The Devil is in the Details

From Comic Book Resources, Re: Cartoon Network's Hellboy cartoon premiering in February:

"A traditional Hellboy scenario, to be sure, but, disappointingly, the finished results are far from a traditional Hellboy experience. The entire look of the film, from the characters to the background, diverges greatly from [creator Mike] Mignola's comic style. Hellboy and Abe Sapien closely resemble their comic origins; there is no mistaking who's who, but they've been redrawn to reflect the styles of more typical American animation. Liz Sherman, however, has been radically modified, seen in 'Sword of Storms' as a petite, Lara Croftian type who looks as though she could be a guest star in Cartoon Network's 'Teen Titans.'"

Sight unseen, I say "What's the problem?" Yeah, Mignola has a signature style, but the live-action movie did more than right by the material, it being one of the best--and by far the most underrated--comic book adaptations. And DC seemed to get a lot of narrative mileage since the Batman cartoon out of an animation style far removed from their characters' current comic book looks. Also, as the Hellboy cartoon's producer says of the choice to create new stories for the cartoons: " . . . the fans have the comics. Why give it to them again?"

That said, I'd love to see a live-action sequel, which according to the article won't be anytime soon.