Hellboy: Seed of Destruction (1995)

Hellboy, starting with Seed of Destruction, the first collection. Mike Mignola builds pages out of solid black. Faces, ruins and tentacled things emerge from big flat shapes of shadow, with only a few lines picking out a stone gargoyle or a fist, and the restraint makes every panel read instantly. He also lingers on quiet details between fights, a carved idol or a candle or falling snow, which gives the books the mood of an old folk tale. This first tale was scripted by John Byrne from Mignola's story, and the art and writing both get stronger once Mignola writes alone in the collections that follow. Each book is short, so it is easy to read on from here.