I received this from Edelweiss and Dark Horse Comics in exchange for an honest review.

Meh, not much to this one. Felt like I was reading weekly comic strips. ( )

For the many fans who don't want to follow Hellboy to his current habitation, Mignola has happily been telling stories of his hero's youth, when he was growing into his role at the world's most famous paranormal investigator. He starts with four short tales set in England and taken from folklore, as usual. With illustrator Ben Stenbeck, Mignola evokes pleasant memories of the great Edwardian ghost stories while adding action for the youngsters.
Mignola collaborates with iZombie writer Chris Roberson and illustrator Michael Walsh for the next tale, set on the cold Wyoming prairie and introducing a new character (to me, at least) Sue Xiang, a fledgling psychic. I loved the art, but found the story rather familiar.
I liked the last story, a graphic novella, the best, largely for the setting, California suburbia, where the world of Dick and Jane gets turned upside down by Commie spies and a mutated Spot. Mignola collaborates again with Roberson with artwork by the Riveras.
A good collection set in a better time for Hellboy. ( )