Abe Sapien #11

By Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Max Fiumara & Dave Stewart

When something has been around as long as the Hellboy Universe—Happy 20^th, by the way—and it splits into different ongoing series focusing on different characters doing their own thing, it’s nice when you start to see some connections. In the case of Abe Sapien and this particular issue, we get a glimpse of some of the backlash caused by certain actions that Hellboy has taken in Hell (make sure you go read Hellboy in Hell if you haven’t already). They don’t mention him by name, but it’s there as well as a single panel that, more or less, explains what is being discussed and what Hellboy did.

Aside from that, which we saw unfold with characters elsewhere in the country, it seems that Mignola and Scott Allie really want to push Abe as hard as they can. It’s as though Death follows Abe wherever he goes, regardless of his intentions. A small town, relatively unscathed by the destruction and devastation affecting the rest of the country and world gets its first real taste of Hell on Earth and it seems that Abe is just too distracted to really do anything about it. From the start of this new ongoing Abe series, both Mignola and Allie really have been testing everybody’s favorite “fish-man” and after the development at the close of this issue, and this three issue arc, it’s going to be damn interesting to see where they take him and what they do to him in the coming issues.

The other duo on this book is artist Max Fiumara and colorist extraordinaire Dave Stewart who, as everybody has become accustomed to, absolutely kill it with this issue—puns not intended. From the strange Battle of Seattle (sorry, had to) to Abe Sapien and his small town woes with crazies and Zombies, and maybe a mix of the two, everything is just spot on. The more we get this new “evolution” of Abe, the more it grows on me. As a matter of fact, it might be the best incarnation of Abe we’ve seen yet and Fiumara’s portrayal just amplifies how awesome this design truly is.

Really and truly, Abe Sapien has been a treat from the start. Mignola and Allie, who have worked together for years and years, are great as a team and continue to give us amazing stories with one of the key, original members of the B.P.R.D. On top of that, Fiumara and Stewart do an equally impressive job with the art each and every time. This series has the best of both worlds and if you’re not reading this, or anything in the Mignolaverse for that matter, you really need to do yourself a favor and pick it up because it’s easily one of the best books on the shelf each and every month.