As a reference work, Hellboy: The Companion does a fine job of keeping track of the history of characters and the story timeline. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much else, and I was looking forward to a bit more analysis of the stories, characters and world associated with Hellboy. The one bit that went beyond the reference was a short chapter by Mike Mignola on the influences on him and his storytelling. Even here, though, no surprises: Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, all the big names from the Weird Tales days, with the surprising exception of Pinnocchio that he cites for a combination of absurdist humor and horror.

Recommended for those wanting to learn the back story of characters and explore the world of Hellboy a bit. Having read the actual works first is pretty much a requirement. ( )