Abe Sapien:The Drowning [Archive] - Comic Book Resources Forums

Angilas-Man

02-06-2008, 12:48 PM

I'm assuming we can post spoilers now....

Sir Edward!!! (You know, he would look nice in black with a more feminine face and a green tint.)

I've got to say that this impressed me about as much as the new BPRD series, both feel very slightly different from anything we've seen before.

Todd H

02-06-2008, 01:13 PM

Sounds like he does that kind of thing all the time? Maybe it's time to switch?

If only it were that simple...but it's a friend of mine :rolleyes:

Not to mention he's the only comic shop within a 50 mile radius. Well unless you count the one his brother runs.

InAdia

02-06-2008, 02:17 PM

I looooooooove how....

*Spolier*

Anastasia Brainsfield has become officially cannon.

el seth

02-06-2008, 05:25 PM

This has got to be my favorite non-Mignola Hellboy Universe art.

Somehow it's totally in keeping with the spirit of the world and at the same time totally its own thing.

It's really quite amazing.

ultramandingo

02-06-2008, 06:52 PM

....... oakdale in the summer . ahhhhhhhhh

gdeo

02-06-2008, 11:48 PM

so far...i love it.Mike spins yet another wonderful tale that leaves you wanting MORE!Thank goodness 1946#2 comes out next week.Favorite line
The Professor:"He's not a pet gentlemen...he's a man":D

Brisco

02-07-2008, 12:52 AM

This has got to be my favorite non-Mignola Hellboy Universe art.

Somehow it's totally in keeping with the spirit of the world and at the same time totally its own thing.

It's really quite amazing.

Jason Alexander is good at that. He did the same thing in Queen & Country, only there his art was even more of a radical change... but it somehow fit the characters and world just perfectly. (He did the fourth arc, I think... maybe the third.) Anyway, it looks great here and I love his Abe. He did a GREAT Abe sketch for me at a signing last year, when he was just beginning work on the book. I'll try to remember to scan that and post it.

We're certainly off to a promising start here! Although, just like Lobster Johnson, it's almost too small a sliver of the whole story. I WISH I had the patience to wait for trades, because it's SO hard to wait a month just as things get going!

Could Sir Edward Grey be the character in the Hellboy universe that Mike plans to draw when he returns to comics? His growing role in the world certainly seems to be setting him up for something more...

I love seeing that old BPRD HQ in Fairfield, CT again. No offense to Colorodo, but I miss it dearly!

One question: anyone know why this book says "Number 1 in a series" even though it was preceded by "Drums of the Dead?" Perhaps they feel that non-Mignola stories shouldn't count, but the non-Mignola issues of BPRD ended up counting in that series, didn't they?

Anyway, it was a great read, as expected. Under a great cover with a really super logo!

Brisco

gdeo

02-07-2008, 01:19 AM

One question: anyone know why this book says "Number 1 in a series" even though it was preceded by "Drums of the Dead?" Perhaps they feel that non-Mignola stories shouldn't count, but the non-Mignola issues of BPRD ended up counting in that series, didn't they?

Anyway, it was a great read, as expected. Under a great cover with a really super logo!

Brisco Scott gives a little explaination in the letter column" ...regardless of the publishing order,this is the first time Abe has left the B.P.R.D. on a mission without Hellboy"...yea! Letter by Gary Bolt too!

Brisco

02-07-2008, 01:43 AM

Scott gives a little explaination in the letter column" ...regardless of the publishing order,this is the first time Abe has left the B.P.R.D. on a mission without Hellboy"...yea! Letter by Gary Bolt too!

Yeah, I saw that, but that doesn't explain the numbering. I mean, the Hellboy numbers don't go chronologically; if they did, then "The Corpse and the Iron Shoes" would have to come before "Seed of Destruction," etc. And the current BPRD 1946 story would have to start at -5 or something instead of continuing the regular BPRD numbering! I think Scott was talking about people misconstruing what he said about its being "Abe's first solo mission" as meaning "DH's first solo Abe book."

Brisco

Todd H

02-07-2008, 06:04 AM

Because it's issue 1 of a 5 part series?

