Hellboy

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This page is about a comic book character named Hellboy. For the film based on the character, see Hellboy (film). For the animated films see Hellboy Animated.

Publication information
Hellboy
Art by Mike Mignola.
Publisher	Dark Horse Comics
First appearance	San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 (1993)
Created by	Mike Mignola
In story information
Alter ego	Anung un Rama
Team affiliations	Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
Notable aliases	Anung un Rama The World Destroyer The Great Beast The Beast of the Apocalypse The Right Hand of Doom
Abilities	Knowledge and experience of fighting the supernatural superhuman strength and durability Immune to fire (only in the films) Heals quickly Good with languages Invulnerable Right Hand of Doom is key to the end of the world Formerly wore the Crown of the Apocalypse

Hellboy is a fictional Dark Horse Comics character created by Mike Mignola, who first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 in 1993. He has since appeared in a number of eponymous mini-series and one-shots, as well as a spin-off series focusing on the team he is a member of, B.P.R.D., and some crossovers.

Hellboy is a demon who finds himself fighting the good fight against dark forces, in a series of tales that have their roots in both folklore and pulp fiction, battling a range of enemies (from Nazis to Baba Yaga).

His adventures have also been captured in various media, including live-action films, animated films, novels, and a range of merchandise. May 2008 will also see the release of Hellboy: The Companion,^[1] a guide to the Hellboy universe.

[edit] Story

A demon whose true name is Anung un Rama, Hellboy was brought to Earth as an infant by Nazi occultists. He was rescued by the Allied Forces, and raised by the U.S.A.'s Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). Hellboy grew up to be a large, red-skinned demon with a tail, horns (which he filed off, leaving behind the signature circular stumps on his forehead), and an oversized right hand made of stone. In the introduction to Odd Jobs he is described as smelling of dry-roasted peanuts. Although a bit gruff, he shows none of the malevolence thought to be intrinsic to demons, and works with other strange creatures in the BPRD. Hellboy has been dubbed as the "World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator".

The character has been featured in a sequence of comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse Comics, influenced by vintage adventure and horror fiction.

The comics were adapted into a 2004 film starring Ron Perlman as Hellboy with a sequel, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, in the works, and two straight-to-DVD animated films, the first of which, Hellboy: Sword of Storms, was released on February 6, 2007.

According to Mignola's commentary on the Hellboy film DVD, various aspects of the character's looks and personality were inspired by his own father, a cabinet maker who often returned home from work with tales of horrific on-the-job accidents, told in the nonchalant, unflappable manner that would eventually become characteristic of Hellboy.

[edit] Publication history

Hellboy debuted in 1993 in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 (Dark Horse Comics). Written and drawn by creator Mike Mignola, the stories have a flavor of supernatural adventure with a dark mood embodied by Mignola's unique sense of design (which may be characterized by Mignola's incisive line-work, and his distinctive balance of heavy shadows and pure colors).

Mignola's stories are heavily influenced by, and have been dedicated to, H. P. Lovecraft, Jack Kirby, Edgar Allan Poe, and other authors. Horror stories of the Weird Tales variety are another important influence. Writer Robert Bloch praised Hellboy as one of the most 'innovative and entertaining comics in recent years'. Hellboy stories have drawn on folklore from countries such as Russia, Ireland, Norway, Japan, and Malaysia.

Most of the Hellboy and related B.P.R.D. comics have been collected as trade paperbacks, and some later stories have been crafted by creators other than Mignola, including Christopher Golden, Guy Davis, Ryan Sook, and Duncan Fegredo. Golden has also written several novels about the character.

Hellboy is one of the few Dark Horse Comics titles that remains in print after the company's focus shifted from their own titles back to licensed properties.

[edit] Fictional character biography

Hellboy is a creature summoned (or perhaps born) in the final months of World War II by Grigori Rasputin, on Tarmagant Island, a small isle just off the coast of Scotland, having been commissioned by the Nazis to change the tide of war ("Project Ragna Rok"). He appeared in a fireball in a ruined church in East Bromwich, England, on December 23, 1944. Hellboy proved not to be a devil, but a little devil-like creature with red skin, horns, a tail, and a large stone right hand — hence the name given by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm.

Taken by the U.S. forces to an Air Force base somewhere in New Mexico, Hellboy was raised by the United States Army and by the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD), a US government agency dedicated to combating occult threats.

As an adult, Hellboy became the primary agent for the BPRD alongside several other human and quasi-human agents. His fellow agents include Kate Corrigan, a professor of folklore at NY University; Abe Sapien, an amphibian humanoid ("Ichthyo sapien"); Liz Sherman, a young pyrokinetic; Roger, an unusually large homunculus; Johann Krauss, the spirit of a medium kept in a containment suit; and Sgt. Ben Daimo, a special ops man with occult experiences.

During a visit to Bromwich Church (the place of his "birth"), Hellboy learned he had been conceived some three hundred years earlier by a witch, Catherine Tanner-Tremaine, and a demon Prince of Sheol. At this time, Hellboy had not existed as a baby in the "real" world; the prince's "favorite son" was considered to be "a power waiting to be born." Hellboy's "mother" also had children: a nun and a priest who would later haunt the church, dying in an attempt to stop the demon from claiming Tanner-Tremaine on her deathbed.

In the comics, Hellboy is regarded as a celebrity to some extent, having been granted "honorary human" status by the United Nations in 1952 and is known as the "world's greatest paranormal investigator". As such, he interacts regularly with normal humans, most of whom are not presented as overtly reacting to his strange appearance. However, as his primary interactions in the comics are with law enforcement officials from different organizations, the military, and various "scholars of the weird," this may not provide an accurate depiction of typical reactions to his presence. Contrary to the comic series, in the film adaptation, Hellboy is kept under lock and key, and considered simply an "urban legend" by the general populace.

Hellboy's adventures span from the 1940s to the present day, and involve investigations into the paranormal, including sorcery, Nazi occultism, the Thule Society, hollow earth explorers, werewolves, vampires, and ghosts. Of particular note is the recurring machinations of the Ogdru Jahad, malevolent deities akin to Lovecraft's Old Gods, and the relic adorning Hellboy's arm known as "the Right Hand of Doom," an artifact that is key to their release.

Much in the same vein as fellow comic book superheroes Daredevil, Batman, Blade, and Wolverine, Hellboy is a hero constantly haunted by the knowledge of his past. In "Wake The Devil", the second graphic novel, he says of his past, "I like not knowing. I've gotten by for fifty-two years with not knowing. I sleep good not knowing."

[edit] Powers and abilities

Hellboy's superhuman abilities would seem to stem from his demonic nature. While his specific powers and abilities have never been explicitly described in the comics, Hellboy is much stronger and significantly more physically durable than an ordinary human being. The movie makes much of the idea that Hellboy is fireproof. However, in the comics and subsequent novels Hellboy is not actually fireproof. He can be burned and damaged like any living thing but he is possessed of a "healing factor" (much like Marvel characters Wolverine or Hulk) that allows him to recover from wounds at an incredible rate. In "The Lost Army" Hellboy was noted to be able to see farther than the normal human, and quickly heal from wounds that would be almost instantly fatal to humans, one example being he once took a sword thrust through his chest and out his back. He also has the innate ability to comprehend ancient and magical languages. He has been savagely beaten by large monsters on several occasions and survived, often with relatively minor injuries. On one occasion, Hellboy directly charged an MG-42 machine gun and took numerous bullets to the chest before destroying the gun. The extent of Hellboy's strength is unclear, but he has, for example, torn down a large tree and hurled it at an opponent. He has also thrown opponents weighing at least four to five hundred pounds.

Hellboy also seems to age differently than humans. In the story Pancakes he is two years old but appears to be far older. In the story Nature of the Beast he appears to be a full grown adult, but as this story is set in 1954 he is merely ten years old. His rapid maturation is in contrast to his actual rate of aging, which seems to be much slower than normal. Throughout the sixty-year span of the comics, he does not appear to age beyond the point he reached maturity. The first film, set in 2004, portrays Hellboy's emotional development as resembling a human teenager.

