Hellboy, Vol. 2: Wake the Devil

By Mike Mignola

On the Northern end of Norway in the Arctic Circle, 2 men helicopter over a towering property, which shouldn't have been there. The 1 man instructs the other as he trudges through the ankle-deep snow to the entrance. He's met by some skeletons who used to be soldiers. As he looks around he can't believe his eyes, then he's shouted at to not move.

A year after, in N.Y., a seemingly German man is shot repeatedly, he shouting out the lady's name, Ilsa who he is looking at. In BPRD HQ, HB and team are being told of a man called Vladimir Giurescu, an officer in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars, his nationality unknown. Napoleon knew of his and as a nicknamed called him "the devil". He's nearly killed by a terrible wound, but is completely renewed after a couple weeks, the doc claiming he'd die within the hour.

This process recurs just over a handful of times throughout the war, and in 1882 he's 1st referred as a vampire. In 1944, Hitler orders the deaths of the Giurescu fam, the 7 members impaled with heads cut off, the ashes sent to Hitler. Yet Giurescu may still live, since Hans Ubler, the elderly man shot multiple times, had worked on many projects for Hitler. Next they learn of Ilsa's involvement, and the sign of their project found written in Hans' blood.

So, they suspect Giurescu's body would soon be revived with the coming full moon. The plan moving forward would have HB paired with the new guy, Leach, and everyone else coupled off to locate the castle. HB knows they're heading for a runaround, but he knew some tasty spots in Romania he could hit. Meanwhile, Ilsa in Romania is speaking to Giurescu presumably, she having the soldiers prepare the room for his revival.

Flying over Romania, HB is coaxed by Abe to share his concerns, and he relates how wrong the sorcerer was about he wanting to learn his true self, then betting nothing would come from his mission, Liz taking him on before he jumps from the plane. The fancy rocket flyer thing attached to his back merely explodes rather than allowing him to drive his way down, he shooting forward into the ceiling of the building where Ilsa is ordering some guy who refused to go look for the 2 guys who'd left earlier to prepare. Ilsa's bertaing the guy to act like a dog when HB falls in, she recognizing him, and calmly ordering he be shot, but the soldier runs. So, a big cyborg-armed fella pissed HB off when he starts whacking him with his detachable chain-linked fist.

HB punches him so hard, both of them fall through the floor, Ilsa's history with the sorcerer is revealed, and how her faith to him had kept her alive to serve Rasputin. In present day, she's visited by Rasputin's spirit, he telling of having visited the sleeping 7. In one home, an old man is instructing his daughter on how the rest of the night would go before she fled with her kids in the morning to her sister, without him. HB's looking for Giurescu when he meets a skeleton willing to lead him, showing him where pics of the 6 ladies killed were set, and how Giurescu hadn't listened when the skeleton had warned him, he reviving a lady who slept a thousand years.

The skeleton had saved his son Vlad with her help, turning him. By this point it's obvious the skeleton was actually wasting his time, stabs him, so HB finishes him, next locating the moon door he'd mentioned. Unfortunately, he meets the women of Thessaly, huge-ass birds ready to attack. HB is wildly fighting off the bird women, when his gun backfires, so he subs it for a good ole fashioned sword, Giurescu waking and threatening him, so HB stabs a bird as he talks shit back at him.

HB knocks him down when he tries flying away, following him down a crypt outside the building. He loses him in the water, the creature disappearing and snakes jumping out at him, as well as holding a couple, discouraged as the skeleton asks for Hecate's help. Meanwhile, Ilsa is chatting with Rasputin. Rasputin tells of how lost he'd felt in life, and Baba Yaga helping him by protecting half his soul in the world tree.

Ilsa agrees to be reborn as Rasputin had, and by next sunrise, she'd be changed. Leach is asking Liz how she could still work with BPRD after her experience being drained by the sorcerer, she sharing her tragic tale of losing her fam at 11. Then they discover a hidden door with symbols on the wall. When they get in, there's plenty to see in the alchemist's lab.

They discover a homunculus with a steel trap in his chest, they not knowing what it was for, but Liz sparking it with her finger. It immediately blows, but not before bringing the homunculus to life, he killing one of their guys before jumping through the rock wall. Then in Norway, Von Klempt's head is recovered by Kurtz and Kroenen. The intent is to make Von Klempt one of their crew.

