I know people are going to complain about the delay on this series, but you know what? They shouldn’t. Mike Mignola has been doing Hellboy for 20 years… find me another creator that’s as iconic and still working on their series other than Erik Larsen (and then compare the art)? Frankly I’ll wait for this series for as long as it takes just to see Mignola’s artwork and follow his story beats. In case you’ve forgotten, Hellboy is dead… and he’s in hell. Last time we saw him he was dropped off in a town of sorts and now we find him weak and grey looking. He arises to find two doctors looking over him, but they admit that they can’t help him. He asks what’s wrong and they inform him that there’s an affliction affecting his soul, but they have a colleague that can help. That is after Mignola explains what’s going on with the Mignoalverse which was fucking amazing. I won’t spoil it, but my goodness is it going to make things interesting when he decides to pull the trigger.
That’s all you get of the story. Mignola continues to be very impressive with his storytelling and he keeps it creepy and strange. It’s very Shakespearean at times which I absolutely love. There are figures that appear to be holding up walls that will just randomly say “Hellboy”, but no one acknowledges it. It’s so creepy, but oh does it add to the atmosphere. Mignola also manages to add a bit of humor to the story which I thought was a nice touch. It came across as dark humor which kept it in line with the story so don’t worry there.
The art of course is brilliant. It’s Mike Mignola, how could it not be. In particular I love how he illustrates the people in this area of hell. At first Hellboy sees the doctor’s as just men, but then the next time he sees them as skeletons. It’s simple and yet visually amazing for the story. It’s like this soft reminder of what is and what was. I could really go on and on about the visuals, the way Mignola chooses not to have any details on a character’s face for one panel and then the perfect amount on the face a page or two later. His balance is masterful. Soak up every panel and every page because you’re witnessing a modern masterpiece.
I wish I had more to say about this issue, but it’s pretty straight forward like the entire series has managed to be. So much of what makes this story wonderful is the experience of reading it. There’s only so much a review can capture without kind of losing the magic in the process. Basically this is a series worth waiting for. If you’ve started the journey then continue it and if you haven’t, then this is as good of a place as any join in.
Score: 5/5
Hellboy in Hell #7 Writer/Artist/Creator: Mike Mignola Colorist: Dave Stewart Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 8/26/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital