On December 23, 1944, World War II was in its final months. Off the coast of Scotland the “Mad Monk” Gregor Rasputin and some Nazis embarked on a project intended to turn the direction of the war in their favor. A creature was summoned from Hell, a child. The child was deep red and in possession of some impressive horns on his head. Instead of becoming a pawn of the Nazis, as had been intended, he fell into the hands of United States Armed Forces. A paranormal researcher working for the government decided to adopt him. He named the child Hellboy.
In reality, on March 23, 1994, that story was introduced to readers by writer and artist Mike Mignola in “Hellboy: Seed of Destruction,” the debut issue for a comic book series that would go from cult favorite to cultural phenomenon. From that “seed of destruction” grew a fictional extended universe, referred to by some as the “Mignolaverse.” It spans a number of titles, both ongoing, one-shots and miniseries: BPRD, Lobster Johnson, Sir Edward Grey, Abe Sapien and more. Mignola and a slew of other talented artists and writers working with him have filled out backstories and propelled numerous story lines to their conclusions to create a rich world you can spend a lot of time inhabiting.
If the premise sounds pulpy to you that is because old pulp magazines are a definite touchstone for this series. Those magazines were the homes of proto-superheroes like “The Spider” and “Doc Savage” as well as hyperbolic tales of horror and otherworldly adventure. Mignola also mines Victorian ghost stories, the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft, mythology and folklore from various cultures and the over-the-top work of comics legend Jack Kirby. This is fun stuff, but like every good ghost story, it carries with it a touch of melancholy. Real work is put into character development, and the stakes are real. Let’s just say Mignola is not afraid to “kill his darlings.”
The mug you wish you had.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Hellboy, Dark Horse Comics — the independent publisher that has been Hellboy’s home all these years — has announced a Hellboy Day celebration on March 23rd. To celebrate, you could watch one of the two Hellboy movies (a new cinematic version of Hellboy will arrive in theaters next month!), crack open some comics or maybe a Hellboy beer (if you can get your hands on one around here). I will be raising a toast to “Big Red” with my coveted Hellboy coffee mug. Happy Hellboy Day! May you enjoy many more.
