Hellboy Animated: Volume Two: The Judgment Bell
The Animated Series Universe is Still Going Strong
Sep 19, 2008
- Hellboy: Animated: The Judgment Bell
- Available from Dark Horse Comics
- 80 Pages, Digest Size
- Published June, 2007
- ISBN-10: 1-59307-799-8
A cross between the original comics franchise and the films from writer/director Guillermo del Toro, the Hellboy: Animated universe continues a tradition of spinning a great tale that someone with only a very sparse understanding of the Hellboy franchise can understand. That's one of the great things about Hellboy: Animated--it's new-fan friendly. If you just saw the movies for the first time, you can pick up these books and find your way pretty easily.
Even better, each subsequent volume is a level higher than the last in terms of quality, as is the case with The Judgment Bell. The Black Wedding was good, but The Judgment Bell is better.
Hellboy: Animated Volume Two: The Judgment Bell and The Menace of the Mechanical Monster
Just like the last book in the Hellboy: Animated series, The Judgment Bell contains two stories: the main 'serious' tale (in this case, The Judgment Bell) and a 'back-up feature'--a short, humorous romp (The Menace of the Mechanical Monster). It's a genius balance of scary and funny that makes for an altogether satisfying read. It gives you shivers and tickles your funny bone.
The story behind The Judgment Bell delves into the past of Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, Hellboy's adoptive father and oldest member of the B.P.R.D., revealing sins of the father that have come back to haunt him. Children are disappearing in a Polish village, a mysterious figure using their innocence to seek the Judgment Bell--the bell that rings at the end of a man's life, heralding his death--who happens to have old ties to Bruttenholm. It's up to Hellboy to keep more children from dying at the hands of the paranormal mastermind.
After The Judgment Bell, The Menace of the Mechanical Monster is a treat. Another story of young Hellboy's adventures growing up on a military base, he gets into the same sort of trouble that every little boy--hell spawn or not--has gotten into at one point or another: namely, letting his make-believe games go a little bit too far. It never ceases to amaze how downright adorable little Hellboy's stories are and this one is no exception.
Tech Specs and Final Verdict
The Judgment Bell boasts artwork that's a lot faster and looser than the art from The Black Wedding. The Black Wedding looked like it was trying to copy Batman: The Animated Series stylistically, whereas The Judgment Bell finds a niche of its own and makes itself at home there.
Rick Lacy's pencils compliment the action packed story from Jim Pascoe perfectly. The figures are full of movement and life, leaping off the comic page. Hellboy's expressions alone should be praised for their perfectly exaggerated emotion.
The Menace of the Mechanical Monster is different in style, but the story and art fit together incredibly well. Since the writer, Tad Stones, is also the artist for this particular story, this comes as no great surprise. Little Hellboy is really cute, yet Lobster Johnson, the comic book hero of Hellboy's childhood, still has the look of a golden age pulp hero without sacfrificing any of the integrity of telling a comedic, make-believe story.
The colors by Michelle Madsen are brighter and sharper than in The Black Wedding yet aren't so technicolor-lollipop-bright that they don't fit into the Hellboy universe with ease. There isn't even any fault to be found in Nate Piekos' lettering throughout the book.
In the end, Hellboy: Animated: The Judgment Bell is a level and a half above its predecessor, but also a good comic book on its own. It stands as a great part of the animated universe series as well as a fantastic stand-alone for the newbie fan.
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