“Sword of Storms” is the first Hellboy Animated movie, and is so far the most epic. While the live-action movie wasn’t that close to the creepiness found in the comics, “Sword of Storms” captures that perfectly, taking our heroes all the way from ancient Japan and beyond. The story is a lot of fun and well thought out. While Jones replaces Hyde-Pierce’s voice as Abe, both Ron Pearlman and Selma Blair reprise their roles as Hellboy and Liz Sherman, respectfully, and you can tell everyone gets into their characters. This movie was epic, fun, and exciting, and definitely worth picking up if you’re a Hellboy fan.
“Blood & Iron” is the second Hellboy Animated feature, and trades in an epic scope for a much more focused one. Taking place mostly around one haunted house in New England, this story is in some ways creepier and scarier than “Sword of Storms.” Also, John Hurt joins the cast to reprise his role as Professor Broom, Hellboy’s surrogate father. This story is actually MORE violent than “Sword of Storms,” each of our characters taking a beating in some way or another.
Jones’ performances in these movies is fantastic, as is the rest of the cast. I can easily see Doug Jones doing the voice of Abe for many years to come. Luckily, we have at least one more Hellboy Animated movie in the works, as well as the live action sequel due sometime next year. Overall, these movies are great for the Hellboy fan or for the fan of action and supernatural stories. Highly recommended.