sign in sign up
<<
Home , 2011 in comics, Alex Maleev, Baba Yaga, Baba Yaga (Hellboy), Chapel (character), Christopher Golden

.txt Hellboy is a fictional created by writer‐artist . The character first appeared in Comic‐Con Comics #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one‐shots and intercompany crossovers. The character has been adapted into three live‐action feature films. Two starring in 2004 and 2008 in the title role, and one in 2019 which starred , as well as two straight‐to‐DVD animated films, and three video games – Asylum Seeker, The Science of Evil, and as a playable character in .

A well‐meaning half‐ (or Cambion) whose true name is Anung Un Rama ("and upon his brow is set a crown of flame"), Hellboy was summoned from to Earth as a baby by Nazi occultists (spawning his hatred for the Third Reich). He was discovered on a fictional Island by the Allied Forces; amongst them, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, who formed the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.). In time, Hellboy grew to be a large, red‐skinned adult with a tail, horns (which he files off, leaving behind circular stumps on his forehead), cloven hooves for feet, and an oversized right hand made of stone (the "Right Hand of Doom"). He has been described as smelling of dry‐roasted peanuts. Although a bit gruff, he shows none of the malevolence thought to be intrinsic to classical and has an ironic sense of humor. This is said to be because of his upbringing under Professor Bruttenholm, who raised him as a normal boy.

Hellboy works for the B.P.R.D., an international non‐governmental agency, and for himself against dark forces including Nazis and witches, in a series of tales that have their roots in folklore, pulp magazines, vintage adventure, and . In earlier stories, he is identified as the "World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator".

In 2011, Hellboy was ranked 25th of the Top 100 Heroes by IGN.[1]

Fictional character biography

This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (July 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Hellboy, or "Anung Un Rama" as he was called, was conceived on October 5,[2] 1617, the day his birth‐mother, Sarah Hughes, a woman, was on her deathbed. In life, Sarah was a who gained her from being a consort of the archdemon, Azzael, an Archduke of Hell, and Hellboy's "biological" father. Taking Sarah's body to hell when she attempted to repent on her deathbed within a church in East Bromwich, , Azzael burned her away so their child would be , and chopped off the newborn's right hand to replace it with the "Right Hand of Doom", a relic tied to the Ogdru Jahad. When the other princes of Hell learned of his actions, Azzael sent his half‐demon child away while he was stripped of his powers and imprisoned in ice (like Lucifer in Dante's Divine Comedy).

The child is eventually summoned to Earth in the final months of World War II by the "Mad Monk" Grigori Rasputin on Tarmagant Island, off the coast of , Page 1 Hellboy.txt having been commissioned by the Nazis to change the tide of a losing war ("Project Ragna Rok"). As a direct result of this ritual, the child appears on Earth in a fireball at what remains of the ruined Bromwich Church on December 23, 1944. Proving not to be a devil, in the traditional sense, but a devil‐like creature, the child was dubbed "Hellboy" by Professor Trevor "" Bruttenholm.[3]

Taken by the United States Armed Forces to an Air Force base in , Hellboy is raised by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm in as normal a home environment as possible (and as a Catholic), and the where the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) a private organization dedicated to combating threats, begins. Due to the success of his first mission in 1952, Hellboy is granted "honorary human" status by the United Nations and becomes a member of the BPRD as the "world's greatest paranormal investigator".[4] As such, Hellboy interacts regularly with , primarily law enforcement officials, the military, and various "scholars of the weird", most of whom are not presented as overtly reacting to his strange appearance.

As an adult, having matured physically within years yet aging slowly with a teenaged mind, Hellboy becomes the primary agent for the BPRD, alongside other human and quasi‐human agents that include , a professor of folklore at New York University; Abe Sapien, an amphibian humanoid (Ichthyo sapiens); and Liz Sherman, a young pyrokinetic. Things change dramatically for Hellboy during the events of Seed of Destruction when he searches for Professor Bruttenholm after he disappears during an expedition in the Arctic. He finds his adopted father only to his death at the hands of a Lovecraftian frog monster. The search takes Hellboy, Abe and Liz to the Cavendish Hall mansion, which is a trap established by Rasputin to lure Hellboy into an embrace of his own "destiny", with the assistance of Sadu‐Hem; one of the of the Ogdru Jahad. Controlled by the spirit of one of the ancestral Cavendish men, Abe impales Rasputin. Liz's then incinerates Rasputin's body alongside Sadu‐Hem's and destroys Cavendish Hall. Soon after, during a visit to Bromwich Church, Hellboy gets a glimpse of his conception 300+ years ago and learns he has two human half‐siblings; a nun and a priest whose spirits the church after their deaths, attempting to stop Azzael from claiming Sarah.

During the events of Hellboy: Wake the Devil, Hellboy's journey of self‐discovery leads him to Romania to investigate the theft of an ancient box containing the corpse of Vladimir Giurescu, a Napoleonic officer who was in fact a before he was "killed" on the order of a fearful Adolf Hitler. The culprit of the theft is revealed to be Ilsa Haupstein, one of the surviving members of Project Ragna Rok, who was revived from suspended animation and then aided in Giurescu's resurrection. Finding Castle Giurescu after splitting up with the other search groups, Hellboy learns that the source of Giurescu's rebirth is the ancient goddess . Though Hellboy destroys Hecate's original body, he faces her again after Rasputin unintentionally provides her with Ilsa's iron‐maiden encased body. Hecate swallows Hellboy, but he returns to his own reality after he denounces the dark purpose he was born to perform.

