Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Abe Sabien: The Devil Does Not Jest #1 of 2
Dark Horse Comics
Mignola, Arcudi, Harren & Stewart
Sometimes the best comic books are the ones that don't try too hard to be clever or innovative. The best ones just tell logical stories in the way that the creators know they can excel. This is the case with the Hellboy universe and I'm reminded of this every time a spin-off, mini-series, such as Abe Sabien comes out. The Devil Does Not Jest is only two issues and the first issue spends a little bit of time setting everything up and then launches into the action. It's an excellent read that uses elements of mystery, suspense and horror very well. If you haven't read anything from Hellboy or BPRD then I recommend trying this out.
Abe is hanging around BPRD when a colleague lets him know about a long, lost Uncle of his that he's found that Abe would have interest in meeting. Of course, the Uncle is no ordinary man, he's mixed up in a family that has demonology experts and mysterious disappearances. Abe doesn't suspect anything (and why should he?) so he travels to meet the Uncle in the secluded woods of Maine.
As the issue progresses we begin to understand just how cut off things are from society. Of course, all hell breaks loose shortly after Abe arrives at his friend's Uncle's house and we have ourselves an excellent horror book.
One of the questions coming out of the book would be the significance of the supporting cast. To the newer reader they may feel a little left out or even confused. I read the book thinking that I needed to recognize or remember the supporting cast but I just don't think they are relevant to enjoying the story even if they aren't new. Another question would be about Abe making a comment about the lake which would lead you to believe this story picks up from a previous one. It may very well do that but I am not sure it really matters to enjoying the issue at hand.
The artwork is excellent. The book is subtle in its setup. There are some panels where Abe studies the lake that are powerful because they show Abe's concern and help to effectively setup how isolated the house actually is. When the action kicks in the artwork takes over. The comic is very much a horror comic book and a great one at that. This is almost entirely attributed to the artwork and the creativity put into the creatures found in the book.
Abe Sabien is a good character because he isn't as invincible as Hellboy appears to be. Abe is a more sensitive character and seems to relate to humans better than most in BPRD. All of this comes out in this book to help establish just how serious the trouble is that Abe finds himself in by the end of the book. This was just an all-around excellent comic.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
