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Sledgehammer 44: Lightning War #1

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    Nolando
    Senior Member

  • Sledgehammer 44: Lightning War #1



    Released by: Dark Horse Comics
    Released on: November 27, 2013


    Mike Mignola pairs with industry vet John Arcudi to bring another new character to life in the Hellboy universe. Sledgehammer 44 refers to Captain Fields, another “monster” of immense power in the keeping of Professor Bruttenholm and the B.P.R.D. As this series opens, he's apparently reticent beyond measure, not even speaking to anyone anymore, much less taking on any missions.

    The Professor is worried about his humanity but Miss Gallaragas, more like his caseworker, is convinced that Fields is still present, still with them and still concerned with helping. However, in a grisly flashback, we're shown the reason as to why Sledgehammer 44 is reluctant - he can apparently harvest enough energy to reduce everything around him to atoms.

    But it's not that destructive power that's eating at him. Rather, it's the potential pointlessness of it, of not altering or truly saving anything, as his soul is adrift in powerful metal armor. He dreams of the infinite, yet realizes he's very firmly grounded on Earth and is confused by that.


    Meanwhile, in Nazi Germany, Hitler gains the services of another monster, a skeletal near-apparition that commands an impressive set of powers such as flying and discharging deadly blasts from his bare hands. The B.P.R.D. discover this monster's existence after a top-secret Allied plane is stolen by the monster mid-air and an on-board photographer manages to escape with evidence of the theft.


    So, Miss Gallaragas offers Sledgehammer 44 another mission: To save the brave young captain of that secret plane who's now been captured and enduring probably torture at the hands of the Nazis. She spares nothing in an attempt to appeal to Sledgehammer 44's humanity, wanting to prove not just to Bruttenholm but also to Sledge' himself that he is still indeed human and can have a positive impact on the world around him. Whatever she says works because, surprisingly, he accepts the mission. But the mission proves to be short-lived as Nazi spies find their ways to sabotage it and hand him over to their overlords, by the hands of this new monster…

    The character and story here are fascinating, well-paced and entertaining. It's just darn impressive that Mignola et al. can still mine this world and find new ways to introduce entirely new characters with their own compelling storylines. And the artwork here by Laurence Campbell is outstanding, as if it's almos straining to escape from the page, so dramatic are the illustrations. Sledgehammer 44: Lightning War represents the best pairing possible for this line of story and artwork and shouldn't be missed.
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