Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 741.5973
EAN: 9781593078966
Edition: Volume 8
ISBN: 159307896X
Label: Dark Horse Comics
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 200
Publication Date: 2008-06-09
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Studio: Dark Horse Comics

Hellboy has finally returned from his adventures at sea, but no sooner has he settled on land than a conclave of witches drags him from his respite and into the heart of Russian folklore, where he becomes the quarry of the powerful and bloodthirsty witch Baba Yaga. Bent on revenge for the eye she had lost to Hellboy, Baba Yaga has enlisted the aid of a deathless warrior who will stop at nothing to destroy Hellboy. Creator Mike Mignola turns over drawing duties to Duncan Fegredo (Enigma, Ultimate Adventures) for a new chapter in the life of the World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator. Hellboy: Darkness Calls collects the entire six-issue miniseries, along with two new epilogues-one drawn by Mignola, and one by Fegredo-and an extensive sketchbook section from both artists and includes many plot elements from the major motion picture, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, directed by Academy Award winner, Guillermo del Toro and slated for release in July 2008!

Customer Rating:
Summary: Because your Fist, your fist, I Can't Resist.
Comment: When Hellboy and Mignola collide, you expect certain things BUT those expectations are forced to become fewer and fewer as time travels on. First there was the "no Nazi" touch because Mignola started tiring of the feel, then there was the "no B.P.R.D." on the swingsets because Hellboy needed to get a little air, then there was the "tales" aspect that went on for a while. Now, Hellboy is back in a bigger role and he is bigger than life but he has one little problem - the person drawing the beloved Anung Un Rama is not Mignola. That certainly took a little time to adjust to.

As far as storylines go, this one is a great piece of literature and feels like a prequel to something larger. You can see it in the way specific things happen and in the omens that sometimes show their heads and sometimes find themselves spoken of. There are also a lot of familiar faces gathered around to put the tale together, giving people a prospective on what exactly happens when a lot of "somethings" get together. I personally liked the touch of all of it: the storyline carries its own weight, Hellboy has to put in work to figure out what is happening and what role he is playing, and there is a bigger thing than Hellboy working within the context. A reader has to pay attention to the story to make sure they catch everything that is going on as well - the good thing about that is that it is Mignola at his finest, not simply making Hellboy to make Hellboy but to put some love into his finest creation. That is a good thing to see because Mignola himself said that he had fallen out of love with Hellboy and was planning a break for a while (he never said how long that while would be, either, and that frightened a lot of people) before this came out. Merrily, he found his muse and his folklore calling and meshed it all together into one exotic blend that I have not seen for some time.
Finally, readers have a long story to call their own once more.

For anyone that has followed Hellboy along the crooked path he has walked recently, this is a good place to keep going because connectivity exists here. Darkness Calls has a consecutiveness that plays along with the other stories that have been taking place and, merrily, Hellboy seems to be fine. I never figured Mignola for one to give up on Hellboy anyhow and, just as Hellboy wandered, I think Mignola wandered and tried to think about what he wanted. So, if this is a picture of things to come then it seems like a fine one indeed.
Recommended highly for those who have been keeping up, but not as a starting place.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Best since Hellboy left the BPRD
Comment: Hellboy gets trapped in Baba Yaga's version of Russia and must fight his way out. She's understandably pissed at losing her eye. Paranormal activities, witches, giants with swords, house imps, skeleton armies, and everything in between show up. There is awesome action, nice humor scenes, and a little bit more added to Hellboy's story. It's big and covers a lot of ground, but stays focused on the goal. The end makes it seem like Hellboy's problems are just beginning. I enjoyed this book the best out of all the Hellboy stories to come out after him leaving the BPRD.

This is the one book I was sad to see Mignola not draw as it was always his baby, but Duncan Fegredo does an amazing job. His art is exactly like Mognola's, but much more detailed.

If I were to have a complaint, it'd be that sometimes the details get overwhelming.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Close-Read This One
Comment: I won't go into the plot much here, but I'll say this: close-read this one. Don't be surprised if you finish it quickly, only to find yourself missing a thing or two. Read it over a second time, taking it in slowly, and it should all fall into place.

That would be my main criticism, actually: Fegredo doesn't have the same sort of "leading" style that Mignola does, so it can be a challenge to know where the artist wants you to look. That interferes with the flow of the comic a little, and makes the circumstances of the initial conflict a little confusing.

Also, as much as Hellboy hates it, his adversaries usually talk more! The Council of Witches don't explicitly state what their problem is, and Gruagach (Hellboy: The Corpse) is vague as can be about what he's lugging around in that box. It's a little reminiscent of a short-lived Guy Davis project, the noir-superheroic "Nevermen", in that you have to read very closely, and even then, you have to infer some details.

I thoroughly enjoyed the tour through Russian history, though, and Mignola indulges us with a fight scene that, reminiscent of "The Wolves of Saint August" from The Chained Coffin and Other Stories (vol. 3), takes many pages indeed to come to a proper resolution. It's worth it, though: we get a stronger sense of the forces at work, and, as always, we see mythological figures taking themselves way too seriously. A delight!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Brilliant as always
Comment: For those of you who are worried because Mignola is no longer drawing Hellboy, don't be. I was worried too, but this Fegredo guy is great. He apes Mignola's dramatic shading style while adding more detail and nuance to the character designs. If anything, I'd say the art looks better than in previous volumes (no offense Mr. Mignola, should you happen to read this!)

Of course, Mignola is still in charge of the plot, and man does he deliver. While promises that Darkness Calls contains plot elements from the new movie turn out empty, the reality is far better - this volume weaves together all the loose threads from previous hellboy tales into a weird and beautiful tapestry. The Baba Yaga is back, and she does her best to makes life miserable for our nonchalant red hero. Hecate gets her just desserts, and Igor Bromhead, that sniveling worm from Box of Evil, makes an appearance as well. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but expect some questions to be answered, many more to be raised, and an engrossing new chapter to be added to the mythology of Hellboy.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: close - but no original Hellboy
Comment: As others have mentioned before - the story is quite thrilling.
BUT - the artwork is not by Mike Mignola! The novel has been drawn by some artist called Fegredo. The style comes close to Mignolas style, but its definitely not as good as his. So, be aware that you will buy a book which says "Hellboy by Mike Mignola" on the cover but offers something completely different inside.

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