Title: Hellboy Omnibus.
Volume: 3.
Story-Arc: The Wild Hunt.
Writer(s): Mike Mignola.
Illustrator(s): Duncan Fegredo and Dave Stewart.
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics.
Format: Paperback – Omnibus.
Release Date: July 31st 2018.
Pages: 528.
Genre(s): Comics, Horror, Fantasy.
ISBN13: 9781506706689.
My Overall Rating: ★★★★★.
Previously on Hellboy:
Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories Volume 1 by Mike Mignola
Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola
Hellboy Omnibus Volume 2: Strange Places by Mike Mignola
This is the point in the series where I realized I was completely enchanted by this character and the lore that envelops him. It is not easy at first to identify the exact elements that give Hellboy his charm and fanbase, but the more you stick around with the character and all his adventures, whether they are relevant to the overarching story or not, the more you understand that this series has a personality well-worth exploring. With his vibrant red skin, his right hand of doom, his heroic tendencies in the face of evil and his laid-back demeanor, Hellboy strives to become one of the most iconic characters to have ever been created by the end of this omnibus.
Hellboy Omnibus Vol. 3: The Wild Hunt collects “Darkness Calls” (vol. 8), “The Wild Hunt” (vol. 9) and “The Storm and the Fury” (vol. 12) and technically marks the end of the original Hellboy series. As Hellboy continues to seek a life void of all the shenanigans that fate has bestowed upon him, much more powerful forces come into play and drags Hellboy back in the midst of it all, whether he wants to or not. From the Russian witch Baba Yaga to King Arthur, there’s not a single moment of rest for Hellboy as time has come for him to make a decision in regards to his role in the bigger scheme of things. It definitely becomes a lot more complicated for our half-demon when the Queen of Blood arrives on the scene. At last, a major war is within sight and it is bound to spark the end of the world unless Hellboy does something about it.
It is without doubt that I proclaim this omnibus and the story arcs it contains as the pinnacle of greatness and the ultimate reward for fans who have stuck around for all the hell our half-demon was put through, but also the hell that he brought around with him. It would be an understatement to say it was the most epic ending that I could’ve imagined. While earlier story arcs were harder to follow and needed a lot more concentration to figure out what was going on, the structure was a lot cleaner and the story-telling much more refined in this omnibus. Every story arc succeeded in tying up loose ends and connecting all the pieces, that were in fact barely holding on to each other, in a narratively gripping fashion.
It’s however the way Mike Mignola integrated various folklore within his universe that elevated the game in these story arcs. While I was much more familiar with the characters that were introduced here, the very integration felt so natural and perfect to Hellboy’s story. I particularly loved the introduction of Koshchei the Deathless and the action sequences that came with him. Speaking of new arrivals, the story also dives into Hellboy’s origins and further develops the mosaic that is his destiny by ultimately creating a folklore of its own.
One of the biggest changes that also immensely contributed in creating these epic story arcs is the artwork by Duncan Fegredo. While my first experience of his style was in the first short story omnibus and his “The Midnight Circus” story, I can now say that his artwork truly brings the missing ingredient that turns this ending to the original series into a tour de force. While remaining entirely loyal to Mike Mignola’s style, Duncan Fegredo simply adds his own flavour that brings not only detail and toning to the world, but the very gravitas that veers this universe closer to horror, or at least what I’d qualify as creepy and dangerous.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy for review!
Hellboy: Blood & Iron is the second and last animated Hellboy movie released in 2007! It’s loosely based on Wake the Devil story arc by Mike Mignola (found in the first omnibus) and still has Ron Perlman as the voice actor behind Hellboy!
Roars and Echoes 
Looks like I really need to get that Hellboy omnibus edition… Sigh… 😉
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Wooops. 😀 They’re totally worth it for their value. Instead of hunting down each individual volume, for example. 😛 However, I’m not hear to sell a product, I’m here to sell a story! 😀
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Well, you’ve convinced me to try out Hellboy at some nebulous point in the future 🙂 Much more concrete than me not being interested in him at all!
I suspect I’ll probably end up watching the animated version that my library has before anything else though. Much easier to watch a 70min dvd than track down a newly released omnibus book…
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In my books, that’s a huge win. 😀 Of course, it is a commitment, and it does take some “getting used to” before clicking with the character and the story-telling style. It’s really different from other comic books.
Definitely. I mean, most people only know Hellboy for his live-action movies. I’ll probably end up aficionado by the end of it all. I just got to read the last omnibuses before diving into the animated movies and then rewatch the live-action movies before the reboot comes out. 😀
You could always try hunting down the Hellboy volumes instead of the omnibus. The original series has 12 volumes I believe and if your library has that, you could always just pick those up and see how your interest evolves for Hellboy there. I do however recommend picking up more than just the first volume of the original run. It won’t be easy to get interested in the character with that very first volume, even if it’s highly praised (this is really a precaution, I could be totally wrong and you might actually end up loving Hellboy with just that first volume hahah) 😀
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Our state system has a bunch of hellboy GN’s but they are not numbered. Just names. Is there a wiki that has them listed?
