In 1994, Dark Horse Comics released its first Hellboy miniseries titled “Seed of Destruction” that was, in part, the basis for the first Hellboy movie. Conceived and illustrated by Mike Mignola, the comic opened up a new universe of paranormal weirdness and gave us the lovable merman, Abraham “Abe” Sapien. “The Drowning” follows Abe on his first solo mission to recover an ancient dagger used to slay demons from the waters off a Spanish island.
The story takes place in 1981 when the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) saw its pride and joy, Hellboy, take a leave of absence. The Professor comes into some information about a demon-killing dagger that’s underwater and puts Abe Sapien on the job to recover the ancient relic. A simple grab job turns into a fight for his life when deadly monks try to bring their master back to life, using any means necessary to kill Abe.
Written by Mike Mignola, the story continues with the Hellboy-verse norm—an agent’s sent into an area with one mission, and ends up fighting bad guys to save themselves and the day. Mignola’s formula for comics can seem a bit bland and overused, especially to fans of the Hellboy series, but the plot manages to tell a good story well, and give Abe a bit more dimension character-wise. If you’re looking for crazy plot twists and deaths of major characters, you may be a bit disappointed—but it’s a classic story with a new Creature of the Black Lagoon twist.
Also squarely set in the status quo - the artwork. Jason Shawn Alexander takes his turn in a long line of artists paid to emulate Mignola’s Hellboy art, and to that measure he overwhelmingly succeeds. The ‘verse as a whole has managed to keep its art from straying too far, which provides a consistency that some comics don’t have, but also takes the story away from art and makes it more of a book. Alexander still manages to get the dark and ominous tone of the comic, but it maintains the series; it doesn’t expand it or provide anything over-the-top.
Abe’s journey is one that every side-kick must take—the one that sets him apart from his big hero and gives himself a real identity. Abe manages to make himself known, but the kill to his confidence level in The Drowning leaves him still seeking acceptance from his peers and his boss. He’ll forever be Hellboy’s companion, which, for him, is just fine. Look for Abe Sapien and the team in the next installments of Hellboy and B.P.R.D.: “Hellboy: The Wild Hunt” and “B.P.R.D.: The Black Goddess.”
Reviewer rating: 3.0 elephants