Page 2 Hellboy.txt Hellboy later learns that Liz is dying after losing her powers when she accidentally revived a homunculus while searching another location for Giurescu, finding in the events of Hellboy: Almost Colossus as he convinces the homunculus to save Liz's life. Following the events of Hellboy: The Right Hand of Doom, gaining insight about his stone hand and being referenced as a of the Apocalypse, Hellboy is accompanied by Abe to hunt down the warlock Igor Bromhead in Box Full of Evil. But it turned out to be a trap conducted by Bromhead and the demon Ualac to capture Hellboy so that the latter can claim Hellboy's normally invisible Crown of the Apocalypse to increase their power. But this act, however, proves to be counter‐productive, as it allows Hellboy to no‐longer be controlled by his true name, Anung Un Rama (as one of the translations of this name is, lit. "and upon his brow is set a crown of flame"; with the theft of his crown, the name is no‐longer accurate), and he kills Ualac's mortal body before the demon and the crown is taken to Hell by the archdemon, Astaroth, who is later revealed to be Hellboy's paternal uncle.

In the aftermath of Hellboy: Conqueror Worm, assisted by the of Lobster Johnson, Roger, and Abe, a disillusioned Hellboy resigns from the Bureau before it later gains new agents in , the spirit of a medium kept in a containment suit; and Captain Ben Daimio, a special operations soldier that became an Olmec were‐jaguar. From there, Hellboy decides to find out the truth of his existence once and for all. But, as revealed in Hellboy: Strange Places, Hellboy ends up being stranded on an island where he inadvertently resurrected an ancient mystic who gained knowledge of the secret history of the creation of Ogdru Jahad and the Right Hand of Doom.

6 years later, as Hellboy: Darkness Calls opens, Hellboy's search takes him to England where he finds himself in the middle of a power vacuum caused by Bromhead incapacitating Hecate in Italy. Refusing to serve the witches as their king, Hellboy ends up in the dimension of , a witch whom he encountered in the past and happens to be an ally of Rasputin's. Managing to defeat Baba Yaga's champion Koshchei, Hellboy returns to his reality and is led to Bromhead after he became monstrous and in agony from his attempt to take Hecate's powers for his own. Hellboy gives Bromhead a merciful death before returning to England during the events of Hellboy: Hunt where he encounters Alice Monaghan, a young woman he saved as a baby from a fairy named Gruagach who has revived the lunatic sorceress Nimue to fill the void left by Hecate.

During that time, Hellboy encounters the spirit of Morgana le Fay who reveals to Hellboy both the names of his parents and that Sarah Hughes was her descendant, which names Hellboy as the last living heir to Arthur Pendragon and the rightful king of England.[5] But as he also learns from Astaroth that he is destined to kill and become the new king of Hell, Hellboy is reluctant to wield Excalibur (which in his hands becomes a flaming sword) and the army of undead British nobility amassed to face Nimue's army. Therefore, enlisting Baba Yaga's assistance with his eye as payment for the injury he did to her in their first meeting, Hellboy decides to face Nimue one‐on‐one in the events of Hellboy: The and the . But in the aftermath of his battle with Nimue, who was possessed by Ogdru Page 3 Hellboy.txt Jahad at the time, Hellboy is killed by the witch in her final moments. As revealed in Hellboy in Hell, Hellboy ends up trapped in Hell, where he encounters what's left of his demonic kin and the souls of the damned, and ultimately comes to terms with the destiny he has been shrugging off his whole life. Hellboy later returns in the mini‐series BPRD: The Devil You Know, revived and joining Liz and Abe in the final arc of the series. After defeating Rasputin again, he and Hecate see the fall of the Ogdru Jahad and get back the Right Hand of Doom from the Osiris Club, killing them. Despite their efforts however, Ragnarok is fulfilled and most of humanity is destroyed. In the end, Hellboy and Hecate fuse together to create a new world on Earth.

Powers and abilities Afforded by his demonic heritage as well as extensive physical training and bodybuilding, Hellboy possesses superhuman strength that exceeds the 1 ton base limit, endurance, a degree of resistance to injury, and a healing factor that allows him to heal quickly from virtually all bodily injuries as well as renders him immune to all diseases. He also has the innate ability to comprehend ancient and magical languages. The extent of his strength is unclear, but he has torn down a large tree and hurled it at an opponent and has lifted massive stones. He has also picked up and thrown opponents weighing at least four to five hundred pounds. Hellboy has a high degree of resilience to injury. He can withstand powerful blows that would severely injure or kill a human. He survived being shot many times in the chest with an MG 42 machine gun before destroying it.[6] He has survived being impaled through the chest with a sword, severe werewolf mauling, being beaten unconscious with heavy iron tongs, falling from extreme heights, being crushed by boulders, and more. In the film version, it is stated that Hellboy is immune to all forms of fire and burns, including Liz Sherman's flames, and electrocution. Despite his ability to quickly recover from seemingly mortal wounds, he is far from invulnerable and can be injured or bloodied by conventional weapons. It is revealed to Baba Yaga by the dead Russian nobility that Hellboy may not be slain even through means and that he appears to be as as her warrior, the Deathless.[7] In the films, Hellboy has shown skill in , animating a man's dead body so that it could give him directions.

Hellboy ages very differently from humans. In the story Pancakes he is two years old but appears to be somewhere between 6 and 10 human years old. In Nature of the , set in 1954, the ten‐year‐old Hellboy appears fully grown. His rapid physical maturation is in contrast to his actual rate of aging, however, which seems to be much slower than humans. Throughout the sixty‐year span of time depicted in the comics, he does not age beyond the plateau of physical maturity. This mystical aging process is similar to the other demons and supernatural beings that populate Hellboy's world. The lifespan of a demon or half‐demon as Hellboy's mother was human, are left undefined within the comics and seem to range from decades to many thousands of years. In the movies, Hellboy's aging process is described by BRPD as "reverse dog years".

In addition to his natural physical abilities, Hellboy carries a variety of items in his utility belt and jacket that can be used against various supernatural Page 4 Hellboy.txt forces. He has been known to carry holy relics, horseshoes, various herbs, and hand grenades. Though he commonly carries an oversized revolver, which in the films was named the "Good Samaritan", and which was forged from the recycled iron from a church bell; Hellboy freely admits, however, to being a lousy shot with it, and often favours fighting hand‐to‐hand, preferring to use short‐ranged physical weapons like swords, spears, and his massive stone fist over firearms. Hellboy's lack of formal combat training and education is compensated for by his decades of experience as a paranormal investigator, though encounters with unfamiliar threats have often forced him to resort to improvisation and using his wits.

Right Hand of Doom As revealed in Strange Places, Hellboy's right hand was originally the right hand of Anum, one of the "greater spirits" that watched over the burgeoning Earth and created the Ogdru Jahad. After sealing the Ogdru Jahad away, Anum was destroyed by his fellow spirits. Only his right hand remained intact as it was kept and preserved by many races throughout history, including the first race of man. The Right Hand of Doom eventually ended up in the possession of Azzael before he grafted it onto the newborn Hellboy.

As 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 Ragnarok. The comic books themselves never mention how the Right Hand of Doom would actually perform these tasks; they only explain this is the case and someone or something intends to do it, with or without Hellboy's consent. The film shows it working as a key: being turned twice in a special obelisk secured by Rasputin would release the Ogdru Jahad. It is made clear it is not necessary for the arm to be attached to Hellboy to perform its duties. It has been suggested if Hellboy dies while the Hand is attached to him, it would become useless. He has, therefore, concluded the only way to prevent its falling into the wrong hands is to keep and protect it.

Concept and creation Hellboy originated with a drawing Mike Mignola did at a of a demon with the name "Hellboy" written on his belt. Mignola had initially no intention of doing anything serious with the concept, but eventually decided he liked the name.[8]

Later, Mignola became interested in doing a creator‐owned comic, as he felt it made more sense to create his own characters for the stories he to tell, rather than trying to shoehorn existing characters into these stories. Mignola elaborated, "The kinds of stories I wanted to do I had in mind before I created Hellboy. It’s not like I created Hellboy and said, 'Hey, now what does this guy do?' I knew the kinds of stories I wanted to do, but just needed a main guy." He initially created Hellboy as part of a team of five, but scrapped this idea when he realized he could not think of any team names that he liked.[8]

Much like other superheroes such as , ‐Man, Page 5 Hellboy.txt , , Daredevil, and Spawn, Hellboy is constantly tormented by the knowledge of his past. One example being in Wake the Devil where he describes his mindset since the aftermath of Seed of Destruction by saying, "I like not knowing. I've gotten by for fifty‐two years without knowing. I sleep good not knowing."

Publication history See also: List of Hellboy comics Before Hellboy was published independently at , the concept was initially pitched to a board of directors for DC Comics, who loved it, but did not like the idea of it involving "Hell".[9]

The early stories were conceived and drawn by Mignola with a script written by and some later stories have been crafted by creators other than Mignola, including , , , and . The increasing commitments from the Hellboy franchise meant that the 2008 one‐shot In the of Moloch was the first Hellboy comic Mignola had provided the script and art for since The Island in 2005.[10]

Issues Hellboy has an internal numbering on the inside cover of its issues. Below are the stories listed by their internal numbering for the comics.

Issue Title Date Story Art Colors Cover Collection Notes #1 Seed of Destruction March, 1994 Mike Mignola (story) John Byrne (script) Mike Mignola Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 1: Seed of Destruction Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 1 #2 April, 1994 #3 May, 1994 #4 June, 1994 #5 The Wolves of Saint August November, 1994 Mike Mignola James Sinclair Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 3: The Chained Coffin and Others Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 2 The Wolves of Saint August originally appeared in Dark Horse Presents. It is reprinted and expanded here. #6 The Corpse and the Iron Shoes January, 1996 Mike Mignola Matthew Hollingsworth and James Sinclair Mike Mignola The Corpse originally appeared in the Advance Comics catalog. It is reprinted here. #7 Wake the Devil June, 1996 Mike Mignola James Sinclair Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 2: Wake the Devil Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 1 #8 July, 1996 Page 6 Hellboy.txt #9 August, 1996 #10 September, 1996 #11 October, 1996 #12 Almost Colossus July 30, 1997 Mike Mignola James Sinclair Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 3: The Chained Coffin and Others Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 2 #13 June 25, 1997 #14 A Christmas Underground (in the Hellboy Christmas Special) December 3, 1997 Mike Mignola Dave Stewart This was a one‐shot anthology featuring the work of Mike Mignola, Gary Gianni and . #15 Box Full of Evil August 11, 1999 Mike Mignola Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 4: The Right Hand of Doom Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 2 #16 September 8, 1999 #17 Conqueror Worm May 9, 2001 Mike Mignola Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 5: Conqueror Worm Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 3 #18 June 13, 2001 #19 July 11, 2001 #20 August 8, 2001 #21 The Third Wish July 24, 2002 Mike Mignola Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 6: Strange Places Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 3 #22 August 21, 2002 #23 The Island June 22, 2005 Mike Mignola Dave Stewart Mike Mignola #24 July 27, 2005 #25 Makoma February 1, 2006 Mike Mignola with Mike Mignola Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 7: The Witch and Others Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 4 #26 March 1, 2006 Richard Corben #27 Darkness Calls May 2, 2007 Mike Mignola Duncan Fegredo Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 8: Darkness Calls Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 5 Page 7 Hellboy.txt #28 May 30, 2007 #29 June 27, 2007 #30 July 25, 2007 #31 August 29, 2007 #32 November 7, 2007 #33 The Crooked Man July 2, 2008 Mike Mignola Richard Corben Dave Stewart Richard Corben Hellboy ‐ Volume 10: The Crooked Man and Others Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 4 #34 August 13, 2008 #35 September 24, 2008 #36 In the Chapel of Moloch October 29, 2008 Mike Mignola Dave Stewart Mike Mignola #37 The December 3, 2008 Mike Mignola Duncan Fegredo Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 9: The Wild Hunt Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 5 #38 January 7, 2009 BACKUP STORY How Koshchei Became Deathless STORY Mike Mignola ART Guy Davis #39 February 11, 2009 #40 March 4, 2009 BACKUP STORY Baba Yaga's Feast STORY Mike Mignola ART Guy Davis #41 August 12, 2009 Features a MonsterMen backup by Gary Gianni. Not a part of the Hellboy Universe. #42 September 9, 2009 #43 October 14, 2009 BACKUP STORY The Burial of Katharine Baker STORY ART Patric Reynolds #44 November 11, 2009 #45 The Bride of Hell December 23, 2009 Mike Mignola Richard Corben Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 11: The Bride of Hell and Others Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 6 #46 Hellboy in Mexico May 5, 2010 Mike Mignola Richard Corben Page 8 Hellboy.txt Dave Stewart Richard Corben Mike Mignola (variant) #47 The Storm July 7, 2010 Mike Mignola Duncan Fegredo Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy ‐ Volume 12: The Storm and the Fury Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 6 #48 August 4, 2010 #49 September 1, 2010 #50 Double Feature of Evil November 17, 2010 Mike Mignola Richard Corben Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Richard Corben (variant) Hellboy ‐ Volume 11: The Bride of Hell and Others Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 6 #51 The Sleeping and the Dead December 29, 2010 Mike Mignola Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Scott Hampton (variant) #52 February 2, 2011 Mike Mignola #53 Buster Oakley Gets His Wish April 13, 2011 Mike Mignola Nowlan Dave Stewart () Kevin Nowlan Mike Mignola (variant) #54 Being Human May 11, 2011 Mike Mignola Richard Corben Dave Stewart Richard Corben B.P.R.D.: Being Human #55 The Fury June 1, 2011 Mike Mignola Duncan Fegredo Dave Stewart Mike Mignola (variant) Hellboy ‐ Volume 12: The Storm and the Fury Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Volume 6 #56 July 13, 2011 Mike Mignola #57 August 10, 2011 Issues: Hellboy in Hell Hellboy in Hell is a finished series with its own numbering.

