DC Looks to Start a New Trade

It looks like the DC relaunch of The 52 this fall will be more than just a renumbering and reorganizing of the DC Universe. The folks over at Robot 6 are reporting that during a meeting with retailers this past Friday DC execs explained that their writers will no longer be expected to write for the trade. For those scratching their heads right now, the modern era of comics has seen pretty much all of their stories told in five to six issue bursts so that they fit nicely into a trade paperback. Along with this will be a whole new trade dress that will call attention to the New 52 and provide more spine information to get fan's attention.

This is a very big step for DC and hopefully this will force Marvel to look into this format as well. Forcing writers to either confine or expand their stories to fit nicely into a trade really stifles creation. I cant tell you how many series I have read that could have benefited from being an issue or two shorter. A prime example of this would be the Green Lantern Corps story Revolt of the Alph Lanterns that occurred right after Blackest Night. It was a really cool idea, but it didn't have nearly enough steam to carry on for the five issues that it did.

People who only buy the trades may be a bit miffed by this change, but I dont think they have anything to worry about. Mike Mignola, who writes Hellboy, has always just written his stories as he sees fit. They can be a five or six issue epic or they could be a three page backup story. What Darkhorse does is to collect his longer arcs into one trade and then collect his one shots and shorter stories and one shots into a separate book. This system fits well with his continuity since it tends to alternate a plot trade with a collection trade. 

I can't wait to see what this new free form format can bring to the DC Universe. Quality shorter stories could raise some of their more obscure properties into the upper echelons if this is handled well. I know I would be more inclined to pick up an issue of a series I normally dont read if I knew I wasn't committed to another five more to just see what it was all about. I'm pretty sure this the sentiment DC is banking on.

Hellboy in Mexico (Or, a Drunken Blur)

What do you get when you combine a hefty dose of tequila, monster hunting luchadors, a demon turkey, and Hellboy? Aside from what I think happened at my bachelor party, you get one amazing Hellboy one-shot. Mike Mignola and Richard Corben team up once again to bring us a great piece from Hellboy's past.

Hellboy in Mexico serves as an appetizer on the eve of The Storm, the conclusion to the latest Hellboy arc. Mignola and Corben paint us a picture from Hellyboy's younger years. Big Red teams up with a band of monster hunting luchadors as they go on a drunken monster hunting spree. The zany concept aside, Mignola and Corben take what should be a chunk of comic relief and deliver us a surprisingly emotional story.

Though I will always prefer Mignola's art, Richard Corben does a fantastic job painting this story. Every frame is dripping with detail and atmosphere. There is a particular image of a demon turkey, I'm not kidding, that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life.

Hellboy has always been the quintessential everyman, except that he is a big red man with hooves, ground down horns, and a tail. It is always a joy to see how Mignola pens Hellboy's reaction to the insane stuff that gets thrown at him. But at the same time, it is also amazing to see just how much Hellboy has weighing on his heart. There is a rarely a happy ending for Hellboy and Mignola does a wonderful job at showing how a guy like Hellboy just rolls with it the best he can.

Do yourselves a favor, go grab a shot glass, some bad tequila, salt, a lime, and this issue of Hellboy. You would be doing yourselves a disservice if you didn't.

Hellboy: The Wild Hunt Review

Mike Mignola may just be the greatest comic book writers of our generation. Volume 9 of his Hellboy series cements this into a certainty. The Wild Hunt collects the latest 8 issue arc of the same name and was nearly a year in the making.

The Wild Hunt picks up where we left Hellboy at the end of the Darkness Calls arc (Vol. 8 for those of you sticking to the trades). Hellboy is summoned to England by the Osiris club to assist in the hunting of giants who have recently decided to give up their slumber. I can't say anymore about the plot without giving major spoilers. Needless to say, after learning some of the major revelations in the story, you'll need a fork lift to get your jaw off the ground.

Mignola's writing is absolutely inspired in this arc. He is not one to rush a story along and likes to keep the reader on a need-to-know basis. He uses a disjointed story telling technique that slowly peels away at what has happened to Hellboy and the pay off is immense.

Mignola had handed over the artistic reigns to Duncan Fegredo during the Darkness Calls arc and he reprises his role here. Though I am a huge fan of Mignola's art, I really like his choice of going Fegredo with the past two arcs. Fegredo's style lends it self to the fantastical settings that Hellyboy has been finding himself in. Mignola's art can tend to be claustrophobic at points while Fegredo really lets the panels breath.

The Wild Hunt is a must own for all Hellboy fans. If you miss this one, you will be kicking yourself for a long time. If you have never read Hellboy before, do yourself a favor. Go and get your hands on a copy of the first volume, Seed of Destruction. I promise you, you'll suddenly find your self in possession of all 9 volumes and begging for more.