by Chris Davidson
*Warning Possible Spoilers*
Seed of Destruction was Mike Mignola’s first foray into creator owned content. It was originally released in March 1994 and it has aged superbly, better than fine wine you might say. Mignola grants us a story involving destiny, mysteries and the ever present human thirst for knowledge. Hellboy himself is obviously not human but he grew human idiosyncrasies as he was raised by humans, one man in particular being Trevor Bruttenholm.
*Warning Possible Spoilers*
Seed of Destruction was Mike Mignola’s first foray into creator owned content. It was originally released in March 1994 and it has aged superbly, better than fine wine you might say. Mignola grants us a story involving destiny, mysteries and the ever present human thirst for knowledge. Hellboy himself is obviously not human but he grew human idiosyncrasies as he was raised by humans, one man in particular being Trevor Bruttenholm.
How did Bruttenholm come across Hellboy? It all started back in 1944 during World War 2 when an Allied platoon in England lied in wait for a group of Nazi commandos, among the Allied troops was Trevor Bruttenholm. Word spread that the Nazi group were committed to a project known as Ragna Rok, an attempt to raise monsters. The Nazis never showed, the Allied troops were left twiddling their fingers. In fact the Nazi’s were off the coast of Scotland and their occult specialist Grigori Rasputin was setting their plan in motion. Once the dust settled it looked as though Rasputin had failed but he knew he had not, unbeknownst to him though his manifestation occurred right in the middle of the Allied troops. It was the creature that comes to be known as Hellboy.
Fast-forward to 1994, Hellboy has grown up and Bruttenholm is an old man. The two men have a meeting as Bruttenholm has something important to tell him. We learn of an expedition, it goes horribly wrong and before we can learn the full details Bruttenhol is attacked by a large frog creature. This sets up the premise of the rest of the book as Hellboy is determined to uncover the mysteries of the expedition.
Fast-forward to 1994, Hellboy has grown up and Bruttenholm is an old man. The two men have a meeting as Bruttenholm has something important to tell him. We learn of an expedition, it goes horribly wrong and before we can learn the full details Bruttenhol is attacked by a large frog creature. This sets up the premise of the rest of the book as Hellboy is determined to uncover the mysteries of the expedition.
Mignola introduces us to two other main players, Elizabeth Sherman and Abraham Sapien. He dabbles in their pasts however this is a Hellboy book through and through. We are a part of his journey, we feel his emotion and we feel his pain. It’s quite striking how little characterisation there is outside of Hellboy and how little we actually learn about the mysteries presented by Bruttenholm and Cavendish Hall.
The artwork by Mignola is very distinct compared to many other comic books on the market. He feeds us his imagery with clear cut panels which are simple to follow. Thick heavy shadows are strewn throughout; quite often facial detail is hidden within this darkness. Many of the backgrounds are empty, some would consider this a bad thing but it helps keep focus on the characters, the motions and what’s being conveyed throughout the panels.
You will not find any bright or bold examples of the colour wheel here at all. Everything is grim, dark and there is very little “happiness” to be found in the confines of this book. Mignola’s colour work helps shape the visuals and once again makes it easy to focus on the important parts.
This is not the greatest comic book ever written or scripted, nor is the portrayals of Hellboy, Elizabeth or Abraham ground breaking in any way. What Mignola has done is create a book that is simple to follow and understand with a highly enjoyable lead character. He set up the foundation for what was to come. He gave a minuscule one page glimpse of world building, of what could potentially come in the future.
It’s a story everyone should read for Hellboy’s 20th year anniversary. It’s a lasting legacy that Mignola has earned and here’s to hoping it lasts another 20 years.
The artwork by Mignola is very distinct compared to many other comic books on the market. He feeds us his imagery with clear cut panels which are simple to follow. Thick heavy shadows are strewn throughout; quite often facial detail is hidden within this darkness. Many of the backgrounds are empty, some would consider this a bad thing but it helps keep focus on the characters, the motions and what’s being conveyed throughout the panels.
You will not find any bright or bold examples of the colour wheel here at all. Everything is grim, dark and there is very little “happiness” to be found in the confines of this book. Mignola’s colour work helps shape the visuals and once again makes it easy to focus on the important parts.
This is not the greatest comic book ever written or scripted, nor is the portrayals of Hellboy, Elizabeth or Abraham ground breaking in any way. What Mignola has done is create a book that is simple to follow and understand with a highly enjoyable lead character. He set up the foundation for what was to come. He gave a minuscule one page glimpse of world building, of what could potentially come in the future.
It’s a story everyone should read for Hellboy’s 20th year anniversary. It’s a lasting legacy that Mignola has earned and here’s to hoping it lasts another 20 years.
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