Despite my earlier woes my buddy did not drop the ball. I haven't had a chance to read through the full issue. I did have a flip though and the art looks great. About time my favorite fishstick got the full spotlight :D

The Left Hand of Doom

02-07-2008, 11:09 AM

While I learned to appreciate the art of Lobster Johnson, Jason Alexander's funny pages immediately grabbed me. So far The Drowning may be one of my favorite BPRD-related mini-series for a long time. Don't get me wrong, they all have their special place in my heart, but after one issue, I love this title.

el seth

02-07-2008, 01:56 PM

Because it's issue 1 of a 5 part series?

Yup.

It's the way everything Hellboy/BPRD is numbered.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot that each issue has its own internal numbering!

Uhm.

I dunno, then. Maybe they just forgot it.

oito

02-07-2008, 03:17 PM

I looooooooove how....

*Spolier*
Anastasia Brainsfield has become officially cannon.

who is Anastasia Brainsfield?? the woman with red hair??

Myron L

02-07-2008, 03:54 PM

***Mild Spoilers***

First off...love the art...Jason's characterization of Liz the figure poses are some of the best I've seen ! It totally got past me that that was "the" Sir Edward !

Is the old woman calling on another of the "Beasts", like Kata Hem ? Love the two agents gabbing about their worst experiences ! Nice touch !

How kool is that Gary got his letter into a book featuring "Sir Edward" ??

Anastasia Bransfield appeared in several of the Hellboy novels, first in "The Lost Army" by Chris Golden. That is Liz you're looking at in this book, not Anastasia.

;)

Brisco

02-07-2008, 04:40 PM

Yup.

It's the way everything Hellboy/BPRD is numbered.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot that each issue has its own internal numbering!

Uhm.

I dunno, then. Maybe they just forgot it.

Yeah, that's what I mean. If each limited series got its own numbering, then the internal number on BPRD 1946 would be "1 in a series" rather than "thirty-whatever in a series," or whatever they're up to. It's a small point to fixate on, I know, but I'm just wondering if the implication is that Drums of the Dead is for some reason NOT part of the official continuity. I don't see why it shouldn't be; it was a decent story that did nothing to contradict established HB continuity.

Brisco

Gary_B

02-07-2008, 05:21 PM

How kool is that Gary got his letter into a book featuring "Sir Edward" ??

It is pretty cool. For those who don't know, I originally posted as Sir Edward on these forums before switching to my "real" name. When Morna and I met Mike Mignola at SDCC in '05 I asked him if there would be any revelations coming our way about Sir Edward and he told me to look out for this very series so I've been waiting a while for this.

Angilas-Man

02-07-2008, 05:48 PM

I'm just wondering if the implication is that Drums of the Dead is for some reason NOT part of the official continuity. I don't see why it shouldn't be; it was a decent story that did nothing to contradict established HB continuity.

It should be in continuity. It's in the first BPRD trade after all, right there with the first Lobster Johnson story and Abe Sapien vs. Science.

They forgot the numbering thing.

InAdia

02-07-2008, 08:08 PM

who is Anastasia Brainsfield?? the woman with red hair??

The woman with the red hair is Liz. Anastasia is Hellboy's love interest from the novels. Broom mentions that he isn't around, the asterisk at the bottom explains that he took time off for two years to travel with her.

Neil Hill

02-08-2008, 08:25 AM

I absolutely loved this book! J.S.A is the perfect artist to capture this rather moody tale. Also, it's quite apparent that Mike either had a hand in the layouts or J.S.A. borrowed quite a bit from Mike's artistic sensibility when crafting the art. Either way, the effect is amazing, eerily disquieting, and overall quite visually amazing.

Also, the story was typical Mike Mignola. However, rather than intending that in a negative "hack" implied way, I mean that as a compliment. Meaning, Mike's unique stamp is plain to see on each book he creates, and in the case of Abe Sapien: The Drowning, that's a very good thing indeed. He knows his audience, he knows the kinds of stories that suite his sensibility best, and he's one of the best dialogue guys in the business right now- zero pretention and maximum naturalistic effect.

hellboyone

02-08-2008, 09:53 AM

Great story. Great art. Particularly the art. It's just stunning page-turn after page-turn.

