Reddit reviews Hellboy Library Edition, Volume 1: Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil

The beginning. It's pretty much as simple as that.

Here are some fairly comprehensive reading orders, and here is another one, but if you've got the money to drop I'd say just grab the first library edition and go from there.

http://www.amazon.com/Hellboy-Library-Seed-Destruction-Devil/dp/1593079109/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451027927&sr=8-1&keywords=hellboy+library+edition

Beautiful hardcovers at a great price. Start at volume one, finish at volume six.

I mean...where else? https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1593079109/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519081710&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=hellboy+library+edition&psc=1

See if there are any sales on comixology.

Warning! Long-as-shit recommendation post incoming!

Halo:

There are several ones published by Marvel, haven't read any but my friend, whose a big Halo fan liked Halo: Blood line by Fred Van Lente

Mass Effect:

These are all written by Mac Walters, the lead writer of Mass Effect 3

• Mass effect: Redemption Liara tries to find Shepard body, set between the intro of ME2 and when Shepard wakes up in the Cerberus Lab.
  
  
• Mass Effect: Evolution The origins of the Illusive Man, set during the first contact war.
  
  
• Mass Effect: Invasion Aria defends Omega against husks and Cerberus, explains why she's on the citadel and sets the Stage for the Omega DLC
  
  
• Mass Effect: Blasto: Eternity is Forever The most glorious of all comic books.
  
  Star Wars:
  
  
• Star Wars by Brian Wood and Carlos D'Anda, set directly after Ep IV, the first TPB isn't out yet, go pick it up in floppies.
  
  
• Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi set waay back in the time-line, before Star Wars: KOTOR and Old Republic, focuses on the discovery of the Sith species among other things.
  
  
• Star Wars: Dark Empire and Empire's end set after the movies, features the return of a character, Don't want to spoil who it is. Sets the stage for Crimson Empire.
  
  
• Star Wars: Crimson Empire I,II,III (there's a collected version with all three), Follows the last Imperial Guardsman(the dudes in red armor) on his quest to bring the traitors of the Empire to justice
  
  
• Star Wars Legacy I, Star Wars: Legacy II just got started and it's been really good so far. Set 130 years after the movies, I follows Cade Skywalker and him coming to terms with his legacy. II follows Ania Solo, who's not force-sensitive, who has to deal with finding a lightsaber and being hunted by Imperial Knights(Imperial Jedi).
  
  
• Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, set before the video game, follows Zayne Carrick after he's been accused of murdering his fellow Padawans. No worth reading after the main plot ends.
  
  
• Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi, starts with the founding of the Jeda'ii order and first contact with the Rakata's Infinite Empire and their Force Hounds, The Next arc will be the Force Wars(the first schism between the light and the Dark side)
  
  They have 25$ omnibii for most of the series they've made, except for the new Legacy, Star Wars by Brian Wood and Dawn of the Jedi.
  
  
  Lighthearted books:
  
  
• Adventure Time by Ryan North with art by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb.
  
  
• Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon by Paul Tobin and Ron Chan a digital series on Dark Horse Digital, will be collected into a Hardcover eventually.
  
  
  Sci-Fi:
  
  
• Saga by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples, two lover are hunted across the galaxy by bounty hunters and military police. It's also weeeeeeiiiiird and at times disgusting.
  
  There are also several Firefly/Serenity comics if that your thing, they are all good.
  
  
  
• Spiderman
  
  The best place to start is the current Superior Spider-man, Which stars a slightly different Peter Parker
  
  
  
• Batman:
  
  
• Batman By Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, it's batman bringing justice to the superstitious and cowardly lot that is criminals, there really isn't more to it.
  
  
• Batman Beyond it's a digital series on Comixology.com and other digital comics sites.
  
  Stuff with Vikings:
  
  
• Northlanders by Brian wood.
  
  
  Other Recommendations:
  
  
• Hellboy by Mike Mignola
  
  
• B.P.R.D. by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Scott Allie and various artists
  
  
• Francesco Francavilla's The Black Beetle(HC isn't out yet added digital bundle link)
  
  
• Mind MGMT by Matt Kindt
  
  Also Check out the sidebar's ''Where to Start reading'' section -------------->
  
  EDIT: cleaned up a bit.
  
  EDIT 2: Links, added links to digital version where I couldn't find floppies or HC/TPB that had come out yet. Reading Digital comics on a Tablet is recommended. Dark Horse has their own app, and Comixology has most publishers except Dark Horse and some smaller ones.

Hey, welcome to /r/comicbooks! This is definitely the place to ask any questions you have about comics!

I think you've got a pretty good list there. Here's a few more of my personal favorites that I think would fit in well with the kind of comics you want:

• Astro City vol. 1: Life in the Big City by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
  
• Hellboy vol. 1 by Mike Mignola and John Byrne
  
• Grendel vol. 1 by Matt Wagner
  
• Planetary vol. 1 by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday
  
• Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross
  
• Justice League of America: Year One by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson
  
• Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity by Matt Wagner
  
  And these are some books that I think will be good for people who have liked the various comic book movies of the last decade:
  
  
  
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting
  
• Iron Man: The Five Nightmares by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca
  
• Thor: The God Butcher by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic
  
• Avengers: Endless Wartime by Warren Ellis and Mike McKone
  
• Avengers Assemble: Science Bros. by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Stefano Caselli
  
• Spider-Man: Family Business by Mark Waid and Gabrielle Dell'Otto
  
• Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 1 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Paul Pelletier
  
• Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid and Leinil Yu
  
• Batman: The Man Who Laughs by Ed Brubaker and Doug Mahnke

The best way to read Hellboy is to get the Library Editions. They're gorgeous hardcovers, collecting Hellboy from the beginning.

