This volume is divided into two parts, illustrated by different artists, but connected to the story of Tom Ferrel:
1.- THE CROOKED MAN:
This story takes place in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, USA, in 1958.
Hellboy is looking for Cora Fisher for being a supposed witch who left a girl catatonic, at that moment an old resident named Tom Ferrel appears, he discovers a Witch-Ball that hurt her.
Tom Ferrel goes with Hellboy to look for Cora, whom he met as a child and is surprised that she is a witch now.
The reason why Tom left the town is because he met the witch Effie, who taught him to summon the devil using a ritual to get a lucky bone by boiling a cat. But Tom escaped without ever using this bone, now he owes something to Crooked Man.
They get Cora who became a witch after a personal loss and is a Puppet of Effie, who arrives with a horse that is actually Tom's father, who dies at the time.
Tom is going to take his father to be buried, accompanied by Hellboy and Cora. But she stops when she reaches the territory of the Melungeun witches, she dies on the journey.
Upon arriving at the church, they are surrounded by witches, Father Nathaniel accompanied by the ghost of Cora who helps him understand what is happening.
Crooked Man arrives at the site to claim Tom's soul because years ago he had given him the bone that carries great power of witches. Crooked Man when he was alive and caused misfortunes in the American war of independence by arming both sides and stealing their souls. In the end they hanged him, that's why his neck is crooked.
Reverend Nathaniel Armstrong takes Tom's wishbone and invokes the Holy Spirit and melts a cross on the shovel, which becomes a weapon that Hellboy uses to hit Crooked Man, thus eliminating him and all the black magic of the witches who accompanied them.
Tom and Hellboy use the spindle for the last time by freeing all the souls trapped by Crooked Man who were in jars full of horrifying insects.
Effie is now old, the years are showing and she has no powers, so Hellboy and Tom punish her by putting the bridles of the horse that Tom's father had on her. She is now a mare that will live eternally suffering like an animal.
This story is chilling, it mixes folk horror with the story of witches and introduces us to a horrifying being that has been working for the devil for centuries.
This comic was used for the script of the upcoming movie with the same name, which if they capture even half of its chilling story, will be a huge hit and an instant cult movie.
Rating Tale 1
5 out of 5
Art
Richard Corben is a legend who achieves that detailed art with a perfect gloomy tone, but his import seems like little germs that come together to form this masterpiece.
Rating tale 1
5 out of 5
2.- THE RETURN OF EFFIE KOLB
This story takes place in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia, USA, in the year 1961.
Hellboy meets Tom again, who is visibly older, he tells him that he has under his care a young girl named Sara, who they think is a witch, but she really only sees the future and sees Effie returning.
Hellboy and Sara embark to investigate a house where she has her premonitions, the old house of Crooked Man, the truth is that in that place she has Effie, she is taken care of by a fanatic named Karl with his sister Amelia.
Hellboy and Sara fall into her trap by finding the reins that made Effie be a mare, but to stop Effie they need the shovel that Tom has, but thanks to a drawing by Sara, the shovel appears and they finally eliminate her, Tom will now live the rest of his life in peace.
Sara disappears in the explosion but she actually escapes to learn about her passage.
Rating Tale 2
5 out of 5
Art
This art is more real and uses elements more towards the superhero genre, but captures the terror and suspense of the Hellboy universe
Rating tale 2
5 out of 5
