When he created Hellboy, Mike Mignola was setting the stage for a comics universe unlike any other. The original Hellboy series gave way to spinoffs, including the B.P.R.D. and Abe Sapien series, as well as a collection of ongoing Frankenstein comics. Every so often, Mignola will return to pen a Hellboy story, focusing on the World’s Greatest Paranormal Investigator in his relative “youth.” Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures #1 is such a comic.
Thrilling Sky Adventures focuses on Scarlett Santiago, better known as the ace pilot and vigilante Sky Devil. While a young Hellboy and his adoptive father, Professor Trevor “Broom” Bruttenholm, previously ran into Scarlett in Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land (2021), this time the Sky Devil is taking on her own solo adventure. While entangled in conflict with a criminal boss, Scarlett is hired to take a mysterious passenger to the mysterious island known as the “Devil’s Plateau”. Little does she know that this mystery figure is another vigilante called the Ghost Leopard, who has his own agenda.
The standout element of Thrilling Sky Adventures #1 is how Mignola and Thomas E. Sniegoski approach the story. While it’s technically a comic that focuses on the Sky Devil’s adventures, it’s actually a comic within a comic as Hellboy is reading the story aloud to his dog, Mac, during a lazy Saturday at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. While most writers would try to pull a Grant Morrison and attempt to craft a meta-narrative, Mignola and Sniegoski write the issue as if the audience is in Hellboy’s shoes – or rather, hooves. You can feel his excitement in the panels where he appears, as he animatedly chats to Mac while pouring himself a bowl of cereal and flipping through the pages of his comics.
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The Sky Devil part of the comic also feels appropriately pulpy for the time, thanks to Craig Rosseau’s artwork. Rousseau has developed a unique “comic within a comic” approach, as he draws certain panels with a grainy filter that evokes old newsprint. As for the Sky Devil herself, she immediately stands out thanks to her bright red biplane and signature devil’s mask. So does the Ghost Leopard, whose jet black uniform and collection of animals make him feel like a darker take on the Phantom. Rousseau even nails the period-appropriate clothing!
Thrilling Sky Adventures #1 also pops thanks to the use of colors by Chris O’Halloran, as the segments featuring Young Hellboy are bright and eye-catching while the Sky Devil parts have a slightly darker hue (except where Scarlett is concerned). Clem Robins, who’s lettered scores of Hellboy comics at this point, knows when to go big for the sound effects and little for regular speech, and the former adds plenty of extra oomph to the action sequences.
Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures #1 takes a fun, pulp-filled approach to the idea of a “comic within a comic” and revisits one of the more interesting characters in the Hellboy universe. Longtime Hellboy fans will enjoy it, while new readers will get a nice glimpse into Hellboy’s world.
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