James Dowling Comic Reviews

"Frankenstein: New World #1 is both quintessentially a Hellboy Universe book, and yet like nothing else we've seen before in the Hellboy Universe before. Bergting's art truly transports us into a new world, while embellishing it with compositions and pacing that tap into a Mignola-esque mood.

Frankenstein: New World #2 walks the story comfortably into its second act, introducing the many facets and peoples of this far future while placing an emphasis on authentic character work, rather than the mechanics of its post apocalyptic prophecy.

We were quite torn on this one. Some scenes were quite effective, but Frankenstein's fight with Bih'tak felt almost like padding and other scenes felt truncated. It's an abrupt end to an arc which has otherwise been characterized by meditative moments and carefully curated pacing.

Giant Robot Hellboy #1 is an unabashed ride into 20th century genre fiction that suffers in parts from a hesitancy to ride head first into the promise of its premise.

Giant Robot Hellboy #2 is a comic of immense weight and scale, but without a clear direction or objective it often finds itself shambling forward without consequence and propped purely on the talent of its byline.

A tale lovingly made for all those readers that have wondered about When Hellboy Met Anastasia.

"Hellboy: The Bones of Giants" #1 is not only a great adaptation of the original prose novel, but an excellent showcase for the artistic signature, thematic consistency, and collaborative quality that the Hellboy Universe is so famous for. "Hellboy" fans both new and old will find a story here that rewards any knowledge base and only improves in retrospect.

"Hellboy: The Bones of Giants" #2 is a frantically paced issue, but it never loses track of what's most important in adapting the original novel.

Final Verdict: 8.75 " Everyone on the "Hellboy: The Bones of Giants" team is doing great work here, but it's the way they build on each other's work that makes this issue something special.

Like the novel before it, 'The Bones of Giants' is a "Hellboy" classic.

"Koshchei in Hell #2 leaves the reader thinking "What the hell? in the best possible way. It is a fantastically disorienting ending, and there's clearly so much more to come.

"Koshchei in Hell #3 slants away from the Hell-shaping stakes of the prior two issues without losing any momentum, presenting a personal and folkloric look at service and mortality.

Mike Mignola, Ben Stenbeck, and Dave Stewart's "Koshchei in Hell defies the expectations of the reader, giving us a profound story of transformation. Even among the Hellboy Universe's best stories, this is exceptional.

Final Verdict: 9.25 While unmistakably a part of Mignola's Hellboy Universe, with touchstones in visuals for various plot elements, Jesse Lonergan's storytelling is front and center at all times, broadening the visual storytelling language, showing us this world anew. "Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #1 makes the Hellboy Universe richer with every page.

Final Verdict: 9.5. "Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea #2 proves the symbiosis of Mignola and Lonergan is more than the sum of its parts. As its intertwined protagonists move through the fall of Hyperborea, Lonergan appears to relish in the freedom he has to express theme and character through his art.

Your mileage may vary. For some, this issue may be too slight to be completely satisfying. For others, the meditative approach may be richly rewarding and prompt a more studied reading. Clearly we skew more towards the latter.

Stories like Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea are rare. The ripples from it will be felt in so many corners of the Hellboy Universe.

Netflixs The Old Guard has some great chemistry and smart action, but is held back by some excessively average production elements and an inability to commit to any of the commentary its trying to present.

"The Sword of Hyperborea" #1 is a stunning Hellboy Universe debut for Rob Williams, and an emotionally satisfying victory lap for Laurence Campbell. What could have been an interesting side story is instead an essential read. No "Hellboy" reader should miss this.

Our biggest criticism is that we wanted to spend more time with the central character introduced in "The Sword of Hyperborea" #2. Graf Ling de Gotha has a complex relationship with the culture she's embedded in, but the issue only has time to gesture at this aspect. Ultimately though, this is about the sword.

"The Sword of Hyperborea" #3 is a beautifully rendered journey into the deep propelled by a masterful use of color. The issue, while restrained by some of the needs of the larger narrative, is an endearing look at obsession and isolation through the eyes of a fascinating new protagonist.

Final Verdict: 7 Your mileage may vary here. In many ways, "The Sword of Hyperborea struggles with being an interquel. It begins in the end of one story and ends in the middle of another; it's reliant on elements outside of the story for emotional beats to land; it gives a taste of characters, but withholds a satisfying bite. But there's also so much to dig into here, and it taps into the communal aspect of the Hellboy Universe. This is a story that's meant to be talked about with other readers and open up possibilities.

"Young Hellboy" prioritizes action at the expense of character in its first issue, creating a book that's familiar to the point of being unmemorable. That said, it absolutely has the capacity to take a sharp left turn into something integral, as a lot of Mignola's best stories have in the past.