Ben Stenbeck

Much finding of witches and killing of monsters and gentlemen explorers dying ghastly deaths because of the unspeakable things they uncovered in the desert but also EELS. Kim Newman writing an arc of this made me wish they'd made Grey a more flamboyant, dandyish figure - it would have been a contrast with all the sometimes dour and earnest monster-hunters in the rest of the Mignolaverse.

Mike Mignola has a formula now: take a character from one graphic novel, make him the hero of a new novel or series of novels, create a background using material from classic pulp and crank sources, include characters from his own mythology, end it all in a catastrophic battle that the reader is assured will be futile in changing the depressing outcome. If this sounds like I at least am becoming bored, well, I am.

Yet the best part of this tale is the oldest element: the sufferings of the show more poor monster, which always makes me disgusted with his tormentors, even though in real life I would probably act like them. Mignola pities him too, apparently, for he gives him a Hyperborean princess as a spirit guide, deus ex machina, and, finally, goddess of a paradise where he might find peace. show less

(English below.)

Die deutsche Übersetzung kombiniert Band 1-4 des aus den USA-stammenden Grafikromans, der auf englisch am 12.06.24 veröffentlicht wurde, und bei CrossCult auf deutsch am 17.03.25.
Ich habe die deutsche Ausgabe von CrossCult durch Netgalley als digitales Reziexemplar erhalten. (Vielen Dank dafür.) Die Meinung ist meine eigene und wurde davon nicht beeinflusst.

~

Nicht ganz was ich erwartet habe (das violette Cover hat mich an den Weltall erinnert, dachte, es spielt dort; und show more die Würfel an eine Minecraft-ähnliche Welt :P, vielleicht also ein fremder Planet oder auch die Erde, die in der Zukunft so geworden ist – ungefähr wie in den ersten paar Seiten). Aber letztendlich nicht schlecht. Der Titel ist gut.

Ich frag mich bloß, ob das Werk beendet ist? Da steht schließlich kein "Volume 1". Fühlt sich mehr wie ein Anfang einer längeren Serie an. Das Ende verspricht so viel … Auch wenn es, ähnlich wie in »Long Cold Winter« relativ hervorsehend ist, wie die Menschen weiterleben werden, hatte dieser GN nochmal mehr Mystery. Gerade, was die Aliens/Roboter und deren Technologie anbelangt.
Wenn keine Fortsetzung kommt, würde mich auch ein Prolog interessieren. Besonders die Geschichte von Attis/Nana und dessen Beziehung zu der alten Frau aus dem Schloss/Dorf.

Dennoch sehr empfehlenswert.

Zwar durchaus grafisch, was die Actionszenen und den Körperhorror angeht, also nichts für schwache Nerven. Aber, bis auf die Tiertode, fand ich das ganz gut. Kannibalismus wird viel zu selten in Post-Apokalypsen dargestellt.
Wenn dich das nicht stört, dann freu dich auf detailreiche Zeichnungen und erinnerungswürdige Charakterdesigns. Besonders Attis’ fand ich interessant (und dessen Designwandlung, wie in den Skizzen im Bonus gezeigt).

Ich mochte auch die schlechte Grammatik in den Dialogen. Klingt selbstverständlich und logisch, dass nach solchen Ereignissen und dem Fokus aufs Überleben deren Vokabular nur noch wichtige Wörter und kurze Sätze enthält. Wird aber ebenfalls viel zu selten thematisiert.

-Ayxan Solongo, 29.04.25

~~~

Not quite what I expected (the purple cover reminded me of space, I thought it was set there; and the dice of a Minecraft-like world :P, so maybe a different planet or even Earth, which has become like this in the future – roughly like in the first few pages). But ultimately not bad. The title is good.

I'm just wondering if the book is finished? It doesn't say "Volume 1". It feels more like the beginning of a longer series, the ending promises so much... Even though, similar to "Long Cold Winter", it's relatively predictable how humans will continue to live, this GN had even more mystery. Especially regarding the aliens/robots and their technology.
If there's no sequel, I'd also be interested in a prologue. Especially the story of Attis/Nana and his relationship with the old woman from the castle/village.

Still highly recommended.

The action scenes and body horror are certainly graphic, so not for the faint of heart. But, apart from the animal deaths, I thought it was quite good. Cannibalism is depicted far too rarely in post-apocalypses.
If that doesn't bother you, then you can look forward to detailed drawings and memorable character designs. I found Attis' particularly interesting (and its design transformation, as shown in the sketches in the bonus).

I also liked the poor grammar in the dialogue. It sounds obvious and logical that, after such events and the focus on survival, their vocabulary would contain only important words and short sentences. But that's also included far too rarely.

~

Thank you to CrossCult on Netgalley for a digital review copy. The German translation was released on March 17, 2025.

-Ayxan Solongo, 29.04.25
My main platforms: StoryGraph | Pending Plays | Instagram | YouTube show less

This was a very different read. Sir Edward Grey was always shown as a more man of thinking and less of action. That he is ready to move and fight the evil forces, of course, but he was never an action hero. In this story arc he seems .... more angry and willing to spill blood. It could be that I am missing something from before but here Grey seems to be more like Baltimore - highly motivated to go and suppress the night creatures that are starting to terrorize the city of London through any show more means necessary.

Story itself is very interesting - it is good to see that shadowy societies (and lets not forget that Grey is member of such a troop in direct service of the Queen) do work side by side when they encounter the common enemy. It seems that end of XIX and start of XX century [in Hellboy's universe] were years of great dangers. Although ending is positive it is made obvious how very fragile the established balance is and how easy is to plunge the world into literal hell.

Art as always is great.

Highly recommended to all fans of Hellboy universe and horror stories in general. show less