As predicted, this issue is indeed not the end of “Hellboy in Love” but rather the end of the first chapter. Christopher Golden, Mike Mignola, and Matt Smith lay the groundwork for stories to come while still making this a satisfying read in its own right. We may have a bit of a wait for the next batch of “Hellboy in Love” stories, but the team certainly chose to end on a strong story. Read on for our spoiler filled review.
The Key to It All
Written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Illustrated by Matt Smith
Colored by Chris O’Halloran
Lettered by Clem RobinsAnastasia’s archaeological research in the mysterious group known as the Suaren Artea takes her to India, with Hellboy coming along for the ride. The crux of the discovery may be full of ancient bones, but the past is not as dead as they think.
Join Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and cowriter Christopher Golden for another story of occult adventure and unlikely romance, with art by Matt Smith and colors by Chris O’Halloran.
Kate Kosturski: Well, Mark, I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be the complete end of the Hellboy in Love story. This journey to India doesn’t close the door at all for either the ‘Shadow Theater’ arc or the Hellboy–Anastasia romance. In fact, that latter one seems to be even more intriguing as you watch the two of them open up to each other, both at the start of this book and at the end. They find comfort in being vulnerable with each other, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.
Mark Tweedale: Yeah, this is certainly an end to part one of a larger story—we certainly get a sense of the journey ahead, investigating the Suaren Artea. While the previous two arcs mostly stood alone, ‘The Key to It All’ leans much more on both stories past and those to come. It is incomplete on its own. And yet, I found this the most satisfying arc of “Hellboy in Love” so far. It’s not being coy about what it is anymore.
The other reason for my satisfaction may be because it isn’t trying to tell a bigger story than one issue can reasonably handle. This is an excellent fit for a single issue, especially since it gives us all the character moments we need. So when Anastasia talks about watching horror movies with her dad, there’s space to sit with the art and see the joy on little Anastasia’s face. I love that that moment has a little extra story told only through the art as we see the mummy attack, then little Anastasia watching with a smile on her face while her father worries, then finally outside the cinema, with Anastasia talking about the experience animatedly while her father smiles, probably a bit relieved she’s not going to have nightmares. It’s an excellent example of the writing using the art to speak.
Kate: I read this issue shortly before Father’s Day here in the U.S. (June 18th), and thanks to that, and my own late father’s birthday approaching (he would have 78 on the 26th of June), that scene hit me in the feels perhaps more than it should. But that’s the beauty of a story having room to blossom and flourish: small moments having such a great impact.
In fact, one thing this series has been doing quite well is balancing character moments with the action. Neither feels shortchanged as a result of the other. Even the story of Hellboy’s first marriage, brief as it was, doesn’t feel like it was an afterthought or included for the sake of including it.
Mark: It’s a moment that shows the barriers coming down between Hellboy and Anastasia. And we’ve seen in other stories, this is something he doesn’t like to talk about. His whole time in Mexico was a rough time for him—Hellboy is being uncharacteristically open here.
Kate: Another way I noticed how well art speaks for the writing is in panel composition, particularly in the moments when it’s just Hellboy and Anastasia. Everything is closely framed, adding another level of intimacy to the moment. At times, it almost feels scandalous for the reader to have a view into this, particularly when we have Hellboy and Anastasia enjoying that post-coital bliss.
Continued belowMark: This is one of those moments where the layouts feel a bit different from what we’re used to seeing in a “Hellboy” book, especially in terms of that closeness—which is actually perfect because this is a totally unique period in Hellboy’s life, and it should feel unique in the way it’s told. This highlights the tightrope walk this series is on: it both has to feel like a “Hellboy” story, while also not feeling like any other “Hellboy” story. I think Christopher Golden and Matt Smith are being very selective about when they break away from the familiar.
Like when they first meet up with Professor Chadha, it’s fulfilling the role of the standard briefing scene we’ve seen dozens of times before, but the emphasis on the restaurant location with the fountain outside gives it a unique identity.
And the opening page, with those landscape panels and Anastasia and Hellboy enjoying a day free of obligation, feels like something out of a destination holiday romance film, as do the final pages. We have something more like a traditional “Hellboy” story sandwiched in the middle, with a story featuring a ritualistic ossuary and multiplying monsters and a sinister cult, but the throughline for the issue is the various ways in which Hellboy and Anastasia become closer.
Kate: Your discussion of the opening pages brings up something I noticed as well: the attention to landscape and detail. I noticed this in particular in the scenes in the ossuary where detail in character was all but stripped away, leaving your eye to focus on the detail of the setting, truly adding to the gravity of the situation they find themselves in.
However, it’s not so much detail that when that fight comes later, your eye gets lost—we can keep track of the action. And the opening, as you mentioned, feels light and airy when compared to “Hellboy” stories of the past. Both of these aspects together work to make this entire tale familiar but still new and fresh all at once.
