When was the last time you received a good mix tape? One that had a range of great songs that built up nicely and hit all of the right notes?
Now take a badass demon and instead of songs, insert your dream list of classic monsters and there you have Mike Mignola’s Hellboy – House of the Living Dead.
We join Hellboy in 1956, where he finds himself in Mexico working as a crime fighting luchador, battling just about everyone. Who doesn’t love Hellboy, luchadores and a bit of rowdiness? I was pleased to see the artwork of Richard Corbin, having first encountered his work in the pages of Heavy Metal. Corbin seems like a natural choice for this project, as his style blends nicely with the supernatural playground that Hellboy tromps around in. There’s a perfect balance of creepiness and quiet in the panels that allow the monsters and locations to jump out at you when you least expect it.I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a big fan of anything Mike Mignola puts out and I’ve found myself voraciously reading as many of his B.P.R.D titles and Hellboy stories as I can get my hands on. My only gripe is that sometimes I wish that the storylines were given the chance to develop and grow. Writers are usually required to keep a story to a certain amount of words and pages, but in this case it harms the possibilities of this adventure. I know that Hellboy – House of the Living Dead is a one shot comic but I wanted more! More story, more pages, more of the mischief that comes with a good Hellboy story.
If you take the time to read Mignola’s introduction, it’s clear that this project was a homage to the foundations of Hollywood’s horror dynasty, but I wish this comic was given the chance to do more. Like most of us know, great mixtapes usually take you on a journey, hopefully in Hellboy’s next adventure the music doesn’t end so quickly.
Filed under: comics, Dark Horse, Dark Horse Comics, General Tagged: Dark Horse, Hellboy, living dead, luchadores, mix tapes, one shot