In addition to his natural gifts, Hellboy carries a variety of items, such as holy relics, horseshoes, and herbs, in his utility belt, as well as a variety of grenades and other demolition tools; these often come in handy when fighting supernatural beasts. He commonly carries an oversized pistol. In the film adaptation, this gun is called the "Samaritan," and Hellboy states that he uses "Really big bullets" containing silver shavings, holy water, garlic, and white oak, known as "the works", to ensure the weapon's effectiveness against supernatural creatures. It is also stated that the gun is fashioned from melted-down church bells and fragments of the True Cross. It should be noted, though, that Hellboy is, by his own admission, a lousy shot, preferring to mix it up in hand-to-hand combat whenever possible and eschewing most weapons.

[edit] The Right Hand of Doom

Hellboy's right hand, referred to as the "Right Hand of Doom", consists of a large forearm and hand that seems to be made from red stone. The Hand is articulate enough to catch a fly, but its large size causes Hellboy to prefer his normal-sized left hand to operate weapons and devices. The Hand is effectively invulnerable and feels no pain, serving much like a sledgehammer when used to punch an enemy.

As revealed in the graphic novel collection Strange Places, the Right Hand of Doom was formerly the right hand of one of the "greater spirits" that watched over the burgeoning Earth, and the hand the spirit used to create the dragon Ogdru Jahad. With that same hand, he bound the dragon, but then his fellow spirits turned upon him for his deeds, and destroyed him utterly - save for his right hand, which was kept and preserved by many races throughout history, including the first race of man. As the hand which created and bound the Ogdru Jahad, it is also the key which will "loose and command" them; in other words, it is a catalyst that will bring about Armageddon. The comic books themselves never actually mention how the Right Hand of Doom would actually perform these tasks; it is only ever announced that this is the case and that someone or something intends to do it with or without Hellboy's consent. It is made clear that it is not even necessary for the arm to be attached to Hellboy at all, even on its own it would perform its tasks. However, it has been suggested that if Hellboy dies while the Hand is attached to him, it would become useless. He has thus come to the conclusion that the only way to prevent it falling into the wrong hands is to keep and protect it.

In Seed of Destruction, Hellboy is confronted by Grigori Rasputin and begins to find out what he is doing on Earth and who summoned him there. His purpose will be to command the powers that Rasputin is about to unleash upon the world. Hellboy denies this version of his destiny and refuses to be controlled. Attempting to release the Ogdru Jahad, Rasputin is killed, harpooned through the chest by Abe Sapien under the control of the ghost of Elihu Cavendish.

In Wake the Devil, Hellboy meets the goddess Hecate. Addressed as "Anung un Rama", he is told that his arrival on Earth signals its end. At the climax of the story, Hellboy is swallowed by Hecate in the form of an iron maiden and some kind of otherworldly conflict ensues, in which he is told that his right hand is a key to open the pit. Again Hellboy refuses, this time breaking off his newly re-grown horns, revealing what those two circles on his forehead are.

In Box Full of Evil (collected in the The Right Hand of Doom TPB.), Igor Bromhead gains power over a demon, Ualac, by using that demon's name. Hellboy is also bound by his name, "Anung un Rama", and the Crown of the Apocalypse, which he wears but is invisible to him, is taken. In taking the crown, Ualac is changed into a much more powerful demon. Hellboy finds out what his name means: "Anung un Rama, World Destroyer, The Great Beast..." "...and upon his brow is set a crown of fire..." This is not who he is, and so not his name any longer. Ualac is defeated. The crown is kept for Hellboy by Astaroth, in Pandemonium, the capital city of Hell; and a seat is reserved for the former in the House of the Fly.

In Strange Places, Hellboy's apparent destiny as the on-bringer of the Apocalypse continues to attract supernatural attention. After seeking advice from a fabled African witch-doctor, Hellboy dives to the treacherous ocean bottom. The Bog Roosh, a sinister sea hag, manages to capture him using an enchanted nail and a trio of flighty mermaids. The Bog Roosh then reveals her plan to prevent the end of the world by dismembering Hellboy and sending his Right Hand to the deepest depths, robbing the Ogdru Jahad of their key into this world. With the help of the third mermaid, Hellboy manages to defeat the hag, but is lost beneath the sea for two years.

