NEGATIVES
- Mignola doesn't seem to handle the story as good as John Byrne, who wrote the first Hellboy collection. Mignola is a way better artist than he is a writer
- There are many plot moments and entire scenes that make me wonder why they were included at all. There is a scene where Liz accidentally causes another teammate's death, which would be great for tension and character development, but it never gets paid off. Liz just doesn't appear again after that scene--the only payoff we get is Hellboy reflecting on how everything in the mission went wrong. There was an entire subplot about Rasputin's Nazi followers and this talking head that they find... but it never contributes to the main arc of the story. They just seem like random scenes thrown in with no discretion, and really take away much needed page space from a story that is was already a bit convoluted.
- Again, due to the major page space that deals with plot elements that didn't need to be dealt with, we don't get as much Hellboy as I expected. He's the character I come to read about, but he seemed almost secondary, as if the subplots took up so much space that his character arc was only sprinkled here and there. In his afterword, Mignola says that the subplot involving the Nazi's was much smaller in his original plan and the talking head wasn't included at all. The story might have been stronger had he stuck closer to the original plan, in that case.

POSITIVES
+ The binding of this book is substantially stronger than that of the first book. The cover of the Seed of Destruction literally had to be glued back on, but this one remained strong through the entire read and shows no signs of letting up
+ Mignola creates some truly creepy moments, especially with the demonic Hecate and Baba Yaga.
+ The art shows great improvement as well. Though Mignola still sticks to his high stylized angular method, the colors and details jump out way more than in previous Hellboy stories. The amount of elbow grease that went into achieving that effect is apparent.
+ The cover gallery in the back is simply perfect. Though I'm not sure how a one of them relates to the actual content, each cover is astounding. There is a cover that is just plain cool, a beautiful heart-wrenching imagine, and a few really funny ones. As far as extras (which this is rife with, what with an epilogue crafted especially for the book as well as both an introduction and an afterword)
+ The aforementioned epilogue is a great look into Rasputin's feeling after the events of this story, and features Mignola's best writing in this volume, which gives me hope that he's improved with time.

Overall, it's not as strong as the first volume, but its still a series that is well worth continuing. Judging from the quality of the epilogue, Mignola (as a writer) has improved with him. I trust that, by the next volume of Hellboy, I will be able to give this series at least '8/10' reviews.

6/10

Hellboy is just light-years ahead of almost every other comic I've ever read. The plotting and dialogue is almost literary and the art is just fantastic.

This is definitely awesome. Continuing Mignola's story of the big red devil with a giant stone fist, volume two explores deeper into the mythos of Hellboy. A must read.

Cualquier tomo de Hellboy es garantia de excelencia en todos los sentidos, si lo compras te aseguro que no te arrepentiras y vas a querer tener toda la coleccion.

This second Hellboy mini-series from Dark Horse found Hellboy creator Mike Mignola taking on sole writing duties (legendary X-Men and Fantastic Four scribe John Byrne took script writing credit for Seed of Destruction) as well as art, and he surprisingly managed to craft a slightly better book than Seed of Destruction. The story revolves around our favorite paranormal investigator taking on vampires, while all the while Ilsa and Kroenen await the return of Rasputin and the end of the world: something which Hellboy is the key to. Full of creepy atmosphere, stylish storytelling, gothic art, and loaded with revelations and a few surprises, Wake the Devil reminds us just why comic books are so fun to read. If you're one of the many who saw the recent film and dug it, you should really check out every Hellboy graphic novel you can get your hands on.

Wake the Devil is the second Dark Horse Comic issued 4-issue series about Hellboy and the difference between the writing from Seed of Destruction to Wake is substantial. Mike Mignola took over sole writing duties for Wake the Devil after John Byrne's stint on Seed of Destruction. Mike Mignola never really wrote a full-scale plot and story for any comic he's drawn, but his inexperience in Wake the Devil is minimal. Hellboy is his creation and the world around him as well. He's lived and breathed the character since he is also the creator. Who else but the person who created the idea would know how to write the stories properly.

Wake the Devil has less of the Lovecraftian-theme that was Seed of Destruction. Instead Mignola treats his fans and readers to a story about a Romanian aristocrat is is reputed to be a vampire sired by the Greek demoness, Lamia. In addition, Mignola mixes in a healthy dose of Nazi's leftover from WW2 who have ressurected from an icy slumber to try and return the Third Reich to prominence through occult and vampiric means. Mignola's heady mix of the occult, European folklore mythology and plain old 30's style detective noir give Wake the Devil a better written story than Seed of Destruction. Mignola as a writer is not bad and since Hellboy is his creation there really is nowhere for Mignola to go but improve.