But those monsters are nothing compared to the monster that both Hellboy and Anastasia conquer in this issue: that of vulnerability. Nothing is more frightening than being open and vulnerable with someone about those hidden parts of self, and that’s far more frightening than anything they could have faced in that ossuary—particularly in the final act.
Mark: I’ll definitely have more to say about how Hellboy and Anastasia grow closer over the course of the story, but first I want to go back to what you mentioned about the ossuary. During the fight, the lights go out, which means the background can be reduced to solid black at times and our attention is totally focused on the characters and action. However, this fight is not just in one place with one group. We’ll be Hellboy, then the action will move to the antechamber with Delilah, then back to the chamber, but a different part closer to the entrance with Anastasia. So it is important that we know exactly where we are in the space and quickly, because otherwise it slows down the action scene.
What Smith has done here is carefully select location details to pop off the black (the ladders in the antechamber, the sarcophagus, the columns made of long bones near the sarcophagus, the distinctive entranceway with skulls inset on the sides) that immediately orient the reader. This works because of the invisible work he was doing pages earlier. When Professor Chadha, Anastasia, and Hellboy arrive at the archaeological site, there’s a stretch where they walk from their vehicle, discussing the Suaren Artea and the demon Raktabija as they go to the ossuary chamber. During this sequence, Smith makes sure to show us all those location details he’ll be using to orient us later, except at this point in the story, they’re not against black, and they’re frequently composed in the panels so that we can see where each of these location details are in relation to each other.
And as you said, Smith strips back the detail on the characters when they first enter the ossuary so that the detail that draws our attention is from the location—he’s guiding our eyes so that we’re learning what we need to know for the fight sequence.
Continued belowKate: Any more detail, and the eye would have been lost. Any less detail, and the eye would have still been lost. It’s the right balance of detail to provide the right amount of impact. This is one of my frustrations with reading some European comics: artists trained in that tradition love to use precise details on a large scale to turn setting into character. But, it ends up being more overwhelming than anything, particularly with some of the more text-dense comics.
I also notice the use of color in these scenes. It still pops from the black, as you said, but it’s not too bright, to continue to give that illusion of fighting in darkness. Again, guides the eyes to the right things to see and how to properly interpret them.
Mark: Yes, and it’s carefully composed to avoid interrupting the flow of action. But then, I find throughout the whole story, the composition of panels was used in ways that not just show the action of the panel, but also speak to the subtext. In “Hellboy in Love,” Anastasia is the protagonist that’s driving the plot whereas Hellboy is a reactive protagonist. It’s a dynamic reflected in dialogue, in body language, and in scene staging. For example, during the initial meeting with Professor Chadha, Anastasia leads the way into the scene. Once they sit at the table, Hellboy is barely in any of the panels—and they’re wide panels where he could’ve easily been in them.
This is a deliberate choice. And it speaks to how Hellboy is comfortable being in the background. (Not to mention Smith’s excellent storytelling instincts. It is surely counter-intuitive to crop out the titular character in a scene.)
And later, when they arrive at the dig, Chadha and Anastasia lead the way and Hellboy follows after. However, once he’s needed, Hellboy jumps right into the action.
Kate: There’s so much in this issue that shows a masterclass in scripting and drawing a multi-layered story. And one of those is how the script builds in those character moments, like the relationship progression between Hellboy and Anastasia throughout the issue.
Mark: I particularly like how the relationship progression culminates in the final scene, where Anastasia is alone and ruminating at the beginning of the scene, but then Hellboy comes along and simply supports her. If you were only looking at the dialogue, it wouldn’t seem like a very intimate scene, but the way it’s composed makes it feel intimate, especially when their faces are so close to each other.
And then there’s the last page, with the two of them unified, looking off to the right, to the future.
Kate: The relationship growth is natural and relatable. It’s part of what makes “Hellboy in Love” perhaps a good first series for those looking to get into the Hellboy Universe but aren’t too keen on a lot of supernatural. There’s plenty of that there, but there’s also the human element. And that’s what tells a good story; that human element.
With that said, I will grade this a 9. The entire series has been a masterclass in how words and pictures come together to tell a story full of layers, but not too beholden to those layers that a reader gets lost in them. It reminds me in many ways of what made the show Supernatural so great—the right mix of demons from the netherworlds and demons from humanity.
Mark: I’m going with a 9. This was my favorite issue of “Hellboy in Love” so far. The writing and art play off of each other so smoothly, making for an effortless read, yet there’s also complexity to dig into as well.
Final Verdict: 9. The right balance of romance and the supernatural make this a story that continues to appeal to all kinds of audiences.