Back in Romania, the old man, Stephen is prompting his old priest friend, Nicholas of the danger coming with Giurescu's return, and trying to make him run, as well. HB is trying to contact BPRD to update them on his plan of blowing up the property with it's old explosives on timer, whilst he waited for them to retrieve him back in town. His name is called from the drop he'd followed Giurescu through earlier. Giurescu keeps calling til HB hears and follows his voice, daring him to fight, then Hecate in bird form interrupting, HB not having time to mess around, since the bomb had only a little over half hour before going off.

When Hecate addresses HB in her natural form, he denies being the 1 she spoke of being prophesied about. She also tries to keep HB with her, but he refuses, and she doesn't take it well, so he socks her in the face. She tells of the 4 horsemen already on Earth, and HB stakes her in her snake body. As he falls with her from the tower, the explosives finally go off, the property now rubble. BPRD gets HB's call, but can't understand his message, so when they hear from one of their other guys, Clark saying he could see a huge explosion, they could guess what HB had done.

Abe and Clark get the ok to check on him if their area was all clear. Ilsa and Rasputin walk to an opening like a man hole, it opening and a statue being pushed out. The old man, Koku who pushed it out, explains the Iron Maiden was a gift to Ilsa from Baba Yaga. Rasputin thanks him, asking after Baba Yaga, who HB had already met, and shot her eye out, so she stays in the thrice-tenth kingdom, not far from her chicken leg house. Ilsa must die a little to join Rasputin, so agrees to use the Iron Maiden for him.

Before Koku leaves, Rasputin has him send the message to Baba Yaga of HB's death planned for this same night, the 2 parting ways with the thought of too many humans mucking about to not require being careful. At the castle, HB is dug back up, and the men are preparing to strap him to the roof of the car; This was a fam tradition for them. In Norway, Kroenen speaks of the army being ready to Von Klempt, who doesn't get why they'd want to destroy the world rather than rule it. Leopold ends up getting stabbed by Kroenen regretfully, in order to save Van Klempt, who had spoken against Rasputin's plan.

In Romania, Rasputin has HB tied up, talking of how he's had to proceed, since HB had become useless. He shares how Liz had attempted to get rid of her power, and many had been punished for it, HB's path ending here, and Rasputin walking away with farewell. BPRD contacts Abe and Clark, they confirming they were tracking HB's belt signal, and would carefully make contact. They reach the town and immediately see it's off, no one around, until meeting a priest, but upon getting close, see HB's belt hanging off him, and when Abe touches his shoulder, the head topples off, the 2 falling through the floor. Clark is impaled by a wooden spike, Clark having been holding his wrist, til he lets go, and Abe falls the rest of the way down, hearing then seeing Rasputin talking of the havoc he'd caused to Liz and HB, and Abe was next.

He disappears, and the head of the man speaks of Num-Yabisc and bells tolling for him. HB comes to, shouting for Giurescu, he hearing a voice, then seeing a figure on a horse, telling how he'd assaulted him, and Hecate's blood was coursing through him. He goes on to declare of getting HB's blood, his response being bored af. The next few moments, HB is jangled by a loud explosion, both horse and fella only leaving bones.

The birds share of Hecate having the power to return to Earth, this sobering HB. Then, the Iron Maiden has a voice yelling through the force of her growing snake tail, HB falling down. When he is given a response to his q of where he was, it completely black, the voice says it is called Chaos, among other things, and it also was about to tell his destiny, which HB again shuts down. They ask once more, and HB gives them a no, again still denying after they grow his horns back out.

He denies them still saying he'd choose what he likes, and after tearing off his fresh horns, he meets a lady in his crew on his way out, she seeing Giurescu's skeleton nearby, they then getting out by helicopter. In Norway, Kroenen is experimenting on a body when he starts arguing with Von Klempt, Rasputin interrupting, blinding Zinco, who then touches something which makes the place blow up. HB's BPRD crew are unable to recover the living Iron Maiden or Giurescu's skeleton. Also the head of Father Nicholas doesn't speak after, but paranormal events happen around it, now currently in an institute in France.

At Yggdrasil, Rasputin is met by grandma, Baba Yaga questioning him on what he plans by immortalising Ilsa. Rasputin isn't sure, but he does see her house on a chicken leg, his goal to become a god being met with acceptance before he departs. Always knew going forward would be worth it. Continuing on!