Wake the Devil is a perfect blend of a well-written story and great artwork. Having Mike take over as writer in addition to continuing as artist earns Wake the Devil 5-stars that Seed of Destruction failed to reach.

Hellboy is a paranormal investigator, and demon to boot- what more could you want in life? The first book was good, this one is definitely better!This is a must have for your personal library! Spooky, scary,and it gets your heart pounding! I also recommend "Eternal Undying Love" by Brett Keane

This is the second Hellboy graphic novel. It is an improvement over the first one, as we get to know the old characters better, and interesting new characters are introduced. Creator Mike Mignola's Kirbyesque artwork is terrific, and this time he handles the writing himself (the first graphic novel was scripted by John Byrne). I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I will explain that Hellboy is a paranormal investigator who appears to be a demon. This book is dedicated to Dracula, which should give you a clue as to what he encounters this time. This book should be especially appealing to people who like The X-Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I would encourage anyone who is a fan of sophisticated comic books to check it out.

With "Hellboy: Wake the Devil" Mignola again shows his strength in weaving together unconnected folklore and his own inventions, creating a seamless fantastic reality that grows with every story. Darker, more confident than "Seeds of Destruction," the mythology comes together.

Nazis, Imperial Prussians and Greek and Russian goddesses make for strange bedfellows, but here we have a Napoleonic vampire Commander, Vladimir Giurescu, the delightful Nazi scientists Ilsa Haupstein and the Ragna Rok Project, Rasputin the Mad Monk, the Baba Yaga, the Greek Goddess Hecate and of course a living Head in a Jar, all conspiring against our heroes. Fighting for the good guys are the usual cast of Abe Sapien, Hellboy and the BRPD. If that isn't enough to get your appetite wet, then you are reading the wrong customer review.

More than most series, "Hellboy: Wake the Devil" advances the overall plot of Hellboy's story, uncovering key points of his origin and destiny. The epilog, only available in this trade paperback, adds an interesting element to the story of the Baba Yaga and Rasputin.

Wake the Devil is a superb second take on the Hellboy saga and is just as good, if not better, than Seeds of Destruction (its hard to compare the two because both are so good). Its a bit more bleak/darker than its prior, introducing even odder concepts and distortions of myth to weave a story all its own. Yes, it seems there are Nazi plots galore for everyone's favorite paranormal investigator to deal with, not to mention the addition of Roger, B.P.R.D.'s first "contact" with a human-sized homunculus. Also included is a five-page epilogue dealing with Baba Yaga and The World Tree, a concept introduced in the comics but only added to the in this graphic novel forum. The graphic novels also clean up the coloration, giving you more crisp images than the comics could ever dream of.
A word of caution to those thinking that the numbered books can be taken out of sequential order without hurting the storyline. It can indeed be done, but Wake the Devil should be a second step taken in the reading "evolution" of the Hellboy saga because of some of the characters/events/plot lines started have either been groomed or are birthed here.

I found this book to be every bit as enjoyable as the first book (Seed of Destruction). I also found that this book had a couple of weak points to the plot, and in the pacing of the storyline, just like the first book.

However, those where the only weak points. The rest of the story was very enjoyable and well crafted. The art is simply stunning. I will continue to read more of "Hellboy" in the future.

yet another wonderful hellboy tale. great stuff if you're into sci-fi and old legends and things. a good mix of characters and the best darn visual storytelling in the industry today, care of mike mignola.

If your'e a fan of goth, horror, detectives, stylized art, or good comics, this is one for you. Mignola delivers another great yarn in the Hellboy mythos. This time out, Hellboy comes face to face with what might be his true nature and purpose on earth. By way of a hallucination the story of his origin is recounted to him in visions. Hellboy is thrown for a loop when one of the visions adresses him directly. The fun of this series is in getting to this point in the story. And even more fun is seeing the humanity in the demon detective when he gives the apparition his reply. If you're a fan of art like I am, you'll love the guest pin-ups in the back. I liked this book because it presented us with a more in-depth look at the character's backround and it was consistently better than the offerings that preceeded it (which were all great!)If you like this book, there are other Hellboy books in print as well as a text novel by Christopher Golden with illustrations by Mignola. Not to mention the great body of work he's only illustrated. Why don't you stop reading this and order it already!

Another great entry in what is one of the best comics around. And don't worry - this IS illustrated by Mike Mignola, not James Sinclair - despite the description from the fine folks at Amazon! Mr. Sinclair does a fine job on the colors though! READ THIS BOOK!