From Matt Smith (Folklords) comes a brand new Hellboy vacation story full with snow and large cats in Hellboy Winter Special: The Yule Cat. Featuring colours by Chris O’Halloran and lettering by Hellboy veteran Clem Robins, this yr’s supernatural Christmas story is a ton of enjoyable simply as a standalone comedian, however like several good Mignolaverse piece it’s clearly part of a bigger entire. With an important mix of motion and mythology and incredible, eerie visible, it is a nice one-shot to pair with a hearth mug of spiked Christmas Eve cocoa.
“Hellboy travels to Reykjavik, where children are disappearing and a giant beast has been spotted . . . could it be the infamous Yule Cat of Icelandic lore?”
Writing & Plot
Matt Smith has been shortly rising within the ranks of Hellboy storytellers, and Hellboy Winter Special: The Yule Cat is an ideal instance of why. His work on Bones of Giants, Young Hellboy, and Hellboy in Love has confirmed that Smith is aware of learn how to mix the mythology, humor, and overarching thriller of the Mignolaverse in each one in every of his comics. The Yule Cat takes our large purple paranormal investigator to Iceland, the place an area fantasy has supposedly come to life. An enormous spectral cat stalks the Icelandic evening simply earlier than the vacations, and it’s as much as HB to seek out out what it desires – then punch the crap out of it. However, as per regular, issues usually are not what they appear – and there’s far more to our feline good friend than meets the attention. Smith’s core story right here is mysterious and compelling, offering simply as many questions as solutions because the plot progresses. Smith ties Yule Cat to his prior work in Bones of Giants neatly, however there’s no have to have learn that story to grasp what’s occurring right here. Just like each nice Mignolaverse story, there are hints of what got here earlier than and what’s nonetheless to return, however that is nonetheless an important story to learn by itself. Smith nails HB’s persona via his interactions with others and his informal perspective in the direction of eldritch abnormalities. Yule Cat, as with all different Hellboy comics, paint a partial image of an internet of mythology that’s older and extra highly effective than will be imagined. What’s so good about Hellboy as a personality is that he treats that reality prefer it’s his 9 to five desk job – as a result of it’s.
Art Direction
Matt Smith observe’s the Mignola visible system whereas sustaining his personal fashion in Hellboy Winter Special: The Yule Cat. Every artist that has labored on a Hellboy or B.P.R.D. comedian has emulated Mike Mignola’s fashion not directly – it’s how the entire universe has maintained a constant really feel. Smith is among the finest to do it. At first look, Yule Cat appears prefer it was in reality drawn by Mignola himself. A second’s inspection, nevertheless, reveals the small print that set the 2 artists aside. Smith has much less of a reliance on heavy inks and makes use of thinner linework, utilizing extra hatching for character particulars and ambiance. His variations of each the basic Hellboy forged in addition to the mythological beings that present up within the comedian are dropped at life with a signature collection of distinctive options and animations. This not solely makes the comedian really feel extra like part of this bigger and artistically sound universe, however helps Smith set up his visible fashion. He crafts some actually mesmerizing otherworldly scenes throughout HB’s investigation that conflict along with his equally nice regular city drawings.
Chris O’Halloran’s shade artwork additionally mirrors the aesthetic of different Mignolaverse books, however nonetheless manages to maintain this comedian wanting authentic. The uninteresting gray and white of an Icelandic winter casts a filter over the normal colours of the small city HB is visiting. Flashes of unnatural mild and the magical haze that eat the climactic sequences excellent the studying expertise as they pull the reader into the unusual realm that this story inhabits. Clem Robins’ lettering is a stellar as at all times, along with his distinctive hand guiding the reader alongside from HB’s snide remarks to the off-kilter incantations of historical beings in quite a few font kinds. Hellboy: The Yule Cat is a comic book that visually stands tall amongst its acclaimed and iconic friends.
Verdict
Hellboy Winter Special: The Yule Cat is a delightfully mysterious and enjoyable one-shot entry into the Hellboy mythos. Matt Smith’s writing and visible storytelling sensibilities seize every thing nice about Mignolaverse comics, whereas sustaining his personal fashion whereas enjoying on this well-established universe. Chris O’Halloran’s shade artwork perfects the ambiance and pulls readers in effortlessly to this paranormal vacation thriller. Be positive to seize this challenge when it hits cabinets on December sixth!
