Way back in the early to mid-1990s I went through a big time comic book phase. Sometimes I wish I was still in that phase, but I get by. Comic books and their heroes will always hold a special place in my heart. Why do I mention this? Well, whenever a comic book movie is made it is time to imagine the world of possibilities. There are so many characters and so many stories and so many different ways to interpret a character.

Hellboy is a character that I never read much about, despite liking the strange, angular style of creator Mike Mignola. So, back in 2004, when Hellboy came out, I anxiously went in and was rewarded with a fun movie that introduced me to the world of Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and Liz Sherman. Now, four years later, the original creative team behind that modest box office hit are back with a sequel that retains the sarcastic wit, big action, and character while expanding the universe with an obviously bigger budgeted film.

As Hellboy II: The Golden Army opens, we get a quick reintroduction to where Hellboy came from, as well as a bedtime story about an ancient battle that led to the creation of The Golden Army. Is it a bedtime story, or something more? Of course it is something more! Generally this type of exposition is clunky and detracts from the film, meaning we are told information that would be better told more organically through narrative. That isn't the case here. I found this tale to be quiote ingenious in its presentation; you really need to see it. We see a young Hellboy enjoying some Howdy Doody, insisting the wooden puppet is real, and the puppet imagery carries through to the telling of the bedtime tale. The classy reintroduction of the character gets us off on the right foot heading into the larger story.

We jump to the present where we learn just how real the story was. You see, the tale told of a truce that came about after the creation of the indestructible Golden Army, but, as is always the case, there was someone who did not believe the truce should have been made. That person is Prince Nuada (Luke Goss), who returns with the intentions of reigniting war with humanity, employing the Golden Army in the process. Believe me, Nuada will not let anyone, and I mean anyone, stand in his way.

On the other side of the coin, back at the ranch, we have the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, home to our heroic trio of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Abe (Doug Jones, who also provides Abe's voice, taking over from David Hyde Pierce), and Liz (Selma Blair). All three of these characters get good screen time and are allowed to develop over the course of the action. We are also introduced to a new team member, Johann Krauss (voiced by Seth McFarlane). It sounds like there are a lot of characters to get to, but they all have time and they all play an important part.