I loved Abe's reluctance to talk to Broom. And it was great seeing Broom in comics again, period.

My one gripe is that Abe's mouth is almost always closed when he's talking. That's just a big pet peeve of mine in comics. Makes me think he's a telepath or something.

Props to Gary!

Tad

02-08-2008, 11:40 AM

I enjoyed this a lot and really wanted it to continue. Man! Sir Edward kicks ass! When Mike talked about writing about the adventures of an occult detective, I didn't expect such an action hero. Fantastic!

And I always love the depiction of magic in Mike's universe. The undersea icons floating around the old woman as she casts a spell was ... well, fantastic in every sense of the word.

King_Vold

02-08-2008, 01:50 PM

Loved it, especially the art. On that first page we see Abe sleeping in his tank, the panel on the bottom left (right before Liz touches the water) is just beautiful. I think I'm even more excited about this series than I was about Darkness Calls.

oito

02-09-2008, 04:40 PM

i read Abe sapien the drowning again and i found the reference to Anastasia Bransfield(my bad vision), and i have never seen Liz so happy, cheerfull, and with red hair, i always thought Liz as a depressed brunette...

el seth

02-09-2008, 11:52 PM

She's always had red-ish hair.

It is fun to see her as fresh-faced teen, though.

ADamUnRama

02-10-2008, 12:03 AM

I have to say this book feels like Mignola is back. Alexanders art only adds to the effect. It was like the Island all over again, the history, the feel of it.

el seth

02-10-2008, 12:35 AM

Totally. What's so awesome about is that it captures so much of Mignola's style in terms of layout and background detail, but looks nothing like Mignola in terms of character detail. No blocky shadows or rough edges. So it's like being back in the world with amazing art, but at the same time you're never reminded hey this is someone trying to look like Mignola. It's really, really amazing.

Nice post 666 by the way.

timbolton

02-10-2008, 10:00 AM

What a great start to the Abe Sapien series!
Have been looking forward to seeing Edward Grey since Mike Mignola talked about him at the Birmingham comic convention last year, and we will see more of Grey according to Mike (think I remember him saying he'll cross over to BPRD at some point), which is great news.

Loved the art, the colours, and how it felt like old times with the cutback to BPRD HQ at Fairfield CT.

Edward Grey's airship transport to the ship put a smile on my face having recently read Alan Moore's "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" it reminded me a little of their adventures.

For a moment I wondered if the Lipu Dagger was the same as the dagger that appeared in "Hellboy Animated: The Yearning", the small comic placed inside the Hellboy Animated "Blood and Iron" DVD. it isn't, as far as I can tell, different names and different origins.

Anyways, looking forward to reading more of this story.

Tad

02-10-2008, 10:27 AM

You are correct. Although Mike co-wrote the stories of the movies, it's always Mike's comics that inspire the films and spin offs, not the other way around.

anothernumber

02-10-2008, 04:08 PM

Brisco

02-10-2008, 04:30 PM

i enjoyed this a lot, the cleaner lines in the art etc. really fit with abe as a character. grey was cool too, reminded me a bit of the league too. we definitely need far more airships in hellboy/bprd.
the dagger things in the drowning and the yearning reminded me a lot of the phurba that features in the film 'the shadow': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phurba

I was thinking the same thing! It looked just like The Shadow's Phurba. That sticks in my head because I still have a Phurba replica in my bedroom at my parents' house that I paid months' worth of meagre savings for back in high school when the movie came out. I wondered if Jason Alexander maybe had the same knife!
Brisco

Asa

02-11-2008, 04:54 AM

I love the way liz has been given a whole new makeover.:D . It's kool to read some stories about Abe, can't wait for the next one.

Gene Poonyo

02-11-2008, 08:28 AM

Hi Gary B, So Sir Edward's story has been told, huh? Finally. Appropriately, your letter was published in this particular issue. How cool is that!? Congrats!

