Romancing The Stone: The Torridness Continues

Wherein Nina Stone reads Hellboy The Storm, part one already available for your pleasures.

Hellboy: The Storm # 2
Written by Mike Migola
Art by Duncan Fegredo & Dave Stewart
Published by Dark Horse Comics

I'm so impressed by the second issue! It starts off with an attractive series of frames telling the story of "Nimue - Seducer and Betrayer of Men." Forget that "you had me at hello" crap, that's the sort of beginning phrase that's going to hook me.

But it's even better than a catchphrase, this Hellboy comic. This issue begins exactly where the last had left off. With the big ole' white haired man (Merlin) talking to the hell-pig-thing (Gruagach). Its the story, the explanation as to why there is "no mercy for you, Pig." And, and, AND - it's a perfect recap for those of us who have not been reading Hellboy for a while. I'm all caught up. The story has been told in such a way that although its obvious that the Pig has unleashed some serious shit in the word, you (I, we) feel sorry for him. Poor guy. He's just trying to get his life back, right? He's "unleashed hell" or whatever other kind of scary epic movie phrase that fits, but that's just the fallout of him being a selfish dude who wants his old life back.

And another reason why this is such great story telling is we learn through the story of Nimue that Queen Mab was murdered and her blood was painted on a Beast to create her Champion. And that Beast/Champion is the one currently fighting Hellboy! That's how you do a segue way.

I mean, this doesn't feel as much as a romance as it does a sport. It's like the World Series of comic book writing and illustrating and I keep wanting to get up and do the wave every time I come across yet another thing that is so well done. I wanna CHEER it's so good. It's--this is an easy comic to "understand", but I find myself wanting to wrench every little meaning out of it after I read them, like its a towel that i'm squeezing dry. I get it at first glance, but I keep coming back and finding more.

And still, there's the simple pleasures, the...like this: oooooooohhh the fight. I still don't fully understand why Hellboy can be stabbed all the way through and survive, but I'm so glad for it. He's truly invincible, but he doesn't walk around trying to fight people just because he is. It just so happens that he can't be defeated is all. That's his thing. Love that. And I loved seeing the "Champion" turn back into like, what is that? A beaver? A porcupine? So cool.

One of my favorite parts though, was the flashback. Hellboy as a little boy. So cute. Trying to figure out who he is. There's this guy who loved him so much, who so clearly wants so much for him, who looks at him like a parent and sees past the appearance, who sees only potential. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong (i'm not wrong, that's a figure of speech), but I think I'm guessing correctly when I say that the man he's talking to is not his biological father, but a father figure to him nonetheless. Very touching. Watching young Hellboy grappling to figure out who he is - not Superman. Not Frankenstein (cutest drawing ever when he says that). He's the Lobster.

And then, cliffhanger of cliffhanger. Outside the window of the tavern that Hellboy and Helen have sought some refuge in, is the whole army of - well, of darkness? The "storm" has arrived. And The Storm is the thousands, and the thousands are just standing there quietly, outside the tavern waiting for Hellboy.

Uh-Oh.