Castle Full of Blackbirds

The World of Hellboy: Standalone Books

by Angela Slatter, Mike Mignola, Valeria Burzo (Artist)

Sara May Blackburn has always been an odd girl. Plagued by mysterious powers her whole life, Sarah heads to New York to seek Miss Brook at the Linton School for Girls.

But the school is shrouded in strangeness, and the more secrets Sara discovers, the more dangerous and challenging her studies become. Sarah must reveal the forces that seek to control her power.

Join Hellboy creator Mike Mignola as he partners with celebrated author Angela Slatter and artist extraordinaire Valeria Burzo for a new adventure full of witchcraft and magic. New from the world of Hellboy!

Collects Castle Full of Blackbirds #1–#4.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 26, 2023

About the author

Angela Slatter is the author of the urban fantasy novels Vigil (2016) and Corpselight (2017), as well as eight short story collections, including The Girl with No Hands and Other Tales, Sourdough and Other Stories, The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings, and A Feast of Sorrows: Stories. She has won a World Fantasy Award, a British Fantasy Award, a Ditmar, and six Aurealis Awards.

Angela’s short stories have appeared in Australian, UK and US Best Of anthologies such The Mammoth Book of New Horror, The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, The Best Horror of the Year, The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror, and The Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction. Her work has been translated into Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, and Romanian. Victoria Madden of Sweet Potato Films (The Kettering Incident) has optioned the film rights to one of her short stories.

She has an MA and a PhD in Creative Writing, is a graduate of Clarion South 2009 and the Tin House Summer Writers Workshop 2006, and in 2013 she was awarded one of the inaugural Queensland Writers Fellowships. In 2016 Angela was the Established Writer-in-Residence at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre in Perth.

Her novellas, Of Sorrow and Such (from Tor.com), and Ripper (in the Stephen Jones anthology Horrorology, from Jo Fletcher Books) were released in October 2015.

The third novel in the Verity Fassbinder series, Restoration, will be released in 2018 by Jo Fletcher Books (Hachette International). She is represented by Ian Drury of the literary agency Sheil Land for her long fiction, by Lucy Fawcett of Sheil Land for film rights, and by Alex Adsett of Alex Adsett Publishing Services for illustrated storybooks.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish the connection to Hellboy, and what you needed to read before this, had been made more clear. I'm a huge Hellboy fan, but I have a ton of unread Hellboy material waiting for me to get to, and of course this book relies on knowledge of characters that appeared in a book I haven't read yet. Reading this was like watching the last half of a move...it was pretty to look at, but I basically had very little idea of what was going on, and who some of the characters were.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The art is fine, probably worth more than a single star, but the story is a total mess, absolute nonsense, particularly when placed in the obtuse, impossible-to-navigate World of Hellboy universe.

Sara May Blackburn (who I vaguely recall from somewhere, but it's never explained in the book) goes to witch school in New York. There, she has a teacher (who I also vaguely recall) who gives her various instructions. There's a mean headmaster and some random friends who come and go. Also, a pair of strange onlookers from another realm? None of this is explained in any way.

Even without the worldbuilding, the standalone plot in Castle Full of Blackbirds is impossible to follow. Sara goes to school, learns some things, fights the devil, the end (???). What's the point?

[Ed · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is nice but this might be the weakest story I’ve read from the Mignolaverse.

[Adan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sequel to The Return of Effie Kolb (itself a sequel to The Crooked Man), this story follows Sara May Blackburn as she joins the Linton School for Girls under the tutelage of Miss Brook. But there’s a plot brewing, and Morgan Le Fay and Queen Mab are a part of it. This felt a bit disjointed in parts, and there are a few panels that I still don’t know what they mean. I also had to look up where I’d seen Queen Mab and Morgan Le Fay before in the Hellboyverse because it’s been a minute.

[Cail Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay. Some cool ideas in the training portion, but the story feels rushed and thin. Would like to see the writers go deeper and take their time. “The Dollhouse Family” is a great example of artfully tense and suspenseful horror over five issues.

