Hellboy Volume 3: The Chained Coffin and Others (Hellboy (Graphic Novels))excellent purchase, received on time for christmas, recipient was very pleased

Mike Mignola's first compilation graphic shorts is titled The Chained Coffin and Others. The stories within were compiled from sources such as the Dark Horse Presents comic issues all the way to promotional issue of the comic catalogue Diamond Comics. The one difference between those issues and this compilation was the coloring. The illustrated shorts where in black and white when they first appeared in those issues, but in this compilation book they have been retouched with bold primary colors.

Mignola wrote and drew all the shorts included in Chained Coffin and Others. The coloring he'd done for all the shorts lives up to the previous Hellboy books. There's some inconsistency to the look of each stories artwork, but that's due to some of them being drawn early in Hellboy's history. Some of these stories were done even before the Seed of Destruction story.

All the stories are well-written and they range from laugh-out funny to classically scary. Stand out entries in Chained Coffin and Others are "Christmas Underground" (Mignola's take on the vampire myth), The Wolves of St. August (a werewolf piece) and "Almost Colossus" (the introduction of recurring character Roger the Homunculus). These three takes are great examples of why the Hellboy books are a joy to read. "Christmas Underground" is my personal favorite for combining both a genuinely scary tale with some genuine humanity to turn a simple horror tale into one of redemption and forgiveness.

For readers who have seen the Hellboy feature film, they will recognize a character in the film who actually appears in this compilation: "The Corpse". In the end, I highly recommend this graphic compilation to new fans of Hellboy and for old, loyal fans to pick it up if their old copy has been dog-eared and tattered from frequent readings.

The art is wonderful. The coloring is stunning. The stories are highly entertaining. There is no reason for me to go on because the preceding reviews say it best - "Hellboy" is fabulous entertainment. If you have any interest in Graphic Novels or the comic medium then "Hellboy" needs to be on your bookshelf.

"Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others" is my favorite Hellboy compilation. As shown by HP Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe, the short story works well for horror. This book is a collection of Hellboy short stories.

Each story has roots in traditional fairy mythology combined with Lovecraftian overtones and just a splash of Nazi occultism. Magnolia has given his character Hellboy a very dry sense of humor, which works well in contrast to the talking corpses and various devils. The art is some of the finest seen in comics.

"The Corpse" and "The Iron Shoes" is a short fairy stories. Clever and fun with a nice nod to Celtic mythology.
"Christmas Underground" highlights Magnolia's wit.
"The Chained Coffin" is one of the best in the collection, showing the folly of loving the devil. It has some of the best dialog. "God? Was not I God in ancient Babylon?"
"The Baba Yaga" Always nice to see this ancient evil. Only available in this collection.
"Wolves of Saint August" is a werewolf tale, with a twist. Very good.
"Almost Colossus" adds a new member to the Hellboy cast.

I would say, if you are curious about Hellboy, this is the collection to start with. Every one a gem.

First, I have to begin this by saying that I am a bit bias when it comes to Mike Mignola. I do enjoy his Hellboy work, and recommend it to anyone who likes Lovecraftian influences meshed with Nazi conspiracies and other, even more bizarre, tidbits of folklore.
With The Chained Coffin and Others, I had read the reviews here and had noticed the gaps left in the questioning mind. For instance, I couldn't find a complete listing of what was compiled here, nor did the reviews truly state how good some of the stories, especially the Baba Yaga only printed here, actually were. So, here's a brief listing of the stories a few notes:
1) The Corpse: A baby goes missing and a deal has to be struck to return it. And how hard is it to bury a corpse anyway?
2) The Iron Shoes: This seemed more like filler, actually, but is still not all that bad.
3) The Baba Yaga: I like this story a lot, and had to have it. Unfortunately, it was only available in this TPB. If you read Wake the Devil, you'll want this side story, because references made are gaps to be filled in order to complete the entire Hellboy picture.
4) Christmas Underground: Spirits looming, a castle under siege by some strange curse, and Hellboy Claus? Besides being creepy, it also provides a little laughter.
5) The Chained Coffin: A true gem, presenting the origins of Hellboy (not to be confused with "how Hellboy arrive on Earth") in a most interesting format. Even people who have the original presentation of this should check it out, because the first page has been revamped a bit. Beautiful.
6) Wolves of Saint August: All the pieces of this tale needed to be collected somewhere, so I'm happy for this. As the name implies, something Lupine plagues a town and Hellboy has to investigate. The backgrounding to this story is nice, in addition to the normal Mignola features.
7) Almost Colossus: Another needed piece if you want to understand the inner workings of the BPRD. Here, an addition is made to the cast, and "he" almost ends to life of two field agents right from the get-go. It is referenced to a lot, and is definitely worth checking out.
Anyway, like I said, I am biased. Still, if you like Hellboy, even a little, this is a nice collection that is extremely inclusive. The only problem is finding a copy of it.

I've heard and read reviews of this book that seemed to come from the outside. The "outside" being people who are trying too hard to legitimize something that makes no excuses for itself. Hellboy is and always has been a quirky, dark, gothic adventure that is visually stunning as well as primal and disturbing. This collection is an intriguing effort. It has no complete story to tell. Rating each story is futile since the themes vary as well as the design and purpose for each story. Some are an excuse to show Hellboy in an outlandish conflict while others have moments that touch me to the core so profound is the effect of specific sequences. There lies the surprise. No solid premise is present in these little stories. They're like a sketchbook. Some rough ideas are presented as well as finely crafted "images". Every one was written and drawn with a purpose but there's no effort to weave them together in a sequence. The tone in a story like The Chained Coffin is so different from The Corpse that, other than the main character, they share little in common. However, even as they share so little in content, they both speak of a world in the shadow of our own. The world Mike Mignola has created is as sharp as a knife blade cutting across your palm and as subtle as the wings in the night. So eclectic is this collection that it is the perfect introduction to Mignola's creation, Hellboy. Hellboy is brusque, loyal, funny, profound, conflicted and committed. He is all of these and more while uttering few words between blasts of combative, bloody, violence in a nighted world of ancient evil and devious purpose. I wish more writers could do so much with what, sometimes, appears to be so little.

Well what can I say about this book!It's a compilation of stories that have been published in Dark Horse Presents or in other titles.Some stories are great and other stories suck.I'll rate the stories seperately. The Corpse:5/5 The most COOL Hellboy story ever told! The Iron Shoes:2/5 Lame Story.The worst I 've ever read. The Baba Yaga :4/5 First published here.How Baba Yaga lost an eyeball and why she knows Hellboy. A Christmas Underground:3/5 First published in Christmas Special, a little boring story.It will remind you of vampires. The Chained Coffin:5/5 Another great story!Meet the DAD!!! of Hellboy. The Wolves Of Saint August:3/5 First published in DHP.Werewoves in an abandoned village. Almost Collossus 5/5: The story of Homunculus who was first shown in Wake The Devil.