Issue Title Date Story & Art Colors Cover Collection #1 The Descent December 5, 2012 Mike Mignola Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy in Hell ‐ Volume 1: The Descent Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Hellboy in Hell #2 Pandemonium January 2, 2013 #3 Family Ties February 6, 2013 #4 Death Riding an Elephant March 6, 2013 #5 The Three Gold Whips December 4, 2013 #6 The Death Card May 14, 2014 Page 9 Hellboy.txt Hellboy in Hell ‐ Volume 2: The Death Card Hellboy Library Edition ‐ Hellboy in Hell #7 The Hounds of August 26, 2015 #8 September 23, 2015 #9 The Spanish Bride May 4, 2016 #10 For Whom the Bell Tolls June 1, 2016 Issues: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. is an ongoing series of miniseries.

Issue Title Date Story Art Colors Cover Collection 1952 #1 1952 December 3, 2014 Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart Alex Maleev Mike Mignola (variant) Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1952 #2 January 7, 2015 Alex Maleev #3 February 4, 2015 #4 March 4, 2015 #5 April 1, 2015 1953 #6 The Phantom Hand & The Kelpie October 28, 2015 Mike Mignola Ben Stenbeck Dave Stewart Mike Mignola Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953 #7 The Witch Tree & Rawhead and Bloody Bones November 25, 2015 #8 Beyond the Fences February 24, 2016 Mike Mignola and (pencils) Joe Rivera (inks) Paolo Rivera #9 March 23, 2016 #10 April 27, 2016 1954 #11 The Black Sun September 21, 2016 Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson Stephen Green Dave Stewart Mike Huddleston Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1954 #12 October 19, 2016 #13 The Unreasoning Beast November 23, 2016 Patric Reynolds #14 Ghost Moon March 8, 2017 Brian Churilla #15 April 12, 2017 1955 #16 Secret Nature August 9, 2017 Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson Shawn Martinbrough Dave Stewart Shawn Martinbrough

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Page 10 Hellboy.txt 1955 #17 Occult Intelligence September 13, 2017 Brian Churilla Paolo Rivera #18 October 11, 2017 #19 November 8, 2017 #20 Burning Season February 21, 2018 Paolo Rivera (pencils) Joe Rivera (inks) 1956 #21 1956 November 28, 2018 Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson Yishan Li and Dave Stewart Dave Johnson Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1956 #22 December 26, 2019 #23 January 23, 2019 #24 February 27, 2019 #25 March 27, 2019 Original Graphic Novels: Hellboy Special stories were created for hardcover original graphic novels.

Title Story Art Colors Cover Published ISBN House of the Living Dead Mike Mignola Richard Corben Dave Stewart Mike Mignola November 2, 2011 9781595827579 The Midnight Circus Duncan Fegredo October 23, 2013 9781616552381 Into the Silent Sea Mike Mignola and Gary Gianni Gary Gianni April 19, 2017 9781506701431 One Shots Hellboy Winter Special [11] Hellboy Winter Special 2017 [12] Hellboy Winter Special 2018 [13] Hellboy ‐ Krampusnacht [14] Hellboy vs. Lobster Johnson ‐ The Ring of Death [15] Trade Paperbacks: Hellboy All in‐continuity Hellboy comics are collected in trade paperbacks.