After washing up on the shores of an unknown island, Hellboy inadvertently resurrects an ancient mystic who alone holds the knowledge of the secret history of the universe. The origins of God, angels, the Earth, the Ogdru Jahad and their spawn are revealed, as well as the exact source of the Right Hand of Doom. Unfortunately for the mystic, he's been brought back to life by Hellboy's blood, and is driven insane by its demonic nature. Hellboy manages to defeat the increasingly malevolent being, as well as destroy the gargantuan Urgo-Hem, an Ogdru Jahad spawn that prowls the island. These struggles are watched with great interest by the Daoine Sidh, especially a certain changeling with an old grudge against Hellboy. The denizens of this faerie kingdom realize that Hellboy has left whatever destined path was meant for him, but none seem to doubt that the Ogdru Jahad will make use of his Hand in one way or another. The goddess Hecate seems content to simply wait for the end of the world to which she will bear witness, but Gruagach the changeling will not bow out of existence peacefully.

The title "The Right Hand of Doom" is derived from a short story written by Robert E. Howard, telling of a necromancer, controlling his severed hand to commit a final act of revenge. Whilst this story has little bearing on the Hellboy universe, many of Howard's other stories, especially those featuring the hero Solomon Kane, can be seen as influences in Mignola's work.

Another real world inspiration for the hand may have been a co-worker of Mignola's father whose hand was replaced with a prosthesis after the original was lost in an industrial accident.

"The Right Hand of Doom" may also refer to the Nick Cave song "Red Right Hand", and/or John Milton's portrayal of the Hand of God as a "red right hand" in Paradise Lost. (Though Cave's song was inspired by Milton's word use, the hand in the song refers to the hand of Lucifer.)

[edit] Intertextuality in Hellboy

The comic book series can be seen as a collage of ideas from mythology and folklore of the world as well as the literary weird tale by authors such as H. P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, and others, mingled with the popular concept of the paranormal investigator and utilizing many clichés of the modern horror genre, presented in a manner purposefully reminiscent of Jack Kirby's famous monster comics of the 1950s.^{[citation needed]} The stories and art seem also to be partly inspired by film noir (Hellboy mentions he reads Mickey Spillane in the novel "The god machine"), and there are specific references made to all of these things in the comics.

