It’s the season for scary ghost stories, if you believe Andy Williams, and Hellboy is onboard! Your Major Spoilers review of Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club #3 from Dark Horse Comics awaits!

**You can purchase this issue via our Amazon affiliate link.**

HELLBOY: THE SILVER LANTERN CLUB #3

Writer: Mike Mignola & Chris Roberson
Artist: Ben Stenbeck/Christopher Mitten
Colorist: Michelle Madsen
Letterer: Clem Robins
Editor: Kath O’Brien
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 29, 2021

Previously in Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club: Reliving old stories with Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm, Simon Bruttenholm recalls the strange tale of a woman whose synesthetic visions revealed the presence of a mysterious and malevolent entity. What ensues is a hair-raising confrontation worthy of the Silver Lantern Club’s finest!

TALES OF DERRING-DO

it’s the spring of 1953, and Hellboy has come to the Monk’s Head pub with his friend Professor Bruttenholm, but as is his wont, the Professor is reminded of a tale by a strange painting on the wall. Over the protestations of his nephew, who wants to get back to a case at hand, the Professor tells the story of a time when strange specters were seen in an alley in London. An artist, Miss Cartwright-Jones and a medium, Miss Sarah Jewel are also drawn into the trap, using their unusual abilities synaesthesia and spirit-talking, leading to a discovery in the files of Oxford. Many years ago, Sir John Dee himself had accidentally raised a spirit whose visage was painted and identical to the one seen in London. Their investigations lead them to a terrible part of town in the dead of night, and a very special, very spooky team-up, all told to an entertained Hellboy.

VARIATIONS ON THE USUAL ART STYLE

Ben Stenbeck handles the framing sequence for this issue, evoking a credible take on Mignola’s signature style, but the story itself, drawn by Christopher Mitten, is pretty remarkable. The three female characters are all very attractive, with detailed hair and period clothing, while young Professor Bruttenholm wears a handsome beard. The art has the same tone as the established Hellboy style, but a much more delicate line and especially vivid facial expressions. (That makes the moment between Miss Jewel and Miss Jones doubly enjoyable, and also shows us a creepy take on John Dee.) The story is a fast-paced thing whose moral is that, sometimes, you need someone to come along with you, and it’s wrapped up with a nice little bow. The cleverness of the framing sequence pulls it together with the previous issues of the series, essentially making a collection of not-exactly-unrelated stories all together.

BOTTOM LINE: A CLEVER SETUP FOR A DONE-IN-ONE TALE

In short, Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club #3 reminds me of an episode of Are You Afraid Of The Dark? or the Sandman volume where everyone sat around telling stories to pass the time, with unusual art for a Mignolaverse book making it stand out, while the story is satisfying from top to bottom, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. If you’ve ever felt like the Hellboy universe had nothing new to show you after nearly thirty years, you owe it to yourself to try this one.

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.