Hellboy: Seed of Destruction

Up until last week, although I'd seen both Hellboy movies, I had never read a single one of the comics from Hellboy's creator, writer-artist Mike Mignola.

So, having received the trade paperback for Christmas, I started right at the very beginning of the Hellboy series - with the first 4-part mini-series Seed of Destruction.


I won't go into too much detail about the plot, but I was very surprised to find how closely it paralleled the first Hellboy movie (so often film adaptations of comics are viciously and stupidly wrenched away from their source material). Starting with Hellboy's summoning to our plane in the closing days of World War II, Seed of Destruction focuses on the attempt of the "World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator" to stop warlock Rasputin before he brings Ragna Rok to Earth.

At this point I must offer my sincere apologies to film-maker Guillermo del Toro. For the past 4 years I have always bemoaned the overblown climax of the first Hellboy film. After such a great start, the film seemed to collapse under the weight of silliness. A giant tentacled demon? Give me a break... Well, as I learned last week, Del Toro was actually being incredibly faithful to the Hellboy source material. The giant tentacled creature features prominently in Seed of Destruction.

However, as it turns out the monster doesn't come across as silly on the drawn page. Actually it's quite ominous as it towers above all human figures, it's tentacles flared.

Speaking of visuals, creator-artist Mignola has a very distinctive, stylised approach to his artwork. If your comic-reading background is restricted to the American mainstream the style may take some getting used to. However, if you are a reader of indie titles, or have ever dipped into the many creator-driven offerings from Hellboy's publisher Dark Horse Comics then I'm sure you will feel comfortable with the unusually rough, heavily shadowed illustration.


Just as I'm not one to judge a TV series by its pilot episode, it's difficult to judge a comic series by its first story arc. Clearly, a comic is an evolving creation, as over time its creators find their creative stride (just read earlier Goon tales and then the later trade paperbacks!). And in Seed of Destruction, Mignola and scripter John Byrne are just beginning to define characters and their personalities. So don't expect the cynical, wise-cracking Hellboy of the movies here. The character certainly is likable, and the reader gains much insight into his thought processes, but as a hero Hellboy is pretty vanilla - a regular, well-meaning good guy under his hulking, demonic exterior.

Out of the 4 chapters that make up Seed of Destruction, my personal favourite would have to be the slower paced, exposition-focused Part 2, in which Hellboy assembles his investigative team, comprising fellow paranormal investigators Liz Sherman and Abe Sapien, to explore the manor house of a cursed family of explorers.

Mignola has admitted a lot of his influence come from horror writers like H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe, as well as pulp horror publications like Weird Tales. This influence comes through strongly in Part 2, which has a delicious occult flavour that fans of series like Hellblazer will lap up.

Consisting of just 4 parts, the collected Hellboy: Seed of Destruction trade paperback does feel like a bit of a slim offering - even with the "Evolution of Hellboy" section at the end, and some nifty character interpretations from other celebrated artists. If you aren't planning on building a Hellboy collection, I would recommend looking out for it at a library or borrowing it from a friend to save yourself some money. However, do try to read it - especially if you like your comics with a dark supernatural flavour. In that regard Hellboy really delivers.