2 out of 5

Well, then.  Mr. Roberson’s Hellboy work is on moratorium.  This is, perhaps, the most generic implementation of the HB template, highlighted all the more by Chris’ ridiculously cheeky dialogue, a la “You were lucky last time, and struck me unawares;”  the slightly off campiness of it that drops you right out of the story.  And I don’t think it’s a purposeful affectation for a pulp effect or for the story’s era: I think this is just how Roberson writes, and I think he’s trying to concoct a semi-serious mythology here and he’s just not the right tonal choice for it.  As to the template – HB and crew are tasked with investigating something via Lady Cynthia Eden-Jones – and find evil spirits corrupting things.  All of Hellboy has traded in these types of setups, but Mignola, like, accidentally stumbled into an amazing world by starting off simple and silly and slowly grounding things.  Over the years, other creators have beneficially added to that world, resulting in the recent (and fairly conclusive) death of HB and the Hell on Earth series.  While I have no doubt we can extend this world into forever with extensions like these 1950s flashbacks, it puts Roberson in a weird spot of backfill mysteries while trying to recapture that initial sense of innocence.  That would be tough for anyone to balance, much less a writer who I think is better suited to something a bit less layered (like his Edison Rex series, which I frequently mention).

Anyway, the story isn’t horrible, it’s just generic, and Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. are sort of plug-and-play as characters.  On art… I’m also a voiced non-fan of Brian Churilla, and this hasn’t changed my mind.  Dave Stewart has learned a bit about how to color his work, giving it a ton of the depth that Brian is typically lacking, and admittedly, it does seem like Brian is finding a better balance in terms of where to drop his linework / details.  …But I still would say Stewart’s handiwork gives his art much more mileage.