Number Title Collects Published ISBN 1 Seed of Destruction Seed of Destruction (4‐issue miniseries) Mike Mignola's Hellboy (promo from San Diego Comic‐Con Comics #2) Mike Mignola's Hellboy: World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator (promo from Comics Buyer's Guide #1070) Original Cover: October 1, 1994 9781569713167 Hardcover Limited Edition: Page 11 Hellboy.txt March 1, 1995 9781569710517 Standardized cover: February 4, 2004 9781593070946 2 Wake the Devil Wake the Devil (5‐issue miniseries) Original Cover: June 11, 1997 9781569712269 Standardized cover: February 4, 2004 9781593070953 3 The Chained Coffin and Others The Corpse (serialized short) The Iron Shoes (short story) The Baba Yaga (short story) A Christmas Underground (from the Hellboy Christmas Special) The Chained Coffin (from Dark Horse Presents #100‐2) The Wolves of Saint August (from Dark Horse Presents #88‐91) Almost Colossus (2‐issue miniseries) Original Cover: August 5, 1998 9781569713495 Standardized cover: February 4, 2004 9781593070915 4 The Right Hand of Doom Pancakes (short story) The Nature of the Beast (from Dark Horse Presents #151) King Vold (short story) Heads (short story) Goodbye, Mister Tod (short story) The Vârcolac (serialized short) The Right Hand of Doom (short story) Box Full of Evil (2‐issue miniseries) Original Cover: April 26, 2000 9781569714898 Page 12 Hellboy.txt Standardized cover: February 4, 2004 9781593070939 5 Conqueror Worm Conqueror Worm (4‐issue miniseries) Original Cover: February 27, 2002 9781569716991 Standardized cover: February 4, 2004 9781593070922 6 Strange Places The Third Wish (2‐issue miniseries) The Island (2‐issue miniseries) April 26, 2006 9781593074753 7 The Troll Witch and Others The Penanggalan (short story) The and The Lion (short story) The Troll‐Witch (short story) Dr. Carp's Experiment (short story) The Ghoul (short story) The Vampire of Prague (short story) Makoma (2‐issue miniseries) October 3, 2007 9781593078607 8 Darkness Calls Darkness Calls (6‐issue miniseries) May 16, 2008 9781593078966 9 The Wild Hunt The Wild Hunt (8‐issue miniseries) March 10, 2010 9781595824318 10 The Crooked Man and Others The Crooked Man (3‐issue miniseries) They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships (one shot) In the Chapel of Moloch (one shot) The Mole (short story) Page 13 Hellboy.txt June 9, 2010 9781595824776 11 The Bride of Hell and Others Hellboy in Mexico (one shot) Double Feature of Evil (one shot) The Sleeping and the Dead (2‐issue miniseries) The Bride of Hell (one shot) The Whittier Legacy (short story) Buster Oakley Gets His Wish (one shot) October 5, 2011 9781595827401 12 The Storm and the Fury The Storm (3‐issue miniseries) The Fury (3‐issue miniseries) March 7, 2012 9781595828279 — Hellboy in Mexico Hellboy in Mexico (one shot) House of the Living Dead (original ) Hellboy versus the Aztec (short story) Hellboy Gets Married (short story) The Coffin Man (short story) The Coffin Man 2: The Rematch (short story) April 13, 2016 9781616558970 Trade Paperbacks: Hellboy in Hell All Hellboy in Hell comics are collected in trade paperbacks.

Number Title Collects Published ISBN 1 The Descent[16] Hellboy in Hell #1–5 May 14, 2014 9781616554446 2 The Death Card Hellboy in Hell #6–10 The Exorcist of Vorsk (short story) October 5, 2016 9781506701134 Trade Paperbacks: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. Page 14 Hellboy.txt All Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. comics are collected in trade paperbacks.

Title Collects Published ISBN 1952 1952 (5‐issue arc) August 12, 2015 9781616556600 1953 The Phantom Hand (short story) Rawhead and Bloody Bones (short story) The Witch Tree (short story) The Kelpie (short story) Wandering Souls (short story) Beyond the Fences (3‐issue arc) August 10, 2016 9781616559670 1954 The Mirror (short story) Black Sun (2‐issue arc) The Unreasoning Beast (one shot) Ghost Moon (2‐issue arc) January 10, 2018 9781506702070 1955 Secret Nature (one shot) Occult Intelligence (3‐issue arc) Burning Season (one shot) June 6, 2018 9781506705316 1956 1956 (5‐issue arc) Hellboy vs. Lobster Johnson: The Ring of Death (one shot) September 17, 2019[17] 9781506711058 Library editions These editions collect the stories in the size they were originally drawn.

Page 15 Hellboy.txt Volume Collects Published ISBN 1 Seed of Destruction Wake the Devil May 7, 2008 9781593079109 2 The Chained Coffin and Others The Right Hand of Doom October 8, 2008 9781593079895 3 Conqueror Worm Strange Places September 23, 2009 9781595823526 4 The Crooked Man and Others The Troll Witch and Others June 15, 2011 9781595826589 5 Darkness Calls The Wild Hunt July 11, 2012 9781595828866 6 The Storm and the Fury The Bride of Hell and Others June 12, 2013 9781616551339 Hellboy in Hell The Descent The Death Card The Magician and the Snake October 4, 2017 9781506703633 Omnibus editions These editions collect the complete Hellboy series in chronological order.

