Hellboy Junior [Paperback]

Mike Mignola (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hellboy | Publication Date: February 20, 2004

Mike Mignola's massively popular paranormal series, Hellboy, has thrilled its army of readers with tales as dark and brooding as an infernal abyss. But what's this? Hitler working at McDemons? A narcoleptic giant? A boy made out of beef? It can only be the bizarre, blisteringly funny world of Hellboy Junior! Between Latin lessons and hunger pangs, the young Hellboy joins a veritable host of ghosts, ghouls, giant rabbits and flying finks for fun, frivolity and barbecued maggots! With an all-new cover and 16-page story by Bill Wray, this curious, captivating collection of tales provides light relief from a dark universe and will titillate your funny bone even as it's sucking out the marrow!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Hellboy's creator gets top billing, but the writer, and often artist or colorist, of most stories in this collection is Ren and Stimpy animator Bill Wray, who brings that TV show's depraved humor to Hellboy's diaper days. As a baby demon still ensconced in Hell, H-b's hobgoblin is that all he's allowed to eat is roasted maggots. His adventures arise from trying to add flesh to his diet, though he doesn't pass up smokes when offered--much to his chagrin in "The Devil Don't Smoke." His quests are complicated by such sidekicks as a fly, a bird-demon, Donnie (a junior devil), and Hitler. Half the stories actually star not Hellboy but twisted variations on famous Hanna-Barbera and Harvey Comics characters, such as Yogi Bear's doppelganger, Sparky, and Baby Huey's outrageous double, Huge Retarded Duck. (Incidentally, isn't Hellboy Junior a takeoff of Hot Stuff?) Standout artists besides Wray are Dave Cooper and--in a Wally Wood mode (see Against the Grain: Mad Artist Wallace Wood [BKL Ja 1&15 04]). Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

Ottakar's Outland Magazine Issue 31, Autumn 2004 : "Rather like an X'-File' investigating the 'X-files', the lantern chinned, wisecracking Hellboy is one of the most endearing heroes to have emerged in comics for a long time, coming across as fresh, inventive, and, above all, highly entertaining."

Product Details

• Paperback: 118 pages
• Publisher: Titan (February 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840237937
• ISBN-13: 978-1840237931
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,951,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great compilation of tasteless comics!, April 17, 2005

By 

C. Thompson "human male" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hellboy Junior (Paperback)

I think some of this stuff will appeal more to people who are into R. Crumb than Mike Mignola. It's hard to find stuff that's this sophomoric and filthy but drawn this well. I thought it was funny as crap, especially the Sparky Bear thing.

If you read Mad Magazine you'll recognize Bill Wray's style from the Monroe comics. Stephen DeStephano (The Venture Bros) draws the Harvey-styled Huge Retarded Duck and Wendy the Sickly Witch.Dave Cooper draws an amazing sequence where Hellboy Junior meets Idi Amin and halucinates from eating mushrooms. There's also a great Basil Wolverton tribute. Even Mike Mignola's contributions, which are drawn the same way as Hellboy Senior, are hilarious.

Anyway if you think both Mad Magazine and Tijuana Bibles are funny I think you'll like this. Great stuff.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hellboy Jr., November 25, 2008

By 

Apricot Uppercut (WI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hellboy Junior (Paperback)

It's freaking hilarious! If you think MAD Magazine is funny you will love this book...

the stories done by Mike are some of his best!

:)

2.0 out of 5 stars From the perspective of an open minded (hopefully) Hellboy fan..., April 17, 2011

By 

Rogue Dragon - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hellboy Junior (Paperback)

First off this let me say that plenty of people could be/have been/will be easily offended by this comic, so if your feelings and ego are easily bruised stay away from this. From a fan of Hellboy standpoint I'm highly disappointed in this product, it's a pile of creative feces of Mignola and Wray to be blunt, while Mike's artwork and writing are still awsome, divine intervention itself could not lift this comic from the creative void in wich it was dragged from.

That being said, the comic never once makes any claim of being more then that, and in fact several times threw out the comic the "real" Hellboy (and Abe Sapian even) pops up to let the audience know that it's all a bad dream... well several bad dreams. Mostly this is Bill Wray's show more then Mikes it seems, the vast majority of the humer being offensive, rude, crude, and well it's not juvinille cause juvinille is more cultured and sophisticated to be honest. In it's clear confession of what it is lies it's salvation I suppose. If you have a profane sense of potty humer this will probably keep you in stiches but I honestly cannot recommend it to any Hellboy fan and wont. I knew more or less what it was when I bought it, having browsed through it in a comic store once, I've read the whole book cover to cover and while there are "good" jokes in it and awsome art (mostly from Mike) I highly doubt I'll take it off of my shelf ever again. I own it for complitions sake but won't recommend it to even completist fans of Hellboy, how ever if your a fan of Ren and Stimpy (apologies if I got the names wrong) You'll probaly love it.

The stories themselves are varied with several having nothing to do with Hellboy in any shape or form... these comics are mostly tributes/desecrations of famous old time cartoon's and kid hero's from Casper the Friendly Ghost too Smoky the Bear. All I'm gonna say about these is... ugh... sooooo not my style of humer. The comics with Hellboy Jr. mostly deal with Hellboy insuring that Adolf Hitler is punished and stays trapped in Hell & Hellboy himself gets something to eat instead of Maggots. I did'nt find these comics to be particerly amusing or entertaining honestly but once again, not my style in the first place.

In closing I have one thing to say and I've decided to quote the red man himself... "Who the HELL thought this was a good idea!?" (stupid imp in the background) HE HE HA HAAAA!