Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola

Dark Horse, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1-50670-666-5

Available: Kindle edition, paperback

Hellboy’s complete story is presented in chronological order in Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction. This is a massive tome, at over 300 pages, written and drawn by Mignola. We read from Hellboy’s summoning during his World War II origin all the way to his confrontation with the mad monk who brought him to Earth. Hellboy continually resists accepting his alleged fate as the harbinger of the end of the world while he is fighting the supernatural. Hellboy’s career at the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is bolstered by the aid of the noble Abe Sapien and firestarter Liz Sherman at his side.

Volume 1 reprints Hellboy’s adventures from 1994-1997, Seed of Destruction, Wake the Devil, and the stories “Wolves of St August,” “The Chained Coffin,” and “Almost Colossus” from The Chained Coffin and The Right Hand of Doom. Included in the last pages of this book is a sketchbook with character designs from the earliest versions of Hellboy, Abe, and Liz to the current iterations. The sketches show the physical evolution that Mignola explored as he created his epic characters.

I would recommend this book particularly to readers new to the world of Hellboy and fans of the big red lug with the red right hand alike. It was great to be able to read the story of Hellboy in chronological order in one sitting to get the whole saga. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker