Abe Sapien #20

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

Ol’ Abe is looking mighty beat up these days. Hell on Earth is taking its toll on everything and everyone, and Abe Sapien is no different. In fact, if all the whispers and rumors are to be believed, Abe might have an even larger toll to pay before this is all said and done.

When Abe Sapien starts to get into the nitty-gritty of what’s happening to the world and the human race, and Mike Mignola and Scott Allie begin to bring up the fact that Abe is supposed to have this larger role in the destiny or direction of events to come, one can’t help but think of Hellboy. With Hellboy out of the picture, so to speak, it seems like the world is changing and adjusting its plan like perhaps now Abe is destined to fill the role that Hellboy left vacant. The more we see of Abe in this world, the more he seems to almost become Hellboy and if Abe Sapien is destined to become the new Beast of the Apocalypse… let’s just say it’s an eerie thought and one that hopefully turns out to be wrong in the end. As tough as Abe has become, he might not be ready for something like that.

Art this go-round falls back onto series regular Max Fiumara who continues to keep this book at the high level of artistry that regular readers have come to expect. Fiumara’s depiction of Abe is certainly one of the best, even in his more scarred and beaten up state. There’s something about the way he draws Abe’s face and his eyes that have a haunting quality to them, which is only amplified by Dave Stewart’s always brilliant coloring. Fiumara’s style and feel has become the standard for Abe Sapien and this pocket of the world he’s in. All the characters are so unique and different from one another and a lot of that credit has to fall on the shoulders of Fiumara who consistently hits his issues out of the park.

While this issue of Abe Sapien might not have been an action-packed issue, it certainly was full of deep, ominous foreshadowing and it felt like a little breather before what comes next which, thanks to the cliff hanger, is going to be insane. Time after time, Abe Sapien impresses and this issue is no exception. In a line-up full of great books, this is easily one of the best, so if you’re not picking this up you’re missing out.