Hellboy has spent plenty of time dealing with demons, monsters and assorted supernatural nightmares, but apparently there is still plenty of Hell left for him to explore. This winter, legendary creator Mike Mignola and Dark Horse Comics are sending the Right Hand of Doom back into the underworld for a new two issue comic event that sounds every bit as strange and macabre as you’d expect.
The trouble begins in October with HELLBOY IN HELL: NOTHING BUT BLOOD, which reunites Mignola with artist Cyrille Pomès, known for Moon and 6,000 Miles to Freedom. Then in December, Mignola will team with artist Márk László, who previously worked with him on Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Time Is a River, for HELLBOY IN HELL: PARADE OF HORRORS.
And yes, Hellboy is apparently going to a funeral.
Not just any funeral, either. He’s attending the funeral of the Devil. (Que epic orchestra soundtrack).
Written by Mignola with art by László, colors by Dave Stewart and lettering by Clem Robins, Parade of Horrors will run for two issues and plunge readers back into Mignola’s distinctive vision of Hell. László will provide the covers for both issues, with Mignola contributing a variant cover for the first issue and Bridgit Connell handling a variant for the second.
The story picks up after the events of Nothing But Blood, with Hellboy setting out in search of something as simple as a drink. Naturally, things don’t stay simple for long. His search leads him into a cemetery, where he arrives just in time to witness a macabre procession celebrating the death of Satan. Considering Hellboy’s history with the residents of Hell, it should come as no surprise that not everyone is thrilled to see him.
The resulting adventure will introduce a collection of new demonic characters while sending Hellboy deeper into the bizarre landscapes and mythology of Mignola’s underworld.
For Mignola, returning to Hellboy in Hell wasn’t necessarily part of the plan.
“I hadn’t planned to return to Hellboy’s HELL — I certainly didn’t think I’d ever let anyone else in there. But I love Márk’s work, and when we met he said he wanted to do a story set there. Well, how could I say no?” asks Mike Mignola. “Fortunately, there were a couple big holes between the chapters I’d drawn and I thought Márk would have fun with those two dead soldiers we meet in ‘The Three Gold Whips’ — and he did! I only gave him a rough outline for a story, and he took it from there. And as things took shape, we found a place to introduce a bit more of the history of the place. Every time I think we are done with this thing it seems we find there are just a few more bits and pieces to explore, which I guess is a good thing.”
And judging by the description, readers can expect plenty of the bizarre imagery that makes Hellboy so distinctive, including parading demons, dancing skeletons, bloody battles and glimpses into the history of Mignola’s version of Hell.
Originally published between 2012 and 2016, Hellboy in Hell marked a major chapter in the larger Hellboy Universe and finally revealed the truth surrounding Hellboy’s origins. Nearly a decade after the original series concluded, Mignola is once again opening the doors to that strange and surreal underworld, this time alongside a new generation of artists.
HELLBOY IN HELL: NOTHING BUT BLOOD arrives in October, followed by HELLBOY IN HELL: PARADE OF HORRORS in December.
Hellboy may have been trying to find a drink, but something tells us his trip to the cemetery is going to leave him with considerably more trouble than a hangover.