One of the most famous and deadliest villains in the “Hellboy†universe is the Black Flame. There isn’t much known about him and he’s insanely hard to hurt little less kill. One of the newest stories by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson is “Rise of the Black Flame†with art by Christopher Mitten. The first issue starts things off on the right foot.
In the 1920s Siam, girls are going missing. Sergeant Geoffrey McAllister and Constable A.N Sandhu are called to investigate. What they find out is that these disappearances may be linked to a cult called “Thuggee†who was believed to be wiped out years ago.
This story has Lovecraft written all over it. The combination of missing people, a cult, supernatural monsters and the 1920s setting is the perfect recipe for a Lovecraft story. Mignola just might have the writing ability to pull something like that off.
Of course, it is possible that the rest of the story could be a disappointment. Mignola’s works may have a track record of great stories, there have been a few eggs laid.
Of course, we need to talk about the characters. Mignola and Roberson take the time to introduce and establish each of these characters. All of them epitomize what a pulp/Lovecraftian character is supposed to be. Both soldiers have great characterization as does some of the later characters.
The art is some of the best in the “Hellboy†universe. The character designs perfectly fit with the era, as well as being nicely drawn. Even though the only monsters you see are in the first few pages, they are about as freaky as you’d expect from a “Hellboy†comic.
The first issue of “Rise of the Black Flame†sets up what may be a great Lovecraftian style story with the perfect setting, characters and art. This is one story that should not be that easy to mess up and it’ll take something extraordinary to do just that.
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