Gene Poonyo

02-11-2008, 09:05 AM

Finished the book and it was a thrill for me for different reasons-

Firstly, I like Jason's art very much and IMHO fits the story very well. (FYI- Cafe Press offers Jason's sketchbook, not unlike Duncan's Stuff)

Secondly, the Carolina(s) connection- the agents names, especially Agent Van Fleet. I sure was cracking up! You see, John is one of my favorites...

Thirdly, Oakdale, CA- the worst place agent Pratt was sent to. Coincidentally, that is where I am taking my dog tomorrow for his TPLO surgery. Hopefully the weather will be nice...

All in all, another fine book about the BPRD.

Phantasos

02-12-2008, 05:09 PM

So this chapter confirms that some of the novels are indeed canon?

I never paid any attention to them because i was under the impression they weren´t but this change things. Could anyone tell me what are the books were Hellboy travels with this Anastasia chick?

About the actual chapter, it was great, the art is very different but in a good way, i especially like how Liz was drawn, beautiful but not top model, super hero beautiful. That´s how Mignola originally made her and that´s how it always should be.

I really wasn´t expecting Edward Grey to have this screen time though, especially since i had no idea that Mignola hinted more of him in the future but it was awesome, British paranormal agents are nothing short of awesome (Has Hellsing has showed us). Looking forward to more.

gdeo

02-12-2008, 11:26 PM

#4 cover http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0802/13/abesapien4.htm

Neil Hill

02-13-2008, 07:48 AM

Another gorgeous Mignola masterpiece! IMHO the Drowning series has turned out some of the best Mignola covers in quite awhile.

BTW, I realize this isn't Drowning related, but does anyone know if Hellboy: Oddest Jobs is something new (solicited for DH in May)? I forget where we are currently with the Odd, Odder, Oddest naming scheme. :D

mattmanw54301

02-13-2008, 10:41 AM

Oddest would be next in the series. Odd and Odder are out already. To answer the question about Anastasia, the book is The Dragon Pool by Christopher Golden. I don't know this because I am some kind of uber-fan, in fact I am a n00b. The reason I know this is because I am reading it right now. :D

Rachel Edidin

02-13-2008, 11:36 AM

HB's relationship with Anastasia is canon, as are many (but not all) of the events in the novels. The Odd / Odder / Oddest Jobs short stories aren't, though - they're closer to the prose equivalent of the Weird Tales comics.

chiaroscuros

02-13-2008, 02:30 PM

I forget where we are currently with the Odd, Odder, Oddest naming scheme. :D

The Odd-miester, Mister Odd-O-Nator, Odd-O-Rama...
Making some copies...

Kelly Tindall

02-13-2008, 09:20 PM

Beautiful stuff. Can't wait for more.

taburn

02-16-2008, 02:06 PM

I was wondering where I could find more info about Edward Grey. I have been so enthralled with figuring out the whole Memnan Saa story, that I missed out on that guy.

The Left Hand of Doom

02-16-2008, 03:08 PM

I'm probably putting too much thought into this, but does anyone think the third panel on page 17 means anything specific? Is the "E.G." on the rock in the foreground there simply to re-enforce to readers that Abe is in the right spot? Could Edward Grey have scratched a clue into the stone formation? Was Mr. Alexander developing the character further, illustrating that he was an occult detective AND *gasp* a vandal? None of the above?

Gene Poonyo

02-20-2008, 05:55 PM

Finished the book and it was a thrill for me for different reasons-
...
Thirdly, Oakdale, CA- the worst place agent Pratt was sent to. Coincidentally, that is where I am taking my dog tomorrow for his TPLO surgery. Hopefully the weather will be nice...

All in all, another fine book about the BPRD.

Ooookay, I have been to Oakdale for the first time, and it was not so bad. They have air-conditioning in most of the places, and the weather was quite nice that day. Agent Pratt would not have find it so bad. 28 years must have changed the town quite a bit. Oh, it still is a small agricultural town though.

I had this crazy, crazy idea on my way home after dropping my dog off at the vet. It was a 2 hour drive to where I live and I had nobody to talk to on my way home, and I said to myself to put this crazy idea down on paper. I have been dog sitting with nothing better to do for the past few days and this is what I did during those idle moments. So please indulge me with your time, and I hope you won't be too harsh with my contribution. It was really therapeutic for me.:p
Thanks...
Apologies to Mr. Mignola and et al.

