Reviews

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., Vol. 1: 1952 by Mike Mignola, Alex Maleev, Dave Stewart, John Arcudi

johnathanwet's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

jexjthomas's review against another edition

4.0

This was great. It makes me very happy to know that even as Hellboy's main story comes to an end, there are always more stories to be told. This one's a bit of a monster ex machina, but that's okay because it was a hell of a ride, deepens the Mignolaverse mythos, and Alex Maleev's art is fantastic. Great stuff.

ronanmcd's review against another edition

5.0

Fun

stevequinn's review against another edition

4.0

Are you kidding me? Hellboy with art by Alex Maleev? Whoaaaaaaaa.

joanarcherknight's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

icarys's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bowienerd_82's review against another edition

4.0

I miss Mike Mignola's art, but Alex Maleev is one of my favorites, so I have no complaints about him filling in. His covers are particularly beautiful- I love love love the one for issue 3 of this collection.

The story if fairly classic Hellboy, with a nice look back at young HB, but after [b:Hellboy in Hell, Vol. 1: The Descent|19546047|Hellboy in Hell, Vol. 1 The Descent|Mike Mignola|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387419745s/19546047.jpg|27676438], this feels a little bit like a step back. Still an excellent read, but what I really want is the next Hellboy in Hell.

nooker's review against another edition

4.0

Fun to see Hellboy before he comes into his own.

jakekilroy's review against another edition

4.0

Hellboy impresses me most in the longer arcs. In the pop and show of short stories, you get a glimpse of a wanderer's life, unsure how to tackle the world's demonic problems beyond just roaming around asking for trouble. But in this, Hellboy's first real case, you see that he was born brave and reactionary and it makes his entire existence seem less hollow. Even though I've always loved Hellboy, I always wondered how he maintained happiness following decades of battling monsters and being the only of his kind, something that so many want to exploit, something that he has to resist in his own blood. Here, he and his team visit a small jungle town being outright murdered by some weird beast and what it unfolds is bonkers mayhem. Classic Hellboy.

beyadob's review against another edition

4.0

This is my first foray into Hellboy graphic novels, and I was honestly expecting more.

I'm coming into the series having seen the movies. I was expecting a lot of action and familiar characters, none of which I got. But here's the thing: it was a good read.

I can see the appeal of Hellboy, especially when it jumps into the weird and absurd. I can see bits and pieces the movies took from here, especially the villain.

The story itself was well done. I look forward to reading volume 2 now that I know what BPRD are up against.