Hellboy: Seed of Destruction

"Son of a..."

Mignola establishes his art style immediately with skillful use of dark, muted colors, building an ominous and somber tone through architecture and symbols that captivate the eye. This soon gives way to our shadowy anti-heroes that come across as a more realistic twist on the X-Men; hardened misfits at ease among the macabre. Hellboy himself, an obstinate fighter and smart aleck, makes for a fitting counterweight to the primeval forces that he and his companions must wage fisticuffs against. And since the main characters often play with fire, they tend to get burned. Danger and death never feels forced nor fake; characters tend to overestimate their abilities, and can never account for everything (how could they?), thus show more instilling proper tension throughout the series.

Mignola's unbridled fascination with all things horror lead him to put successful spins on a plethora of concepts without running out of steam. His inspirations include alchemy, fairy tales, Slavic folklore, Gothic horror, Lovecraftian horror, etc. While the cruxes and tropes born from each one are familiar, Mignola rearranges and adds to these ideas in ways that are exceptionally shocking, strange, and phantasmal. And unlike Lovecraft's all-consuming horrors, Hellboy explores the alternative, tenacious path of retaliation against abominations. But will Hellboy succeed in the end? Maybe, maybe not.

The writing itself consists of a more literary, dense Gothic era style mixed with modern lingo and quips from the main characters (mostly Hellboy himself). This juxtaposition is effective as it keeps the series from getting too bogged down by its own heavy atmosphere and haughty antagonists (who often indulge in lofty, esoteric speeches). But Mignola never takes the humor too far, always keeping things grounded in each dire, weighty circumstance.

While I haven't read many western comic books yet, I get the feeling that Hellboy will be hard to top. It successfully fuses so many things together into a chaotic, metaphysical brew of an indelible kind. And it's pretty funny, to boot. However, the pacing and repetition of certain instances holds Hellboy back, and it's disappointing how certain story threads drop off too early, although I've gathered that Mignola expands upon said threads via other series within the same universe. That said, this is still a cogent and unique work, and I'm looking forward to reading Mignola's other comics. show less

I saw the Hellboy movie years ago and loved it. Rasputin and the Nazis, Lovecraftian monsters, Gothic ruins, arcane machines, and a wise-cracking, cigar chomping, good demon who kicks ass. I didn't know anything about how Hellboy was supposed to be, but I thought Perlman knocked it out of the park.

I always meant to get around to reading the comic, but I didn't get a chance until now. Starting at the beginning, I see that the movie and the book start off on the same page, but then wildly veer off in different directions with only loose connections as the stories unfold. This is going to be blasphemous of me to say, but I liked the movie more.

In the movie, more time was spent developing the characters and the backstory. In the comic, show more Hellboy and the reader are subjected to a bad case of monologuing (I've had characters do it, too. It happens to writers all the time.) by Rasputin. As the comic is told almost exclusively from Hellboy's POV—after his origin sequence—there's no other place to put it. Perhaps if this opening story had been told over eight issues instead of four, there might have been a better way to develop it organically.

Hellboy's relationships with other characters is largely undeveloped in this issue of the comic. Other than a little background on Abe and Liz, we really don't get any reason why Hellboy cares about them. And Professor Bruttenholm? Forget it. In the movie, Perlman and Hurt really develop the relationship. Here, it's over before it starts with nary a thought or feeling. I have to imagine that these relationships and characters were expounded upon in subsequent issues.

But despite these shortcomings, I liked the story. The Lovecraftian vibe, Rasputin, and occult-Nazis are there with their arcane machines. The Hellboy that Perlman brought to life is a bit more subdued though. The raw power is there, but still in a more embryonic state. There's clearly more to come.

Mignola's art really captures the brooding darkness. Even bright yellow energetic struggles to keep it at bay and won't last long against the suffocating gloom. Sepia tones lend age and authenticity to portraits on a wall. Hellboy pops off the page with his signature fire engine red, particularly when contrasted against the moodier background hues of blue, purple, and gray or contrasting with green-colored foes. And black. Always black.

At the end of this volume, there were a couple notes from Mignola about the origin of Hellboy's appearance, two short four-page comics, and a gallery of Hellboy portraits as interpreted by other artists. It was a nice addition.

3.5 stars. show less

A paranormal mystery with a detective who's a demon with a big, stone right hand, what's not to love? Hellboy is one of my favorite characters. He's a big red demon with the personality of Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe who, as a member of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, investigates the strange and unexplained all over the world. He is the World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator.

This is the first Hellboy story, the Seed of Destruction, the one that started it all. Sets up the Bureau, tells Hellboy's mysterious origins, and introduces the "frogs." The whole thing is very pulp, which I love. It's a blend of detective story and Lovecraftian horror with Rasputin pulling the strings while working for the Nazis. There's a lot show more going on, and it's all brilliant. show less

I can't believe I'm only getting around to reading these now. It's obvious from 20 feet away that they're gorgeously drawn, and the premise of demons & mutants working for a goofy spy agency is always fun if not original, but Mignola adds loads of nifty mythological detail to the mix and it's really funny too. I'm rating this first one lower than the rest just because John Byrne's script, though OK, isn't as interesting as the later ones that Mignola wrote.

