In case you haven’t noticed, we here at Multiversity have been celebrating everyrone’s favorite Aquatic BPRD Agent, Abe Sapien, for the past month. Now we decided it was time to examine Abe outside of the comics medium.
That’s right: we’re finally covering Hellboy: Sword of Storms and Blood and Iron.
Both of these under-appreciated animated films came out in 2006 and 2007 respectively. With the blessings and signatures of Mike Mignola and Guillermo Del Toro, the Hellboy Animated series told stand-alone stories that fell in its own continuity outside of either the comics, the films, or the video game we all agreed to never bring up again. Each film also featured Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, and Doug Jones reprising their roles from the live-action movies. In this article we will not only examine whether or not these films are worth watching, we will also analyze how each film demonstrates the greatness of Abe Sapien, The Merc with a Gill.
Hellboy: Sword of Storms, aside from being an excellent George R.R. Martin novel, features Hellboy and the BPRD investigating the dissapearance of one of those professors of the supernatural types that only show up in Mike Mignola works. The arcane academic has been possessed by the two demons, Thunder and Lightning who look suspiciously like the Teen Titans villains. Their back story is tied into a larger myth surrounding a samurai, a mystical sword, and an unjustly murdered maiden. Thunder and Lightning plot to break the Storm of Swords so that they may release their dragon brothers and destroy the Earth. Hellboy stands against them, dropped into a world with heavy elements of Japanese folklore, guarding the titular sword. Meanwhile, Abe and Liz Sherman attempt to keep control of the rest of the world which is suffering from inclement weather and awakened dragons.
Abe Sapien’s shining moment comes around 45 minutes into the feature when the BPRD he’s flying with Liz is struck by lightning into the ocean. Liz is stuck in her seat and Abe’s first response to the rapidly drowning Liz is “Yes. I must make out with her.” Thankfully his luscious lips provide the oxygen Liz needs to survive and she spends the rest of the film half-weirded out and half-enamored with Abe. Sure, this affection is hurt a bit when Abe reveals that, in technical terms, he burped into her mouth but the relationship between Liz and Abe in this film is great to watch. If anything, Abe provides us with the valuable lesson that The Sandlot was right all along.
Sword of Storms is a very fascinating film with some very cool moments. Hellboy’s encounters with Japanese folklore never feels too repetitive and Abe and Liz’s fight with a dragon offers a very visually exciting battle. At 75 minutes, there’s not much to really sink your teeth into, but for die-hard BPRD fans its’ definitely worth checking out.
Hellboy: Blood and Iron, meanwhile, focuses more so on Professor Bruttenholm, played as he was in the films by John Hurt. Blood and Iron feels a lot more like a traditional Hellbo story: vaguely European locale, reviled historical figure retconned as a literal monster, and a sweet blend between terrifying horror and exciting pulp. Here, the BPRD team investigates a hotel initially believed to be a simple tourist trip, but reveals itself as the lair of Bruttenholm’s old nemesis: the vampire Erzebet Ondrushko. Based on the real-life Blood Countress Elizabeth Bathory, Erzebet is being prepared for a resurrection by two fellow followers of Hecate: goddess of witches. Interweaved with flashbacks depicting Erzebet’s earlier conflict with Bruttenholm, Blood and Iron follows a mature yet creepily fun narrative that feels like quintessential Hellboy. If you have to choose between this and Sword of Storms, Blood and Iron is the choice to go with. If anything, you owe it to yourself to hear John Hurt say “There are things that go bump in the night. We’re the ones who bump back.” one more time. No one can pull that off like he can.
Abe Sapien proves himself as the best the BPRD has to offer when, after being tortured by Erzebet’s followers for an entire night, Abe kicks both of them Spidey-Web-Swinging-Style, rips the chains suspending him off from the ceiling, and smacks the witches around with them. This moment shows how resilient Sapien can be and why he’s deserving of having an entire month of a website dedicated to him. Plus, nothing beats Jones’s delivery of , upon learning that the witches were actually harpies, “Harpies… should have known…”
Both films, Sword of Storms and Blood and Iron are great treats for any Mignola or monster horror fan. Unlike a lot of tie-ins, as these movies would probably have not been made without the Del Toro films, it is very clear that both of these pictures were crafted with a deep love for the characters and mythology. In fact, a third film: The Phantom Claw was rumored to be in development but will now probably never see the light of day. Why does that matter so much? Because Phantom Claw would’ve focused on Lobster Johnson who would have been voiced by Bruce Campbell. So please, on behalf of the Multiversity Staff, either go out and buy these DVDs or kidnap Bruce Campbell and make him read aloud from The Iron Prometheus.