[edit] Hellboy timeline

1944, Scotland: Summoned by a ritual performed by Rasputin in Scotland, Hellboy is "born" in a ruined church near the fictional village of East Bromwich.(Hellboy: Seed of Destruction)
1946: Hellboy eats pancakes for the first time. The demons of Pandemonium lament that he will never return to them now. ("Pancakes"')
1952: Hellboy is granted honorary human status by the United Nations and becomes a field agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.
1954, Britain: Hellboy is asked by the Osiris Club to slay the Saint Leonard worm, an alligator-like monster. The battle proves to be a test of Hellboy's virtue, but his dubious success (and lilies that grow from his shed blood) make the outcome of the test unclear. ("The Nature of the Beast")
1956, Norway: Professor Bruttenholm sends Hellboy to help Professor Edmond Aickman (who worked with Bruttenholm in Burma and Chengdu) with the King Vold myth. Aickman is only interested in the potential reward, however, and maneuvers Hellboy into completing Vold's tasks for him. ("King Vold")
1957, India: Hellboy works on a werewolf case.
1958, Malaysia: Hellboy investigates a series of killings, and faces a monstrous vampire-like creature. ("The Penanggalan")
1959, Ireland: To retrieve a stolen baby, Hellboy must bear a corpse to his final resting place. The King of the Daoine Sidh oversees the matter personally; this is the first (but not the last) time he will take a personal interest in Hellboy. ("The Corpse")
1959, New Guinea: Hellboy works on another werewolf case.
1959, Macapa: Hellboy stops Herman von Klempt's experiments involving spinal fluid extracted from peasants, but the severed head survives.
1961, Ireland: Hellboy ensnares the Iron Shoes demon and hands his shoes over to Father Mike. ("Iron Shoes")
1961, Saybrook, Connecticut: Hellboy works with Father Edward Kelly on an exorcism.
1961, Alaska: Called in to investigate a peculiar animal, Hellboy faces off against the hydra and meets a strange little girl. ("The Hydra and the Lion")
1963, Norway: Hellboy meets a hideous old witch, who shows him the way to halt an invasion of trolls. ("The Troll Witch")
1964, Bereznik, Russia: Hellboy tracks down the Baba Yaga, and in the ensuing encounter shoots out her left eye. ("Baba Yaga")
1967, Kyoto, Japan: Hellboy handles a case involving floating heads called nuke-kubi (抜首). ("Heads")
1968, Lebanon, Tennessee: Hellboy finds himself mixed up with The Goon, and helps him overcome the Communist Airborne Mollusk Militia. (The Goon, Vol. 3: Heaps of Ruination)
1969, Lochmaben, Scotland: Professor Bruttenholm and Hellboy visit the castle which would later be purchased by Count Guarino and his wife, who are Satanists.
1979, Portland, Oregon: Mister Tod, a physical medium (much like Johann Kraus), unwittingly allows a space-borne monster to gain form using his body's ectoplasm. Hellboy barely manages to repulse the entity. Beings such as this would return in Conqueror Worm. ("Goodbye Mister Tod")
1982, Prague, Czechoslovakia: Hellboy defeats the famed gambling Vampire of Prague by beating him at a game of poker. (Hellboy: The Vampire of Prague)
1982, Yorkshire, Britain: Hellboy, after seven years of searching, tracks down the vampire Countess Ilona Kakosky. She shows him a vision of the vampire king, but Hellboy breaks the illusion in time and slays her. ("The Varcolac")
1982, India: Hellboy works on a werewolf case.
1989, Britain: Hellboy investigates the disappearance of Ann Heath, who was lured underground by a demon. ("A Christmas Underground")
1990, Anonta, Ontario, Canada: Hellboy and Abe Sapien capture Daryl the Wendigo. (B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine)
1991, Long Island, New York: Investigating a supposedly haunted house, Hellboy is magically teleported back to 1902, where the leader of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra uses a sample of his blood to turn a chimpanzee into a murderous demon. ("Dr. Carp's Experiment")
1992, London, Britain: Edward Stokes, a cannibalistic ghoul, is tracked to Hammersmith Cemetery by Hellboy. ("The Ghoul")
1992, Lake Okanagan, British Columbia: Hellboy and Abe search for the Ogopogo monster. Abe is injured.
1993, New York, New York: Hellboy is invited to the New York Explorer's Club, where a recently acquired mummy tells him the tale of Makoma, a man with a hammer in his hand that bests a demon at the end of the world. The mummy turns to dust after relating the tale, and Hellboy is banned from the club. (Makoma)
1994: The Cavendish Hall affair. Hellboy meets Rasputin. (Hellboy: Seed of Destruction)
1994, Griart, The Balkans: Hellboy and Kate Corrigan visit a town decimated by the angry ghosts of werewolves. It becomes a revenge mission after Father Kelly, Hellboy's associate, is murdered by a living werewolf. Kate's first sighting of a ghost occurs. ("The Wolves of St. August")
1995, Scotland: Hellboy returns to the ruined church where he first appeared in the world, and has a dream-vision of his origin: His mother, as a young woman, had cavorted with a demon, and on Walpurgisnacht (a night of great significance to witches) conceived Hellboy as a result. Hellboy lay dormant within her, until the demon returned at the end of the woman's life to claim her and his unborn son.
1997, Romania: The Giurescu affair. (Hellboy: Wake the Devil)
1998, Lizarza, Spain: Hellboy has a meeting with Adrian Frost, the son of Malcolm Frost. Hellboy relates his life story to Frost, and the two realize that Hellboy's right hand is the key to triggering the Apocalypse. Hellboy decides keep the hand lest someone else retrieve it and use it. ("The Right Hand of Doom")
1999, Druggan Hill, Britain/Lockmaben, Scotland: Hellboy and Abe investigate the Guarino's castle after a mysterious attack. Igor Bromhead releases Ualac, a minor demon trapped in a box by St. Dunstan. Abe is shot by a chimpanzee. Ualac claims the Crown of the Apocalypse (which sits invisibly on Hellboy's head) then attempts to claim Hellboy's right hand. Hellboy breaks free and slays his mortal body. Bromhead and Ualac are claimed by the demon Astaroth, who takes Hellboy's crown down to Hell. ("Box Full of Evil")
2001, Austria: Nazis, led by Herman von Klempt, summon a space ghost, which possesses the body of one of their top scientists and emerges as a gargantuan worm. Hellboy (with the help of Roger) defeats it but decides to leave the BPRD. (Hellboy: Conqueror Worm)
2004, Africa: Hellboy seeks advice from an African witch-doctor, and is told to dive to the bottom of the sea. He is captured by the Bog Roosh, who means to prevent the Apocalypse by dismembering Hellboy and hiding the Right Hand of Doom, but Hellboy manages to escape with the assistance of a mermaid. (Hellboy: The Third Wish)
2006: Hellboy washes up on an unknown island. He accidentally resurrects an ancient mystic, learns the secret history of the universe, and faces the monstrous Urgo Hem. Hellboy then sets sail for Britain as the Daoine Sidh watch on. (Hellboy: The Island)
2007: Hellboy returns to Britain. While there he has a nightmareish vision of a demon - resembling the one the mystic from "The Island" became after bathing in Hellboy's blood - tear itself from his body. (Hellboy: The Mole) Later Hellboy is offered the option of becoming king of the world's witches but turns it down. Hellboy is then sent to another dimension to face the Baba Yaga and her lieutenant, Koschei the Deathless. (Hellboy: Darkness Calls)

