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Hellboy Library Edition Volume 1: Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil (Hellboy omnibus 1; books 1-2)
Since Mike Mignola's Hellboy first hit the stands in 1993, it has become a cultural sensation, racking up a dozen Eisner Awards and inspiring numerous spinoffs, from a novel line, to video games, to feature films. Now, Dark Horse is pleased to present the comics that started it all, collected in deluxe hardcover editions. Sized at 9" by 12," and handsomely bound ...more
Hardcover, 278 pages
Published
May 14th 2008
by Dark Horse
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Jamil Thomas
rated it
Oversized edition is pretty nice. Sewn binding so it won't fall apart like the trades (two of which are collected in each hardcover "Library Edition" it seems). Interesting to see on the reread how different early Hellboy (scripted by John Bryne) is from the Hellboy we've all grown to know & love. I like how Seed of Destruction is dedicated to both Jack Kirby & H.P. Lovecraft - Mignola wearing his influences nakedly.
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Snazzy edition. I find Hellboy's universe and introduced characters very interesting, such as Hecate, the Nazis, Rasputin, and all, and I love the mythology and hardcore action. On the other hand, character development for the 'good-guys' is very weak, monster battles tend to end quickly and disappointingly or anticlimactically - e.g. a massive god is trumped up for dozens of pages and then, after doing basically nothing, is killed instantly. Gods are frequently dispatched by little more than pi...more
I didn't know much at all about Hellboy until I saw the first movie. I was surprised by how much I liked it. So I watched the second Hellboy movie and liked that one a lot too. Hellboy is rather sexy, in an angry, red sort of way. No, I can't really imagine being in a romantic relationship with Hellboy (well, for one thing, he's not real and for another, I couldn't deal with all that anger...I'm angry enough without having an angry partner), but I do have a bit of a crush on him. I thought the m...more
Federiken Masters
rated it
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Recommends it for:
Satanistas
Recommended to Federiken by:
Su fama.
Al fin me leo las primeras sagas de Hellboy en este tomote que recopila las dos segundas. El resultado, relavitamente lo que me esperaba: Buenas historias y buenos dibujos que presagian aun mejores historias con mejores dibujos. "Despierta al demonio" me gustó más que "Semilla de destrucción" tanto por que cierra más y ata los cabos sueltos que deja la primera parte como por las mejoras estéticas, "dialoguÃsticas" y el tratamiento de los personajes. Villanos princip...more
En esta recopilacion de las dos primeras historias de Hellboy, se cuentan dos historias, que de hecho son una, relacionadas con los orÃgenes y el destino de Hellboy. Hellboy a su vez quiere ser dueño de sus fortunas, y durante todo el libro es esa voluntad la que mueve la historia hacia adelante.
Excelentes historias, muy bien contadas y dibujadas por Mike Mignola. Es increÃble como los fondos negros son casi protagonistas de la acción. Buena edición, y barata para ser un dos-en-uno. La...more
Excelentes historias, muy bien contadas y dibujadas por Mike Mignola. Es increÃble como los fondos negros son casi protagonistas de la acción. Buena edición, y barata para ser un dos-en-uno. La...more
Brenton Nichol
rated it
It seems that everyone is jumping on the deluxe collection bandwagon in the comics world these past few years. There has been an abundance of slipcased or hardbacked, oversized reprints loaded with recolored pages, commentaries and extras which have left bibliophile nerds like me salivating, although sometimes it turns out we've been taken for a ride (the "absolute" edition of Alan Moore's LXG: Black Dossier comes to mind). Outside the Marvel and DC realms, I can't think of any comic s...more
I've reviewed the individual contents of these Library Editions elsewhere, but I re-read the Hellboy books with such staggering regularity that it isn't reasonable to do a new review each time and, moreover, I felt it needed to be said that this Library Editions are absolutely amazing. The final word in Hellboy collections, with all the material of the originals, as well as new forewords and afterwords, and new sketchbook material. Plus, the already amazing art looks even better at this size, I ...more
It's no secret that I'm a fan of Hellboy. I'm also a fan of very nice books and this is one of the nicest editions of a book I've ever owned. It is amazing to think of the difference between this sort of edition and the original serial monthly format that comics started out in. Heavy paper, clothbound hardcover, and excellent reproduction of the art in it's largest format yet, all combine to make this the definitive version of the Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil Stories.
Awesome storyline and illustrations! I liked how Mignola delved so deeply into different mythologies, and mixed that with Nazi and older villians to creat the story. I had never read the graphic novel about Hellboy, though I had loved watching both the movies. It is interesting to note that the movies don't really follow the graphic novels in order, but take bits and pieces from them. I'm very interested in reading more of his work.
Ryan Milbrath
added it
I can not say enough good things about the artwork and colors in this particular comic book collection. The drab colors, black and white contrast, and six panel layout really enforce the dark, noir, "lovecraftian" theme of the graphic novel. Although, personally, I prefer stories that do not focus on traditional gothic themes, I did enjoy this particular piece of wrok from Mignola.
