Goblins are snatching up everything they can get their hands on, so Hellboy is on the case.  He just didn’t expect his partner to be so gung-ho, or flirty.  Your Major Spoilers review of Hellboy In Love #1, awaits!

HELLBOY IN LOVE #1

Writer: Christopher Golden
Artist: Matt Smith
Colorist: Matt O’halloran
Letterer: Clem Robins
Editor: Kath O’Brien
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 19th, 2022

Previously in Hellboy In Love: A museum has called in a favor to the B.P.R.D. in order for them to send some protection for one of their employees who’s carrying a case filled with mysterious artifacts.

ON THE TRAIL

Hellboy In Love #1 opens on a train just as a group of goblin bandits strike.  They focus on one person, Anastacia and the case she’s carrying.  She tries to fight them off but loses the case.  Hellboy then shows up and the pair chase the goblins onto the roof of the train,  after a fight the goblins get away, forcing Anastacia and Hellboy to jump off the train.  They commandeer a car and drive into town.  Along the way Anastacia informs Hellboy that she’s trying to find evidence of an ancient cult of magicians and she thinks the case that was stolen is that proof.  It doesn’t take long for them to find out where the goblins went, but picking them out of the crowd proves harder than they thought.

OFF TO A FAST START, THEN LOSES STEAM

Hellboy in Love #1 doesn’t waste much time getting into the action.  The opening fight and chase aren’t flashy, but they’re entertaining and provide plenty of opportunity for some banter and quips.  The way that they incorporate old western tropes, with train robbers, and a chase across the train cars is a good time, especially with a few supernatural elements thrown in. After this though, things slow down quite a bit and the rest of the issue acts as an extended info dump.  Unfortunately, this exposition isn’t blended in well with what’s going on in the panels so it comes off as a short conversation extended over a long period of time, leading to some awkwardness.  This isn’t helped by the flip-flopping that seems to be going on with Anastacia’s character.  From one panel to the next she seems to be annoyed with Hellboy, then over-the-top flirtatious.  It just feels like an unnatural way for people to talk to each other.  The setup for the series is a solid enough foundation for a series and the mystery is interesting, but there just isn’t enough happening in this issue to bring it to life in any sort of meaningful way.

GOOD OLD FASHIONED HELLBOY

The art in Hellboy in Love #1 by Matt Smith and Chris O’halloran is reminiscent of old B.P.R.D. issues.  They tip-toe the line between cartoon and realistic in a dynamic way that gives this issue a nice look.  The colors are intentional without gradients which makes the characters pop in a satisfying way.

BOTTOM LINE: A VERY PRETTY DISAPPOINTMENT

Hellboy in Love #1 is very nice to look at, especially if you’re a fan of the older B.P.R.D.comics.  After that though, there isn’t much going on here in this issue to capture anyone’s attention and at times what is going on in the pages is awkward and even boring in some spots.  3 out of 5 stars.

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Hellboy in Love #1

67%

67%

Loveless

Hellboy in Love #1 commits a cardinal sin of opening a series up. It wastes its first issue on exposition, without giving a really good example of how dangerous the threat actually is.

• Writing

  4
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0