A very enigmatic despot is finding clues in issue number two to make Rasputin the one and only Voice of the Dragon. Well technically, the introduction is to recap the events of the previous issue, and in what writers Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson are offering is tantalizing enough to keep tuning in to this very serialized tale a must. The imagery and work set by Christopher Mitten is like that of watching a Hammer film unfold. Here be spoilers in this very decent jumping in point for new readers to the Hellboy universe.
Dark Horse Comic‘s Rasputin, The Voice of the Dragon has an official street date of November 15th, and any fan of this character from the Hellboy series will finally be able to get inside this evil sorcerer’s head! The first issue serves as an introduction and later issues will look deeper into this antagonist’s backstory. With this title, another tale is unfolding.
Hellboy has not arrived on Earth yet, and Trevor Bruttenholm’s journey to be confident to this antihero is also just beginning. His “abiding interest in the occult” sees him chasing after ghosts, or rather geists, thinking there is a code nestled within it to reveal the Nazi’s plan for world conquest. Little do the Allies know, the Germans are seeking their own warlords. Eventually, both side’s masters of the occult will clash.
Mike Mignola and I have one big thing in common. Our love of ghosts and monsters started at an early age. He read Dracula and I saw the classic Bela Lugosi film. Although we were at different ages when we were exposed to this work interpreted across different mediums, the fact this creator and I have a love for Victorian age supernatural style drama says a lot about what we like to examine the most. For me, whether that’s with a cinematic product like an early attempt with CGI with Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) to Sweeny Todd (2007), not many products exist in this sub-genre of horror films unless I want to consider Hammer Film’s work a highlight of the period.
His work, Mr. Higgins Comes Home, is a one-shot which beautifully depicts the attitudes common in this age and plays with a slowly creeping fear of the unknown. If the people from this age are not ready to challenge it, then a lot of the mysteries will still remain behind locked doors — like with what Count Golga has planned for Walpurgis, the Devil’s own night. This time is when witches and warlocks gather. The fact such an event actually exists in European tradition makes me believe this author did his research, or he knows a lot more about the occult than he can let on in a singular world where Hellboy exists in. Technically, the festivities fall on the night of April 30th and into the early hours of May 1st. This tradition is considered a second Halloween in certain parts of Europe.
Studios desiring a higher profit margin is most likely behind the reason Hellboy is being rebooted. I can not and will not accept anyone other than Ron Perlman to play the title role. When news broke Monday night about this Columbia Pictures distributed film getting a second life, please pardon my french, “F*** No!” Since the business heads could not come eye-to-eye with Guillermo del Toro‘s pitch and the production costs involved (yes, he’s famously known to go over budget), don’t stab this director in the back by saying we’ll simply reboot it with Neil Marshall helming the second incarnation like this series can be changed around like Doctor Who.
Marshall has modest hits like Descent and Dog Soldiers to show he has the chops, but I do not think he has the comic book cred to pull off an R-rated version. Whether that means more blood or scarier content, that remains to be seen as no proper word is given if he will also be part of the script-writing team.
The last day of Summer and beginning of Autumn marks a busy time in my schedule. There are theatrical productions to enjoy and there’s a stack of comics piling up at home. Oh the choices! What can I say? Yes, I’m behind. But I offer selections of what I have waited to read (offering my thoughts mixed in with the official synopsis this time ’round) and a few I’m anxiously waiting for. I must admit that I tend to binge read. Having just issue #1 is not enough to know what’s ahead in the following titles from Dark Horse Comics:
Kingsway West #1 (Aug 24)
After spending thirteen years in a war that made him a monster, a Chinese gunslinger named Kingsway Law just wants to live in peace with his wife, Sonia. While this comic is not the Kung Fu series starring David Carradine, I’m liking this unique take on mysticism. The fantastical Old West is crackling with magic! When a woman with a red-gold sword brings bloody chaos to his doorstep, Kingsway must fight for his life, his wife, and his very soul.
By Ed Sum
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)