The no-brainer that is Giant Robot Hellboy ends this week with plenty of kaiju action, new twists, and the promise for mysteries to be resolved. Overall, it’s an excellent and action-packed issue that lets artist Duncan Fegredo go full-tilt with awe-inspiring monster fights. Since monster fights are a vital part of why we read Hellboy, how can you not love it?
Similar to the last issue, this issue brings tons of awesome big-monster action. It opens in a new-reader-friendly way, quickly recapping where we’re at and how Hellboy isn’t even controlling the giant robot Hellboy. Much of this issue revolves around the mystery of who controls the robot and what happens to Jian. She’s on the island and brought power back, but little does she know it was the last thing she’d ever want to do.
The art in this issue is breathtaking. Giant monsters lay at the feet of Robot Hellboy, and they’re epic in scale and design. The use of color by Dave Stewart is also great, giving them a lifelike quality even when they’re sickly green or shades of purple. There’s a panel of Robot Hellboy getting groped up by a giant inset, and the strings of pink goo weigh them that’s not easy to pull off.
Outside of Jian surviving, there’s an interesting tidbit about what happens to ghosts in Chinese mythology. Mike Mignola continues to find interesting ways to bring real-life folklore into the Hellboy universe. Details like this reinvigorate the entire line and make it feel detailed and filled with mysteries yet to be discovered.
This issue opens with a nice recap so it’s easy to dive in.
Credit: Dark Horse
The only thing that doesn’t work is the woman in power, who puts Jian’s life in danger. Her relationship with Sam is a bit confusing, I suppose because she must manipulate him to get Jian to do her bidding. She oddly gives Sam the chance to give Jian time to escape, yet that ruins her plan entirely. She’s also reluctant to take out Jian, and there isn’t enough done to convey her point of view on all of this. You’d also think Sam would be more angry. Maybe their relationship is explained in another Hellboy book, but it comes off as confusing here.
The book does end in a great way, not only setting up another monster adventure but also leaving Robot Hellboy open for new adventures too. The fact that Hellboy wakes up how he does also works within continuity. We’ll likely see Robot Hellboy again someday.
Giant Robot Hellboy #3 is another great issue in the three-issue miniseries. That’s largely due to Fegredo’s incredible detailed, exciting, and unmatched art in the epic department.
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