HELLBOY: THE CORPSE - Exploring Mike Mignola’s Gothic Mythology

[@537monster]

Anytime I read Hellboys speech bubbles, I imagine Ron Pearlmans voice. He’s still the perfect actor for that role.

[@Notmax-d5s]

This message

[@DevonPalmer98]

You could do a whole series on hellboy, love the lore

[@MattDraper]

Oh I’m definitely doing more Hellboy videos!

[@tayojones9460]

The corpse is one of my favourite Hellboy stories. And you just summed up why it is so great and why Hellboy is such an enduring character.

[@MattDraper]

Thank you!

[@CarReckless]

Since you started covering Hellboy , I think Roger the Homonculus would be a great subject , he is one of my favorite characters in the entire series .

[@Ricwulf]

I know this comment is a year old now, but Roger is a main character in the B.P.R.D. comic series, and I'd highly recommend reading it because it's a really good series despite the lack of Hellboy, and brings those characters into their own fleshed out light.

[@CarReckless]

@@Ricwulf yes , I have read the B.P.R.D. books and sadly , I am aware of his fate ...

[@Ricwulf]

@@CarReckless as sad as it was, I also liked it. It was rather bitter sweet. That said, I wasn't a huge fan of how they started writing him as less intelligent as things progressed. He wasn't the smartest in the group, but he certainly wasn't stupid either.

[@harmonicajay91]

Favorite comic of all time. I love Hellboy and the themes within it and the B.P.R.D. Spinoff. Honestly one of the best comics ever made. Love the video.

[@maxheilman5314]

These Hellboy videos you do are seriously cathartic for me as a longtime fan. I've been a diehard Hellboy fan since junior high, and even when I met people who DID like comic books, I've never found someone who really delved into the Mignola's world like this. I really do think there's something special about how the author balances old world narrative techniques with serialized structure, contemporary art and palatable storytelling. I think that's part of why Hellboy has remained so niche... you have to be ok with a cut-and-dry short story playing a major role in the overall arc, and ok with Jack Curby comic tropes coinciding with ancient mythology and Lovecraftian fiction. This is probably why the series all but unfilmable, and why the movies didn't translate the source material very well. The humor doesn't come from winking at the audience, just like the horror element is played completely straight. As the reader, you're laughing with Hellboy's sarcastic quips, but never losing sight of the incredible scope and character depth. The narratives are simple, but there's almost always something a bit deeper about what Mignola does. One frame could totally change the meaning of a sequence, just like understanding the various myths and legends at the foundation of these stories add tremendous weight to the narrative. So anyway, thanks for taking the time to unpack these things... It's like having a conversation I couldn't have up till now.

[@mariod1547]

I became a fan of the comics after watching and loving the Del Toro films. The more I read the more I realized how difficult it would be to do a very faithful adaptation.

[@vicenteortegarubilar9418]

I was hoping this channel would make a hellboy video. Really cool.

[@MattDraper]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@vicenteortegarubilar9418]

@@MattDraper of course.

[@alexbailey5211]

Thank you matt draper for talking about my favorite comic book character ever.

[@MattDraper]

Hope you liked it!

[@alexbailey5211]

@@MattDraper I really did.

[@ThatOneGuy7550]

Ahhh, Hellboy, one of my favourite characters!

[@CoinOpTV]

classic comics and heck that first movie was pretty fun!

[@newtonwallen3210]

hellboy got me back into comics in early 2000's after the 90s killed my desire for this format i grew up loving

[@captainjakemerica4579]

Gosh many things hurt 90's comics it was mainly comics outside Marvel and DC that were good

[@newtonwallen3210]

i was a kid during all that and the hologram and alt covers and trading cards and stunt story lines left me cold and the image stuff was very dumbed down and extra violent for my taste at time. years later i discovered some really cool 90s stuff but the scene at the time drove me out

[@captainjakemerica4579]

@@newtonwallen3210 Well not from Dark Horse or Image those had some good comics

[@captainjakemerica4579]

@Frank Castle True but Hellboy is just a badass character also

[@jayconant3816]

And now we see that 90s damage repeating it self with the big two again

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

I always viewed Mignolaverse villains as not power hungry but rather those who serve a higher purpose in the hopes of some eternal reward. Sure you have the vindictive Baba Yaga, the power hungry and blood thirsty Nimue, but Martin Gilfryd aka Memnaan Saa, Gustav Strobl, Rasputin, etc. All seemed to me like prophets doing the work of their master in the hopes they will get a seat at the table so to speak

[@omegaink5635]

I've said it before & I'll say it again. You are my favorite youtuber...

