Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953 #3–5 — Beyond the Fences

[timaximus]

Pretty solid start for Roberson, and I wasn't expecting it to tie-in to 1948. That was a nice surprise. I liked the art a lot, too, but are Hellboy's feet usually drawn like that? The big boots seemed really weird to me.

[LobsterJohnson]

Pretty solid start for Roberson, and I wasn't expecting it to tie-in to 1948. That was a nice surprise. I liked the art a lot, too, but are Hellboy's feet usually drawn like that? The big boots seemed really weird to me.

Hellboy normally has hooves, but I guess he wears boots now as this is early in his career and he might still be trying to be as normal as possible. That's my guess.

[Joker]

He wore boots in 1952 and all of 1953 prior to this issue. He's not wearing boots by 1956 (King Vold) and possibly as soon as 1954 (The Nature of the Beast) but it's too hard to tell. He isn't wearing boots in any of his child appearances, either, so it's hard to know exactly when he started wearing them. (or filing down his horns, but I'd wager they're about the same time)

[Skinkie]

Well the horns was 1948 as we saw him take a saw to them, and their gone during Vampire which I think also takes place in 48.

Maybe the boots come and go in his early years. Guess we'll see

[Kees_L]

Boots? Now there's a pickle.

Since Hellboy is an evilspawn from hell he has cold feet on earth all the time or either never at all. Didn't he travel to Africa really early of? Maybe Africa got him to quit the silly things.

What does it take to ponder on barefootedness for anyone 'though? Hippiedom? Black Goddess worship? Hygiene? I'd consider it likely.

Although hooves will be shoes to begin with, the kind that shouldn't come off expectedly, for which boots would only be seeming a li'l rich. Like snake skin ones :-].

[Joker]

Well the horns was 1948 as we saw him take a saw to them, and their gone during Vampire which I think also takes place in 48.

Maybe the boots come and go in his early years. Guess we'll see

Thanks, I didn't have those handy to reference.

[middenway]

Well the horns was 1948 as we saw him take a saw to them, and their gone during Vampire which I think also takes place in 48.

Maybe the boots come and go in his early years. Guess we'll see

Well, he let them grow back after 1948. In Vampire he has already let them grow out a bit, and by The Midnight Circus they've filled out considerably. (Incidentally, The Midnight Circus is the first time Hellboy appears with hair on his scalp. He starts growing hair on his scalp as he hits puberty, just like a boy starts growing a beard.) In The Devil's Wings (1949) Hellboy is now sawing down his horns on a regular basic. Still going barefoot though. My guess is he put on boots when he had to start meeting people outside of the Bureau. In They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships we see some guy staring blatantly at Hellboy's feet, and Hellboy just shrugs it off. But I don't think that would have always been the case. Also, perhaps he started wearing boots when he became a Bureau agent so as to present himself as more professional. After all, he had more to prove back then.

[Kees_L]

Well, he let them grow back after 1948. In Vampire he has already let them grow out a bit, and by The Midnight Circus they've filled out considerably. (Incidentally, The Midnight Circus is the first time Hellboy appears with hair on his scalp. He starts growing hair on his scalp as he hits puberty, just like a boy starts growing a beard.) In The Devil's Wings (1949) Hellboy is now sawing down his horns on a regular basic. Still going barefoot though. My guess is he put on boots when he had to start meeting people outside of the Bureau. In They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships we see some guy staring blatantly at Hellboy's feet, and Hellboy just shrugs it off. But I don't think that would have always been the case. Also, perhaps he started wearing boots when he became a Bureau agent so as to present himself as more professional. After all, he had more to prove back then.

Stuff like Hellboy and his hooves or horns I take as bits of fun, jesting on the side, same as Abe wearing a raincoat and shades and a stick-on beard, because Abe or Hellboy couldn't go incognito even if they wanted to. They couldn't become inconspicuous even if they wanted to. No alter ego silliness possible. I really like those jokes, which I tend to take as non-traditional, non-superhero riffs kind of.

But also I take it the Mignola storytelling is making fun of any being *realistical / unrealistical* because it is pretty silly to prefer or detest the one or the other for narratives or whatever, since not even reality itself will be appearing realistical all that much.

I haven't caught up on 1952/1953 yet but if Hellboy really appears to be wearing boots, I don't think they'd be just ordinary boots. More like something resembling them since Big Red would be preferring his actual footing, since *realistically* to Hellboy any footwear would be like wearing slippers over shoes or vice-versa, I'd be to think.

I could even believe that Hellboy would be Hellboy as with having hooves to begin with, mainly as a joke, like if mr Mike would have ever been having a name for not drawing feet too much as being a nice bit of fun to be underlining with hooves instead of feet. It would be funny.

[Kirby101]

Good issue, loved the art. The Rivera son/father team is great,hope they do lot's more HB. That two page spread was awesome.

[Kirby101]

No comments about issue #2?
Another fun chapter, with more great Rivera art.

[middenway]

No comments about issue #2?
Another fun chapter, with more great Rivera art.

I totally agree. Beyond the Fences has been fantastic.

[thwhtGuardian]

I liked that Hellboy wasn't too concerned with killing the dog, but rather seemed to want to capture it which reminds me of the story by Powell about Hellboy and Mac.

[LobsterJohnson]

The last issue was great!
spoilers:

I didn't expect the statue from Tony Masso's Finest Hour to show up here, but it's really cool that it did. I love how that statue has shown up in so many of the different Hellboy books.

end of spoilers.

[Joker]

I liked this. I liked the two previous one shot issues more. Those were just more my speed.

[highlandhellboy]

Loved this issue, Can't wait for more.