As longer days of darkness settles in Iceland, and everyone is getting ready for the end of year festivities, Red has other concerns to face. In this year’s Hellboy Winter Special: The Yule Cat, he is in Reykjavík investigating recent unsettling sightings concerning a kaiju-sized feline! Although his adventure is nothing like my fight with it (namely in a Call of Cthulhu RPG session last year), the fact I’m familiar with the legend before reading this side story inspired me to delve into why I must read this comic book.
Writer/artist Matt Smith included falcons, trolls, a spear maiden and a völva! All these creatures feature prominently in Viking lore, and in addition to these earth elementals, there’s an old crone (with the gift of seeing into the future) to which I’m curious about. Also, this author is no stranger to everything Mignolia, as he’s penned many works, namely the Young Hellboy series which is worth the read!
But ultimately, readers want to see whether our favourite B.P.R.D. investigator can face off against the Jólakötturinn! That’s its name in Icelandic, and honestly, to refer to the feline by this moniker sounds more fearful than saying yule is scared by a giant cat! What’s presented is very crisp, with more arctic colours used in contrast to the deep crimson colour of Mr. Hell, the nickname the kids call our hero.
And the monsters range in look from being standard to truly inspired. The trolls are a lot fiercer, drawn as though Smith is consulting Mignola’s picture bible to give this release a visual continuity–but for the others, he has more creativity. Plus, the birds seem to know something readers don’t, and they begin the narrative by speaking of current events.
I wouldn’t say this winter special is required reading, but if you’re a fan of Icelandic folklore like I am, it’s worth picking up. Regarding what I appreciate is how this story is a result of another adventure. As for whether I’m motivated to read The Bone of Giants again, I’m glad I’ve been collecting the omnibus series (Amazon link) so it makes consulting easy. As for reminding myself about how King Vold (from or Hellboy: The Right Hand of Doom) is involved, probably not as much.
5 Stars out of 5