Set in the Appalachians and steeped in that area's folklore, Crooked Man tells of a potentially doomed man named Tom, his intended and the hellish siren that lured him to the ways of Scratch, else known as the Crooked Man.

Hellboy is here doing what he does best. He exemplifies the defiance of fate, and he's got one mean punch. His tools to fight supernatural evil are many, and this issue he draws his mother of all pistols.

If I'm not mistaken Crooked Man occurs before Hellboy's battle against Hecate and her brood of witches. No matter. The story works well within either ends of Hellboy's continuity. If set before, it cements the witches' hatred of Hellboy. If set after, it presents a tale that continues this one-sided war. Hellboy doesn't always look for trouble. Trouble finds him. A lot of monster death could have been avoided had the creatures simply steered clear of Hellboy. They never do, and they pay for the trespass.

Though the story is presented as a traditional quest, the dialogue is anything but trite. Mignola brings regional dialect to the narrative through Tom's distinctive voice. Hellboy though looking like a beast, talks relatively normal, which is part of the character's appeal in my opinion. Hellboy is a meat and potatoes hero that's more likely to be sharing a cup of joe with the Thing than discuss supernatural dealings with Dr. Strange over jasmine tea.

Given Mignola's artistic history with his character, it's difficult to know who to precisely credit for the staging, which is expert by the way. What I can say is that Corben produces some truly eerie imagery enhanced by a minimal use of color by Dave Stewart. In addition, the art gibes with Mignola's words in particular scenes.

It's difficult to see any breaks between talents. Clem Robins types out, in a loose font, Mignola's misspelling of "nosin" and you're immediately drawn to the macabre humor of witches jutting their noses. The powerfully weird visuals of Corben are once again improved by Stewart who fluxuates the shades to emphasize their grotesque beaks.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man is so fluid and so tight that one can easily miss how impressively constructed the entire comic book happens to be.

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