Boss Fight Studios 1/12 and EPIC HACKS

I KNOW I won't be able to resist 1:12 versions of Abe, Liz, and LJ if they are based on Mignola art. I have long kicked myself that I got into Hellboy too late to get the Mezco comic figures at a decent price, and having them in this scale is far preferable.
 
I've read a few Hellboy titles here and there. If I want to get a better sense of the character, should I just start from the beginning and read it all?
 
TheSameIdiot said:
I've read a few Hellboy titles here and there. If I want to get a better sense of the character, should I just start from the beginning and read it all?
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Well, that's the beautiful thing, each story is pretty self contained, especially the earlier books. There's never really an ongoing storyline, per se. They're tales or short stories. You're given the jist of the character and then "And then he fights this monster". I genuinely can't point to one book or comic series in the HB world that is like, say...a Spider-Man book.

The closest would possibly be "Hellboy Universe", I believe it's called.
 
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I enjoyed the live action and animated movies starring Ron Pearlman. Those were really good to kinda get a sense of everything. Plus they were fairly good watches. The animated movies are fine, they are kinda nifty, but not as important. Still worth watching. I think I own a couple of them but I don't know if I have them all.

I never watched the Hellboy with David Harbor. I like him as an actor, but I heard the movie was shit and I really don't care to check it out. I made that mistake already with dragonball and the last Airbender. Hearing a movie is shit and seeing it anyway. I legit lost like 3 hours of my life to those shitty films...

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TheSameIdiot said:
I've read a few Hellboy titles here and there. If I want to get a better sense of the character, should I just start from the beginning and read it all?
Click to expand...
There is some ongoing continuity to Hellboy, moreso later on and a lot if you dive into the spinoff stuff like BPRD, but much of it is self contained short stories. Read "Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others" trade paperback and if you don't like it, pull the ripcord. That book is a good representative sample of the series as a whole and Chained Coffin is many peoples' favorite Helloby short story.. If you do like that trade, dive in from the beginning.

The only thing you need to know about Hellboy to get started is he's a known (this is a difference from the films, he's not secret in the books) demon paranormal investigator who originally was dragged from hell as a child during a ritual. He's got a right hand made of stone and a destiny to destroy the world (which is the main ongoing plot in the background of everything else). His friends are an array of supernatural folks who would all fit in a Monster Force line (or vice versa, really).
 
Good advice for onboarding here.

I just want to throw in

www.multiversitycomics.com

Mignolaversity: The Hellboy Universe Reading Order ― 2023

Multiversity Comics presents the 2023 edition of Mignolaversity's Hellboy Universe Reading Order.
www.multiversitycomics.com www.multiversitycomics.com

And also be prepared for all the differences. The comic books are much moodier, there's no Liz romance, Hellboy is much more... Mature?
 
Like others have said, you can pretty much start anywhere with Hellboy, though if you want the actual "origin" story then Seed of Destruction (which is featured in the volume 1 Omnibus) is a perfect starting point. It lays out a lot of the history and lore of the character, as well as the BPRD.
 
I would echo everything said above, and trying out one of the recommended short stories is probably the best way to go. My favourite is the Troll Witch. Very short, but provides some insight into the type of world Hellboy inhabits, and how a lot of these mysteries can't be solved with a straight forward 'punch the bad guy'.

Hellboy's main comic title is also contains a complete arc, so if you enjoy it at all, then the omnibuses are probably the best place to start. Stand alone stories continue to be released as well (in addition to stories/titles focusing on other characters from that universe), and they're consistently good. The Secret of Chesbro House and Hellboy in Love are a couple of my recent favourites.

Any 1:12 figure line that includes more than just Hellboy would be great. I could never quite justify the price for 1000toys Abe or Lobster Johnson but would love some representation for his extended cast (plus monsters).
 
I've read a few Hellboy stories. I read the Seed of Destruction Omni from cover to cover. I guess a better question is "how can I get a better sense of his supporting cast?" The stuff I've read has them pop in for a few panels or a B-plot, but nothing significant. Maybe I'm better off with the BPRD stuff.
 
altcunningham said:
Good advice for onboarding here.
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Thanks. I feel like there's always a nerd tendency with big long pieces of media to say "start from the beginning", but with few exceptions, that's usually not the best place. There's usually a different place that's like a vertical slice of the thing where people could decide fast if they do and don't like what's going on.
 
TheSameIdiot said:
I've read a few Hellboy stories. I read the Seed of Destruction Omni from cover to cover. I guess a better question is "how can I get a better sense of his supporting cast?" The stuff I've read has them pop in for a few panels or a B-plot, but nothing significant. Maybe I'm better off with the BPRD stuff.
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BPRD is basically all the side cast all the time. If you just want to focus on them, that's the place to go. Hellboy is basically a non-entity in that series (his presence is felt, but he's almost never on the page). That said, BPRD does become more continuity heavy and the vibes of it become distinct from the Hellboy main stuff. It's not bad or so different it feels like another universe, but where Hellboy is more somber BPRD becomes downright apocalyptic.

The supporting cast in the Hellboy main series are not constant fixtures. There are different periods where one or another will get more prominence (Roger the homunculus, for example, has a very clear arc within Hellboy). Especially towards the end of Hellboy, most of the side cast is shuffled quietly off into BPRD and you follow Hellboy solo.
 
I popped for the 1000 toys Lobster b/c I doubt anyone would make a Zonic style version again. It's fine, but no home run. I'm not someone who typically bitches about figure prices, but at $125 or whatever, this one was not worth the $$. Havent seen the other(s?) in person.
 
Just please do the whole roster.

I never collected all the Mezco comic line & my missing pieces are prohibitively expensive now. I sold my 1000 Toys Red before I even received it (well, made a deal with a Fwoosher, he paid after it showed up, and I just put it right back in the mail to him sealed lol) because the rubber torso & the Lego Hand of Doom.

Just don't fuck us again with an incomplete cast like you did with Bucky O'Hare. 😒

And, I mean, I try to buy ethically, but if I can keep supporting pieces of shit like Joel Weinshanker & Brian Flynn, then my desire for little plastic people clearly overrides my morality.
 
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