Review: Hellboy Winter Special The Yule Cat One-Shot

For those in the know Christmas brings out a whole range of new words that at any other time of the year make no sense whatsoever. Take yule-hole for example, which is the extra hole you may make in your belt when you need to loosen your trousers / pants after eating a hearty Christmas dinner. (It’s a thing….go look it up if you don’t believe me!). What does this all mean for something called the Yule Cat?

The Yule Cat is an Icelandic tale told to frighten children, but when sent to Reykjavik on what appears to be a whim, Hellboy finds that there is more than a mystic moggy at play!

Fan favourite Matt Smith pulls double duty in this winter special. Plot wise, its a very simple story; threat comes to town, Hellboy goes town, Hellboy takes on threat! Seems pretty much by the numbers. However, Smith introduces nuances to the book that indicates a long game in play. How this fits into the overall Hellboy mythology will be interesting; does it have a place or is this retro-continuity with which to play with later? To be honest, I am not sure and at this point I am not sure that I care that much; I am just along for the very enjoyable, if not particularly unchallenging ride. I do love the birds though!

Smith also provides the art in a kind of ersatz Mike Mignola style. The influences are obvious throughout the book. I love Mignola art, so with so much homage, I am kind of on the fence. Smith tries to add his touches to proceedings with a range of off-kilter faces which adds to the overall expected horror vibe. In the past, when reading a Mignola-verse book the heavy colors of black and red of Dave Stewart would be present. This time around Chris O’Halloran drops a frosty scheme with greys and blues to highlight the ghostly going ons. Letters are provided by Clem Robins with a font that works well, allowing the not quite verbose Hellboy to be his usual sullen self. Finally, for Mignola fans, there is a variant cover you can choose.

When it comes to keeping fans appetite whetted, Dark Horse has to be one of the best companies around. Their one-shots and mini-series seem to have a point to make or a step in the characters journey, unlike other companies with a pointless six part run that goes nowhere! This book is a true winter solstice for Hellboy fans!

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 3.5 Stars
Colors – 3.5 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Written by; Matt Smith
Art by; Matt Smith
Colors by; Chris O’Halloran
Letters by; Clem Robins
Variuant Covers by; Mike Mignola
Published by; Dark Horse Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network