Now that Mignola's early Hellboy work is collected in on large format hardcover, I couldn't resist the temptation to add this nice loking tome to my shelf. Opening it to read it, I was impressed still. The large format worked to its advantage. The page size, larger than the standard comic page the material was first printed on, brought the gorgeous detailed work Mignola to life.
Somehow I had never read the Hellboy graphic novels - to my shame, I saw the movies without reading them. So I'm making up for lost time with these beautiful oversize editions now. The pulp-era feel of both the art and some of the writing is very satisfying for me, and the fact that the first volume is dedicated to Jack Kirby and H.P. Lovecraft (inter alios) sort of says it all . . .
Sometimes the story telling was slightly lacking, but the art is wonderful. The style is fairly heavy and plodding, which fits well with the yeoman's attitude of the protagonist. In certain ways I liked how when textual references where spelled out, so you know this allusion or that is from what a pope said 1000 years ago or what not.
The luxurious library edition of Mignola's Hellboy series really is a feast for the eyes. The large format and thick, glossy paper make every page feel like a small piece of art. It is a real pleasure to read the first two longer storylines "Seed of Destruction" and "Wake the Devil" and turn page after page of beautiful artwork. Mignola recombines all the classic gothic tales and monsters with a trashy pulp magazine aesthetic that is also the source of the WWII background wit...more
The early Hellboy stuff, done in huge oversized format to match the Art of Hellboy books. It's a gorgeous book with amazing production value, and Mignola's story and art is terrific. I'm hoping for a BPRD series featuring Guy Davis, although not expecting that'll actually happen.
Russell Grant
added it
Hellboy got his start with these stories, and it's amazing how strong the vision for the character was in these early tales. The art work is top notch, and the stories are a perfect mix of Lovecraftian horror and alternate history. Can't wait to read book two.
Love this book. I used to not really dig Mike Mignola's art, But somewhere along the way of reading this book I became a convert. I how rich this world is and how it mixes history and folklore with orginal creations. So glad I gave this series a chance.
Beautiful artwork in an amazing heavy impressive book. I'm a Hellboy fanboy so my opinion is somewhat biased, but anyone with even a slight interest in HB should read these stories!
Let's see --
Evil Nazi sorcerer bad guys [x]
Lunch pail carrying demonic hero [x]
Sense of humor [x]
If you don't like this you may have lost your capacity to like.
Evil Nazi sorcerer bad guys [x]
Lunch pail carrying demonic hero [x]
Sense of humor [x]
If you don't like this you may have lost your capacity to like.
The second story is much better than the first, but this is still awesome. The uber-idiosyncratic art really pops out. I need more....
Lindsey
rated it
Awesome- loved it. Now I just need to find Rasputin so I can get him to make a baby Hellboy for me to keep. Baby Hellboy forever!
I highly enjoyed this book.the construction of the library edition is awesome!
what a fantastic book...
and the presentation!...these oversize pages are incredible to look at...
there is an odd difference in the art from the first story to the second...the art in the first section is absolutely wonderful...the second is a little uneven...like mignola was rushed or something...
but this is a very minor quibble...
if you enjoy good supernatural stories mixed with WWII and sprinkled generously with folklore you'll love hellboy...
this book is big and ...more
and the presentation!...these oversize pages are incredible to look at...
there is an odd difference in the art from the first story to the second...the art in the first section is absolutely wonderful...the second is a little uneven...like mignola was rushed or something...
but this is a very minor quibble...
if you enjoy good supernatural stories mixed with WWII and sprinkled generously with folklore you'll love hellboy...
this book is big and ...more
One of the best comics ever. A perfect synthesis of a thousand disparate ideas.
This is an amazing volume!
It contains many Hellboy stories all in one volume. Each book included in this compilation included has a nice intro and dedication. There's also a very cool sketchbook section in the back and some other extras.
The stories themselves are of course amazing. If you love Hellboy but don't own the early comics, this book might be the one you want to pick up.
The binding is very well made. The cover is sturdy and coated in fabric. The boo...more
It contains many Hellboy stories all in one volume. Each book included in this compilation included has a nice intro and dedication. There's also a very cool sketchbook section in the back and some other extras.
The stories themselves are of course amazing. If you love Hellboy but don't own the early comics, this book might be the one you want to pick up.
The binding is very well made. The cover is sturdy and coated in fabric. The boo...more
Wow. Such a beautiful book. It's sure to make a Mignola follower of anyone that enters.
See the review of volume 3.
Reading these in one sitting had me enjoying them far more than when I read them monthly.
Noah Soudrette
marked it as to-read
The first story in the collection is Seed of Destruction. This is the one that started it all and is a quite superior story to the one presented in the popular film. I wont go into details so as not to spoil it for anyone. Just one question, whatever happened to the Torch of Liberty? Oh, and the aliens rock!
Gorgeous book, but holy crap, it must weigh 87 pounds! I can barley lift the damn thing! Definitely not the best format to read while lying down on the couch and holding the book above your head. Nod off while reading and the damn thing will fall onto your face and break your nose! Ouch!
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Mike Joseph Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer, famous for creating the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has also worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.
More about Mike Mignola...
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