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HELLBOY: WAKE THE DEVIL #1: Critiques on Infinite Earths

 HELLBOY: WAKE THE DEVIL #1
 story and art by Mike Mignola
 Spoiler space
 	We've got Nazis, vampires, gothic castles, government paranormal
 investigations and aqua-men.  It must be a Hellboy story. ;-)
 	Mignola weaves a tale of Hellboy and his associates on the trail
 of a group of Nazis out to bring an Incredibly Evil Vampire back to life
 somewhere in Europe.  Actually, a remarkable portion of this first
 instalment of the story is simply the paranormal field agents getting
 briefed on the situation.  If talking is Death in comics, then this story
 is immortal.  It works well.
 	I don't really know how to describe it.  It's not really a horror
 story, and it certainly isn't a superhero story.  It's a... um...  Oh,
 it's definitely... ur...  Well, it's funny, that's for sure.  Which would
 make this story a...  It's a Hellboy story.  That's what it is.
 	Mignola's dialogue is gold, especially Hellboy's.  In the
 character's words, you can tell it's a labor of love for Mignola.  James
 Sinclair, who provides the colors (and gets a cover credit, no doubt due
 to Mignola... good idea), does a great job of keeping a black & white
 feel (which is important for Hellboy) in a hued setting.  I'm certain
 it's not an easy accomplishment.
 	Great book, though I'm not surprised.  I have yet to be let down
 by Mignola and Hellboy.
 "Silent as the Grave: Until the Daybreak and the Shadows Flee Away"
 story and art by Gary Gianni
 	This "MonsterMen" story is my first exposure to Gianni's work.
 His art style seems like a cross between Tom Mandrake and Michael Zulli.
  It could have used a little more detail and some brighter colors in
 select spots, but overall, it's pretty good stuff.
 	As for the story... well, it's a little early to tell.  The
 apparent lead character, monster movie maker Lawrence St. George, seems
 intriguing enough, enshrouded in plenty of mystery.  Too much mystery can
 be a bad thing (that's why Wolverine no longer interests me), so I hope
 Gianni indulges in a bit of revelation further into the story.
 	I would try and describe the story, but I don't think I can.  A
 synopsis would be near impossible, and I'm far too lazy to try.  It's
 sort of an adult Scooby Doo story, without the Mystery Machine, the
 Scooby or the Doo.
 Donald MacPherson