[@MattDraper]

Thank you!

[@NapoleChan]

I also enjoy the Lobster Johnson books. He's a comic book character in the Hellboy universe thats stories are in ww2. Another decent one shot by Mike Mignola is The Amazing Screw-On Head. There's a pilot animation of it on KZbin that's pretty good.

[@CarReckless]

Oh my Lord , I never realized how deep that story was !! Hellboy is truly one of the best comic book series written ( and my favorite one too ) !

[@SnapperChannel]

Great video as always. As I have commented on the It Follows video, I’m not a horror fan. With that said, Hellboy and just the Mignola-verse in general are some of my favorite comics I have ever read. Really enjoy the Del Toro films as well and I can’t wait to see what the reboot has in store (even though Del Toro should’ve been allowed to finish his series with Hellboy III).

[@MattDraper]

Thanks! Mignola’s comics are definitely horror-ish. Not full on horror, but enough to make them creepy. I’m interested to see what they do with this reboot, I really wanted Hellboy III, too.

[@ginofrancejr555]

Excellent review Hellboy is one of my all time favorite characters the storytelling and world building alone is incredible this is Mike mignola's masterwork

[@oneshot2139]

Yes! Been wondering when you’d eventually do Hellboy. It’s my favourite comic and I’m thrilled to see you doing my favourite short story. Great stuff man

[@MattDraper]

Thanks! I'm surprised it took me this long to do a Hellboy video, it's one of the first comic series I truly loved.

[@lirionbelmont]

This is my favorite video about hellboy on the internet

[@MattDraper]

Thank you!

[@Chandasouk]

DRAPER GANG!! I've read a lot of early trades of Hellboy when Borders was still around. This video makes me wanna revisit it.

[@Yora21]

I didn't know this was a 2 page serial. But when you read it, you very quickly notice that it has very interesting pacing. I really liked it when Grugach's grudge became the cause for the massive disasters that followed much later.

[@solaurelios3192]

GOOD GODS! your channel is criminaly underated! its a must sub

[@MattDraper]

Thank you!

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

Yess thanks for doing this. Hellboy is my fav comicbook series and character

[@АндрейЧмыхалов-ф8ц]

Great as always!

[@stefanoblasi7033]

Great video More HELLBOY PLEASE!!

[@AGENT-gy8zq]

YESSSS I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS! More Hellboy please!

[@mrdgenerate]

Dude.... I just found this channel.... keep going man I love this. Rob and bennie just dont cover these old stories the way I wish they would. I wanna learn about the comics that brought us to where we are... and even though hes literally called "comicstorian" he doesnt really help me much with this history of comics... just recent stuff with an oldie thrown in here and there.

[@lazydane01]

Your Hellboy videos are excellent! Great work!

[@scottfree2248]

Mike Mignola's work is very reminiscent of the late Bernie Wrightson. I would love to see Mignola's take on Swamp Thing. Maybe one day we will get a Swamp Thing graphic novel from him. (Just Wishing)

[@jamesevans6332]

this is exactly the kind of video essay i've been wanting, thank you for this 👌👌

[@MattDraper]

Glad that it was! Thank you!

[@warrenleezy]

The Chained Coffin and Others. The first and last book I bought from Borders Books (remember them?). After that, there was no going back to capes and tights

[@jamescalvert4471]

Expertly made. Kudos.

[@Staygeeky2456]

omg seriously loving your content!!new fan, sure to be a long time fan!

