Hellboy, Vol. 2: Wake the Devil

This second Hellboy mini-series from Dark Horse found Hellboy creator Mike Mignola taking on sole writing duties (legendary X-Men and Fantastic Four scribe John Byrne took script writing credit for Seed of Destruction) as well as art, and he surprisingly managed to craft a slightly better book than Seed of Destruction. The story revolves around our favorite paranormal investigator taking on vampires, while all the while Ilsa and Kroenen await the return of Rasputin and the end of the world: something which Hellboy is the key to. Full of creepy atmosphere, stylish storytelling, gothic art, and loaded with revelations and a few surprises, Wake the Devil reminds us just why comic books are so fun to read. If you're one of the many who saw the recent film and dug it, you should really check out every Hellboy graphic novel you can get your hands on.

Wake the Devil is the second Dark Horse Comic issued 4-issue series about Hellboy and the difference between the writing from Seed of Destruction to Wake is substantial. Mike Mignola took over sole writing duties for Wake the Devil after John Byrne's stint on Seed of Destruction. Mike Mignola never really wrote a full-scale plot and story for any comic he's drawn, but his inexperience in Wake the Devil is minimal. Hellboy is his creation and the world around him as well. He's lived and breathed the character since he is also the creator. Who else but the person who created the idea would know how to write the stories properly. Wake the Devil has less of the Lovecraftian-theme that was Seed of Destruction. Instead Mignola treats his fans and readers to a story about a Romanian aristocrat is is reputed to be a vampire sired by the Greek demoness, Lamia. In addition, Mignola mixes in a healthy dose of Nazi's leftover from WW2 who have ressurected from an icy slumber to try and return the Third Reich to prominence through occult and vampiric means. Mignola's heady mix of the occult, European folklore mythology and plain old 30's style detective noir give Wake the Devil a better written story than Seed of Destruction. Mignola as a writer is not bad and since Hellboy is his creation there really is nowhere for Mignola to go but improve. Wake the Devil is a perfect blend of a well-written story and great artwork. Having Mike take over as writer in addition to continuing as artist earns Wake the Devil 5-stars that Seed of Destruction failed to reach.

This is the second Hellboy graphic novel. It is an improvement over the first one, as we get to know the old characters better, and interesting new characters are introduced. Creator Mike Mignola's Kirbyesque artwork is terrific, and this time he handles the writing himself (the first graphic novel was scripted by John Byrne). I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I will explain that Hellboy is a paranormal investigator who appears to be a demon. This book is dedicated to Dracula, which should give you a clue as to what he encounters this time. This book should be especially appealing to people who like The X-Files or Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but I would encourage anyone who is a fan of sophisticated comic books to check it out.

Wake the Devil is a superb second take on the Hellboy saga and is just as good, if not better, than Seeds of Destruction (its hard to compare the two because both are so good). Its a bit more bleak/darker than its prior, introducing even odder concepts and distortions of myth to weave a story all its own. Yes, it seems there are Nazi plots galore for everyone's favorite paranormal investigator to deal with, not to mention the addition of Roger, B.P.R.D.'s first "contact" with a human-sized homunculus. Also included is a five-page epilogue dealing with Baba Yaga and The World Tree, a concept introduced in the comics but only added to the in this graphic novel forum. The graphic novels also clean up the coloration, giving you more crisp images than the comics could ever dream of. A word of caution to those thinking that the numbered books can be taken out of sequential order without hurting the storyline. It can indeed be done, but Wake the Devil should be a second step taken in the reading "evolution" of the Hellboy saga because of some of the characters/events/plot lines started have either been groomed or are birthed here.

If your'e a fan of goth, horror, detectives, stylized art, or good comics, this is one for you. Mignola delivers another great yarn in the Hellboy mythos. This time out, Hellboy comes face to face with what might be his true nature and purpose on earth. By way of a hallucination the story of his origin is recounted to him in visions. Hellboy is thrown for a loop when one of the visions adresses him directly. The fun of this series is in getting to this point in the story. And even more fun is seeing the humanity in the demon detective when he gives the apparition his reply. If you're a fan of art like I am, you'll love the guest pin-ups in the back. I liked this book because it presented us with a more in-depth look at the character's backround and it was consistently better than the offerings that preceeded it (which were all great!)If you like this book, there are other Hellboy books in print as well as a text novel by Christopher Golden with illustrations by Mignola. Not to mention the great body of work he's only illustrated. Why don't you stop reading this and order it already!