Abe Sapien is a character that I honestly don’t know much about.  Most of it stems from my lack of any real knowledge of the Hellboy universe.  I’ve read all the trades that are out there, but have yet to venture into B.R.P.D. or any other side titles.  Being the fan that I am of the series, I was more than excited to leap into Abe’s own series to get to know this guy just a little bit more.  And so far, I don’t know much.

What I do know is this:  Back in 1981, he had serious confidence issues.  But what of Abe Sapien, the man?  That’s what I would like to know, and hopefully this series can provide that picture.  The problem with it so far is that we just don’t know much.  We know some serious stuff is going down on a remote island that seems lost to time.  In this issue, something goes horribly awry, and it’s up to Abe to figure it out.  And that’s where the issue ends.

My major problem with a lot of Mignola’s work, especially when reading in issues, is that it suffers from the “What hell happened again?” syndrome.  Because his works tend to tap into complex mythologies and because most of the issues leap from different time frames and places, it can make for a very complex read.  This complexity is compounded when you crack open the cover and have no idea what’s going on until page 11 when you get that “Um…oh yeah!” moment.  My message to Mignola is this:  Put a “Previously In…” page at the beginning of each issue.  This would serve as a great guide to enjoying these series in issues more. 

What’s in this issue is servicible though, and it kept me entertained enough that I read through it.  And I’m intrigued enough that I’ll buy the next issue.  But I feel like this is going to read better in trade, much like Mignola’s last Hellboy series, which read much better all the way through. 

Alexander’s art is astounding in this issue, and I love his style.  It makes me kind of wish he would draw Hellboy and his world more often, as his dark, kinetic style really fits well into this world that Mignola has created.  I’m looking foward to seeing how dynamic his work can be when faced with drawing really big, scary ass monsters.

Overall, this issue was good, but it was missing the mechanics that make for a good single issue.  My hope is that the next issue will try to refine the story elements and really get Abe Sapien’s defining moment into gear.