Volume Collects Published ISBN Hellboy Omnibus Volume 1: Seed of Destruction Seed of Destruction (4‐issue miniseries) Wake the Devil (5‐issue miniseries) The Wolves of St August (short story) The Chained Coffin (short story) Almost Colossus (2‐issue miniseries) May 9, 2018 9781506706665 Hellboy Omnibus Volume 2: Strange Places Conqueror Worm (4‐issue miniseries) The Third Wish (2‐issue miniseries) The Island (2‐issue miniseries) Into the Silent Sea (OGN) The Right Hand of Doom (short story) Page 16 Hellboy.txt Box Full of Evil (short story) Being Human (short story) June 20, 2018 9781506706672 Hellboy Omnibus Volume 3: The Wild Hunt Darkness Calls (6‐issue miniseries) The Wild Hunt (8‐issue miniseries) The Storm (3‐issue miniseries) The Fury (3‐issue miniseries) The Mole (short story) July 18, 2018 9781506706689 Hellboy Omnibus Volume 4: Hellboy in Hell The Descent (Hellboy in Hell #1‐4) The Three Gold Whips (Hellboy in Hell #5) The Death Card (Hellboy in Hell #6) The Hounds of Pluto (Hellboy in Hell #7‐8) The Spanish Bride (Hellboy in Hell #9) For Whom the Bell Tolls (Hellboy in Hell #10) The Exorcist of Vorsk (short story) The Magician and the Snake (short story) September 5, 2018 9781506707495 Volume Collects Published ISBN Complete Short Stories, Volume 1 The Corpse (short story) The Iron Shoes (short story) Pancakes (short story) The Nature of the Beast (short story) King Vold (short story) The Penanggalan (short story) The Crooked Man (3‐issue miniseries) Hellboy in Mexico (one shot) Double Feature of Evil (one shot) Hellboy versus the Aztec Mummy (short story) Hellboy Gets Married (short story) The Coffin Man (short story) The Coffin Man 2: The Rematch (short story) The Midnight Circus (OGN) House of the Living Dead (OGN) June 5, 2018 9781506706641 Complete Short Stories, Volume 2 The Hydra and the Lion (short story) The Troll Witch (short story) The Baba Yaga (short story) The Sleeping and the Dead (short story) Heads (short story) Goodbye Mister Tod (short story) The Vârcolac (short story) The Vampire of Prague (short story) The Bride of Hell (one shot) Page 17 Hellboy.txt The Whittier Legacy (short story) Buster Oakley Gets His Wish (one shot) They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships (one shot) A Christmas Underground (short story) Dr. Carp’s Experiment (short story) The Ghoul (short story) In the Chapel of Moloch (one shot) Makoma (2‐issue miniseries) August 28, 2018 9781506706658 Other trade paperbacks Hellboy: Weird Tales, Volume 1 (February 2003) – Cover by Mike Mignola. Collects Hellboy: Weird Tales #1–4. ISBN 978‐1‐56971‐622‐9. Hellboy: Weird Tales, Volume 2 (October 2004) – Cover by Mike Mignola. Collects Hellboy: Weird Tales #5–8. ISBN 978‐1‐56971‐953‐4. Hellboy Junior (January 2004) – Written by Mike Mignola, Bill Wray, et al. Collects Hellboy Junior Halloween Special, Hellboy Junior #1–2, plus original material. ISBN 978‐1‐56971‐862‐9. Ghost/Hellboy Special (June 1997) – Written by Mike Mignola. Collects Ghost/Hellboy #1–2. ISBN 978‐1‐56971‐273‐3. /Hellboy (2002) – Cover by Mike Mignola. Collects Savage Dragon #34– 35. The Art of Hellboy (March 2003) – Written by Mike Mignola. Dark Horse Books. ISBN 1‐56971‐910‐1. Hellboy: The Companion (May 2008) – Written by Steve Weiner, Hall. Dark Horse Books. ISBN 978‐1‐59307‐655‐9. Hellboy: Masks and Monsters (October 2010) – Written by Mike Mignola, , Scott Benefiel, Jasen Rodriguez. Collects Batman/Hellboy/Starman #1–2, Ghost/Hellboy #1–2. Dark Horse Books. ISBN 1‐59582‐567‐3. Other appearances Beyond the Hellboy comic and its associated spin‐offs, Hellboy has made appearances in other publications:

Great Salt Lake Comic‐Con pamphlet The character name "Hell Boy" was included in a drawing by Mike Mignola of a demon character in a black and white illustration, with the later recognized name appearing on the demon's belt buckle. This image, accompanied by a short biography of Mike Mignola and his latest creation, appeared in the pamphlet in 1991. It is the first published mention of the later recognized name. This image was reprinted in The Art of Hellboy. This image was also used to create the “First Hellboy” statue by Mondo Tees, in both black and white and full color.

Dime Press A prototype incarnation of Hellboy appeared on the cover of Dime Press #4 (Glamour International Production, 1993), an obscure Italian fanzine, with "Hellboy©Mignola 93" written at the bottom of the cover. The cover, illustrated by Mignola and by the Italian artist Nicola Mari, show Hellboy in the act of attacking a "diabolic" version of the Italian SF comic book character Nathan Never (with bat wings and pointed tail). Mari at the time was one of the artists that worked on Nathan Never, Page 18 Hellboy.txt and the first two years of the life of this comic were the main topic of the fanzine. With the exception of the cover, there is no other mention of Hellboy within the fanzine. The character shown was still in a draft stage, and although close to the final design of Hellboy, it had gray skin and an outfit not common to the character.

San Diego Comic‐Con Comics Mike Mignola's Hellboy by Mike Mignola and John Byrne featured the character's first full appearance, and was a four‐page black‐and‐white story that had an approximately 1,500 book print run. It was published by Dark Horse Comics in San Diego Comic‐Con Comics #2 (August 1993) for distribution at the San Diego Comic‐Con convention held in San Diego, . It was also reprinted in The Comic’s Buyers Guide #1069, along with an interview with creator Mike Mignola.[18]

Hellboy travels to an American ghost town, where he encounters a mangy mutt that transforms into Anubis, the Ancient Egyptian god of mummification.[19]

The story was collected in the Hellboy: Seed of Destruction.[20]

Next Men Hellboy makes a guest appearance in John Byrne's Next Men #21; this is the first American appearance in a full‐color cameo.

