Hellboy in Hell, Vol. 2: The Death Card

By Mike Mignola

Turns out, the ghost fella who had past on had 2 buddies who were willing to help HB navigate through hell. The city they were in happens to be 1 neither had managed to walk out of yet, though. They're interrupted by a dark figure offering to play cards, so the 2 bow out as HB obliges. This ofc, turns into a fight, since HB knew him, the Vamp of Prague. As they fight, the bell rings and he turns into a bat. HB thanks the nameless man who helps the dead, the 2 parting ways.

HB looks tired and corpse-like, without his heart, and wasting away when 2 ghost docs offer him a drink. He blacks out and sees the new world tree having grown from his blood. Mab speaks through Alice of the old world being near the end. When he comes to, the ghost docs warn of HB looking bad, and it quite possible he could get worse. They advise he get the help from a 3rd fella currently on trial. He gets off though, and it angers the opposer. HB gets the back story from this Doc Hoffman, who knew Wilhelm in life at college. Wilhelm created a golem, and had asked for Hoffman's help, he instead befriending it, til it goes inevitably nuts, and the town blames Wilhelm, drives him out, and he freezes to death. Hoffman gives HB a draught to stave further weakness til his illness could be cured fully. Then, when Wilhelm returns Hoffman's plan is to trap his spirit in a dead cat he had in the room, HB being volunteered to keep him busy. HB accepts, but gets a good run, since Wilhelm is huge!

HB successfully helps trap Wilhelm and Hoffman offers to lead him to where he could get a more permanent cure. They go to a grey area where the Furies would meet them. They repeat of HB's transgressions of murder, and Hoffman attempts to defend HB's honor, but whilst he hadn't killed his bros or unc. as accused, he's reminded of when he was a kid and is coaxed by his half sis to look at nekkid chicks at the circus. She refuses to believe it still isn't HB's fault, and he learns of her fate after the Furies would torture her. She would follow a river of blood to Satan, go crazy for his death, and the heart of hell crumble, due to it.

Open to a few demons chatting about how many well-known demons had died, so far. They still don't know of Satan, and thought the most highest up would be with him, their masters not liking Satan, but it being what it is. The group starts walking to fight HB, who shows himself, and fights them willingly. HB has settled into this new 2nd life, and as he's fighting, he gets trapped, a lady telling them to fuck off, right before 1 was about to cut HB's head off. When they leave, HB is reminded of his hubby, who he'd married in Mexico, and by morning was trying to kill him. She then admits to having urged him to kill Satan. She also tells of having kept his pop's ring, and gives him another in trade, most likely his wedding band. She relates of what he'd need to do in order to get his new life, but he must complete his original.

Grandson goes to his g/ma, nearly, since he's become blind, so she comes to his call, and he tells her how so much had changed, since he'd been back last. He tells of going to the higher ups with some others, to offer himself as a slave for safety. The group of demons there were planning to call up the lord of the underworld, Pluto, the creator of the Ogdru Jahad. Pluto has gotten the lower down because Satan had won their 1k years fight. As these fools chat, G/son sees HB's "fight" with his bros and unc., then Behemoth, afterward lightning from HB's hand, then from HB breaking off his horns, which G/son then goes blind. His G/ma states of this action marking the end. Meanwhile, HB walks til reaching normal colored sea sky, and further on to a house, and it seeming like he'd made it home. Crazy damn story! I heard of how Mignola initially wanted to turn this into a Dante's Inferno-style story, making it much longer. Whilst I can appreciate the yearning, I'm glad he hadn't, since I read it, and unless he was violating them demons in a similarly crazy fashion, this is a fine way to finish off his time in hell. Now, to begin a couple of the novels!