Hellboy Library Edition Volume 5

Script Mike Mignola, art by Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo. All illustrations are ©Mike Mignola. For a complete list of all books reviewed in this blog, please visit the index page.

This article deals with Dark Horse Hellboy material published in oversized hardcover canvas books ( 12 x 9 inches or 31 x 23 cm) on thick glossy paper, with a bookmark ribbon (see also the end of this article).

Here is volume 5  published in July 2012 (ISBN 978-1-59582-886-6, cover price 49.99$, 430 pages). As well as the original comics and their virgin respective covers, the books come also with sketches, alternative drawings, comments by the author(s), unpublished bits and pieces among many other cool stuffs. All the books from the Library Edition collection, apart The Art of Hellboy, share the same second and third of cover (same illustration on both).

This volume collects the story "The Mole" from free comic book day 2008 as a prologue to "Darkness Calls" and "The Wild Hunt".

Note that the following Hellboy related back-up short stories published alongside the original 8 issues of "The Wild Hunt" are not included in this edition (thanks to Kilfou from the BDGest forum for pointed out that fact):

• "How Koshchei became deathless" (in issues #2 & #3, art by Guy Davis)
• "Baba Yaga's feast" ((in issues #4, art by Guy Davis)

This edition opens with the usual Scott Allie introduction. Then "Darkness Calls" is introduced by Jane Yolen and "The Wild Hunt" by Mark Chadbourn. Of course Mike Mignola is in charge of the afterword.

The 66 pages Sketchbook section is commented by both the artists (Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo).

Dark Horse Hellboy Library Edition as of October 2017:

Go to The Art of Hellboy, Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3, Vol 4, Vol 6 and Vol 7