Comics Buyer's Guide Mike Mignola's Hellboy: World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator by Mike Mignola and John Byrne featured the character's next appearance. It was published by Dark Horse Comics in a special four‐page mini‐comic for distribution in Comics Buyer's Guide #1,070 (May 20, 1994).[21]

In the story Hellboy battles with the disembodied head of Nazi scientist Herman von Klempt and his puppet henchman Brutus the Gorilla to rescue a captive girl from the doctor's transference of nutrient fluids process.[19]

The story was collected in the trade paperback Hellboy: Seed of Destruction.[20]

Celebrate Diversity Hi, My Name is Hellboy by Mike Mignola was a one‐page panel ad that related the character's fictional origins. It was published by Diamond Comic Distributors in catalog supplement Celebrate Diversity collector's edition (October 1994).[22] The ad was collected in the trade paperback The Art of Hellboy.

Hellboy: The First 20 Years was published 1 April 2014.

In other media Live‐action films

Ron Perlman and David Harbour as Hellboy Hellboy (2004) Page 19 Hellboy.txt Main article: Hellboy (2004 film) The film was directed and co‐written by Guillermo del Toro and starred Ron Perlman as Hellboy (the favorite of both del Toro and Mignola for the role), as Liz Sherman, as FBI Special Agent John Myers (a character created for the film), John Hurt as Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, as Abe Sapien (voiced by an uncredited ), Karel Roden as Grigori Rasputin, and as FBI Senior Special Agent Tom Manning. The film depicts Hellboy as living at the BPRD with a dozen cats and limited access to the outside world, and considered an by the general populace.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) Main article: Hellboy II: The Golden Army A sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, was shot in Budapest by Guillermo del Toro and released in 2008, with Perlman and Blair returning.[23] Jones also returned as Abe Sapien (undubbed this time), and also in two other roles: The Angel of Death and The Chamberlain.[24] had planned on making the film (which was to distribute), but the studio went out of business before filming. Universal Studios then picked it up. The plot is a shift to more folklore rather than action, with heavy European overtones. The character of Johann Krauss was added to the team, voiced by MacFarlane. The character Roger the Homunculus was not, but he was written into the plot as a very prominent character in early drafts of the script. The character of Agent Myers from the first film does not return, his absence being explained by Liz remarking that Hellboy had him transferred to Antarctica out of jealousy. Hellboy also reveals himself to the outside world in this film, and Liz is revealed to be pregnant with his children, twins. On November 11, 2008, Hellboy II: The Golden Army was released on DVD.

Canceled second sequel Main article: Hellboy II: The Golden Army § Sequel A sequel for Hellboy II: The Golden Army was in development in 2009, entitled Hellboy III: Dark Worlds. Guillermo del Toro was slated to return as the film's director and writer. Ron Perlman, Doug Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Selma Blair and Jeffrey Tambor were set to reprise their roles. In the sequel, Hellboy would live his normal life as a father for his two newborn twins with Liz Sherman, but also has to face an extremely powerful enemy who wishes to rule and bring upon Earth. In 2017, it was announced that the sequel was canceled due to the difficulty of funding the film, and a reboot would happen instead.

Hellboy (2019) Main article: Hellboy (2019 film) In May 2017, a reboot, titled Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, was announced by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola on his personal Facebook page revealing that the project is set to be directed by and star David Harbour as the titular character. Mignola also stated that the film would have an R rating unlike previous installments.[25] In August 2017, Ian McShane was cast as Trevor Bruttenholm.[26] Mila Jovovich was cast as the film's main antagonist, Nimue the Blood Queen. On August 10, 2017, the Hellboy reboot dropped the Rise of the Blood Queen title and is now simply referred to as Hellboy. On August 16, 2017, Sasha Page 20 Hellboy.txt Lane was cast as Alice Monaghan. On August 21, 2017, Ed Skrein was cast as Major Ben Daimio.[27] However, upon discovering that Daimio was portrayed in the comic books as a Japanese‐American character, Skrein announced a week later that he was pulling out to allow an actor of Asian heritage to be cast instead.[28] The film takes inspiration from Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, The Storm and the Fury, and Hellboy in Mexico.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Hellboy was released on April 12, 2019.[36] The film was previously scheduled to be released on January 11, 2019.[37]

Animated films Main article: On November 9, 2005, IDT Entertainment issued a press release[38] 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. Actress Peri Gilpin joined the cast as Professor Kate Corrigan.

The first two 75‐minute animated movies, Sword of Storms and Blood and Iron, were aired on 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, and the artwork and color palette is derived more 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". Blood and Iron similarly contains a comic called "The Yearning".

After the initial release, some stores included exclusive giveaways with copies of the Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron DVD:

Best Buy: A 7" Hellboy figure : An 80‐page digest titled The Judgment Bell Transworld: A 64‐page Hellboy Digest : A Lobster Johnson magnet Circuit City ‐ A Hellboy "Bust Up" A "Hellboy 2 Pak" limited edition DVD set was released July 1, 2008, that contained both films and a 7" figure.

A third animated Hellboy film, The Phantom Claw, has been put on hold. , director and writer of the direct‐to‐video movies, says the film will star Lobster Johnson and will have some characters, but Abe and Liz will not be in the film (at least not as main characters).

Novels and anthologies Christopher Golden has written several novels about the character, the first two of which, The Lost Army and The Bones of Giants, are part of the official Hellboy story canon. The events of both these novels are listed in the comic's official Page 21 Hellboy.txt timeline featured in Hellboy: The Companion. In particular, the Golden‐penned character of Anastasia Bransfield was also described in the companion, despite having never actually appeared in a comic.

