Which of the 'Hellboy' trade paperback collections is the best overall?

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’m a huge fan of the two, live-action Hellboy movies, “Hellboy” and “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” and to feed my hunger for all things Hellboy, I set out a year or so ago to read all of the Hellboy trade paperback collections.

Recently, I scratched one more of these awesome books off the list of those I hadn’t read – “Hellboy, Vol. 8: The Wild Hunt.”

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,” “Hellboy, Vol. 5: Conquer Worm,” “Hellboy, Vol. 6: Strange Places,” “Hellboy, Vol. 7: The Troll Witch and Others” and “Hellboy, Vol. 8: Darkness Calls.”

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.

“The Wild Hunt” trade paperback collection was originally published by Dark Horse Comics in March 2010 and collects eight “chapters” that were published as single-issue comic books between December 2008 and November 2009. One big surprise in this book is that it indicates that Hellboy is a descendant of legendary British monarch, King Arthur, and that Hellboy is the rightful heir to the throne.

“The Wild Hunt” is one of my favorite Hellboy trade paperbacks so far and it was a nice follow-up to a story arch that started in “Darkness Calls.” It also left me looking forward to Vol. 10, the book that closes out the story arc started in Vol. 8. I hope to say that I’ve read it this time next month.

Of the nine Hellboy trade paperback collections that I’ve read so far, I’d have to say that “Seed of Destruction” was probably my favorite, with “The Wild Hunt” running a close second. “The Chained Coffin and Others” comes in third. That’s not to say that I didn’t really enjoy all nine.

By my count, I’ve three 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. 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.