John Arcudi and Mindy Lee have opened up a whole new corner of the Hellboy Universe with “Crimson Lotus,” and it gets bigger and more fascinating with each new installment.
Created by Guy Davis and John ArcudiCover by Tonci Zonjic
Written by John Arcudi
Illustrated by Mindy Lee
Colored by Michelle Madsen
Lettered by Clem RobinsA run-in with the Crimson Lotus leads one agent to realize they’re being kept in the dark by the other, while the question of what the Lotus is after looms larger than ever.
• A supernatural spy thriller featuring Lobster Johnson’s greatest foe!
We’re now four issues into “Crimson Lotus” and the series is teasing so much beyond the bounds of its story, I can’t help but think it will be a terrible shame if our time with these characters ends next issue. More than all the other one-shot spin-offs, “Crimson Lotus” feels like a title that needs more. Five issues does not feel like enough.
Shengli in particular keeps demonstrating there’s more to her than meets the eye. We’ve never really had a lead character like her in the Hellboy Universe in terms of her powers and how she uses them. Maybe Sandhu in “Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon,” but I don’t think he was anywhere near as powerful as her. But even setting aside Shengli, the world she represents, the possibility of some kind of Chinese paranormal bureau, is something we’ve only really touched on in Christopher Golden’s prose novel Hellboy: The Dragon Pool, and even then, that was the smallest of suggestions, nothing concrete. Or perhaps we could see more of Golden Crane Society (from “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1954”) in its heyday before the Chinese government began persecuting them in the 1950s. This is what “Crimson Lotus” does so well—it suggests so much more than is on the page. And with the big ongoing Hellboy Universe story coming to an end in April’s “B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know” #15, these avenues seem all the more tantalizing.
Sorry, I’m already getting off topic. My point is that while the other one-shot miniseries could potentially have sequels, they’re still perfectly satisfying on their own. I don’t see how “Crimson Lotus” could be. This is a book that whets my appetite for more.
Agent Dai’s role in “Crimson Lotus” has gone through an interesting evolution. In issue #1 he was right at the center of it all, but over time he’s become less of a character and more of a story tool. In some respects he’s the McGuffin (kind of); he’s also the representation of the normal in this world, used to contrast against the supernatural, and give the reader insight into what is common knowledge and what is secret knowledge; but most importantly, he’s the audience surrogate.
Make no mistake, this is Shengli and the Crimson Lotus’s story, but it’s a story where most of its readers are probably going to be cultural outsiders. The average American probably doesn’t know that much about 1930s China. Through Dai Jieh, a man raised in British Hong Kong, we have a character that functions as a natural part of this world, but also as an outsider when it suits Arcudi’s purposes. As we get deeper and deeper into the worldbuilding, this role becomes more and more important without it feeling like Shengli is having to explain Dai’s own culture to him.
It’s funny to think how central Dai seemed in the first issue and now he’s basically just along for the ride, piggybacking on Shengli’s story. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed seeing a story about a James Bond-esque character realizing he’s the sidekick.
I must admit, it was almost a bit jarring to have Suriv’s idol from issue #1 return here. When Dai comments, “Oh, right. I’d forgotten about Suriv,” I was right there with him. Suriv hasn’t seemed relevant to the plot in quite some time. Considering how long this plotline has been dormant, it now seems a little odd how much exposition the first issue had about the circumstances of the idol being in Suriv’s possession, though I supposed it did help reinforce Dai as the lead in the series. Maybe there will be more to this in issue #5.
Continued belowFor all Shengli knows about the idol, she still doesn’t know its connection to the Crimson Lotus’s past, and it’s this aspect I’m most curious about. While I’m sure the Crimson Lotus getting her hands on such a powerfully magic object is bad, the first issue indicated a more personal connection, and while that may not be as immediately threatening to Shengli and Dai, it’ll mean more to readers and the Crimson Lotus. Up to this point the Crimson Lotus has been a formidable villain, but she’s primarily a force of nature. However, back in issue #1 there was a panel of the Crimson Lotus staring at Suriv’s home, her father’s bloodied brassard on one arm, her expression murderous. That’s the most personal moment we’ve seen of her, and I’d like a little more of that before the end.
I’m also really looking forward to what Mindy Lee does with the confrontation in the final issue. The temple, the Noh monkeys, and the possessed blood all promise something really exciting visually. We got a glimpse her, and considering I’ve wanted to see a scene where she can go nuts, I can’t help but be impatient for the next one.
Final verdict: 8 – I’m really hoping there’s another series with Agent Shengli in the future.
