series, the Witchfinder series (our own Danny’s favorite!), Frankenstein’s Dance Party, and the then still-running spawn series Lobster Johnson. By 2013, the year the first issue released, the Mignoalverse was a living, turning, surprising, and sad accumulation of not only the Hellboy storyline, but the then-main timeline B.P.R.D. Whereas Abe Sapien was the first side story in the Mignolaverse, Sledgehammer 44 was the first one-off (or two-off if you count them separately) miniseries to appear “From the pages of Hellboy”. It's a joy to add "Sledgehammer 44" #1 to that list.After finishing the sixth collected volume of Lobster Johnson, I immediately set out on the semi-sequel series. Dark Horse consistently publishes niche genre fare superb in quality and consistently worth the time and money of the growing audience it achieves. This book is an adventure and a committed tale that fans of the genre are going to love. This is an authentic document in comic form, the sort of thing we aren't graced with enough anymore. "Sledgehammer 44" #1 is interesting as a Mignola take on Iron Man but it is miles better than just a war comic with a twist. The iron man is a very weird element in this issue but it's all presented as being so up front that readers have no choice but to believe in it and allow it to run its course. It's a phenomenon experienced similarly by the ground troops, cleverly putting the reader on the same level. They don't waste time settling into the story, they simple present a man that falls from the sky straight into battle. The narrative from Mike Mignola and John Arcudi is straightforward and pleasant on many levels. The rest of the issue slows down to offer more character moments and build to a tidy little climax so there is desire to see the other half of this two issue short. Half of this issue is one large battle on the streets of France and it's a brutal and kinetic affair. The action flows whether it's gunfire or strange electrical powers from Sledgehammer. Detailed background showcase debris and a broken country. Latour's faces might be uncomplicated but he fills the rest of his pages with real aspects of war at that time. The simple faces with the pointy noses take me back to many war comics from my youth. His character designs and page layouts are so simply presented and yet evoke such real emotion. The major reason this can all tie together is the sublime work of Jason Latour. As a war comic, the tone of "Sledgehammer 44" #1 is spot on while still incorporating the strange nature of the metal suited weapon who falls from a plane encased in what looks like a bomb shell with the word "Sledgehammer" written on it.
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