The Left Hand of Doom

02-21-2008, 12:29 PM

Good stuff, Gene!

Gene Poonyo

02-22-2008, 10:22 AM

Good stuff, Gene!

Thanks for your kind words, LHoD. It helped me kept my mind away from the anxiety about having to leave my dog at the vet on my way home from Oakdale. Plotting that one pager helped me forget my worries.

Now I am off to Wonder Con to see Hellboy's dad!:eek:

Gary_B

02-22-2008, 10:26 AM

Nice page, Gene. Bit of a teaser though. Until....

Until what!?

ultramandingo

02-22-2008, 05:30 PM

Ooookay, I have been to Oakdale for the first time, and it was not so bad. They have air-conditioning in most of the places,

..........keeps the meth labs from blowing up . or so i hear

Gene Poonyo

02-23-2008, 10:43 AM

Nice page, Gene. Bit of a teaser though. Until....

Until what!?

I have no idea, Gary...I only had two hours to come up with this and my imagination is not that great. :p I am glad you picked up on that 'Until...' That was the only way I could 'close' the page. Thanks for your input.

The Left Hand of Doom

03-05-2008, 04:01 PM

Has anyone heard how long issue 2 is being delayed? I believe it was supposed to ship today, but no dice.

Neil Hill

03-05-2008, 07:20 PM

Has anyone heard how long issue 2 is being delayed? I believe it was supposed to ship today, but no dice.

I was scratching my head on this one also. Was quite looking forward to the next installment. :o

Mikolaj

03-06-2008, 12:42 AM

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=13249

An artistic process of Jason Shawn Alexander. Njoy!

Neil Hill

03-06-2008, 07:30 AM

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=13249

An artistic process of Jason Shawn Alexander. Njoy!

Thanks, Mikolaj! Don't really want to spoil the issue by reading the process for an issue I haven't actually purchased yet, but this will be fun to revisit once the issue is out.

chiaroscuros

03-06-2008, 08:11 AM

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=13249

An artistic process of Jason Shawn Alexander. Njoy!

Thanks. That was a great read!
Michael

Gene Poonyo

03-07-2008, 01:33 PM

Thanks, Mikolaj! Don't really want to spoil the issue by reading the process for an issue I haven't actually purchased yet, but this will be fun to revisit once the issue is out.

Not to worry, Neil. It is from issue one only. You can check it out without having to worry about 'spoilers.' Besides, it is a good read by itself.

Rachel Edidin

03-10-2008, 10:02 AM

Has anyone heard how long issue 2 is being delayed? I believe it was supposed to ship today, but no dice.

It'll be out on March 12. We had to scrap the entire run because of color errors in the printing. :(

Gary_B

03-10-2008, 11:09 AM

It'll be out on March 12. We had to scrap the entire run because of color errors in the printing. :(

Thanks for the update Rachel. It's great to know that the Dark Horse crew is looking out for top quality. I'm happy to wait a week if it means that the comic will be released as its creators intended.

Erwin Heinek

03-12-2008, 04:57 PM

OK that was worth the wait. Some very creepy stuff, especially the soul eating.

el seth

03-12-2008, 07:37 PM

The panel where the shadow man attacks the old witch is one of the most beatiful things I've seen in a comic in quite a while.

Neil Hill

03-13-2008, 08:50 AM

Wonderfully nuanced and gorgeously drawn. The story though....holy crap, I was left scratching my bald pate many, many times throughout the duration of this one! Like most Mignola stories these days, I'm sure later revelations will make the pieces fall into place- hopefully. Right now though, I'm just eagerly awaiting the next installment of gorgeous artwork by J.S.A.!

mgs

03-13-2008, 04:57 PM

It'll be out on March 12. We had to scrap the entire run because of color errors in the printing. :(

the entire run?! O.o

man, I must've missed it yesterday. I don't recall seeing it. :(

Myron L

03-13-2008, 05:55 PM

Really like how this one is shaping up...art is gorgeous and the escalation of story is perfect !

