A week or so ago, I scratched one more of these books off my list – “Hellboy, Vol. 6: Strange Places.”
Earlier this year, I finished “Hellboy, Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction, “Hellboy, Vol. 2: Wake the Devil,” “Hellboy, Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others,” “Hellboy, Vol. 4: The Right Hand of Doom” and “Hellboy, Vol. 5: Conquer Worm.”
For those of you unfamiliar with the Hellboy character, he’s a comic book superhero with red skin, horns, a tail and an unusual, oversized right hand made of stone. Known as the “World’s Greatest Paranormal Investigator,” he works for the United States Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. He does seem to have a few superpowers. He’s abnormally strong and appears to heal quickly among other things. He was created by writer and artist Mike Mignola, and most of the Hellboy comics have been published by Dark Horse Comics.
“Strange Places” was published by Dark Horse Comics in April 2006 and contains two Hellboy stories, “The Third Wish” and “The Island.” “The Third Wish” was originally published as a two-issue mini-series in the summer of 2002. “The Island,” which was also published as a two-issue mini-series, followed three years later, in the summer of 2005. The first Hellboy movie was released in 2004 between these two mini-series, which explains the long gap between the two stories.
In “The Third Wish,” Hellboy finds himself on an adventure at the bottom of the sea, where he’s captured by an old hag and three mermaids. They plan to hack him up and hide his infamous Right Hand to prevent the end of the world. In the end, Hellboy isn’t dismembered, but he is held prisoner for a long time, around two years.
In “The Island,” Hellboy washes up on an island, where his blood wakes up this really old mystic. The blood drives the man insane, and he unsuccessfully tries to duke it out with Hellboy. Both of these stories were highly entertaining.
Of the five Hellboy trade paperback collections that I’ve read so far, I’d have to say that “Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others” was probably my favorite. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy all six.
By my count, I’ve got six more trade paperback collections to read before I can say that I’ve read them all. Here a list of the other titles in order of their release.
- Hellboy, Vol. 7: The Troll Witch and Others (November 2007)
- Hellboy, Vol. 8: Darkness Calls (May 2008)
- Hellboy, Vol. 9: The Wild Hunt (March 2010)
- Hellboy, Vol. 10: The Crooked Man and Others (June 2010)
- Hellboy, Vol. 11: The Bride of Hell and Others (October 2011)
- Hellboy, Vol. 12: The Storm and the Fury (March 2012)
In the end, how many of these trade paperback collections have you had the chance to read? Which did you like or dislike and why? Which is your personal favorite and why? Let us know in the comments section below.
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