Summary: It's out of the frying pan and into the fire for Christopher Chase as he saves Lex Luthor from one assassin only to be poisoned by another. 
Plot: I've long been a huge fan of Human Target and it seemed like something King could do well with his love of mystery tropes, but here it seems he has moved on from just loving the common tropes and techniques of old mystery thrillers and decided to just commit out right plagiarism. With a simple stroke of the pen Frank Bigelow becomes Christopher Chase and then the plot of  Rudolph Maté's 1950 noir classic D.O.A. continues on with out any further interruptions. It's literally a beat for beat copy of the film, right down to the lead continuing to recollect that the drink that turned out to be poison tasted funny. And I get the temptation, it's a great plot where the hero is trying to crack the case of who murdered them before they die from the poison and yeah it is public domain so there's nothing legally wrong with remaking it as a Human Target story...but it should be credited as such, and it isn't which really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I could find it in me to like this book if it was honest about what it was, but the dishonesty really kills it for me, which is too bad because it's a really good read with some fantastic dialogue and fun pacing but when so much is lifted from somebody else I just can't support it.
Art: This is the real crime...Smallwood's art is so frickin' amazing that it's really painful that it's on this project. He has a Toth like mix of realism and simplistic cartooned elements that is not only beautiful to look at but really fits the noir style of the plot. I really don't want to support the theft that's going on here but Smallwood is really making it so hard because his work is just so stunning.

Grade: ...easily a ten out of ten if King had just credited the film. But plagiarized? I'm really torn, but I guess I'll go with a perfect five for the art and I guess a one for King's work.

6/10? 

Summary: When a mummified corpse holding a giant hammer is uncovered by lightning strikes in Sweeden, Hellboy is your first call for"help"
Plot: This is a comic I've literally been waiting twenty years for the chance to hold in my hands...and now that it finally is I'm definitely not disappointed! How did I know about this story twenty years ago you ask? Because twenty years ago Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden teamed up for their second Hellboy novel (The first being 1997's Hellboy: The Hidden Army) and since then it's been one of my favorite Hellboy stories period. Mignola and Golden effortlessly combined Norse Mythology, political intrigue and the fate of Hellboy and his right hand of doom into an action packed jaunt that was brilliant from start to finish...it's only flaw was that as a prose novel it only hadf a few scant visuals from Mignola and with a story so fantastic it seemed like a crime that it wasn't a proper comic...and that one flaw has now finally been fixed with the release of this book. As a long time fan of the story I approached this with equal parts excitement because it was my favorite Hellboy story seeing new life and trepidation as I feared that lightning couldn't possibly strike twice and that the adaptation would pale in comparison to the original...but with the mythology of the god of thunder himself being such an integral part of the story perhaps that initial fear was misplaced as Mignola and Golden manage to pull the introduction of this adaptation off in grand style! Not only is this comic a great adaptation, breathing new life into well remembered scenes but it excels in its own right as it proves to be a tremendous showcase collaborative quality and the ever consistent thematic tapestry that the Hellboy Universe is famous for. From the haunting first discovery of the desiccated body of Thor to the way the story ties into the fan favorite story King Vold(reviewed right here for reference!) it's a book that's sure to reward long time fans...but it's also a great read for casual or new readers as well giving a solid introduction to Abe and Hellboy as characters and easily thrusting you into their world with the use of familiar folk lore like Thor's battle with the Jormungandr the Midgard Serpent and aide from the seemingly all knowing squirrel Ratatoskr. Whether you're a long time fan of Hellboy, a Norse Mythology buff or just someone hankering for a darn good comic this is the book for you!Pick it up right now!


I'm serious, what are you doing still sitting at your keyboard? I know, you haven't read my feelings on the art...but the review isn't going anywhere, get off your ass, into your car and get to your local comic shop and demand a copy of this before it's too late!


Art: I was initially really bumbed out that Mignola wasn't taking on the art duties here because what little art he did for the original novel is high amongst my favorites in terms of singular images Mike has produced over the years. But if you're going to have another fill his shoes you might as well get one of the best in the industry and Matt Smith is definitely that as his mix of hard angles and realistic back grounds has always  lent itself to Mignola's worldin previous stories like Long Night at Goloski Station but in this issue here he really goes all in as he deftly channel so much of Mignola in his inks and character designs that I often found myself wondering if Mignola came in to pitch hit on some panels:






The top is Smith's and the way he details the coils of that lightning are nearly identical to Mignola's own depiction and yet Smith adds to it in his own way by weaving a call back to that iconic image from the novel into the ongoing action as it bleeds into the rest of the page making it less static than Mignola's original.
And latter on he does a fantastic job of adding to Hellboy's usual wardrobe in a truly creative way:



I know, it's a hoodie...but it fits so well for the character and yet it's surprisingly never been done before.

It's just a brilliant book any way you slice it, narritively or artistically. This is hands down the best book of the year in my eyes.

Grade:1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 /  10