Soul-eaters ! Yikes !
The moth image is very "Silence of the Lambs" ...

Catlin

03-13-2008, 08:47 PM

I am highly enjoying this series. I've sort of been out of the loop in the HB world (freaking Messiah CompleX). Its the art that has really drawn me in.

Kelly Tindall

03-15-2008, 10:47 AM

Beautiful art by J. Shawn, a beguiling script with Mignola-only concepts that we've seen explored elsewhere (the souls-as-animals motif) and three agent deaths that somehow don't treat them as red-shirts. Great stuff.

One thing that I really liked about the issue was the little scene setting up the agents. The burning priest stuff, cool as it is, is really just folklore porno which we've come to expect from Mike time and time again. However, having the characters back-and-forth a bit... Well, that's not Mike at all. You see that in 1946 with the dirty half-dozen, and you see that in B.P.R.D. all the time since John took over what I can only assume is the lion's share of the writing reins.

But this one is Mike's joint, and Mike's joint alone, and seeing more conversation, more character, more humanity sneak into these scary old ghost stories makes me very, very happy.

pimpernel

03-22-2008, 01:16 PM

Art is not really my thing, and i found it a little unclear in places.

Story is also a little unclear, but hopefully it will become less so as the story unfolds and more is revealed. Speaking of which: not sure if i missed something, but what unleashed those creepy little bald guys after all that time?

I'm really enjoying Mike's writing lately, and in this series i like how he is slipping more humanity and character into the storytelling.

Best part of the book was the shadow sequence... an absolute masterclass in comicbook horror. Also really creeped out by the soul-eating.

Gary_B

03-22-2008, 03:29 PM

...what unleashed those creepy little bald guys after all that time?

Agent Van Fleet has a giant Moray Eel sicked on him by the creepy old witch in Saint-Sébastien. When it brings him crashing to the ocean floor they breech the hull of the old wreck that had imprisoned the creepy little bald guys since the ship sank.

Kees_L

03-30-2008, 09:24 AM

Abolutely loving this one. The pages seem so spatious, like building up the story along a rule of essentiality.
First the sir Edward introduction, a perfected choreography (the guy seems to know what he's doing - reminiscent of HB in action and he comes prepared with 3 loaded pieces at the ready), all within the framework of the supercool wup wup wup-ing airship coming in and departing. Spatious in the sense that I as reader/onlooker feel right on edge with the action yet the art panels leave room for the cold wet and salty atmosfere to be chillin my bones.
Then the essentiality in dialogue both as almost every character depiction being 'just right' or 'most striking'. Look at Liz and Broom and of course Abe...
If mr. Jason Shawn Alexander has sensed this essentiality to be a major factor in Mignola's work, I can certainly relate to that. [If I'm making any sense at all with this rant that is ;) ].
Although I'm also quite taken with the action-packed pulpy Lobster and while I do feel 1946 to be succesful (beit a bit more crammed up for which Varvara makes up totally), looks like this one's a winner for me (the Holland connection of Epke 'Sticks' Vrooman being a cool bonus).

dankell

04-03-2008, 08:48 AM

Um, has anyone seen issues #2 or #3 in the UK?

Not seen hide nor hair of these in either my LCS or Forbidden Planet...

pimpernel

04-03-2008, 12:25 PM

I live in Scotland, but there are no comic shops nearby so i order from an online place based in the UK. Anyways they had the first two issues, so it's definately been out here.

edhopper

04-03-2008, 05:27 PM

Issue #3 came out yesterday in the States. Boy, was it good. This story just keeps getting better and Jason Alexander's artwork continues to astound.

Jr. Wormwood

04-04-2008, 08:09 PM

Wish I was feeling this series more. What can I say?

I'm hoping that by the time it wraps, it'll make more sense to me and I can re-read it all in one go. Right now it just kind of feels like a chore to read for some reason.

However, it is beautiful to look at!