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Yeh… Hellboy’s universe is extra complicated. The omnibus editions make it simpler, but it also means that there are stories I didn’t get to experience in between some events. I think your best guide would be this one: http://www.multiversitycomics.com/annotations/hellboy-reading-order-2018/
You can even see what volumes my omnibus editions covers and what it doesn’t. Now… What you would do if you ever to try the series out is really going to be up to you hahaha At least with this guide you’ll know what’s the “ideal” order and the “must-read” of the universe.
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Thanks. I’m always a fan of reading lists for new things.
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Same. It’s sort of how I got immersed into Batman’s universe for example. Trying to filter it all to find what the canon stories, the main events in the right order, were was half the fun.
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Okay….well, now you’ve done it. You have actually gotten me interested in checking this out at some point or other after all. Great…it’s not the my to read list isn’t long enough already…..Lol…totally kidding here of course (well about the sarcasm, not about the adding to the list thing😂). It really sounds amazing this installment, especially when I look at the art you have shown here. And..I have to admit that I always love folklore. Another fantastic review Lashaan! 😊
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Sorry, Michel. I had a feeling that it was going to click at some point too hihih 😀 But this omnibus really upped its game and had everything I loved in Hellboy and the story-telling so far that my love for it couldn’t be contained. Glad to see it also contaminated you. Hopefully if you ever end up trying this out someday you’ll find it minimally entertaining! 😉 Thanks again for reading, good sir! 😀
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Great review 🤗🤗😇
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Thanks Priyasha. 🙂
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I love this collection of Hellboy featuring The Wild Hunt ect in the volume, great stories and artwork. I’d certainly recommend them 🙂
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You’ve read them too! I’m glad to hear you share my opinion on these. It’s truly awesome. I hear the reboot movie will feature the Queen of Blood too. It’s going to be interesting. 😀
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Oh yes, I’m a big fan of Hellboy. Have all the collected volumes, great stories and art. I heard that about the reboot movie as well, sounds very promising indeed! 🙂
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From Baba Yaga to King Arthur? Hell Lashaan he has no respite!!! Honestly I love comics but would never have thought reading this one before your review!
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Hahaha tell me about it! It seems insane, but it’s just so brilliantly introduced and developed that it made seem like they were all part of the same folklore! Hellboy is special like that. His character goes up against all kinds of creatures we’ve heard of, but he takes the time to give most of them a nice beating too… 😛
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I’ve always been curious by Hellboy, I quite like the Ron Perlman films and will probably check out the reboot that’s coming next year but never really considered reading the comics which by the sounds of it, I should! I really enjoyed Mignola’s “Gotham by Gaslight” so it seems a bit of a no-brainer.
Glad to hear you’ve been swept away by this series Lashaan, it clearly shines through in your wonderful review!
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I’ve only seen the Ron Perlman movies as a kid myself, and plan on re-watching them once I finish going through these omnibuses. Definitely curious to see what they plan on doing with that reboot. The recent delay is a bit scary, but at least there wasn’t a trailer that dropped right before the decision to push the movie a little further down the calendar (**looks crossly at Dark Phoenix**) hahahah I have seen that story arc around but never got around to it. Nice to hear that you had a good time with it. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I might have never kept it anywhere near the top of my priorities now hahaha
I do have to say that the first couple of volumes aren’t easy to get into, but after a couple of stories, you get a nice feel for the character and Mignola’s world. And once you reach the story arcs contained in this omnibus, I’m sort of convinced you and just about anyone will be amazed by how it all goes down. Thanks for the kind words, Chris. I appreciate it!
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Funny you should mention Dark Phoenix, I saw the trailer…and actually don’t get all the hate. I feel I’m an a very small majority but I liked the look of it… the further delay is a bit odd though. I guess because I was their in the cinema on opening weekend for the very first X-Men, right at the cusp of the big bang of comic book movies that I have a soft spot for Fox’s X franchise (though there were some bumps along the way).
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I’m assuming that all the hate is an accumulation of a lot of different factors, i.e. the Disney and Fox merger, the poor reception of Apocalypse, the disrespect to source material on some of the past story arcs they adapted, the focus on Mystique because of J. Lawrence, etc. Now that a lot of folks know, or at least think they know, that the X-Men and Fantastic Four will likely find themselves within the Disney universe in the next couple of years, they just don’t see any reason why they should care about Dark Phoenix or anything Fox is rushing to release before they can’t anymore hahah
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Yeah, that’s fair enough…I’d just like to see a decent finale to the Fox X-Men series. No doubt the MCU iteration will turn out for the better.. I just hope they don’t amp up the awkward humour, I”be always enjoyed the tone of the Fox films and the humour in them has always felt natural…and actually funny!
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Completely with you there. I’m also a bit saddened that some of those actors won’t possibly be reprising their respective roles in the future too. Sort of like how hard it’ll be for everyone to imagine anyone else playing Wolverine but Hugh Jackman hahah I do hope they end their Fox run with a nice touch, like how Logan ended.
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I know man, Michael Fassbender and James MacAvoy have been amazing in those films…and Hugh Jackman is going to be one tough act to follow! P.S. Breaking! Titans is coming to Netflix!
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Amazing news!!!! Just a couple more days before the big reveal! Can’t wait to see if everyone’s first impression will be met or if everyone will find themselves amazed!
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I’ve always thought of Hellboy as an intriguing character.
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Same! His design is peculiar, but so fascinating! 😂
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