal, and you haven’t tried a comic book before, this is a great place to start.
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