Hellboy: Krampusnacht
Dark Horse Comics
Story by: Mike Mignola
Art by: Adam Hughes
Lettered by: Clem Robins
Hellboy vs The Krampus! When I heard that Mignola was teaming up with the incredible Adam Hughes for a holiday-themed Hellboy story, I was psyched. Mignola’s Hellboy stories are nothing short of amazing, some of them being masterpieces of the medium, and Adam Hughes is a phenomenal artist with a very unique style. But do both of them still have it in them to tell a great story after so many years of being creators in this industry?
The story sees Hellboy investigating a recent paranormal phenomenon and finding that it was the work of none other than the Krampus creature of myth, who invites Hellboy for dinner. Things go about as well as that situation implies. Taking several twists, this issue is a roller coaster of 34 pages, filled with excitement, emotion, and mystery. Mignola shows that he is still a master of his craft, still creating unique stories well over 20 years after Hellboy’s inception and can still breathe new life into the character.
Helping with the storytelling of the book is Adam Hughes art, which is positively dripping with atmosphere, with gorgeous line work and colors, and masterful panel work. Everything is clearly visible, never too cluttered or confusing, or confusingly drawn. The shading in the book is spot on, adding to the ambiance of this world.
This book is a tad on the short side, but it is an incredibly told story by two masters of comics that left me absolutely breathless and wanting more. Luckily there is no shortage of good Hellboy stories out there and no shortage of Adam Hughes art.
Did Hellboy: Krampusnacht deliver on what it wanted to do? Hell yeah. Not only is this a great Hellboy story, it’s a great contained story that doesn’t need any supplemental material to jump into. If you’ve found yourself wanting to give any Hellboy a shot, this is a great issue to jump into a world with, and if you enjoy it, I would heavily implore you to explore more of this universe.