[Craig Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

People are crazy! This is a great story. A great yarn spun in a wonderful corner of Hellboy’s world, with so many nods. I want more.

[Sel · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia se me ha hecho confusa en algún momento. Tengo curiosidad por ver cómo sigue y si seguirán contando con Slatter.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 2 out of 5]

La historia prometía, pero el arte es básico para un relato de horror...

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

A trifle.

[Shriya Uday]

I'll probably have to return to this after actually reading the main hellbou comics

[Etain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda just felt like filler. I mean I'm interested in seeing where this story goes but I was right to be so unenthusiastic about this one.

[Maciej · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Castle Full of Blackbirds" to najnowszy komiks z uniwersum Hellboya, stworzony przez Mike'a Mignolę we współpracy z autorką Angelą Slatter i artystką Valerią Burzo. Opowiada historię Sary May Blackburn, tajemniczej dziewczyny obdarzonej niezwykłymi mocami, która przybywa do Nowego Jorku, by dołączyć do Linton School for Girls pod okiem Miss Brook. Szkoła jednak skrywa mroczne sekrety, a im głębiej Sara zanurza się w jej tajemnice, tym bardziej niebezpieczne stają się jej studia.

Niestety, komiks pozostawia wiele do życzenia pod względem narracji i spójności fabuły. Dla czytelników nieznających wcześniejszych przygód Sary May, szczególnie z "The Return of Effie Kolb" i "The Crooked Man", historia może być trudna do zrozumienia. Postacie takie jak Morgan Le Fay czy Królowa Mab pojawiają się bez odpowiedniego wprowadzenia, co sprawia wrażenie, że czytamy kontynuację bez znajomości poprzednich części.

Fabuła wydaje się być pospieszna i fragmentaryczna. Wątki są zarysowane powierzchownie, a wiele scen pozostaje niejasnych nawet po kilkukrotnym przeczytaniu. Niektóre panele są dezorientujące, a brak wyjaśnień dotyczących motywacji bohaterów utrudnia pełne zaangażowanie się w historię. To wszystko sprawia, że komiks czyta się jak ostatnią połowę filmu, nie mając kontekstu wcześniejszych wydarzeń.

Jednak nie można odmówić komiksowi walorów artystycznych. Ilustracje Valerii Burzo są estetyczne i klimatyczne, doskonale oddając mroczną atmosferę opowieści o czarownictwie i magii. Szczególne uznanie należy się okładkom autorstwa Wylie Beckert. Każda z nich nie tylko przyciąga wzrok swoją piękną grafiką, ale również subtelnie kieruje uwagę czytelnika na kluczowe elementy fabuły zawarte wewnątrz. To nie tylko atrakcyjny element marketingowy, ale także integralna część opowiadanej historii.

Mimo to, oprawa graficzna nie rekompensuje niedociągnięć fabularnych. Komiks sprawia wrażenie niedopracowanego i nie w pełni wykorzystuje potencjał ciekawych postaci oraz settingu. W porównaniu do innych dzieł z uniwersum Hellboya, "Castle Full of Blackbirds" wypada blado i może pozostawić czytelnika z uczuciem niedosytu.

Podsumowując, "Castle Full of Blackbirds" to propozycja głównie dla zagorzałych fanów Hellboya, którzy są na bieżąco z wcześniejszymi historiami. Dla nowych czytelników komiks może okazać się zbyt chaotyczny i nieprzystępny. Szkoda, ponieważ temat czarownictwa i tajemniczej szkoły miał duży potencjał, który nie został w pełni wykorzystany.

[Абрахам Хосебр · Rating 3 out of 5]

Отже, Міньйола вирішив захопити всі можливі жанри. У всесвіті Геллбоя тепер є: Шерлок Голмс - Едвард Ґрей, Міс Марпл - Сара Джуел, Типовий Герой Палп Фікшна - Лобстер Джонсон, Любовна історія - Геллбой закоханий, Бондіана - Червоний Лотос і логічно - Гаррі Поттер - Сара Блекберд (або Дрізд).
Щоб прочитати і зрозуміти про що все ж таки йдеться у цій історії потрібно ознайомитися з двома іншими: 1) Hellboy and Crooced Man 2) Return of Effie Kolb , тому що історія Сари це безпосереднє продовження оцих двох.
Як відомо, в них йшлося про відьом, поганих відьом. Тим часом в цій лімітці, Міньйола спробував показати хороших відьом і їх молоду наступницю.
Мінуси цієї книги - мені не подобається малюнок Енджели Слеттер і це тим більше засмучує, адже обкладинки малював легендарний Віллі Беккерт (відомий своїми роботами для циклу Fables). І коли від робіт Беккерта просто захоплює подих, то власне сам комікс на його фоні виглядає дешево.
Історія досить динамічна завдяки тому, що її вмістили в чотири випуски замість стандартних п'яти. Звісно, в кінці очевидно натякається на продовження, яке я точно буду читати, але не очікую від нього чогось особливого.
Висновок: дуже фанатська штука, яка підійде для комплетистів, щоб сказати, що "я читав все-все", але для загального таймлайну і розуміння серії грає мізерну роль.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Castle Full of Blackbirds" is a spinoff of a callback from the Hellboy universe, and that gives it an inessential quality. For something that probably doesn't need to exist, though, it's competently done, with decent storytelling from Mike Mignola and Angela Slatter and solid art from Valeria Burzo.

Our setting is a witches' school in New York City, dilapidated on the outside but Victorian within. A group of girls, drawn from different time periods, are learning the ways of magic, and we get hints that the teachers are not as benevolent as they seem.

I liked the menace underlying the magic--the story did a good job conveying serious stakes. I wasn't sure who some recurring characters were (I can never remember all the Hellboy mythos), and it felt like the story could have struck a better balance between what was supposed to be mysterious and what might simply have fallen out of the heads of dummies like me.

It's definitely not required reading, but "Castle Full of Blackbirds" shares a compelling corner of the Hellboy universe.

[Václav · Rating 2 out of 5]

(3,1 of 5 for yet another underperforming "From the world of Hellboy" story)
One thing is really great about this series - cover art by Wylie Beckert. It's really nice, and I really recommend checking her site for more of that splendid art.
But that ends here. To be fair, there is way worse storytelling among books in this Hellboy expanded universe, but this one is still too far from hitting the "golden standard" for Hellboyverse level of quality. And the art is not helping either. The story was fine, but it wasn't that engaging, and it didn't have that nice atmosphere I would expect from stories of this world. Funny thing, I noticed even before, the "reviews" on the back of the books from Multiversity. I know that being in this "reviewing" industry is a bit binding, but if the reviews are not honest, or way off, what are they for? So I took the liberty to correct the one in this comic to the proper state:
"The licking Dark Horse's buttocks and sucking their dingleberries throughout is extremely satisfying and extra rewarding." - MULTIVERSITY

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

As mentioned in previous reviews of Hellboy Universe books, I have mentioned that it's been quite a while since I was completely caught up on the current books. Having these entries in the series are really great though, as I didn't have to spend all that much time researching Sara May Blackburn and her connection to the larger Hellboy story. With this graphic novel, the combination of story and art really worked for me this time. I read the whole book in one sitting, which I will seldom do anymore unless I am really digging a story. I started a very slow-paced reread from the beginning of Hellboy, but I hope that the in-between stories are as enjoyable as this one was.

Special Thanks to Dark Horse Comics and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC.

[Joseph R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young teen Sara May Blackburn does not heed Hellboy's advice and goes to the Linton School for Girls in 1960s New York City. She reconnects there with Miss Brook, who turns out to be a witch in league with a devil. Sara is unaware of what's going on in the background as she is being coached in the art of witchcraft along with her regular lessons.

