Drinking heavily in Mexico after losing his good friend (and local masked wrestler/luchador) to vampire infection Hellboy gets forced to fight the mysterious challenger. I say forced because Hellboy is clearly told that his rejection of the offer will have consequences.

And so the story begins. What I liked the most is dream-like quality of the story. Art is done by Richard Corben and when it comes to this part you either like Corben's art or you don't.
For me his style was exact match with the story atmosphere but some may be put off by his caricature-like drawings (I know I had issues while reading Corben's comic Den).

Being a homage to Universal's monster movie universe, story contains them all - vampires, Frankenstein-like scientist and his creation together with werewolf. Some have greater, some minor roles (vampire scene made me laugh out loud :)) but in overall all the villains have that B-horror movie feeling (and this is why Corben's art style is excellent here) and you just feel good when they get what they deserve (although for vampire I was expecting Leslie Nielsen to show up :)).

As for Hellboy, his path is not one of peace or tranquility no matter how hard he tries to blend in the human world.

In summary very interesting setup with different art approach than what you might be accustomed to. Recommended to all fans of Hellboy universe. ( )

This was another good Hellboy story. I just wish it had been a bit longer. The story is real simple: Hellboy is sent to Mexico in the 50s to investigate a case, and he disappears for a few months. Years later, we learn the story. It is a story where he meets a local Dr. Frankenstein, a Wolfman, vampires, and a damsel in distress. And all at a time when he is working as luchador (wrestler) for hire. The comic draws on various elements: the old Mexican wrestler movies, like those of El Santo (some of which I watched in my youth by the way, the Mexican wrestling traditions, and the Universal classic monsters, but Mignola gives them a twist of his own. It is a pretty good tale, and I read it pretty fast. I only wish it would have lasted just a tad longer. But it was a good read, and one I think fans of Hellboy will like. ( )

Hellboy and monster fighting luchadors? YES! Two of my favorite things come together in the same book as Hellboy finds himself fighting monsters in Mexico and lamenting the loss of a friend by getting drunk and fighting as a luchador (masked wrestler for the uninformed).

Mignola cites Universal horror movies and El Santo as his influences (having never seen any El Santo, just liking the idea of them), and it's a beautiful thing.

This book is just fun. One thing I love about Hellboy is how the story can go from zany monster fights to poignant moments of reflection with well done ghost stories. Hellboy walks a fine line between the land of the living and the land of the dead, and that always leads to some interesting moments with Hellboy talking to ghosts he doesn't realize are ghosts. ( )