Ummm, Hellboy sells pretty good, considering: 1) How long it's been running (30 or so years) 2) How many spin-offs there are (a lot, and I mean A LOT) 3) Series continues even after reaching its end in BPRD Devil You Know 4) How many re-releases there is (tpb/hc/omnibus editions/essentials etc) 5) Mignola owns Hellboy afaik, he could switch publishers like Stan Sakai did with Usagi Yojimbo. If Hellboy sold poorly, none of this would be true. I would go as far as to say Dark Horse relies solely on Mignolaverse, Black Hammer and manga rn. Everything else is just afterthought, maybe except licensed stuff like Avatar/GoT/Witcher comics, but I doubt it sells all that well.
I've always regretted not putting in the time to read the comics. Both the first two movies and concepts from the lore have given much inspiration for the character I use in my avatar and banner.
This was a great Hellboy video. Every now and then I search for any recently uploaded video on Hellboy and here I am. Hellboy might be my favorite comic book of all time, but it’s also at a tie with Invincible. When it comes to Manga; Hellboy really reminded me of Berserk, protagonists that defy fate and destiny, and protagonists that wield a massive weapon and eventually lose an eye. Both are awesome and unique in their own way. You earned yourself a subscriber and I would like to hear your thoughts on the upcoming Hellboy movie adapting the Crooked Man. Maybe a video on it one day.
Thanks, man. Glad you enjoyed it. I’ll definitely cover the film when it comes out. The Crooked Man is one of the most memorable villains of the series. I really hope they lean into the horror of his character and the movie as a whole.
Dude you should read more of the BPRD stuff beyond the main Hellboy story, they really make Bruttenholm Hellboy's father. And he might as well be, he raised Hellboy to be the absolute pure good guy that he is! If raising the demonic Beast of the Apocalypse into humanity's best champion against the forces of evil doesn't qualify you for the Greatest Dad Of All Time award, then nothing will. And while we don't see Hellboy mourn at Trevor's funeral (which is something the Del Toro movie so graciously did well!), there is a moment like it in The Storm that felt just as heartbreaking and certainly jerked tears out of my cynical eyes. Reading more about Bruttenholm and his early years with Hellboy adds new meat to their relationship that in hindsight makes the former's death in Seed of Destruction feel so weak. But I can't fault Mignola for that, he couldn't have foreseen back in the beginning how much bigger things would have gotten. And yeah Hellboy is a superhero, just more like the Question than someone like Superman. He is a blue-collar occult detective, with red skin, horns, a tail and a big red hand.
I’ve read a decent amount of the father stuff like “Pancakes” and other shorts based around the father son dynamic they have. My point was more to demonstrate that the Hellboy from the comics isn’t a man child constantly seeking his father’s approval and being scolded for being disobedient (although I do like the movie version quite a bit so no disrespect there) he’s a grown man with grown man issues and stories but as much as I think the film’s exaggerate Bruttenholm’s significance I agree that I undersold his significance in this video.
@@rougarabid I think the comics kept Bruttenholm's significance subtle, because its his upbringing of Hellboy that the villains fight against when they try to get him to embrace his destiny. It's why they can't help but disparage Bruttenholm as "the man who raised (Hellboy) like a father"
The only person who would think Hellboy is not a superhero is Hellboy himself. He would be modest about it and say all he does is beats up the bad guys and calls it a day after that. Which illustrates he is a superhero, and he'll call it all crap.
I think you misunderstood The people who questioned hellboy being a Superhero .... People don't ask that based on his actions and character ,its more to do with religion and his origins, Christians view Hell as hell ,the realm of the Devil ,Demons and Evil spirits,souls and Dieties and are taught That only evil comes from hell and HELLBOY being from Hell leaves people wondering if a Character from hell can truly be purely Good ...
Great video - especially loved the "is he a superhero?" part. I was actually one of the people on the fence about this, but I'd never really thought about it too hard. The only thing leading me to consider he might not be was his "vibe" for lack of a better word, and the fact that he does what he does for a living. While I do think that comparing the BPRD to the Avengers is a bit disingenuous because the Avengers are all superheroes who began with illustrious solo careers and the BPRD are largely a bunch of normie government employees with a few metas thrown in, you still thoroughly convinced me of Hellboy's status.
I never took Hellboy as Catholic. He knows there's a supernatural realm (how could he not!) but I've never seen the character as particularly religious.
He clearly is though. He holds a rosary as a sacred keepsake that he holds for comfort at different moments, when first meeting Liz he gifted her with a token of Saint Christopher which would be odd for a non catholic, he looks towards priests and other catholic leaders for guidance throughout the series, he speaks to priests in the manner of a formal catholic like calling them Father, he’s shown being very knowledgeable of catholic scripture even quoting it directly where other religions he researches into them, the author is also a strong catholic as was his father who Hellboy is based on. I could go on. There’s just to many signs of him being catholic to ignore or at the very least he was raised as one.