[@Nexion3653]

Yay new videos

[@tylerhayes9174]

The crooked man was one of my favorite short stories by far

[@youshallnotpass3937]

The thing all the movies got wrong is the Fantasy, Fairytale, and gothic horror aspect, they made them more like goofy superhero movies.

[@darkroninmarvel]

And here I'm still waiting for the trailer of the reboot. Great video though

[@MattDraper]

Thanks! Yeah, the longer I wait for that trailer to drop, the more nervous I get about that movie.

[@darkroninmarvel]

@@MattDraper yeah since del Toro left quite the big shoes

[@captainjakemerica4579]

@@MattDraper The reboot won't live up to Ron Perlman and Guillermo Del Toro

[@jonathanseegers1211]

Really hoping it's just a bad trailer. Mignola's involvement and the R rating gives me hope.

[@TonyTylerDraws]

1:26 crazy that Hellboy and Hellboy in Hell was under 70 issues. It feels like 3 times that number

[@TreyPDB]

if i were a kid, i'd probably call him "heckboy"

[@Xeronimo74]

excellent review again! makes me wanna buy the series now

[@MattDraper]

Thanks! Yes, I highly recommend Hellboy to anyone.

[@alejandromolina7270]

I have not read many Mignola's works. The only one I have read is Joe Golem and the Drowned City, which is a prose novel not a graphic novel. It's good, reads like a comic book.

[@calebxcuyugan]

Just got this full issue It was worth it!

[@johnnyseawalker3634]

Beautiful!

[@user-ye7ru3jf2e]

This was excellent

[@kevinthomas4239]

As good as the ongoing story for Hellboy is, I love the shorts the best. Have you read Mignola's Baltimore series?

[@MattDraper]

I haven't read Baltimore, actually, but it's another series on my to-read list!

[@CMOS4081]

There is a companion book with biography and origin stories for almost all the characters, I highly recommend it for any fan of Hellboy and BPRD

[@darioscomicschool1111]

Thanks!

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

You should do a video essay on Invincible and Deadly Class

[@BrentDelong1253]

I enioy watching videos of people who truely understand HB. There are so many levels to MM's work. In my opinion HB is one of the greatest anti-hero/heroes ever.

[@pudlordtynan919]

Hmmm I enjoyed the music when speaking of the Irish corpse.

[@MattDraper]

That's Hidden Past by Kevin MacLeod, which is free online at incompetech.com

[@AGoodJoe]

The BEEEEEST ever

[@monsterama]

YEAH!

[@i.pfreely6038]

Could you make a vid on Batman Earth One or the Ultimate Spider-Man Series I love reading new depictions on characters I grew up with; (And since there are no videos about the Earth One Series as a whole I’d love your thoughts on it.)

[@MattDraper]

I don’t have plans on those at the moment, but I do like seeing reinterpretations like these. I’m currently writing a video about an Elseworlds comic and another that contrasts 2 different interpretations of the same story. So hopefully that scratches your itch for now!

[@i.pfreely6038]

Matt Draper that sounds dope I’ll watch whatever stuff you put out keep it up with the great content man

[@joegahan7055]

Hellboy never gets a break

[@camerongodsey9847]

“Whats that in my subscription notifications? “Is that Matt Draper?” “HE’S GOT A NEW VIDEO!” *BLAM BLAM*

[@towerjunikeka-tet1979]

I just ordered omnibus box set,never read a word from Mignola,never saw art from my own eyes,so im playin' "detective" and makin' reserach for what did i just gave money,it was one of those things that hit you and speak to you with shadowy voice "you have to get this",what i see is lot of pulp,wich is my favorite format,i see lot of my heroes,guys like Robert E Howard,Clark Ashton Smith,Lovecraft and dark poetry from Poe,and im quite sure that i will fall in love with this character (movies are another thing,i saw them zilion times),so im askin' you dear people am i wrong ?

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

I wish I was as eloquent with words like you are. I would love to do something like this for comics but I have a hard time explaining why I like certain things ya know?

[@MattDraper]

Thanks! It just takes practice. Write, edit, rewrite, repeat. You'll keep getting better over time.

