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A savagely funny, alternative outing for everyone's favourite demon
Writer: Bill Wray
Artists: Dave Cooper, Pat McEown, Mike Mignola, Glenn Barr, Stephen DeStefano
Colorists: Dave Cooper, Pat McEown, Glenn Barr, Stephen DeStefano, Dave
Stewart
Letterers: John Costanza, Dave Cooper
Issue 1 of 2
Published by Dark Horse Comics 1999
$2.95
Reviewed by Paul Hanna
Insane.
HELLBOY JUNIOR #1 is one of the craziest comics I've read in a while. An anthology of three short stories and two pinup pages, the book's sheer brutal content nearly rivals its humor. It's a pseudo-cutesy comic where the books smooth, innocent looking lines are betrayed by a harsh, darkly humorous story. The only exception to this is the final story, 'Squid of Man,' which is drawn by Mike Mignola.
Along with cartoonists like John Kricfalusi and Evan Dorkin, Bill Wray seems to have a knack for luring the reader into laughing at bizarre death and grotesque weirdness. Every character is susceptible to a Tex Avery style of mutilation. However, unlike Tex Avery cartoons, mangled and deformed characters in HELLBOY JUNIOR do not recover. A stomping will kill you. Burns will kill you. A jumbo lobster claw will kill you. And this is to say nothing of the gore that follows.
| "The creators have a definite talent for making shock value actually shock" |
Darkly humorous, the panels often challenge each other; each one aspires to outdo its predecessor in audacity. One panel will mimic normalcy, then the next is a gag that hammers the reader with something odd yet hilarious from left field. The creators have a definite talent for making shock value actually shock, a device that is all too easily abused by many others.
My qualms reside with the final story, 'Squid of Man.' Mike Mignola's art, while stunning, does not gel as well with Bill Wray's writing as an artist with a smoother, simpler line would. His drawings lack the in-your-face flamboyance that is present in Wray's words.
HELLBOY JUNIOR truly is a comic "from hell," as advertised on the book's cover. If you can live with that, expect a funny funnybook.
Recommended (with reservations: If you dislike abrasive, graphic humor, you're probably better off reading something else. Otherwise, enjoy!)
Paul Hanna is a regular contributor to PopImage
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Relevant Links
http://www.darkhorse.com/