When Mike Mignola brought Hellboy to his earthy demise (in THE STORM AND THE FURY), he promised fans that he would use the opportunity to tell the many “missing” stories of Hellboy’s youth, as well as his early days as an agent with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD).
So while Hellboy’s descent into the realm of his origin continues (in the single-issue series, HELLBOY IN HELL), Mignola treats us to THE MIDNIGHT CIRCUS, a delightfully creepy graphic novella from those promised early years.
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I’m a huge fan of Matthew Holness’ creation of the character Garth Marenghi. It’s a joke that if you grew up at a certain time (the ’80s), the humor is so obvious. DARKPLACE asks, “What if a prolific author not only wrote a TV series, but also starred and directed it? And his main output is low-grade horror that relies on cheap sex and over-the-top ideas. Marenghi is based on a few authors, one being Guy N. Smith. So let’s take a trip to the roots of one of the truly hysterical characters ever to come to the little screen.
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Novelist Matt Haig previously observed the dynamics of family life in THE RADLEYS, where the family was made up of vampires. He utilizes this outside-looking-in perspective again in his latest work, THE HUMANS, but expands it to take in the entire planet and its homo sapiens inhabitants.
An agent from the far-off planet of Vonnadoria is sent to Earth and takes on the form of Andrew Martin, a prominent professor of mathematics at Cambridge University in England. The real Andrew Martin had discovered proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, a complex mathematical equation that holds the secret to advanced technology and evolution. But the Vonnadorians don’t believe humans are ready for such a huge advancement, so the agent’s mission is to destroy Martin’s work and eliminate anyone and everyone who may have known about his discovery.
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After a bit of a break, we’re back with another batch of Eurocentric comic-book wonders.
First off, Cinebook has come out with the fifth volume in the adventures of Valerian and Laureline. These spatio-temporal agents of Galaxity continue their travails across the known and unknown universe solving and sometimes causing problems. Bouncing from planet to planet, story to another, all of these classic space-hopping, science-fiction pulp adventures are gorgeously illustrated by Jean-Claude Mezieres and sharply written by Pierre Christin.
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It’s amazing how often publishers put superlatives like “ultimate” or “best” in the titles of nonfiction works that don’t merit such use. John Grant’s A COMPREHENSIVE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FILM NOIR: THE ESSENTIAL REFERENCE GUIDE dares to have two, but damn if it doesn’t fulfill them.
From Limelight Editions, this weighty hardcover — nearly five pounds, nearly 800 pages — has “Christmas gift” written all over it for the film fan on your list. (Or “Hanukkah gift” if he/she is Jewish.) And after the holidays pass, consider it for yourself with any cash or gift card balance you may acquire.
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