This book has the weird, creepy, imaginative atmosphere of other Hellboy stories. While sympathetic, I found Sara's character a little underdeveloped, leaving me less interested in her. The story both resolves itself and sets up the next step for Sara, though her path seems more like it is laid out for her rather than she is willfully choosing it. She's interesting enough that I would read a sequel.

Mildly recommended.

[Julian]

A quick and mostly unsatisfying read. There's very little context for the story, and lots of leaps in time and plot. Mignola's terse style of dialog and no narration works in the context of his art (mostly), but in the hands of a different artist, it falls somewhat flat and is also sometimes just too obtuse. Also, though the art was perfectly adequate and did the basic storytelling tasks needed, it didn't quite seem in the HB/gothic vibe... but maybe it would work better with a different writer. Granted I've been out of HB stuff for years, but it made me think Mignola's stuff might be spread a little too thin.

[Rizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this a lot more in theory than in execution. It's basically the third story in the Effie Kolb "trilogy" (minus Effie herself). There's a lot of interesting ideas and imagery here, but I never really felt like it all came together. I didn't really connect with any of the characters (of which there were too many for a story this short), and I found myself a little lost sometimes. Also, the art, while not bad by any means, didn't feel very fitting for the tone and setting to me. Or maybe that's just because the covers are so gorgeous and striking that nothing was going to live up to them. Overall, not the best entry in the Hellboy universe, but that's quite a high bar. It's alright.

[Clint · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much to add to what others have said in their 2-star ratings. A rushed story that's difficult to decode at times. Not the mystery, but what's happening on the page. It's hard to follow along as a reader and that's in equal part the fault of the story and the art.

On the art in-specific: This collected edition has pages of Burzo's pencils (which are masterful and lovely) followed by those same pages in ink (which lose readability). I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was just Burzo's pencils (no ink or color), because those pencils were astonishing.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mike Mignola appears to have become a sort of like James Patterson umbrella production. Which is to say that I went into this graphic novel expecting Mignola-level awesomeness and got some spin off, twee mediocrity.
Sure, some of that is on me—should have done more research, but the rest is firmly on the shoulders of the creators of this bland tale of witches and witchery. Going by the abysmally low overall GR ratings, I’m not the only disappointed reader here. Pass.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sara Mae, a teen psychic, appeared in Hellboy's "Return of Effie Kolb" and ended up going to a mysterious school in New York. This mini follows her experiences at the school, which is of course, sinister.
Speaking as someone who knows this mythos I still found this confusing. It jumps from one scene to lurking figures or suspicious conversations, then back to the scene and I could never quite figure out what it all means.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Castle Full of Blackbirds, Mignola etc
“She’s out there somewhere .. lookin’ to find her place in the world.” This opens each of the first 3 issues. ***
#1 – “Blackbirds have to fly.” … “Welcome, Sara May.”
#2 – “Something about this I DON’T like.” – H.B.
#3 – “Go to the dead center, Sara May.”
#4 – “Did you tell her anything? The truth about US?”

[Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably could have been summed up by the character in their next Hellboy comic cameo...

Nothing much really happened. It's the comic book equivalent of a montage. We catch up with the main character after she's run away.
---
Bonus: Two or three panels with a Hellboy connection don't do much (for me and probably everyone)

[Benjamin Barham · Rating 2 out of 5]

All I can imagine is this book, fleshed out over 12 or 15 issues and how nice that might be. This is rushed and because it's rushed, feels like a story was hardly told.

What a shame to have such gorgeous cover art for such a goofy interior.

[Morgues · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adore the artwork. My only problem with this is I wish there was more. I know it’s just a little stand alone, addition into the Hellboy world, whatever. I think this could be so cool as it’s own thing, slowed down and paid attention to, and it’s really sad that this is all we get tbh.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with this. It felt like Suspiria set in the Hellboy universe.

[Peter Derk · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is positively begging to be a 14-hour Mike Flanagan show.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is kind of the origin story of a Carrie-like girl.

[uzhuj · Rating 1 out of 5]

At this point this is just dancing on the corpse of Hellboy.