So this is it then? The End? The End my friend?
Yes.
HELLBOY: THE FURY #3
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Duncan Fegredo
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clem Robins
Cover: Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart
Editor: Scott Allie
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Previously in Hellboy: The myths and legends of our youth are real. Monsters and bogeymen roam the night looking to abduct the young and innocent from their cribs. Witches and demons, from days long past, seek endless power and world domination. Armies rise using mystical artifacts that will lead them to victory. And in the closed space – that space that was sealed off from man, monster, and demon – the great old ones, the Ogdru Jahad, await to return to the world. Bad things have happened – many, many bad things. Fortunately, the demon who pretends to be a man, Hellboy, is there to put a stop to it once and for all!
THE FURY
It’s Ragna Rok, kids! The end of the world as we know it! Judgement Day! The culmination of 18 years worth of stories concludes in this issue as Hellboy and Queen Mab (a.k.a. Nimue in dragon form) battle it out for the fate of the world. As far as epic battles go, you can’t get much bigger than a battle for the fate of the world. We’ve seen end of the world before, but these usually entail capes and tights fighting forces of eeeevvvvviiiiiilll, and usually ends with a happy ending that gives us hope.
Not here.
Fans of Hellboy have followed his adventures since Mike Mignola breathed life into him in 1993, and though the Right Hand of Doom has done everything he could to prevent the world from falling down around him, in the end, the world still gets a big kick between the legs. This issue is panel after panel of Hellboy giving his all to bring down the mighty dragon, and in each panel, you can feel the blows. There’s almost a sense of hopelessness as Hellboy’s current love, Alice Monaghan (whom he rescued in 1959), watches as the world falls apart around her. Even worse is when Hellboy defeats the dragon, only to have Nimue rise up as a ghost and pluck Hellboy’s heart from his chest.
This world’s champion is no more.
And that’s it. Hellboy’s time on Earth is over. It’s been a frickin’ fantastic journey, and this final issue, from a story telling perspective was spectacular. What Mignola doesn’t say in words, the quiet panels, showing the destruction of Great Britain, leave the reader humbled and in awe. Like I said before, we’ve seen end of the world events play out in other books, but only Mignola brings it; giving us a look at the world through non-superhero eyes.
BEHOLD! THE DESTRUCTION
While the words are powerful, it is the art that smacks you in the head and says, “Pay attention, son. You’re about to be schooled in what it means to be awesome!” As it turns out, it is Duncan Fegredo that does the schooling. In a recent Major Spoilers Podcast, I bemoaned that those that want to ape Mignola’s style haven’t stepped up to the plate recently, but here, Fegredo delivers the Mignola style in such a way that you believe it wasn’t Mignola who introduced the look to the world, but Fegredo.
The way the panels are presented, readers get to see the world crumbling while Hellboy and Eimue exchange blows. And the contrast between the coloring of those panels gives the effect that the warriors’ blows are in fact causing the world to fall apart.
While the final issue of Death of Superman used full page panels to show the impact of the fight, Hellboy: The Fury #3 arranges the panels in such a way that we are only given the juiciest bits, and left to wonder what happens out of frame. It’s a powerful way to tell a story, and one that I truly enjoy looking at.
BOTTOM LINE: NOT THE END
While Hellboy’s time on Earth may be over, Hellboy’s adventures are not. In 2012, readers will get to see what happens when Hellboy goes home to Hell… and I’m gonna bet it isn’t a happy reunion.
The bigger question is, “Is this a permanent death?” Too often we’ve seen the central character die, only to come back months or even years later like nothing has happened. I’m hoping that Mignola keeps Hellboy off the mortal plane. Let the B.P.R.D. handle the mess left behind. Give readers one big arc of Hellboy in Hell, and then leave it at that. I’d be happy to see this opus end on that kind of a note.
Until 2012, Hellboy: The Fury #3 is a perfect way to send off the character – it’s one of those “Oh, Crap!” kind of moments that is fitting for this character. This is a great issue. It is an issue that should stick in comic readers’ minds as that one moment when the big guy actually bought it. Pacing, color, inks, everything come together to tell a perfect tale that has been building since the first appearance of the title character. If you haven’t picked up the first two issues in this series, do it now, then buy Hellboy: The Fury #3 – it’s a 5 Star experience you won’t soon forget.
7 Comments
I’m pretty sure Mab isn’t Nimue or vice-versa.
You are correct about Mab not being Nimue. I’ve read the comics since the beginning. I may have missed a nuance here and there, but I remember the characters.
This is by far the single greatest issue of Hellboy or any comic in the past year. Maybe Marvel or DC should look at how to “kill” a character that actually helps the story and builds on the character. I guess they will only stop killing off characters when we the reader stop “buying” into this selling tactic.
I have never read a Hellboy issue, but when I saw the 5 star rating I was interested enough to check it out. Luckily my local Hastings had all three issues in the arc, so I bought them all and just finished reading them. The ending to the last issue was very well done. Reading this arc has me wanting to go into the back issue bins and read more.
I’m not really sold that Hellboy is gone for good, and who knows we may see Abe join him in hell. If you caught another certain issue as of late Abe is ‘alive’ right now but brain death can still be a form of death depending how they play it up.
I’m glad they aren’t finishing off Hellboy as a series (or mini-series I should say) as I’ve been reading all of Mike’s work since the first Hellboy movie. Seriously I went out the next day after seeing it and bought everything with his name on it and over the next few months picked up every major arc that he’s involved in and have been following all of the related series since.
LOVE the titles. I was a little bit in shock with the ending. While it’s a comic, he’s someone who can goto hell, he can come back, I wasn’t expecting him to be gone from Earth so (semi) permanently.
It’s not like we didn’t know he’d be going to hell. Every demon he’s encountered has said they are expecting him to return, some in anger, some to let him rule his own house.
…hate waiting to see what’ll happen next! ;)
He is one character that I wouldn’t complain if he came back from the dead, given his Hell origin anyhow, it wouldn’t be too hard to imagine him fighting his way back out of Hell for one reason or another. It will be fun to see him in Hell though.
Loved the ending, it was very satisfying I apprecieted the small details like Nimue fearing her transformation in issue 01, the soldier tale, the crow turned into a sword, etc.
It good to turn the page and to move forward. :)
I also appreciate the Lord Baltimore books.