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HELLBOY: WAKE THE DEVIL #1 story and art by Mike Mignola Spoiler space We've got Nazis, vampires, gothic castles, government paranormal investigations and aqua-men. It must be a Hellboy story. ;-) Mignola weaves a tale of Hellboy and his associates on the trail of a group of Nazis out to bring an Incredibly Evil Vampire back to life somewhere in Europe. Actually, a remarkable portion of this first instalment of the story is simply the paranormal field agents getting briefed on the situation. If talking is Death in comics, then this story is immortal. It works well. I don't really know how to describe it. It's not really a horror story, and it certainly isn't a superhero story. It's a... um... Oh, it's definitely... ur... Well, it's funny, that's for sure. Which would make this story a... It's a Hellboy story. That's what it is. Mignola's dialogue is gold, especially Hellboy's. In the character's words, you can tell it's a labor of love for Mignola. James Sinclair, who provides the colors (and gets a cover credit, no doubt due to Mignola... good idea), does a great job of keeping a black & white feel (which is important for Hellboy) in a hued setting. I'm certain it's not an easy accomplishment. Great book, though I'm not surprised. I have yet to be let down by Mignola and Hellboy. "Silent as the Grave: Until the Daybreak and the Shadows Flee Away" story and art by Gary Gianni This "MonsterMen" story is my first exposure to Gianni's work. His art style seems like a cross between Tom Mandrake and Michael Zulli. It could have used a little more detail and some brighter colors in select spots, but overall, it's pretty good stuff. As for the story... well, it's a little early to tell. The apparent lead character, monster movie maker Lawrence St. George, seems intriguing enough, enshrouded in plenty of mystery. Too much mystery can be a bad thing (that's why Wolverine no longer interests me), so I hope Gianni indulges in a bit of revelation further into the story. I would try and describe the story, but I don't think I can. A synopsis would be near impossible, and I'm far too lazy to try. It's sort of an adult Scooby Doo story, without the Mystery Machine, the Scooby or the Doo. Donald MacPherson