Another Thrilling Tale In The ‘Hellboy’ Universe — Reviewing ‘Shadow Of The Golden Crane’ #1

Welcome to the table,

Now that was a rad start to a Hellboy story!

Before I get started, I’m going to tell you flat out, my first published work in a mainstream comic was in a Michael Avon Oeming and Brian J. Glass comic called Mice Templar. I was invited to do the art for the histories section in the style of a medieval tapestry. To have my work seen was so huge for me and will be something I am grateful for, for the rest of my life.

I’m also a loyal, loving follower of Hellboy and the universes that Mike Mignola has created. I view his efforts as a cornerstone of our larger  cultural conversation. The work that Mignola does in lore building and mythos is a piece of our living history, and is as important as the works of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, or Aesop.

All that of that said, this comic is already a perfect storm of creators that matter to me and what I value in the comics and larger literature space.

Let’s get into it!

Shadow of the Golden Crane is a new four issue miniseries focused on agent Sue Xiang that ties in with Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1950 and it is such a rad read!

The book is helmed by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, with artist Michael Avon Oeming lending his moody and moving lines. The story kicks off where all good stories do, talking about storytelling.

We immediately get treated to a story that is going to hop back and forth from the past to storyline present. It creates a dreamlike webwork of connecting the “then” and “now” that makes Su Xiange, the vision-having B.P.R.D. agent, feel way more grounded as part of the larger Hellboy mythology that we have come to know and love.

There is a page early on that showcases a collection of men, women, and children through the ages who are all members of the Golden Crane Society, a group of protectors who were a secret society of Chines monster hunters. The story is fantastically rendered and in the same fashion as the amazingly noteworthy Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea, or Panya: The Mummy’s Curse.

Shadow of the Golden Crane feels like it’s weaving itself into the very fibers of the foundation of this lore we have spent so long with. Each page enhances the lore and gives us more of the world we love.

Issue one feels like a setup for something so much larger and I can’t wait to see where this offering is going. I’m already a huge fan of the Golden Crane Society and agent Xiange. If the tip of the iceberg is such a thrilling story of cursed objects and weird transformations, the next three issues of this run are going to be another excellent addition to the lore I love.

Until next time, I’m not sure where we are going but I am for sure enjoying this ride!