@@rougarabid Raised one, maybe. Certainly Bruttenholm considered himself one. But when you see everything he's seen it's at best an adaptation Catholicism especially considering his own role as as Anung Un Rama. As for his rosary and other accoutrement he carries all kinds of totemic and mystic talismans from a wide range of religions, cults and practices. I mostly consider them tools of the trade since his belief doesn't seem to affect whether they work or not. That said, I really liked this video. You brought up a lot of things that are essential to what makes Hellboy (and the world he lives in) so engaging. Multidimensional characters, factual details, moments of pure tone as opposed to just linking plot points, grey areas both moral and narrative and, I'm very happy you pointed this out, it has an ending! I couldn't agree more to that being an integral part of proper storytelling. A great video essay on a great character.
@@gonesnake2337 Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it and there will definitely be more to come so stay tuned. I do have to push back against the rosary argument though. He does carry many protective tools from many different religions but the rosary isn’t one of them. He’s never used it as a weapon and it’s the only one that he doesn’t keep in his weapon pouch but hanging off his person at all times. As I’ve said he’s shown holding it during times of stress not using it for combat. It’s not a weapon but a keepsake. I also think you’re not putting enough weight on the other cases. Things like gifting Liz a token of Saint Christopher on their first meeting and going to priests for guidance rather than any other religious figure are pretty major indicators of his religious beliefs. He speaks to shamans and monks the same way he would speak to anyone else but not priests. He speaks to them with reverence in a way he doesn’t with anyone else. He doesn’t act as someone who use to be catholic. He acts as a practicing catholic and there really is no reason to assume he’s lost his faith. I don’t think any catholic could be convinced he’s not one as he does do many things throughout the comic that indicates he is. To be clear I’m not catholic or religious in any way.
Didn’t say he was bad just that his Catholicism is surface level at best. He doesn’t act or follow the tenets of a catholic and there are 0 storylines pointing this out because it’s not a purposeful character trait it’s just the writers being very liberal non-Catholics so that’s how Daredevil acts.
@@rougarabidmy favorite comic book character is Swamp Thing. Hellboy is a close second. I guess I have a soft spot for monsters. My favorite comic book character is a swamp monster & my second favorite comic book character is a demon from hell I guess that says something about me as a person but I don't know what that something is.
I don’t think Hellboy directly falls on to the “superhero” genre there are definitely elements of the superhero found with an Hellboy with the character of Lobster Johnson being the most obvious sign, and of course Hellboy overall is based on superhero tropes, but overall a lot of the themes and elements come from early pulp stories like HP Lovecraft and Robert E Howard, and various mythologies, folklore, and fantasy elements. Mignola was definitely influenced by Jack Kirby, especially if you look at the monster designs and the method of storytelling, he employees. So it’s not really “is Hellboy superhero?” it’s more that Hellboy unique, and the overall Mignolaverse is unique from other comics universes.
DD bangs a lot of women.. He is catholic who struggles with faith. Casual catholic One writer for Hellboy. Never really read his st I ry. Glad he has a ending. Too many reboots and no one stays dead. Dark comic
He is mostly actually seen as a Superhero . There are definitely some people who discuss if he is a Superhero. But they do that too with Batman so who cares?
Even if Hellboy had used bad teleporter tech or magic into another comic universe. He would have to deal with, not boatloads, but heavy freighter sized prejudices not on his demonic ancestry but his chosen religious virtues like you explained how Daredevil is the "Not be a Catholic". A lot of those other comic characters blatantly have populations brainwashed into accepting their views and bigoting other heroes one upping another. Hellboy vs Wolverine talking; somewhat okay until author bs's Logan into a damn berserker state and Hellboy has to put Logan down, plus Logan REALLY wants to die!
He’s from New Orleans. I’m from Kenner which is a sub city 5 minutes outside of NOLA. So makes sense you would make that connection. However it’s actually a flaw. New Orleanians don’t have Cajun accents. You’d need to travel west of NOLA at least an hour to find Cajuns. Just a fun fact I thought you might be interested in haha.
It’s a shame that the Hellboy comics don’t sell much, it’s a pretty good series
Agreed. One of the better American comics I’ve read. Probably my favorite series overall.
@@rougarabid just goes to show that sales doesn’t equal quality
Ummm, Hellboy sells pretty good, considering:
1) How long it's been running (30 or so years)
2) How many spin-offs there are (a lot, and I mean A LOT)
3) Series continues even after reaching its end in BPRD Devil You Know
4) How many re-releases there is (tpb/hc/omnibus editions/essentials etc)
5) Mignola owns Hellboy afaik, he could switch publishers like Stan Sakai did with Usagi Yojimbo.
