Category: News

ComicMix Six: The Best ‘Hellboy’ Stories

In previous editions of ComicMix Six, we’ve rounded up everything from Political Campaigns in Comics to Celebrity Team-Ups. This Friday marks the newest milestone for Mike Mignola’s Hellboy franchise, with the movie sequel Hellboy 2: The Golden Army hitting theaters, so this week’s list focuses on Mignola’s most popular creation.

The evil-fighting demon named "Hellboy" has been one of the most successful new superheroes introduced in the past 20 years, first appearing as a joke illustration from Mignola in the early 1990s and then evolving into his current incarnation to debut in a full-fledged Dark Horse comics series.

Now the Hellboy world is huge, comprising several Hellboy books, the B.P.R.D. line, video games and the Hellboy movies.

Picking through all those 15-plus years of content, here are the six very best Hellboy stories, from epics to little fairy tales, from Cavendish Hall to Hell on Earth, and everywhere in between (Note: Only Hellboy-specific stories are included in the list).

Read on for the ComicMix Six: Best Hellboy Stories.

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The Devil Made Me Do It, by Elayne Riggs

I haven’t had a lot of free time lately, but what little I’ve had on the weekends has been devoted to my Zen-relaxation hobbies of sleeping, watching baseball, reading blogs and playing computer games. I’m not big on the kill-em-all-let-fictional-dieties-sort-em-out ones, I much prefer the puzzle games like Atlantis Quest or Bejeweled or Chuzzle (I got my mom addicted to Chuzzle!) or Bookworm. But I do confess to a soft spot for a little phenom from Blizzard Entertainment known as Diablo.

Being cursed with a pretty bad memory for entertainment ephemera, I can’t remember if I ever played the first version of Diablo. I suppose I must have, way back, but it never really caught my interest except as a spectator sport. I loved to watch Robin play it, and he was was quite the fan, so when Diablo II came out I decided to learn its ins and outs and play alongside him. It wasn’t easy, neither of the two computers we had at the time had really fast processing speed, so when we played a round together either or both or our monitors would be pretty messed up, would freeze then go into fast-motion, all the stuff that tells you This Game Is Beyond Your Machine’s Puny Capabilities. Nonetheless, we persisted, more apart than together, and there was a stretch of some months when Diablo II took up most of our computer time, particularly with the debut of the expansion set, entitled “Lord of Destruction” (or as Robin and I, and apparently the creator of the above illustration, preferred to think of it, “Lord of the Dance”).

And I mean, it’s weird to like Diablo so much, not only as a woman who does tend to fall into the stereotypical story preference trends (i.e., preferring characterization to explosions, the evolution of relationships and personal growth to battles and gore, participation of interesting female characters in their own life stories rather than objectification and “love interest” secondary leads), but as someone who just isn’t into entertainment violence, period. I can look at sex far more easily than I can look at violence. Sexual parity is nowhere near accomplished, so most of the stuff in that realm still caters to the male gaze, as I’ve previously observed, but violence as entertainment (at least to me) really seems to cater to the male gaze. I just don’t find it fun. Even when it’s at the level of embarrassment comedy, I still feel for the victim. Maybe it’s because I’m something of a klutz, and the atmosphere around the Riggs Residence often resembles a slapstick sitcom. When I go to give my husband a mock smack on the head and wind up hurting my hand (and wrist, and elbow) instead, it may be amusing at the time in a karmic-justice kinda way, but I know my arm’s going to be killing me the next couple days and I’ll have all these “where did I get those?” bruises and, oh kiddies, it’s just not worth the pain. (more…)

Mike Mignola Says ‘Hellboy 3’ in the Works

hellboy2poster5-2089479The end of Hellboy is in sight, though it’s still quite a ways out on the horizon.

In a new interview on Metromix, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola talks about Friday’s Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, but more importantly he says planning is already underway for a third film.

Also, Mignola hints at the future of Hellboy in comics:

[Guillermo] has thrown out so many ideas for the third movie, you go, ‘Geez, if he puts everything into “Hellboy 3” that he says will be in “Hellboy 3,” it’ll be 36 hours long.’ The third film, being the end of (the film trilogy), is hard for me. The comic is going to go for 10 to 15 more years, so I don’t want to give him my ending. I want my ending to be a surprise.

While you’re waiting on that, make sure to check out all of ComicMix‘s extensive Hellboy 2 coverage, including this interview with actress Selma Blair and this interview with director Guillermo del Toro.

Stan Lee Media Central to Case Against Clinton

stanlee-2309587Some diligent journalist needs to jump in and write a book about the ongoing fight for the rights to Stan Lee’s Marvel creations, because it becomes a little more bizarre every day.

The case is essentially between Stan Lee Media and its shareholders, who are collectively filing suit against Marvel and Stan Lee, saying they conspired to keep the rights to Lee’s creations from Stan Lee Media.

Sound confusing? Barron’s has a good breakdown of how this all came to be.

In short, Lee assigned his rights to Stan Lee Media, the failed dotcom that’s now run by Peter Paul, who wants the company to assert those rights over the many characters that have boosted Marvel’s fortunes through comics and movies.

Paul is saying that Lee left Stan Lee Media, and conspired with Bill Clinton (yes, that Bill Clinton) to break business promises made to Paul.

