The Visitor

[Kirby101]

I liked this issue because it was about the Visitor and his life. This was nice.



Look, I get that you don't care for the style. You've made that abundantly clear. But **** like that dismisses the effort put in by Grist, and since you're not sitting at the drawing table with him, it's really not fair for you to say it, or he are uninspired.

I see what you are saying about what I said semantically. So "uninspiring art" would be the more accurate description. I assume no one wants to hear my opinion of this issue.

[topfueluhl]

I thought issue #4 was the best one so far. I wasn't expecting the story to take such an emotional turn. I am very curious to see how this ends.

[Joker]

Well this series really improved from the beginning.

I'd like to re read it in one sitting. I think it'll work better that way. A very nice end for this one.

[seusilva]

Issue 4 and 5 are great and really sad... issue 4 one of the best mignolaverse stories from this year.

[TDG]

Issue 4 did indeed have some very nice emotional moments regarding the relationship between the visitor and the woman who in her advanced age is suffering from dementia and how the visitor uses his appearance changing abilities to comfort her, but in general I don't feel that this mini series had much impact on the Hellboy verse.
I found it kind of a filler to be honest.

But perhaps this story is used as a set up to bring the alien (followers of the left hand?) back into the BPRD comic series.

[Kirby101]

I found it far from the best of anything. It was the most disappointing mini from the Hellboyverse, in both story and art, in a long time.

[thwhtGuardian]

I found it far from the best of anything. It was the most disappointing mini from the Hellboyverse, in both story and art, in a long time.

I couldn't even make it all the way through, it's the first Mignola book I've ever dropped.

[matt levin]

Ah, too bad. I've been a Paul Grist fan for a very long time and so the art, while admittedly, radically different from most Hellboyverse art, was still pleasing to me. Being entirely new to the character of the Visitor, I really liked the arc of introduction to him, his connection to Hellboy, and the conclusion of the story. Guess maybe I won't have a lot of competition for the page art, eh?

[thwhtGuardian]

The art wasn't bad, I just wish the story gave Grist more interesting stuff to draw. It was the story that was an issue for me, the pacing was far too sluggish and characterization just wasn't there for me so I dropped it after the second issue.

[grogtheslayer]

The art wasn't bad, I just wish the story gave Grist more interesting stuff to draw. It was the story that was an issue for me, the pacing was far too sluggish and characterization just wasn't there for me so I dropped it after the second issue.

I'm finding that the pacing of many of the books - not just Dark Horse, but Marvel, DC, Image, IDW, Dynamite, etc. - are suffering from what I am suspecting are bad editorial decisions impacted by the need to collect everything into a trade. I wish that comics would take a page from current televisual streaming services that will let a show go for 10 or 13 or 22 or however many episodes it takes to tell it and let the artists/creators deviate from the 5 or 6 issue arc and tell a story in as many issues as it makes sense to do. I've been reading DH books for over 20 years now and increasingly I've been dissatisfied with the ways the stories are brought to a conclusion.

[middenway]

I'm finding that the pacing of many of the books - not just Dark Horse, but Marvel, DC, Image, IDW, Dynamite, etc. - are suffering from what I am suspecting are bad editorial decisions impacted by the need to collect everything into a trade. I wish that comics would take a page from current televisual streaming services that will let a show go for 10 or 13 or 22 or however many episodes it takes to tell it and let the artists/creators deviate from the 5 or 6 issue arc and tell a story in as many issues as it makes sense to do. I've been reading DH books for over 20 years now and increasingly I've been dissatisfied with the ways the stories are brought to a conclusion.

I honestly think The Visitor would have been stronger as an original graphic novel where the chapters could be as long or short as they needed to be. #1 felt crammed, #3 felt stretched thin, and #5 could have used a little more breathing space. I really enjoyed the series overall, especially near the end, but I agree it's definitely written for the trade.

I think many books also suffer from this need to restrict the conclusion to the final issue, which often feels overstuffed. I can understand not wanting to split the conclusion over two issues though. I think that was something I enjoyed in The Sixth Gun series. When they had an ending that was too big for an issue, they just bumped up the page count from 22 to 28 or even 36. It made for much more natural endings.

[Kees_L]

I honestly think The Visitor would have been stronger as an original graphic novel where the chapters could be as long or short as they needed to be. #1 felt crammed, #3 felt stretched thin, and #5 could have used a little more breathing space. I really enjoyed the series overall, especially near the end, but I agree it's definitely written for the trade.

Aren't these comics also needed to come out as either the occasional book or be it single issues serving in an even monthly roster pretty much, without having months of no publications being to occur?

I mean, publishing multiple issue (mini) series spread out more than one full ogn at once, right?

However, in anticipation to a full Mignola-interiors comic, like HiH #10, or the Mignola/Gianni hardcover, all of the scheduled mini's or singles - for either the B.P.R.D. or Hellboy & the B.P.R.D. or Witchfinder/LoJo - all those count in their own way too?

I'm no expert but I would believe it if some titles like BPRD: The Return of the Master or The Visitor, Frankenstein Underground, Witchfinder: Unland or their issue amount comes about in order to be serving both the publishing roster as well as reader enjoyment, as good as can be? (With the one further stipulation that among those even the seemingly most 'outsider' or 'flashbacky' minis end up proving not that one bit)

Plus I seem to remember that a new writer would be brought in as especially excelling at tying all kinds of nifty stuff together, which otherwise might not.

Strictly speaking for myself only: I don't see reason to not be enjoying things as they are.

[MajorHoy]

By the way, . . .



The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed is now available in a tpb collection.

It will be coming available through places like amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com as of Tuesday (October 17th).

[middenway]

Strictly speaking for myself only: I don't see reason to not be enjoying things as they are.

I was speaking more about American floppies in general. I didn't grow up with the format and it always feels... frustratingly confined, I guess. And I honestly believe not all stories are suited to the format. The Visitor is one of those stories. The pacing suffered as a result of the issue breaks, I felt. That said, I still loved the book.

[Kees_L]

I was speaking more about American floppies in general. I didn't grow up with the format and it always feels... frustratingly confined, I guess. And I honestly believe not all stories are suited to the format. The Visitor is one of those stories. The pacing suffered as a result of the issue breaks, I felt. That said, I still loved the book.

Understood. I must stress again I spoke strictly for myself there, so I wasn't trying or aiming to critize others.

I don't know about my growing up to formats (like I mainly feel it's up to myself to get with whatever I wish to get with - for as long as I can remember) but I too will have my opinions. I guess generally I feel I want to be (or become) able to admire how creatives seem to just work with whatever window a job or story might be to get publishing-wise. It can be a backup story or a major feature, spread out or kept short, but it seems up to creatives to work with whatever such as how they best could, like as part of their job.

I hardly feel prone to be comparing either "US-style" or "European-style" (or what have you) as formats, because in my view there aren't such norms per se. As a youthful reader I've felt that a good number of US books appear to go all out in terms of graphical perspectives whereas European titles may hone simpler flows, but there are so many exceptions from Moebius to Watterson and everyone else that I personally just mainly try to get out from stories whatever I'm able to. And to me it doesn't seem like comics are always finetunable endlessly, but the reverse more rather, like they have to cometo fruition from a limited or restrained capacity, as why I can admire them pretty easily and comfortably when I can.

Which is me babbling, since I've shelved this and a lot of other books, because this year so many Mignolaverse titles have been popping up in herds.