Over the course of his nearly 30-year-old history, Hellboy has faced all manner of strange beasts. Floating heads, frog men, aliens…you name it, he’s probably encountered and/or fought it. But Giant Robot Hellboy #1 from Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo, Dave Stewart and Clem Robbins takes the cake. As the title implies, the World’s Greatest Paranormal Investigator is abducted by mysterious forces and hooked up a machine that powers a giant robot replica of himself. But who is the mysterious organization that kidnapped Hellboy, and what sinister secrets surround the mysterious island that they want to investigate?
The entire idea of Giant Robot Hellboy started as a joke. “Giant Robot Hellboy is my very obvious nod to all those Japanese giant monster movies…which I actually have no particular love for,” Mignola said when the series was first announced. Indeed, most of the issue is dedicated to placing a lampshade on just how ridiculous the idea of hooking Hellboy up to a giant robot really is. One of the mystery organization’s agents says that it looks dumb, and a fight between Mecha Hellboy and a giant kaiju (because of course there’s a giant kaiju) ends up with unexpected results. Still, Mignola manages to plant the seeds for an interesting mystery surrounding the organization, which was enough to keep me reading.
Joining Mignola is Fegredo, who’s no stranger to Hellboy himself. In fact, Fegredo illustrated one of my personal favorite Hellboy stories, The Wild Hunt, and leaps at the chance to draw a giant robot version of the big red hero. And what a giant robot it is! Not only does it replicate Hellboy’s Right Hand of Doom and his signature filed off horns, but there are also mecha flourishes including giant wings and a serpentine tail. It’s very, very close to the original sketch Mignola did – and just one of many homages to the world of kaiju movies (the aforementioned kaiju Hellboy fights bears a striking resemblance to a certain King of Monsters.)
Stewart continues to prove that he’s one of the best colorists in the buisness, delivering a darker tone than his usual work but still remaining visually distinct. The book opens in the dead of night, where Hellboy immediately stands out due to his red skin and tan trench coat. Most of the book is set in the middle of the ocean, with foggy grays providing a contrast to the dark blue waters our giant combatants tower in. Topping it all off is Robbins’ lettering; he continues to give the Hellboy universe a old timey feel and makes every punch resonate via his lettering work.
Giant Robot Hellboy #1 is everything I love about comics. It’s ridiculous, yet awesome. It puts a favorite character of mine into a new situation that fits his universe. Most importantly, it’s the kind of comic you could give a friend and/or family member and they’d love it. Because who doesn’t love giant robots?
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