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

@@MattDraper thanks man 😀

[@nancyleahcullen996]

I Like Hellboy: Animated

[@Mrcryptidsarereal]

My personal favorite of the short stories is The Nature of the Beast.

[@adamosborne685]

Heh finally a Hellboy video

[@danny_decheeto8300]

I always loved the pancakes short story

[@3xm-draconic676]

so in essence hellboy is a dnd tiefling?

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Hellboy ; What if The Thing was a supernatural character .

[@davidbranch1077]

Liked 💙👍💯

[@Xehanort10]

If you think about it Hellboy and Nightcrawler are similar. They both look like demons with Hellboy actually being one but are good people.

[@captainjakemerica4579]

Damn I love Hellboy one of my favorite non Marvel and DC superheroes I need to read more of his comics I loved the movies and now I want to get into the comics so sad Ron Perlman Guillermo Del Toro Hellboy 3 isn't gonna happen

[@sorzin2289]

You don't see comics like Hellboy from Marvel and DC anymore or really any other publishers. There out there but they feel more like a niche instead of there heyday in the 1950's and 60's.

[@Xeronimo74]

from which comic exactly is the image at 5:25?

[@MattDraper]

That's from the cover of a Hellboy novel called "The Bones of Giants"

[@Xeronimo74]

@@MattDraper Ah ok, so there's no actual comic with this drawing style? too bad! but ok :)

[@MattDraper]

Well, it’s Mignola’s pencils, but there aren’t any full Hellboy comics that use watercolors like this. But yeah, I love this style!

[@odinkiller727]

I want to reed hellboy. Were do I start?

[@MattDraper]

I say start at the very beginning with Seed of Destruction or try out some of the short stories. Both have been collected in very inexpensive omnibuses this year.

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

Here's a reading list for the entire Mignolaverse.www.multiversitycomics.com/annotations/hellboy-reading-order-2018/

[@joshuashort6844]

@@MattDraper are the omnibuses good quality

[@АндрейЧмыхалов-ф8ц]

What song playing in the end?

[@SnapperChannel]

“Vampires” by The Midnight

[@АндрейЧмыхалов-ф8ц]

@@SnapperChannel thanks))

[@SnapperChannel]

No problem :)

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Very seldom can you find Hellboy being discussed by other YT Comics channel

[@mariod1547]

Really unfortunate. Especially since the mignolaverse had it's finale months ago. Was hoping to find video essays on the BPRD: The Devil you Know.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

@@mariod1547 yeah...really unfortunate.But I'm still someone would do in the near future.

[@osiancoleman8447]

I’ve read this it’s literally fucking 50c and has loads of copies.

[@reaganp.1654]

I never really understood the appeal of The Corpse. I remember getting into Hellboy about two years ago and picking up "the chained coffin & others" TPB, and then reading the Corpse. I remember one thing that stuck out to me was the layout of the panels when Hellboy checks his watch and the corpse just kinda appears. That page just REALLY bugged me for some reason, and I found the plot to be kinda mediocre. There are better short stories out there, so I don't see why the Corpse gets all the attention. But I mean, enjoy whatever you want, man.

[@imjmar]

Hellboy you say?👀

[@Gen-Jin]

Where ma dawg abe sapien at

[@MattDraper]

Definitely in the next Hellboy video I make

[@Gen-Jin]

@@MattDraper or the brilliance of Lobster Johnson but anyways great video like always. Your definitely an underated youtuber.

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

@@MattDraper you should do B.P.R.D. and Sir Edward Grey Witchfinder

[@ColourMeRed_1990]

The corpse storyline could also have been borrowed from an ancient Hindu tale "Vikram and betaal" where the king Vikram carries an animated skeleton to its grave and along the way the corpse asks him questions to which either he has to give the correct answer else he'd fall dead. And along the way he has many different adventures.

[@WINOFFICIAL]

H.P. Lovecraft😍😍😍

[@MJfp6lx]

Hell boy is a perfect fit for Zack Snyder esque movie material. Style over substance

[@jojoalcide377]

No. Hell no 🤣

[@georgeelmerdenbrough6906]

Hellboy ; What if The Thing was a supernatural character .