If Hellboy sold poorly, none of this would be true. I would go as far as to say Dark Horse relies solely on Mignolaverse, Black Hammer and manga rn. Everything else is just afterthought, maybe except licensed stuff like Avatar/GoT/Witcher comics, but I doubt it sells all that well.
@@looniemoonie5955 I mean it doesn’t sell as much as it should
The pulp hero/superhero question for Hellboy is the thing. He leans more pulp than superhero.
I've always regretted not putting in the time to read the comics. Both the first two movies and concepts from the lore have given much inspiration for the character I use in my avatar and banner.
It’s not to late. Go for it. They are very good.
This was a great Hellboy video. Every now and then I search for any recently uploaded video on Hellboy and here I am. Hellboy might be my favorite comic book of all time, but it’s also at a tie with Invincible. When it comes to Manga; Hellboy really reminded me of Berserk, protagonists that defy fate and destiny, and protagonists that wield a massive weapon and eventually lose an eye. Both are awesome and unique in their own way. You earned yourself a subscriber and I would like to hear your thoughts on the upcoming Hellboy movie adapting the Crooked Man. Maybe a video on it one day.
Thanks, man. Glad you enjoyed it. I’ll definitely cover the film when it comes out. The Crooked Man is one of the most memorable villains of the series. I really hope they lean into the horror of his character and the movie as a whole.
Dude you should read more of the BPRD stuff beyond the main Hellboy story, they really make Bruttenholm Hellboy's father. And he might as well be, he raised Hellboy to be the absolute pure good guy that he is! If raising the demonic Beast of the Apocalypse into humanity's best champion against the forces of evil doesn't qualify you for the Greatest Dad Of All Time award, then nothing will. And while we don't see Hellboy mourn at Trevor's funeral (which is something the Del Toro movie so graciously did well!), there is a moment like it in The Storm that felt just as heartbreaking and certainly jerked tears out of my cynical eyes. Reading more about Bruttenholm and his early years with Hellboy adds new meat to their relationship that in hindsight makes the former's death in Seed of Destruction feel so weak. But I can't fault Mignola for that, he couldn't have foreseen back in the beginning how much bigger things would have gotten.
And yeah Hellboy is a superhero, just more like the Question than someone like Superman. He is a blue-collar occult detective, with red skin, horns, a tail and a big red hand.
I’ve read a decent amount of the father stuff like “Pancakes” and other shorts based around the father son dynamic they have. My point was more to demonstrate that the Hellboy from the comics isn’t a man child constantly seeking his father’s approval and being scolded for being disobedient (although I do like the movie version quite a bit so no disrespect there) he’s a grown man with grown man issues and stories but as much as I think the film’s exaggerate Bruttenholm’s significance I agree that I undersold his significance in this video.
@@rougarabid I think the comics kept Bruttenholm's significance subtle, because its his upbringing of Hellboy that the villains fight against when they try to get him to embrace his destiny. It's why they can't help but disparage Bruttenholm as "the man who raised (Hellboy) like a father"
BPRD Vampire is fucking amazing.
You should read the B.P.R.D. run I think you’ll enjoy that as well
The only person who would think Hellboy is not a superhero is Hellboy himself. He would be modest about it and say all he does is beats up the bad guys and calls it a day after that. Which illustrates he is a superhero, and he'll call it all crap.
your syrupy southern accent is making this kinda hilarious for me
I’ve never been described as syrupy before. I can dig it.
I think you misunderstood The people who questioned hellboy being a Superhero .... People don't ask that based on his actions and character ,its more to do with religion and his origins, Christians view Hell as hell ,the realm of the Devil ,Demons and Evil spirits,souls and Dieties and are taught That only evil comes from hell and HELLBOY being from Hell leaves people wondering if a Character from hell can truly be purely Good ...
nah, it's just he isn't like Batman or Spider-man
Great video - especially loved the "is he a superhero?" part. I was actually one of the people on the fence about this, but I'd never really thought about it too hard. The only thing leading me to consider he might not be was his "vibe" for lack of a better word, and the fact that he does what he does for a living. While I do think that comparing the BPRD to the Avengers is a bit disingenuous because the Avengers are all superheroes who began with illustrious solo careers and the BPRD are largely a bunch of normie government employees with a few metas thrown in, you still thoroughly convinced me of Hellboy's status.
Im new to hellboy but i been loving it
I never took Hellboy as Catholic. He knows there's a supernatural realm (how could he not!) but I've never seen the character as particularly religious.
