That big, manly demon looks so grizzled and worn, it’s easy to forget Hellboy‘s actually only in his mid-20s. Having just come back from the other side, he’s about to traverse one more milestone in the journey of life, death and rebirth—his 25th birthday. Yes, Mike Mignola‘s infamous offbeat hero debuted back in 1993. And he’s not nearly done fighting. We’re excited to exclusively announce, along with Geek & Sundry, three brand new Mignolaverse titles. The Bureau of Paranormal Research & Defense’s most famous agent was first introduced to readers several months prior, through a black and white short in the second edition of San Diego Comic-Con Comics. Now, as he reaches quarter-life, Hellboy and the diverse entourage of creators and creatures who’ve amassed around him over the years celebrate that comic’s anniversary by returning to where the proverbial big bang of the “Mignolaverse” first ignited. And they’re returning just in time for a three-pronged expansion of that realm, no less.
The Boy is back at Comic-Con as a Special Guest this year. He’s taking spotlight on the cover of the convention’s 2018 Souvenir Book, which comes with a reprint of the four-pager wherein he made his fateful debut.
And back to those three new titles. One follows a hitherto-classified Cold War cover-up Hellboy got entangled by in the 50s. Another reveals the global chaos that unfurled after Crimson Lotus (the villainess who bedeviled the Boy’s pulp predecessor, Lobster Johnson) took sweet vengeance upon the war dogs who wronged her. And the third is an annual offering three one-off featuring the aforementioned Mr. Johnson, the BPRD, and Hellboy in a holiday gone wrong. Full details on all these books below, along with an exclusive look at the covers.
CRIMSON LOTUS
Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), Mindy Lee (A), Michelle Madsen (C), Tonci Zonjic (Cover)
Before she became Lobster Johnson’s biggest foe, the Crimson Lotus was a young girl whose family was caught up in the Russo-Japanese war. Thirty years later, the Lotus exacts her revenge with terrifying international ramifications, and two spies must try to chase her through China before they become flies in her web. Issue #1: 11/21
HELLBOY AND THE BPRD: 1956
Mike Mignola (W), Chris Roberson (W), Yishan Li (A), Mike Norton (A), Michael Avon Oeming (A), Dave Stewart (C), Dave Johnson (Cover)
Pressure is mounting within the bureau to uncover the Soviets’ secret plans, but a suspicious cover-up leads one agent off the radar in search of answers. Meanwhile, demonic Soviet occult leader Varvara pushes her team to follow her own whims, and Hellboy is sent on the mission that would lead to his infamous misadventures in Mexico. But even more clandestine plots are at work—both inside the B.P.R.D. and out. Three different storylines are interwoven in this espionage saga. Issue #1: 11/28
HELLBOY WINTER SPECIAL 2018
Mike Mignola (W/Cover), Fábio Moon (W/A/variant cover), Gabriel Bá (W/A/Variant cover), Tonci Zonjic (W/A/C), Ben Stenbeck (A), Dave Stewart (C)
Three wintery tales featuring a Mike Mignola and Ben Stenbeck team-up about a New Year’s Eve séance gone wrong when Hellboy visits a family’s English home, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá revisit B.P.R.D.: Vampire with a new tie-in story, and Tonci Zonjic returns to write and draw Lobster Johnson. On sale: 12/12
Visit the gallery below to view variant covers.
Images: Dark Horse Comics
Editor’s note: This exclusive is crossposted from Geek & Sundry with reporting by Tom Pinchuk.
Variant Cover by Fábio Moon
Variant Cover by Gabriel Bá