• Hellboy, Vol. 1 Seed of Destruction & Wake the Devil
  
• Hellboy, Vol. 2 The Chained Coffin, The Right Hand of Doom & Others
  
• Hellboy, Vol. 3 Conqueror Worm & Strange Places
  
• Hellboy, Vol. 4 The Crooked Man & The Troll Witch
  
• Hellboy, Vol. 5 Darkness Calls & The Wild Hunt
  
• Hellboy, Vol. 6 The Storm and the Fury and the Bride of Hell

Nice! You're welcome :)

If you're not reading digital and money isn't an issue, get the oversized library editions!

If you want to go cheaper, either get the TPB (just start with Hellboy Vol 1: Seed of Destruction) or, if waiting is not a problem, they're re-releasing the whole series as omnibuses starting in may (4 consecutive volumes and 2 short story collections). That should be the most cost effective option to get the whole story.

Just for future reference I recommend the Darkhorse Library editions. They are awesome value for money in my opinion:

http://www.amazon.com/Hellboy-Library-Edition-Volume-Destruction/dp/1593079109/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370907062&sr=8-2&keywords=hellboy+library

I basically started fresh with Hellboy recently. I loved the concept, so I had little doubt that I wouldn't love the writing or surrounding characters as well.

Thanks to /r/comicbooks, I picked up the first 3 Hellboy Library Editions and the Plague of Frogs books from BPRD.

It definitely wasn't a financially wise decision, and I got lucky bc I really liked what I read. But, it's just one route to go if you're sure on the Mignolaverse.

I am so happy to see the Mingola-verse getting more love here lately.

MY HUMBLE OPINION ON HOW TO GET INTO HELLBOY AND/OR B.P.R.D. FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED BUT INTIMIDATED:

-First off, all supplementary books (which is everything not titled "Hellboy" or "B.P.R.D.") are not absolutely necessary. They add to the character depth, and offer some fun stories, but you can get the whole story from either Hellboy or B.P.R.D. by just reading those titles exclusively.

-Secondly, know that you can enjoy both Hellboy and B.P.R.D. separately from each other. I read Hellboy first, but it is not necessary to have read Hellboy in order to enjoy the story of B.P.R.D.. Hellboy seldom comes up in the canon B.P.R.D. stories, and even then, they either do a brief flashback/explanation to why, or you simply don't need to know.

-Your two jumping on points are: Hellboy vol. 1, Seed of Destruction and B.P.R.D. Plague of Frogs TP vol. 1

-Yes, I understand that starting this way with B.P.R.D. is technically a spoiler for Hellboy. If that concerns you, just avoid it and read Hellboy. I included both because they have different feels to them in terms of art and the types of stories. Some people will enjoy the brooding, stylistic nature of Hellboy and its focus on ancient folklore. Others may like the larger cast of characters and tightly plotted B.P.R.D., basically a detective team book featuring supernatural villains and world-wide implications.

-If you prefer starting from the beginning with Hellboy, and either really enjoyed the vol. 1 TPB or know you'll start fresh there, then I recommend the Library Editions, starting with Volume 1. That's an Amazon link, but I still prefer ordering from instocktrades, which I include in other links. They're oversized which highlight's Mignola's signature art, feature tons of extras, and look gorgeous on a shelf. If you want to get through them quickly and cheaply, buy the TPBs or check for when Dark Horse has a sale on their digital comics.

-With the Library Editions, the official story for B.P.R.D. begins after the events included in Library Edition Volume 3.

-As you may notice in the link above, the first book for B.P.R.D. I linked is only about a dollar more expensive than the first Hellboy TPB, but is actually 408 pages! These are paperback "omnibus" reprintings of the B.P.R.D. hardback collections (which in that form are still a deal too, imo. Just if you prefer hardback). You get the equivalent of three B.P.R.D. TPBs in one of these, for eleven freakin' dollars! It's honestly hard for me to think of a better value on the market right now equal in terms of quality of the physical book, quality of the story, and quantity of story. Fret not, Volume 2 of the paperback version comes out in late January. You'll be able to collect all of them by the end of next year likely, for around $45! That's 12 TPBs, if you're counting along.

I'll also say that personally, by the end of the third Plague of Frogs volume, it had me hooked unlike any other book before. It's why Arcudi is one of my favorite writers now. He's developed these characters to a point where you love them. They make me mad when they make rash decisions, or happy when something good comes their way. I'm sympathetic to their plight. I honestly think I like it better than Hellboy now. I really enjoy the style and story to Hellboy, but I've never felt connected to the book like I am with B.P.R.D.

Anyway, that's my gush for the day. Hopefully I've consolidated what seems like a daunting amount of material into a handful of affordable books. It's such an interesting mythos, there's nothing else like it out there. If you have any other questions, let me know!

Have to second this, they are shockingly cheap on amazon and the larger size exemplifies Mignola's art.

I love hellboy too, but I've been buying these library editions from amazon. They're amazing. Hellboy Library Edition Vol 1

yes, i just looked them up - you can find them here. looks like i shortchanged the price, they're $35 each (sorry about that /u/T_diddles)

I keep a couple of the Hellboy Library editions next to my Farside Anthology.

Also the older Sin City bundle looks really slick on a shelf. I had to relocate it to another room because there's nipples on the spine for Vol. 4. and I can't have the little nephew finding it.