Best Writer & Artist:ย Mike Mignola
No one could have expected the twisted, elaborate backstory of the genteel merman hanging out with Hellboy and a crew of government officials way back in โSeed of Destruction.โ Alas, Abe Sapien turns out to be a former Victorian cultist whose marine-biology friends preserved his body after he merged with a sea deity. More than the religious and mythological undertones of Hellboy, Abe harkens back to the gothic and fantastic remnants of 19th century esoterica that are largely ignored today, save for the occasional H.P. Lovecraft shout out. This agonizing narrative keeps getting weirder and darker, and as much as weโd all love to see Abe get a happy ending, the rabbit hole heโs currently falling down is endlessly fascinating. โย Sean Edgar
10/10