‘Hellboy' volume one is a good start to an interesting series. It sets the expectations of what’s to come while giving us just enough world-building and characterization to warrant following the bread crumbs
The reader can feel both for the personalities we'll be traveling with as well as the tone. The tone is more somber than I expected, having only previously experienced the Guillermo del Toro movies. But the feel of mysticism and the occult that the movies captured so well is felt here to an even greater degree. Every frame drips with a hint of the mystic and the sublime. The sardonic wit of Hellboy that was so enjoyable in the movie is also here, though it takes a backseat to the atmosphere and the longer narrative.
The art is show more decent and the artist does a good job utilizing a simple pallet. Almost everything, especially the characters, are solid colors. The backgrounds are usually subdued, so the use of block color helps the characters and action stand out. Things are usually easy to follow, though some scenes are sparse to the point I’d wish they’d included more. There are scenes and designs of intricate detail and only occasional frames feel lacking.
Story-wise the plot is nothing new. The interesting twist of who the main characters are is enough to keep one flipping pages. There is little in the way of character development, but as this is the first volume, I am not surprised. The volume feels like the opening act to an epic play. It is a comic I would recommend to anyone interested in the movies or to anyone interested in a unique twist on a paranormal tale show less

Hellboy
By Mike Mignola
Dark Horse
Hellboy
1994 – Present
B.P.R.D.
2003 - Present
Review by Karl Wolff

Mike Mignola’s mid-1990s comic book Hellboy, published by indie press Dark Horse, spins the tale of a group of heroic misfits working for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. The misfits include the eponymous Hellboy, a demon snatched from the pits of Hell by occultist Nazis and saved by a crack force of US Army GIs. There is Abe Sapien, a sentient aquatic humanoid found in the basement of the White House during the Lincoln years. And there is Liz Sherman, a human blowtorch. When she gets angry, look out! In the comic books, they fight to save the world from Nazis, demons, and all manner of Lovecraftian horrors. (Mignola show more dedicated the first volume, Seed of Destruction to Jack Kirby and H.P. Lovecraft.)

Genre fusions are a tricky business. They don’t always succeed. Cop Rock is just one example of respected craftsman (Steve Bochco), blending genres in a show that ended in unmitigated disaster. In terms of writing craft, consider the Cosmopolitan. For this cocktail to succeed and actually taste good, specific ingredients must be mixed in exact proportions. Mignola mixes a heady concoction together. The ingredients are a cigar-chomping, back-talking, trench coat-wearing badass hell demon as the hero; occult-obsessed Nazis; a resurrected Rasputin; and monsters and villains coming from world mythologies and Lovecraftian nightmares. It’s a miracle this unwieldy combination didn’t collapse into a vortex of suck. But to the credit of Mignola and the Hellboy writing and artistic staff, he wraps these disparate elements around a coherent mythos. Not only was it successful, Hellboy continues to be published in individual comic issues, but also in graphic novel collections. It even spawned a successful spin-off series, B.P.R.D., which started in 2003 and continues to this day. One final note, this time on the graphic style, then we shall plunge into the narrative meat of the series. As you see from the cover art, Hellboy is drawn in a flat blocky style, full of shadows and solid colors. Mignola’s style uses a lot of chiaroscuro, making his work look like 19th century posters. He conveys a lot through very few pen strokes.

The spare style complements the storyline. The comic books chronicle the story of Hellboy’s origin and B.P.R.D.’s battle with Grigori Rasputin. Seed of Destruction begins in 1944 on a remote island in Scotland, the Nazis, along with Rasputin, attempt to initiate Project Ranga Rok, to create a doomsday weapon to vanquish the Allies. Instead of summoning Ogdru Jahad, the dragon from Revelation, Hellboy appears and is taken into custody of the US Army. Trevor Buttenholm, an academic working for B.P.R.D., cares for the young hell demon. (From Buttenholm’s upbringing, Hellboy becomes a practicing Roman Catholic.) Throughout the books, Hellboy and Rasputin battle each other until Rasputin’s spirit is imprisoned in an acorn after Hecate refuses to do his bidding.

Hellboy continues the tradition of stereotypically evil races (used in the fantasy sense) fighting for humanity. We see this with the vampire Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In the trade paperbacks, Hellboy is granted “honorary human rights” by the U.N. and the Pope. Being human is less about the species than about politically based sanction. “You’re human because we say you are.” We can see this today in the way that the Republicans have legitimized Mitt Romney as a presidential candidate, even though the Evangelical Right and Mainstream Christianity in general has less than positive things to say about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “The Mormons are an evil cult that is not Christian. Oh, Romney, he’s cool.” In a more literal sense, being human in the Hellboy universe is a very sketchy thing. Humanity’s constantly threat from supernatural evils of all varieties. It’s almost as bad as the Warhammer 40K universe. Because humanity is small, weak, and soft, it requires a different kind of hero. In this case, Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and the others who work for the B.P.R.D.

For those who like the pulps of the Thirties, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a dense dark mythology, Hellboy is a great place to start. It has everything: hell demons, heads in jars, Nazis, Rasputin, Hecate, golem, and frogs. That pesky plague of frogs.

https://driftlessareareview.com/2012/08/24/cclap-fridays-on-being-human-hellboy-... show less

My father hates comics. He thinks that an adult person shouldn’t be reading it, that comics are only for children. I’ve got a different opinion.
I used to read tons of Russian comics when I was younger, and even though I don’t recall their titles, I do perfectly remember the joy of reading them.
Hellboy: Seed of Destruction is my first comics in English. I decided to read this comic exactly because of Ron Perlman and his book Easy Street: The Hard Way. He speculates about the film adaption by Guillermo del Toro and their friendship. I love incredible Ron Perlman, I’m fond of Guillermo del Toro, I’ve seen the adaptation, and I asked myself “Why the hell haven’t I read the comic?”
As soon as I thought it, I downloaded show more Hellboy: Seed of Destruction and started reading. It took me half an hour to finish, but those minutes were the best 30 minutes of the day.
I will continue reading the series, as I want to know more about Liz, Abe and, of course, Hellboy. show less