Gary_B

04-05-2008, 04:55 PM

I'm really enjoying the mystery of this story. The creepy bald guys are awesome. I love how they seem to derive their powers and animate the dead by covering them with words and drawings. Abe is one tough cookie and I really like the fact that the cover image features him holding the monsters jaw in one hand while he's winding up to deliver a blow with the other. I'm quite looking forward to seeing some of these mysteries resolved (while others are created, of course).

edhopper

05-08-2008, 07:12 AM

Am I really the first to comment on issue #4?
Anyway, another stellar job. I can't say enough about the art, realistic, yet moody. More Shawn please!
And we get the story behind what's going on. The Big Bad is revealed in a cool trip through history and a cliffhanger ending. Between this and BPRD I don't even miss Hellboy.

Myron L

05-08-2008, 06:01 PM

Liking it....but still on the fence over all...we'll wait n see !

edhopper

06-12-2008, 07:55 AM

Did I miss another thread.
Final issue of a very good mini (IMHO) comes out and no one comments.
Good resolution, awesome art, and what was that Lovecraftean thing Abe saw?

Tad

06-12-2008, 12:20 PM

I'm not home to give you an issue number but the globular floating thing was first seen in the BPRD issues that showed Abe having a vision of his past. It's inferred that it's the creature that laid the egg that affected Caul and turned him into Abe... with the help of Abe's spirit.

Gary_B

06-12-2008, 12:51 PM

Did I miss another thread.
Final issue of a very good mini (IMHO) comes out and no one comments.
Good resolution, awesome art, and what was that Lovecraftean thing Abe saw?

I agree with Tad about the Lovecraftean thing. Abe had a glimpse of his own origins.

I'm not sure what to make of this final issue. I was little disappointed that Abe resolved this caper by blowing all the creepy bald guys away with a gun. I would have thought that it would take more than that to kill them. This series established some important things to be worked into future plots in the Hellboy Universe. The back history of Cedu-Hara and The Black Goddess will no doubt re-surface in other stories. And the recovery of the dagger by the BPRD seems very significant.

Kelly Tindall

06-12-2008, 12:55 PM

I believe that Abe's mum/dad appeared in Plague of Frogs #5, during Abe's 'death'.

I was kind of cool on this series... Great art and excellent mood, but Mike can do mood like this in his sleep. The Drowning seems to suffer from 'Mignola-itis', where the hero(Hellboy, Abe), his partners (Roger, Pratt et al, Abe) killed or lost, walks into a vast moody room(castle, church, hideout) and faces a far-too-powerful-for-him threat, (Conqueror Worm, Cedu-Barra, Rasputin/Sadu-Hem) only to have a supporting character (Roger, the sea witch, Abe/Liz) destroy the creature for him. He is left with vague innuendo about his past, (RHoD, sea guy) and has a wrap-up scene with a superior at the Bureau (Manning, Bruttenholm).

It was nice to read a horror story where the villains can actually be shot to death, though.

Ken O

06-12-2008, 01:14 PM

I liked it a lot. Kelly brought up some great points that I hadn't really thought about before, but I still dug it. I'd like to see more old stories with Abe.

MaskedMan

06-13-2008, 10:59 PM

this kicked some major ass. i got the same feeling i did when i picked up my first hellboy comic book back in the day (completely captivating). story line was magnificent and to tell the truth it took me sometime to warm up to the art but when i did i fell in love with it. i loved how they portrayed abe as more of his badass self (like he should be). They failed at this in the movie where they just complete tore his character to shreds by making him this weak, psychic sidekick. which was completely lame and disappointed me greatly. abe is just as badass as hellboy is and he deserves better for the movie. i think that hollywood just automatically thinks "oh this guy is smart so he has to be a wimp". so in conclusion comic book abe = awesome, movie abe = lame.

cangrejo3000

07-18-2008, 07:37 AM

This series had a great ending, although slow at the start (not a prblem mind you), it delivered some pretty heavy punches at the end, we got to see a pretty green Abe (pun intended), and some connections to his place in the Hellboy-verse, although, that isn't terribly clear... yet

& Neil, if you see this, I know you had been on the fence about finishing this series, what did you think? Was it worth it for you? I hope so.

I almost forgot to comment on the art, really great, moody, atmospheric, loose art, great job Mr. Stewart & Mr. Alexander!