Hellboy in Hell vol. 1: The Descent
It was inevitable that this series would get to here eventually. Given the character’s name, origins, and regular battles with demons, having a “Hellboy” story set in Hell was always a matter of “when” not “if” where this series was concerned. Now that he’s here, what kind of plans does his creator Mike Mignola have for him? Those are still a mystery for now as this first volume is all about setting the tone, showing us what Hell is like in the Mignolaverse, and letting us see how the title character adapts to his new status quo. These things are all done quite effectively, even if outside circumstances indicate that we’re going to be waiting a looooooooong time to see how everything plays out.
When we last saw Hellboy in “The Storm and The Fury,” he died. After defeating Nimue in her dragon form, the vengeful witch’s last act was to rip out his heart, which sent him down below as his body crumbled to dust. Though there are plenty of nasty things awaiting him in Hell, there is also an ally and family to contend with as well. You see, even though Hellboy has refused to embrace his destiny as the Beast of the Apocalypse, the power behind his status still remains. There are many in Hell who have their own plans regarding it, for ill or for good.
So what does Mignola’s vision of Hell look like? If you were expecting a whole lot of fire and brimstone with a gigantic lake of fire, then you’re going to be sorely disappointed. (The lake of fire does get a one-panel cameo, though.) Hell in this title is a very dark and quiet place with its own unique geography that involves towns whisked here from the world above, the great city of Pandemonium from “Paradise Lost,” rivers full of misspent souls now condemned to being fodder for the Fisher of Man, and the Abyss with its host of unnameable cthonic horrors.
It’s a vision of Hell that’s built on slow, creeping dread rather than in-your-face explosions of violence and gore. Mignola, back in the driver’s seat as artist for this volume, does a very good job of selling this unconventional take on this infamous realm. While the character’s initial descent is marked by surreal touches like falling into the mouth of what looks like a cavern, but is actually some frozen monster, and the creepy insect creatures lurking in the dark, the creator immediately falls back on more conventional city imagery for the next scene. We know we’re still in Hell, except now the iconography is now familiar. It’s something we can wrap our heads around, save for the fact that we know where this is taking place. So there’s still the fear that something will jump out at any second to scare the bejeezus out of us.
Mignola avoids that tactic, choosing instead to embrace surrealism rather than outright horror. In some ways, seeing the puppet show adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” in the town is more unnerving for how out of place and random it appears. Hellboy also gets a grand guided tour of the underworld, and while their purpose is more expository and plot-mechanic-y than anything else, they serve to establish Hell as a giant, awful kingdom know no bounds. The delivery of these ideas is very low-key, yet it all comes together to form a cohesive vision united in unnerving the reader through a slow burn.
So this is some first-class worldbuilding on Mignola’s part. It’s too bad he doesn’t nail the storytelling here as solidly. The best news is that even though he’s in Hell, Hellboy’s trademark dry wit hasn’t abandoned him and he’s still able to deflate the most pretentious parts of the narrative. The problem is that there are some odd storytelling choices where big things are introduced, yet immediately disposed of. If you’re wondering if Satan’s down here then the answer is, “Yes.” He’s also dispatched in a way that’s more “Wait? What?” than the “What the Hell!?” Mignola was going for. We also get introduced to some of Hellboy’s family here as well. What should’ve been a mind-blowing encounter essentially comes off as an excuse for the creator to have some demon-fightin’ action in this volume resolved through randomness than any reasons that have to do with the story.
I did like the surprise regarding the presence of another famous character from the Mignolaverse showing up here. Not only do I think the individual in question is one of the more interesting people to have his own series in this fictional universe, but he’s a good guy as well. Granted, this may be a setup to reveal him as the worst guy ever later on. For now, though, I’m willing to accept him as I know him and appreciate that Hellboy actually has an ally down here. It’s enough to make the cryptic foreshadowing he engages in whenever the title character isn’t around bearable.
Even with some of the above-mentioned issues, there are enough plot points of interest established here. Most of them revolve around an eventual play for the power in Hell, except that seems like it’ll be a while before it’s resolved. It’s likely to feel even longer in real life given this title’s erratic publishing schedule. Though the first four issues here were published in late 2012 and early 2013, the final issue — a solid one-off involving Hellboy helping a man find out what dinner awaits him in Hell — didn’t arrive until earlier this year. I known Mignola’s not a book-a-month kind of creator, but I wonder how he plans for this title to gain any narrative momentum when we don’t have any idea when we’ll see it followed up on.
This wasn’t a problem in the earlier days of the series, when it was just a series of self-contained miniseries. Now, it’s a huge, epic, fate-of-the-world story being told in two monthly titles and several series-of-miniseries. “Hellboy” is meant to be the centerpiece for it all, but how can that happen if it doesn’t come out? At the rate things are going, it seems like the apocalypse will come and go in “B.P.R.D.” before its parent title will deliver its contribution. I could be worrying over nothing, and Mignola probably does have a plan regarding “Hellboy’s” schedule, it’s just that it’s frustrating to not be able to see it from here.
These feelings may have affected my enjoyment of this volume a little — but only a little. “The Descent” makes for a creepy and compelling start to the next leg of Hellboy’s journey. Yes, there are some issues with some of the things being set up here, except that I’ll willingly deal with them for now a book this rich in atmosphere and dread. It’s still worth experiencing “The Descent” right now even if it’ll be a while before we find out where this story is really going.