He clearly is though. He holds a rosary as a sacred keepsake that he holds for comfort at different moments, when first meeting Liz he gifted her with a token of Saint Christopher which would be odd for a non catholic, he looks towards priests and other catholic leaders for guidance throughout the series, he speaks to priests in the manner of a formal catholic like calling them Father, he’s shown being very knowledgeable of catholic scripture even quoting it directly where other religions he researches into them, the author is also a strong catholic as was his father who Hellboy is based on. I could go on. There’s just to many signs of him being catholic to ignore or at the very least he was raised as one.
@@rougarabid Raised one, maybe. Certainly Bruttenholm considered himself one. But when you see everything he's seen it's at best an adaptation Catholicism especially considering his own role as as Anung Un Rama. As for his rosary and other accoutrement he carries all kinds of totemic and mystic talismans from a wide range of religions, cults and practices. I mostly consider them tools of the trade since his belief doesn't seem to affect whether they work or not.
That said, I really liked this video. You brought up a lot of things that are essential to what makes Hellboy (and the world he lives in) so engaging. Multidimensional characters, factual details, moments of pure tone as opposed to just linking plot points, grey areas both moral and narrative and, I'm very happy you pointed this out, it has an ending! I couldn't agree more to that being an integral part of proper storytelling.
A great video essay on a great character.
@@gonesnake2337 Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it and there will definitely be more to come so stay tuned.
I do have to push back against the rosary argument though. He does carry many protective tools from many different religions but the rosary isn’t one of them. He’s never used it as a weapon and it’s the only one that he doesn’t keep in his weapon pouch but hanging off his person at all times. As I’ve said he’s shown holding it during times of stress not using it for combat. It’s not a weapon but a keepsake. I also think you’re not putting enough weight on the other cases. Things like gifting Liz a token of Saint Christopher on their first meeting and going to priests for guidance rather than any other religious figure are pretty major indicators of his religious beliefs. He speaks to shamans and monks the same way he would speak to anyone else but not priests. He speaks to them with reverence in a way he doesn’t with anyone else. He doesn’t act as someone who use to be catholic. He acts as a practicing catholic and there really is no reason to assume he’s lost his faith. I don’t think any catholic could be convinced he’s not one as he does do many things throughout the comic that indicates he is. To be clear I’m not catholic or religious in any way.
Hellboy is awesome
WELL, SAID BRO!!! WELL SAID!!!
Daredevil is one of my favorite comic book characters i love him because of his flaws man
Didn’t say he was bad just that his Catholicism is surface level at best. He doesn’t act or follow the tenets of a catholic and there are 0 storylines pointing this out because it’s not a purposeful character trait it’s just the writers being very liberal non-Catholics so that’s how Daredevil acts.
@@rougarabidmy favorite comic book character is Swamp Thing. Hellboy is a close second. I guess I have a soft spot for monsters. My favorite comic book character is a swamp monster & my second favorite comic book character is a demon from hell I guess that says something about me as a person but I don't know what that something is.
I don’t think Hellboy directly falls on to the “superhero” genre there are definitely elements of the superhero found with an Hellboy with the character of Lobster Johnson being the most obvious sign, and of course Hellboy overall is based on superhero tropes, but overall a lot of the themes and elements come from early pulp stories like HP Lovecraft and Robert E Howard, and various mythologies, folklore, and fantasy elements. Mignola was definitely influenced by Jack Kirby, especially if you look at the monster designs and the method of storytelling, he employees. So it’s not really “is Hellboy superhero?” it’s more that Hellboy unique, and the overall Mignolaverse is unique from other comics universes.
This video made me wanna read the comics
Glad to hear it. The video did it’s job then haha.
DD bangs a lot of women.. He is catholic who struggles with faith. Casual catholic One writer for Hellboy. Never really read his st I ry. Glad he has a ending. Too many reboots and no one stays dead. Dark comic
He is mostly actually seen as a Superhero . There are definitely some people who discuss if he is a Superhero. But they do that too with Batman so who cares?
Even if Hellboy had used bad teleporter tech or magic into another comic universe. He would have to deal with, not boatloads, but heavy freighter sized prejudices not on his demonic ancestry but his chosen religious virtues like you explained how Daredevil is the "Not be a Catholic". A lot of those other comic characters blatantly have populations brainwashed into accepting their views and bigoting other heroes one upping another. Hellboy vs Wolverine talking; somewhat okay until author bs's Logan into a damn berserker state and Hellboy has to put Logan down, plus Logan REALLY wants to die!
Hellboy is the only comic character I love like that isn't DC or Marvel.
You should do a video in Gambit because of your accent
He’s from New Orleans. I’m from Kenner which is a sub city 5 minutes outside of NOLA. So makes sense you would make that connection. However it’s actually a flaw. New Orleanians don’t have Cajun accents. You’d need to travel west of NOLA at least an hour to find Cajuns. Just a fun fact I thought you might be interested in haha.
I think its amazing but I don't think I would consider him a super hero. He's super hero adjacent