The next installment of the Hellboy Omnibus series tells the grand tale of Hellboy defending humanity in an all out battle with evil. Hellboy Omnibus Volume 3: The Wild Hunt picks up sometime after Hellboy’s ghostly conclusion in Into the Silent Sea, where Hellboy has roamed the vast waters of the underworld. Hellboy finds himself washed up on the shores of England and recovers while in seclusion. But new trouble finds Hellboy as forgotten enemies reemerge and begin to enact their revenge that will ultimately bring the end of the world. In chronological order, Hellboy Omnibus Volume 3 covers Hellboy’s time from 2007-2011, with the stories starting with The Mole, Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, The Storm and The Fury. All of these story arcs depict Hellboy’s time on earth fending off a new powerful threat and possibly embracing his destiny as World Destroyer.
The Mole
Written by Mike Mignola, illustrations by Duncan Fegredo and colored by Dave Stewart, The Mole is a prelude to Hellboy’s journey that will take him from his self imposed exile to facing off against his inner demons and greater evils. Hellboy has arrived in England and settled in a decrepit house. It may be dust filled and covered in spider webs, but it’s what Hellboy has come to call home. After a round of hard drinking and gambling, Hellboy notices a large mole that seems to be growing every time he checks it. Instead of addressing the problem, Hellboy ignores the mole until the mole decides to not be ignored any longer. Falling into a helpless state, Hellboy can only watch as he is given a preview of what’s in store for him.
Darkness Calls
Written Mike Mignola, with illustrations by Duncan Fegredo and Mignola and colored by Dave Stewart, Darkness Calls follows Hellboy walking through the England country side and stumbling upon a witch gathering. In his previous adventures, Hellboy had defeated the goddess of witches, Hecate, and had left the witches of the world without a leader. For being able to defeat Hecate, the witches of England pursue Hellboy to become their new king. Refusing to be part of the witches coven and turning down their peace agreement, Hellboy gives the witches one night before he continues his fight against evil. While Hellboy silently leaves the witches alone for the night, the Baba Yaga makes an offer to get rid of Hellboy forever. The witches accept and Hellboy is taken away to Russia where he encounters Koschcei the Deathless, who agrees to eliminate Hellboy for the Baba Yaga in exchange for an end to his eternal life. The two warriors battle fiercely while back in England, Gruagach, a changeling that seeks to also destroy Hellboy has presented the witches of England a new ruler to take over the world.
The Wild Hunt
Written Mike Mignola, with illustrations by Duncan Fegredo and colored by Dave Stewart, The Wild Hunt follows Hellboy resting in Italy after his battle with Koschcei the Deathless concluded. One night, Hellboy has a vision that places him near a funeral for the High King of the Tuatha De Danann. Hellboy awakes the next day and receives a letter from the Osiris Club that invites him to take part in a hunt for giants in England. Taking the opportunity, Hellboy takes part in the hunt but finds himself betrayed and abandoned. Meanwhile, the changeling Gruagach has gathered enough blood sacrifices to resurrect Nimue, the Queen of Blood and new ruler of the witches. Long ago, Nimue was an apprentice of the sorcerer Merlin and betrayed him to steal all of his magic. Nimue had grown to become a powerful witch, and was feared by her own kind. To prevent Nimue from destroying the world, some witches murdered Nimue and hide her away to never be found. Out of rage and desperation, Gruagach had collected Nimue’s remains to bring her back and ask for Nimue to give him the power to defeat Hellboy. While Nimue grows her army, Hellboy finds himself new allies and discoveries that set him on a path to once again tempt his destiny.
The Storm and The Fury
Written Mike Mignola, with illustrations by Duncan Fegredo and colored by Dave Stewart, The Storm and The Fury is a two part arc that brings Hellboy to the gates of hell and back again. While investigating a strange incident at a church, Hellboy and an adult Alice Monaghan are attacked by a warrior sent by Nimue. After holding his own against enhanced warriors, Hellboy must deal with the choice of becoming a possible leader of an undead army that will face off against Nimue’s own troops. Nimue, now a goddess of war and seeking to become even stronger, prays to the Ogdru Jahad. With the humanity and the rest of existence at stake, Hellboy must overcome his greatest fear of becoming a true demon and put everything he has into one big battle to save the world.
Hellboy Omnibus Volume 3 is the definitive experience to read the grand tale of Hellboy and his battle with the army of the Blood Queen. This volume is heavy on the action and brings it to the max for a big battle that has been in the making for years (hundreds of years in Mignola’s universe measurements). The story is nicely paced with narrative exploring the different perspectives and flashbacks, fleshing out the details to make the story gripping and epic. There are tons of twist and turns to keep the reader guessing where Hellboy will find himself, and some important questions about Hellboy’s destiny are answered. The major revelations are clever and connect big plot points in past story arcs. Mike Mignola perfectly creates a world with so much depth that begs to be discovered in other side stories and spin offs. Readers of other Mike Mignola works will spot the intersecting journeys of many characters and the interconnecting events that tie it all together. In this late in the story of Hellboy, this is by no means a good jumping on point. Many background details and characters will be completely unknown to new readers and should be learnt about before diving into this omnibus. But for long time readers, this volume is a welcome addition to round out their collection, and prepare themselves for the upcoming movie reboot coming in 2019. So for comic fans looking to have the edge in conversations against movie go-overs, picking up this book is your powerful right hook to show people you know Hellboy.