Paul is throwing corruption allegations against Clinton in a California suit, which is ongoing. For what it’s worth, Paul recently ran afoul of the SEC, which is also covered in that last link, from World Net Daily.

Wal-Mart Stocks ‘Racist’ Comic

meminsml-6211600Back in 2005, the Mexican government heard quite a bit of outcry when the country’s popular comic book character, Memin Pinguin, was commemorated on stamps.

It was a controversial decision because, as many see it, Memin is a racist stereotype of dark-skinned people. Look at the image at right and decide for yourself.

Now Memin is back in the news, as some reprints of the comic book series have turned up in Texas Wal-Marts. And a few shoppers are none-too-pleased.

She found one passage particularly offensive. In the frame, Memin Pinguin is being kicked by a light-skinned man and is called “a black troublemaker.”

Activist Quanell X said the problem with the book is more than just words.

“This is poking fun at the physical features or an entire people. Making them look buffoonish (and) portraying the young (black) kid as stupid,” said Quanell. “Whenever they are beating him, they are referring to him as Negro. Even here when he is being punched, slapped (he is called) Negro.

“This is a disgrace.”

Wal-Mart didn’t offer a comment for the story.

You can find a bit more background right here, including some evidence that the book isn’t racist.

ComicMix TV: Luke Goss Talks ‘Hellboy II’

Luke Goss has played some of the best bad guys in film in the past 10 years, from Blade 2 to Steven Seagal’s Mercenary for Justice, and now he fills the role of “Prince Nuada” in Hellboy II. We got to chat with Luke about his makeup in the film, his relationship with writer/director Guillermo del Toro, and even his take on comic book fans.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army hits theaters Friday, July 11.

 

 

Missed one of our Hellboy II: The Golden Army interviews this week? Here are links to all of the recent ComicMix TV interviews with the Hellboy II cast and crew:

 

ComicMix Radio: Final Crisis – A Guide (Sort Of)

A lot of comic fans have found that the biggest reaction to DC’s Final Crisis has been “Huh?”. Executive Editor, Dan DiDio gives us his take on what it’s all about and where it’s going, plus:

  • Batman RIP scores another sell out
  • Youngblood gives you a chance to play “catch-up”
  • Smallville finally moves ahead in the Superman mythos

Our world famous tour of this new comics and DVDs starts when you Press the Button!

 

 

And remember, you can always subscribe to ComicMix Radio podcasts via badgeitunes61x15dark-7226744 or RSS!

Early Reviews for ‘Dark Knight’

dark_knight_joker-7251506The latest Batman incarnation, The Dark Knight, doesn’t come out for another couple weeks, but the love is already streaming from critics. We’ve also had buzz about a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger and his supposedly terrifying take on the Joker.

Rolling Stone was one of the first out of the gate to lay honors at director Christopher Nolan’s feet, calling the movie “a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. But Nolan is just warming up.”

Over at MTV, the sequel was given a 10 out of 10 for “Wow Factor.”

Variety jumps on the batwagon, praising the whole operation: “…this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some.”

The Hollywood Reporter praises Christian Bale: “Bale again brilliantly personifies all the deep traumas and misgivings of Batman’s alter ego, Bruce Wayne. A bit of Hamlet is in this Batman.”

An early review at AICN says, “Just go see it.”

And an Associated Press review says, “Running just over two and a half hours, “The Dark Knight” is a true crime epic. Throughout, the Joker’s bag of tricks is bottomless, twisted to the point of horror-flick sick.”

‘Wolverine’ Movie: Kevin Durand Talks Blob

2319811-4417942Fans of Lost and 3:10 to Yuma know well how good Kevin Durand is at playing one mean prick. And soon we’ll all get to see how he fares at playing a mean, fat prick, as Durand is starring as Blob opposite Hugh Jackman in the upcoming Wolverine movie.

Durant recently chewed the fat (HA!) with Thunder Bay’s Source newspaper about the film.

“I wasn’t a comic book kid because I was busy playing hockey here in Thunder Bay. That’s all I wanted to do and all I dreamed of really. But when I saw the first (X-Men film), I was just in awe and the second one (X2: X-Men United) just blew me away,” he said.

When he heard the news a new installment was in the works, he was hoping the producers would consider him for a part and luckily for Durand, they already knew his name and called for him to take a look at the part.

And to get the larger than life Blob ready for the cameras, it took six months of costume and special effects preparation.

“I have a feeling people are going to like him,” Durand said.

Wolverine is planned for a fall 2009 release.

‘Hellboy: Wild Hunt’ Preview on MySpace

With Hellboy 2: The Golden Army coming out on Friday, it’s probably no coincidence that Dark Horse just posted a preview of the next Hellboy comics series online.

Head over to MySpace to see the cover (at right) and first six pages to Hellboy: Wild Hunt #1, which is set to debut in December. The series once again pairs Mike Mignola with artist Duncan Fegredo.

Here’s what the story’s about:

When ancient giants begin to rise from their graves across England, Hellboy is invited to join a mysterious group called The Wild Hunt and help bring them down. But the hunt leads to betrayal and death, and Hellboy is forced to face the consequences of his past actions—actions that now threaten the survival of all mankind. "The fading children of the earth" gather in the shadows, awaiting the promised return of the "Queen of Blood" and a chance to shake the trees, crack mountains, and make the daytime world weep for fear."

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