Rough Trade Friday: Hellboy Blood And Iron

Now that Hellboy got some well-earned mainstream popularity thanks to Guillermo Del Toro, he's finally getting the license respect that he deserves (unlike some previous games we won't mention). While we're all waiting for Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Dark Horse is keeping all of us creepy fanboys happy with a series of animated movies which are kind of like the Ultimate Avengers flicks... except they're, you know, not pieces of crap.

Hellboy: Blood And Iron is the second animated feature starring the Jolly Red Giant (there's also a third one in the works) which first appeared on Cartoon Network before hitting store shelves on DVD. The plot follows how Hellboy's team investigates what appears to be a standard haunting, only to discover the ghosts are heralding the return of an old enemy of Professor Broom's: a vampiress based on the real-life creepshow that was Elizabeth Bathory. The plot will prove a little slow for some viewers, but I enjoyed the way that it gradually picked up momentum and reached a roaring climax for the final third of the film or so.

While the animation isn't drop-dead amazing, it's certainly better than what you'll typically see on television, and the colors are a lot brighter and more dynamic than I'm used to seeing outside of theatrical releases. Equally important is the fact that the script is written by comic creator Mike Mignola and Tad Stone, who has collaborated with Mignola before on other animated features like Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and the characters are voiced by the actors who portrayed them in the live-action movie. That last point was awesome for me, because I'm a die-hard John Hurt fan, though Ron Perlmen, Doug Jones, and Selma Blair all do a wonderful job with their roles as well.

At around 75 minutes or so, Hellboy: Blood and Iron is a fairly brief viewing experience, but it's definitely one which we recommend to anyone who's a fan of either the comics or the movie. Oh, and make sure you watch the credits all the way through: I won't give it away, but it involves one of the best cameos ever.