Conqueror Worm and Strange Places (Hellboy Library Edition, Vol. 3) [Hardcover]

Mike Mignola (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 2009

Hellboy Library Edition Volume 3 collects three pivotal stories of Hellboy's journey, as he leaves behind the world of men and journeys into the unknown: the award-winning Conqueror Worm, which brings back some of Hellboy's earliest foes, in the story that ends his career with the B.P.R.D., and marks his first run-in with the fan-favorite masked hero Lobster Johnson; the haunting fairy tale The Third Wish; and The Island, a dark and surreal glimpse into the true origin of the Right Hand of Doom and Hellboy's own destiny; along with a new, expanded sketchbook of never-before-seen Mignola artwork.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse; Library ed edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595823522
• ISBN-13: 978-1595823526
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Dark Horse

More About the Author

Mike Mignola is best known as the multiple award-winning creator, writer, and artist of "B.P.R.D." and "Hellboy", but has fostered several other projects like "The Amazing Screw-On Head" and "Baltimore" with Christopher Golden. Although he began working as a professional cartoonist in the early 1980s, drawing 'a little bit of everything for just about everybody' - including characters like Batman and Wolverine - he was also a production designer on the Disney film "Atlantis: The Lost Empire". Mignola also acted as a visual consultant to Guillermo del Toro on "Blade 2" and the film versions of Hellboy, which were broadly adapted by del Toro from the original comic series. Mike Mignola currently lives in southern California with his wife, daughter, and cat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid book, solid, fun content, October 12, 2009

By 

Richard A. Tucker "Tucker at large" (Pembroke Pines, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conqueror Worm and Strange Places (Hellboy Library Edition, Vol. 3) (Hardcover)

In the comic book medium there's nothing quite like Hellboy or the phenomenon the he's become. Mike Mignola is a storyteller with a unique but also effective style. This volume collects two very different stories.
The first Conqueror Worm is a mix of old pulp fiction, Lovecraftian mythology and science fiction. How Mignola manages to bridge these genres as well as he does is a testimony to carefully created structure that's supported by art that accommodates the stories.
The next pair of stories constitute Strange Places and the are Hellboy's weird adventures after he's left the BPRD. These are mythologically and horror based stories but they are also a new and decidedly different direction as Hellboy literally walks between the worlds of legends and nightmares. Visually these are more dismal but also more exotic places, but Hellboy seems to have prepared his whole lifetime for this plunge into these very strange places. The story featuring Hellboy's experience with the deep ocean denizens, mermaids and an evil sea hag was particularly interesting. Artistically it looks like it was a lot of fun to design. Mignola's artwork has changed over the years and the emphasis on design has never been stronger than in the stories featured here. Dave Stewart's colors throughout this volume are perfect

This volume, like the previous two, is big and just a little bit unwieldy. I like that. Sitting and reading it, studying every page and panel is the point. The hardcover (with the nice little color plate inset on the cover) is solid with tight binding, but has such a large format and heavy paper stock that makes it durable but it also makes it easy to stay open to read. Couple all that with the great extra material like the introduction written by film writer/director and producer, Guillermo del Toro, the director of the two Hellboy films, as well as an afterword by Mike Mignola and slap in sketchbook material and unused pages from the stories themselves and you have a solid book with great contents.
For me this is as perfect as it could be.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Collection from Dark Horse, August 11, 2010

By 

Corbet Griffith (Northwood, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Conqueror Worm and Strange Places (Hellboy Library Edition, Vol. 3) (Hardcover)

If you haven't read any Hellboy comics by now - buy this collection! Dark Horse and Mike Mignola continue to release the Hellboy stories in hardcover form with Hellboy Library Edition Volume 3. This collection includes Conqueror Worm and Strange Places - two very distinct stories. Conqueror Worm is a continuation of the storyline shown in previous editions while Strange Places pits Hellboy against strange creatures without the BPRD in his corner.

The quality of this book is outstanding - easily the showcase of my comic book hardcover collection. These books are a bit big, so you might have some issues throwing it in your bag to read on the go. The larger format really showcases Mignola's beautiful art.

Overall, I think I like this edition more than the first 2 editions - if only for the introduction of Lobster Johnson. I would recommend this book to any fan of Hellboy or comics in general.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular; best so far, January 25, 2010

By 

JR Gumby (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conqueror Worm and Strange Places (Hellboy Library Edition, Vol. 3) (Hardcover)

To start with the actual printing is significantly nicer than the paperbacks. The size is a good deal bigger and the printing is stunning. The colors and ink are both very vibrant, and it is a delight to look at. Just opening the book it looks striking. The hardback is a nice touch, and thus far the binding has held up very well. The covers are cloth-covered and very nice to handle despite the somewhat massive size. My only real complaint is that the cover panel is essentially just glued on, and it feels like they could come off rather easily (it's very similar to the calvin and hobbes collection hardbacks).

As far as the story, I think Conqueror Worm is the tightest and one of the best stories I've seen Mignola produce. The pace is rapid and there is enough strangeness (and nazis) to stand up to the rest of the series. The second collection, Strange Places, has some really fun shorts as well as the first presentation of Mignola's cosmology. In particular I really liked his 'little mermaid' story. Through all of it the artwork stays very sharp.

Honestly though I've got to say that if you want to buy this, buy them all. It's well worth it for the size and printing alone, and they're more resilient than the TPBs (which I've had one or two of just disintigrate). Overall this is my favorite of the 3 library editions.