[edit] In other media

[edit] Feature films

[edit] Hellboy

See also: Hellboy (film)

Guillermo del Toro co-wrote and directed a film adaptation titled Hellboy in 2004, sharing the credit with the original screenwriter Peter Briggs. Del Toro, a fan of Mike Mignola's work, had previously written the preface to Hellboy: Conqueror Worm.

The film starred Ron Perlman as Hellboy (the favorite of both del Toro and Mignola for the role), Selma Blair as Liz Sherman, Rupert Evans as FBI Special Agent John Myers (a character created for the film), John Hurt as Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, Doug Jones as Abe Sapien (voiced by an uncredited David Hyde Pierce), Karel Roden as Grigori Rasputin, and Jeffrey Tambor as FBI Senior Special Agent Tom Manning. The film received mixed but generally positive reviews, and a fair performance at the box office. However, the film debuted in theaters as The Passion of the Christ was still playing, and, according to del Toro's DVD commentary, some theaters would re-title the film on their signs, or outright refuse to play it to avoid running a "devil" movie against Passion.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The Golden Army

A sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, shot in Budapest, (for release in summer of 2008) by del Toro, and will feature the returning talents of Perlman and Blair.^[2] Jones will also return not only in the role as Abe Sapien, but in two other roles: The Angel of Death and The Chamberlain.^[3] Columbia Pictures decided not to continue the franchise, and Universal Pictures has picked it up instead. The only plot details given so far have alluded to a shift to more folklore rather than action, with heavy European overtones. It is also noted that the character of Johann Kraus has been added to the team, but Roger has not (he was, however, written into the plot as a very prominent character in early drafts of the script). Interestingly, Roger can be seen as a lifeless statue in the background of one shot in the first film.

[edit] Video games

A Hellboy video game called Hellboy: Asylum Seeker was previously released for the PC and the PlayStation, by Cryo Interactive. It has no relation with the movie series.

On April 6, 2005, Hellboy movie director Guillermo Del Toro announced on his official site^[4] that he had made a deal with developer Konami to create a new Hellboy videogame based on the movie version of the character and his world, featuring new monsters, new villains, and a new storyline. Herman von Klempt and his war ape Kriegaffe #10 are slated to make appearances.

