Talk about unpredictable. It seemed like the forces of good would triumph thanks to the timely delivery of Excalibur, but it all appears to rest on the shave horned head of Big Red’s own bad self.
Hellboy battles Nimue who previously a mere archwitch inexplicably morphed into a dragon. Her transformation may be due to yet another prophecy.
Fortunately, in Hellboy prophecies can change. Hellboy was fated to rule in hell. Scratch that. He was destined to bring doom to all humanity. Nope. Now, when the dragon fights the champion of man, all will end. To be sure, London feels the impact of the battle, but I simply can’t help but think Hellboy will buck this prophecy as well.
Hellboy’s temperament utterly contradicts the needs of prophecy. Prophecy is poetry, like the litany from the dragon’s mouth. Hellboy is blunt: “I said screw you, pal! I’m just getting started!” Prophecy is elegant and sublime. Hellboy hits things until they fall. Prophecy is immutable, but any change in Hellboy is ever so slight. It’s the classic conflict between the unstoppable force and immovable object. My money’s on Hellboy.
Duncan Fegredo and Dave Stewart combine forces for a knock down, drag out wrestling match between Hellboy and the dragon. It’s truly bizarre to see Hellboy actually hit a dragon. Traditionally, dragons are fought by sword and lance, but ah, Hellboy isn’t a traditional kind of guy. He simply beats on the artist formerly known as Nimue and the more she slithers the silvery tongue, the more Hellboy grunts insults.
The one you feel for, the one you fear for is Alice, Hellboy’s lady love, yet she seems to be taking a journey, one whose final destination is anybody’s guess. Mignola ain’t telling, and while he sparks your curiosity, he amuses you with the quirkiness of his claim to fame. Hellboy.
Zack Davisson also reviewed Hellboy: The Fury #2. Read his thoughts, too!
Ray Tate’s first online work appeared in 1994 for Knotted. He has had a short story, “Spider Without a Web,” published in 1995 for the magazine evernight and earned a degree in biology from the University of Pittsburgh. Since 1995, Ray self-published The Pick of the Brown Bag on various usenet groups. In the POBB, as it was affectionately known, Ray reviewed comic books, Doctor Who novels, movies and occasionally music. Circa 2000, he contributed his reviews to Silver Bullet Comic Books (later Comics Bulletin) and became its senior reviewer. Ray Tate would like to think that he’s young at heart. Of course, we all know better.