Elijah David

The title seems like a lot, but I'll try to keep it tidy. First off, I finished reading a book for the first time in almost a month. Second, I completely missed a (couple of) review(s) at the end of March. Bad me. Anyway, here's to catching up. Reviews Hellboy Vol. 6 This collects two shorter stories following Hellboy's departure from the BPRD in volume 5. The first follows Hellboy's encounter with a trip of mermaids, who strike deals with a sea witch to gain their revenge on our hero. Needless to say, it doesn't end well for them. There's some really great heart in this story as there usually is in Mignola's stories. The other story follows in the aftermath of the first and features the return of Hecate, queen of witches. She tries to convince Hellboy to embrace his destiny. Again. As usual, he'll have none of it, though the epilogue makes it clear that he's going to have to face that destiny one way or another. (I also read t...

I've got a couple more book reviews for you today: Hellboy Vol. 5: The Conqueror Worm  and Lockwood and Co.: The Whispering Skull . Hellboy Vol. 5: The Conqueror Worm After two volumes of short stories and vignettes, Mignola returns to the larger story of Hellboy's personal journey. Hellboy and Roger (the homunculus from Vol. 2) are sent to investigate the astonishing results of a WWII Nazi experiment: a spacecraft launched in 1939 is returning to its place of origin. During their adventure, they confront a still-living Nazi scientist, Mr. Head-in-a-Jar himself, Herman von Klempt. Von Klempt intends to finish the experiment begun by his compatriots 60 years previous: to bring one of the ancient evil beings called the Ogdru Hem into this plane. The story exhibits Mignola's pulpy action-adventure style to great effect and weaves in Hellboy's moral character in new ways. Departing from the previous emphasis on his choice not to embrace his "destiny" of ...

Since I've failed to get my usual Monday Musings and Watercolor Wednesday posts up on time, I'm doing a combo post. First up, the art news. I finished the second in the 100 Myths series, after many failed attempts to get a sketch worked out. Presenting Jill Flame, a fiery counterpart to Jack Frost. And here's a side-by-side view. As a side note, my wonderful wife got me a Faber-Castell brush pen for Valentine's Day, and I'm itching to try it out. You'll probably see some drawing with this in future art posts. A quick run-down of some books I've read since the last review roundup: Hellboy Vol. 2-4: Volume 2 is a solid follow-up to the first, and in many ways serves as a sequel to the first volume. The third and fourth books are collections of short stories (some as brief as a few pages, and some the length of a regular issue or two) that are scattered through Hellboy's history, from early youth (like the comical "Pan...

For February's Top 10, I wanted to take a look at some fictional relationships in honor of Valentine's Day. But my favorite relationships in fiction aren't always romantic. As often as not, they're friendships and familial ties that exhibit a strength of love well beyond what romantic love offers. Also, this is less a Top 10 and more a top however-many-I-can-fit. I have lots of favorites in this category. So many in fact, I've got sub-categories. OTPs (or, the Romance Category) Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables) Belle and Beast (Beauty and the Beast) Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons (Marvel's Agent's of SHIELD) Simon Snowlock and Miriamelle (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn) Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang (Fullmetal Alchemist) BROTPs (or, the Sibling Category) Edward and Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) Dipper and Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls) Abe Sapien and Hellboy (Hellboy) Arthur and Kay (Arthurian Legend) Sokka and Katara (Avatar...

I've been reading a lot of graphic novels/comic books so far this year; in fact, 7 of the 9 books I've finished this year have been graphic novels. In an effort to put more reviews on the blog, I'm going to give my brief thoughts on each of those books in this post. Hellboy Volume 1: Seed of Destruction   I'm a fan of the live action Hellboy films, especially the second one, and I've been meaning to read through at least some of the comics that inspired them for some time. The first volume is part of the basis for the first film, and the connections helped me feel more at home in this world of fantasy and horror. I wasn't expecting a certain character's involvement to be so brief, and I hope they'll be back for more later. I wasn't put off to the point of never picking up the series again, but I admit to thinking the story barely gets going in the four issues collected here; it's pretty much over before it begins. I recommend this if yo...