On May 9, 2006, it was revealed that the Hellboy game would appear in summer of 2007, on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Portable, as of December 2007 it has yet to be released. It is being developed by Krome Studios, and published by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.. As well as single player campaign where the player gets to play as Hellboy. The game will also feature co-op play, featuring the characters Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman. It is called Hellboy: Science of Evil

[edit] Role-playing game

The Hellboy Sourcebook and Role Playing Game, based on the GURPS role-playing game system, was published by Steve Jackson Games in August 2002.

[edit] Animated films

Main article: Hellboy Animated

On November 9, 2005, IDT Entertainment issued a press release ^[5] announcing that the company had licensed the rights to develop "animated content for television and home entertainment" based on the Hellboy comic. Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Selma Blair (Liz Sherman), Doug Jones (Abe Sapien), and John Hurt (Professor Trevor 'Broom' Bruttenholm) have all voiced their respective characters, and respected actress Peri Gilpin also joins the cast as Professor Kate Corrigan.

The first two 75-minute animated movies, Sword of Storms and Blood and Iron, were aired on the Cartoon Network before being released on DVD. The first one aired October 28, 2006, and the second aired March 17, 2007.

Both stories have much more in common with the comic-book Hellboy rather than the film - Abe Sapien is not psychic, for example, Hellboy and Liz are just friends, and the artwork and color palette is derived very closely from Mignola's original artwork. The DVD of Sword of Storms was released on February 6, 2007; it contains documentary material commentary and a Hellboy comic, Phantom Limbs.

A third animated Hellboy film has just been announced called The Phantom Claw. Tad Stones, director and Writer of the DTV movies, says the film will star Lobster Johnson and will have some familiar characters, but Abe and Liz will not be in the film.

[edit] Heroclix

Hellboy is featured in WizKids' Indy Heroclix line with several different booster packs. He also has his own Horrorclix starter pack called Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.

[edit] Card Game

Hellboy was also part of Upper Deck's VS System card game as the first non-Marvel Comics or DC Comics character.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Art Book

Mignola, Mike (March 2003)The Art of Hellboy (ed. Scott Allie) Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books ISBN 1-56971-910-1

[edit] Collected volumes

The stories are collected into trade paperbacks:

Hellboy: Seed of Destruction (by Mike Mignola, plot by Mike Mignola, script by John Byrne, Third Edition: November 2003, Dark Horse Books, ISBN 1-59307-094-2)
Hellboy: Wake the Devil (by Mike Mignola, colors by James Sinclair, separations by Dave Stewart, letters by Pat Brosseau, Second Edition: November 2003, Dark Horse Books, ISBN 1-59307-095-0)
Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others (by Mike Mignola, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Pat Brosseau, Second Edition: November 2003, Dark Horse Books, ISBN 1-59307-091-8)
Hellboy: The Right Hand of Doom (by Mike Mignola, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Pat Brosseau, Second Edition: November 2003, Dark Horse Books, ISBN 1-59307-093-4
Hellboy: Conqueror Worm (by Mike Mignola, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Pat Brosseau, Second Edition: November 2003, Dark Horse Books, ISBN 1-59307-092-6)
Hellboy: Strange Places (by Mike Mignola, First Edition: April 2006, Dark Horse Books, ISBN 1-59307-475-1)
Hellboy: The Troll Witch and Others (by Mike Mignola, October 2007, ISBN 1-59307-860-9)
Hellboy: Darkness Calls (story & cover by Mike Mignola, art by Duncan Fegredo, May 2008, ISBN 1-59307-896-X)

B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth and Other Stories
B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice and Other Stories
B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs
B.P.R.D.: The Dead
B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame
B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine
B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls
B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground

[edit] Other trade paperbacks

Hellboy: Weird Tales Vol. 1 (cover by Mike Mignola)
Hellboy: Weird Tales Vol. 2 (cover by Mike Mignola)
Hellboy Junior ( Mike Mignola, Bill Wray, and others.)
Ghost/Hellboy Special (story, cover and layout by Mike Mignola)
Savage Dragon/Hellboy (collects Savage Dragon #34-35, cover by Mike Mignola)

