Abe Sapien #12: The Garden

[middenway]

I'm very excited for this book. Scott Allie describes it as his favourite things he's ever done.

He talks about the book with Bleeding Cool here.

And this, this is not to be missed, a behind the scenes look at the first few pages.

Abe Sapien #12 comes out May 14 and will be collected in Abe Sapien - Volume 5: Sacred Places coming out early next year.

[middenway]

Scott Allie talks a little about the future of Abe Sapien.

[middenway]

Here's my review, this time with Brian. I don't get to do shared reviews often because of my timezone, but they're more fun to do. This issue was bloody brilliant.

[thwhtGuardian]

It was certainly a huge departure from just about anything we've seen in the Hellboy Universe before, very human and powerful. I loved the back and forth monologues of the nameless man and woman, their contrast was beautiful and the way the art was ambiguous about their relationship until the end was fantastic.

[middenway]

I can't seem to find adequate words for how much I loved it.

[middenway]

Here's the cover process:

[cantide]

Oh man. Ooooooooooohhhhhh man. What an amazing story.

I think, of all the stories yet published in the Mignolaverse, this was absolutely the most gut-wrenching and personal. I haven't stopped thinking about this story since yesterday. It's so intense and heartbreaking. The writing and the art complement each other so beautifully, Max and Dave knocked it out of the park and so did Scott. I need to buy this one on paper as well as digital so I can see the panels how they're meant to be seen.

I have a lingering question, though. The man definitely looks dead at the end. Maybe he's unconscious, but he cracked his head pretty hard on the step. Was it Abe's intention to kill him, or just to knock him away? Abe could easily have disarmed or restrained the guy, whether he was being hunted by him or not, but he chose to hit him instead. I can't tell if he meant to kill him or if it was an accident. Maybe Abe didn't react very well to being shot again, or maybe he misjudged his strength. I guess if he wanted to kill him, he could've hit a lot harder than he did, but it's jarring to see Abe just kill a guy after spending months walking on eggshells trying not to hurt people, even those who are threatening him or who have already hurt him... any thoughts?

[Kees_L]

I have a lingering question, though. The man definitely looks dead at the end. Maybe he's unconscious, but he cracked his head pretty hard on the step. Was it Abe's intention to kill him, or just to knock him away? Abe could easily have disarmed or restrained the guy, whether he was being hunted by him or not, but he chose to hit him instead. I can't tell if he meant to kill him or if it was an accident. Maybe Abe didn't react very well to being shot again, or maybe he misjudged his strength. I guess if he wanted to kill him, he could've hit a lot harder than he did, but it's jarring to see Abe just kill a guy after spending months walking on eggshells trying not to hurt people, even those who are threatening him or who have already hurt him... any thoughts?

Well, I'm personally way behind at reading Abe. And I haven't read this particular issue yet.
But I personally cannot read Abe his wayward identity-questioning quests, without comparing such to Hellboy's ongoing ordeals toward his particular destiny or purpose somehow.
What you write seems to indicate that any feelable suspense towards whether Abe'd be seeming more and more a monster more rather than but just would seem substantial if not purposeful narratively?

Like Hellboy seemed the embodiment of apocalyptic doom from the start, for becoming obstinate onto that far more rather. Like a part-demon part-witch Samaritan of sorts.
Whereas Abe as formerly Langdon might have transformed from anything human to something.... wildly different?

Even if he wouldn't be a murderer or monster per se, why assume he'd be anything sensibly human, when he wouldn't even be knowing what he'd be himself?
Even if he would still be part Langdon deep down, what would that have to be amounting to? Someone sensible or just, or potentially some power-seeking Victorian testtube-gambling society dandy?

I'd say Abe is beyond a primarily professional or skilled field agent as incapacitating threats. He doesn't seem to act on impulse but more like living by it. As if his identity would be in a crisis, or culminating towards some imminent breach or turning-point inescapably. To whatever outcome.

I'm sensing that both Hellboy and Abe's paths or most any agents their biographies involve stuff adding up both as stuff turning out rather different than expected, a bit like life itself. Or either with suspense or premisses as amounting to such. Something I would personally feel to like a great deal.
But like I said, I'm still reading as yet.

[didism]

It was a decent issue. One of a Best Abe Sapien ongoing issue to me.
Artwork was great, but It was the Way of storytelling That stunned me.
When Every Page of this issue reveals horrible, terrible secrets, It was so intense!

But most greatest thing in this Issue was one single page, page number 18.
"Memories of Her own childhood were safe, Her sister, Her parents, Before the girl.
Only think of things before the girl. There is only a dull ache in thinking of life before your child.
But how can one bear the thought of life after her."

I got an overwhelming feeling on this page, particularly by the last line.
Recently A terrible accident-Ferry sinking- happened in my country.
Death toll has jumped to 285, and most of victims were highschool students.

It is really sad accident, and I feeled Sad, yeah. but it was so big accident, and none of this seemed real to me.
but after reading that page, After reading 'But how can one bear the thought of life after her.', The feel suddenly got me.
Even this moment, The Parents who lost their sons and daughters are Shouting their child's name to the unanswering sea.
How can they bear the thought of life after their child...

[middenway]

I picked up my copy of the trade today. Strangely, this story has had a slight re-title. It's now called "The Garden (I)." I assume this means at some point in the future there will be a "The Garden (II)."