[edit] Uncollected comics

Batman/Hellboy/Starman #1–2 (written by James Robinson, art by Mike Mignola)
Painkiller Jane/Hellboy (variant cover by Mike Mignola)

[edit] Novels

Hellboy: The Lost Army (written by Christopher Golden, cover and other illustrations by Mike Mignola, 1997)
Hellboy: The Bones of Giants (written by Christopher Golden, cover and other illustrations by Mike Mignola, 2001)
Hellboy: On Earth As It Is In Hell (written by Brian Hodge, cover and other illustrations by Mike Mignola, September 2005)
Hellboy: Unnatural Selection (written by Tim Lebbon, cover and other illustrations by Mike Mignola, March 2006)
Hellboy: The God Machine (written by Thomas E. Sniegoski, cover and other illustrations by Mike Mignola, July 2006)
Hellboy: The Dragon Pool (written by Christopher Golden, cover and other illustrations by Mike Mignola, March 2007)

Note: Although it is still not clear whether or not the majority of the Hellboy prose novels are part of the official Hellboy story canon, it has been confirmed that Christopher Golden's first two novels, The Lost Army and The Bones of Giants, are. The events of both these novels are listed in the comic's official timeline featured in The Hellboy Companion. The Golden-penned character of Anastasia Bransfield was also described in the Companion, despite her never having actually appeared in a Hellboy or BPRD comic.

[edit] Anthologies

Hellboy: Odd Jobs (by editor Christopher Golden, writers include Stephen R. Bissette, Greg Rucka, Nancy A. Collins and Poppy Z. Brite; with an introduction by Mike Mignola. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Comics, Inc., ISBN 1-56971-440-1, December 1999)
Hellboy: Odder Jobs (by editor Christopher Golden, writers include Frank Darabont, Guillermo del Toro, Charles de Lint, Graham Joyce, Sharyn McCrumb and Richard Dean Starr (October 2004)

[edit] Awards

The character and titles have received a good deal of recognition. The miniseries Hellboy: Conqueror Worm won a 2002 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series, while The Art of Hellboy won an Eisner in 2004 for Best Comics-Related Book. Mignola won a 2000 Harvey Award for Best Artist based on Hellboy: Box Full of Evil.

2004: Nominated for "Favourite Comics Character" Eagle Award
2005: Nominated for "Favourite Comics Character" Eagle Award
2007:
- Won "Favourite Colour Comicbook - American" Eagle Award, for Hellboy: Darkness Calls
- Nominated for "Favourite Comics Story published during 2007" Eagle Award, for Hellboy: Darkness Calls
- Nominated for "Favourite Comics Hero" Eagle Award

[edit] See also

The Amazing Screw-On Head

[edit] Notes

^ Hellboy: The Companion at Dark Horse
^ Universal Pictures Picks Up Hellboy 2..
^ IGN Staff. "IGN: Start Date for Hellboy 2 Confirmed", IGN, 2007-03-20. Retrieved on 2007-04-02.
^ Del Toro Films - Guillermo Del Toro Fansite
^ IDT Corporation - Press Releases

[edit] References

Hellboy: The Companion (by Steve Weiner, Victoria Blake and Jason Hall, 200 pages, May 2008, ISBN 978-1-59307-655-9)
Hellboy at the Comic Book DB
Mignola on Hellboy's Extended Universe, Comic Book Resources, March 3, 2008
Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game (ISBN 978-1-55634-654-9)

[edit] External links

v • d • e Hellboy

Characters	Trevor Bruttenholm · Kate Corrigan · Ben Daimio · Hellboy · Johann Kraus · Lobster Johnson · Tom Manning · Roger · Abe Sapien · Liz Sherman

Villains	Herman von Klempt · Karl Ruprecht Kroenen · Ogdru Hem · Ogdru Jahad · Grigori Rasputin · Hecate

Groups	Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense · Project Ragna Rok

Story Arcs	Hellboy: Seed of Destruction · Hellboy: Wake the Devil · The Conqueror Worm

Films	Hellboy · Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Animated	Sword of Storms · Blood and Iron

Games	Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game · Asylum Seeker · The Science of Evil

Other	Mike Mignola · Good Samaritan

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