Hellboy: The Lost Army (written by Christopher Golden, cover and other illustrations by Mike Mignola, 1997) Hellboy: Odd Jobs (by editor Christopher Golden, writers include Stephen R. Bissette, , 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: The Bones of Giants (written by Christopher Golden, cover and other illustrations by Mike Mignola, 2001) Hellboy: Odder Jobs (by editor Christopher Golden, writers include , Guillermo del Toro, Charles de Lint, , Sharyn McCrumb, James Cambias, and Richard Dean Starr, October 2004) Hellboy: On Earth As It Is In Hell (written by Brian Hodge, cover by Mike Mignola, September 2005) Hellboy: Unnatural Selection (written by , cover by Mike Mignola, March 2006) Hellboy: The God Machine (written by Thomas E. Sniegoski, cover by Mike Mignola, July 2006) Hellboy: The Dragon Pool (written by Christopher Golden, cover by Mike Mignola, March 2007) Hellboy: Emerald Hell (written by Tom Piccirilli, cover by Mike Mignola, February 2008) Hellboy: The All‐Seeing Eye (written by , cover by Mike Mignola, October 2008) Hellboy: Oddest Jobs (by editor Christopher Golden, writers include Joe R. Lansdale, China Miéville, Barbara Hambly, Ken Bruen, , and , July 2008) Hellboy: The Fire Wolves (written by Tim Lebbon, cover by Mike Mignola, April 2009) Hellboy: The Ice Wolves (written by Mark Chadbourn, cover by Duncan Fegredo, September 2009) Hellboy: An Assortment of Horrors (2017)[39] Video games A Hellboy video game called Hellboy: Dogs of the Night, developed by , was released in 2000 for Microsoft Windows. It was ported to PlayStation as Hellboy: Asylum Seeker.

On April 6, 2005, Hellboy movie director Guillermo del Toro announced on his official site[40] that he had made a deal with developer Konami to create a new Hellboy video game 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 were slated to make appearances. On May 9, 2006, it was revealed that the Hellboy game would appear in the summer of 2007, on PlayStation 3, , and PlayStation Portable. The game was released in North America on June 24, 2008 with the name Hellboy: The Science of Evil. It is developed by Krome Studios, and published by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. As well as single Page 22 Hellboy.txt player campaign where the player gets to play as Hellboy the game also features co‐op play, featuring the characters Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman. Two additional levels and Lobster Johnson as a playable character (voiced by Bruce Campbell) as DLC were developed but were unreleased.

A Hellboy video game called Hellboy II: The Golden Army ‐ Tooth Fairy Terror was released for the iPhone by Tuesday Creative on January 14, 2009.

Hellboy is a playable DLC character in Injustice 2, voiced by Bruce Barker[41], as part of the "Fighter Pack 2". The character was released for download on Tuesday, November 14, 2017. He is brought to Injustice universe by who decides to add him to his collection as he is fascinated by Hellboy's human‐like mind and personality despite being a demon. In his ending, Hellboy escapes from Brainiac's collection and defeats him. As a result, he is asked to assist in rounding up local before eventually returning to the B.P.R.D. but finds his work there unfulfilling and ends up retiring to .

Hellboy appeared as a playable character in Brawlhalla.[42]

Appearances in popular culture

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Hellboy appears as a "borrowed character" in author ’s Anno series, specifically in the novella Andy Warhol's Dracula (2004) where he joins the ranks of , John , Travis Bickle, the , Paul Kersey (of Death Wish), Scooby‐Doo, and Shaggy in hunting down Johnny Pop, a vampire drug dealer.[43] Hellboy has made guest appearances in 's long running comic book series, The Savage Dragon. Hellboy makes a one‐panel cameo appearance during a hallucination sequence in 's : Hell and Back. Hellboy made a cameo as a trick or treater in the last page of the Sam & Max story "Belly of the Beast". Hellboy also appears in an issue of 's ‐winning series The Goon.[44] Hellboy made a one‐panel cameo appearance, along with several other borrowed characters, in the / The Battle for Independents from . Hellboy appeared in Madman Comics #5 (January 1995). Abe Sapien, a popular character from Hellboy, appears in John Byrne's Babe 2 #2. In 's film Dogma (1999), one of the Stygian Triplets is seen wearing a Hellboy T‐shirt. In one of the ending themes for Sayonara, Zetsubou‐Sensei, the animation and graphic style is the same one used in the Hellboy comic books. A large poster of Hellboy appears in a comic shop in the 2010 movie Kick‐Ass.[45] Hellboy makes somewhat of a cameo in the fifth volume of Requiem Chevalier Vampire, Page 23 Hellboy.txt as a number of servants bear a striking resemblance to him.[46] Hellboy appeared in the Mad episode " of Dreams / I Hate My Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" voiced by Fred Tatasciore, where he advertises his magical Left Hand of Doom which can solve all lefty problems. An action figure heavily resembling Hellboy can be seen on the teenagers nightstand in the Unlimited episode "Wake The Dead". Yu‐Gi‐Oh! creator and Mike Mignola swapped renditions of their respective characters – i.e. a Takahashi take on Hellboy and a Mignola take on Yugi Mutoh – for a special issue of the magazine Shonen Jump. In the movie Blade II the character of Scud played by Norman Reedus wears a B.P.R.D. emblem T‐shirt. Ron Perlman acted in, and Guillermo del Toro directed, Blade II and the two Hellboy movies. Hellboy is featured in To Hold The Bridge, a collection of short stories by ; In Strange Fishing in the Western Highlands, Hellboy is an essential ally of Dr. Malcolm MacAndrew's druidic soldier father.[47] Awards The miniseries Hellboy: Conqueror Worm won a 2002 Eisner Award for "Best ", while The Art of Hellboy won an Eisner in 2004 for "Best Comics‐Related Book". Mignola won a 2000 for "Best Artist", based on Hellboy: Box Full of Evil. Hellboy: Darkness Calls won a 2007 for "Favourite Colour Comicbook – American".

The character Hellboy was nominated for "Favourite Comics Character" at the 2004 and 2005 Eagle Awards. Other Eagle Award nominations include "Favourite Comics Story published during 2007" for Hellboy: Darkness Calls, and "Favourite Comics Hero".

The comics writer listed Hellboy on his recommendations page, particularly Wake the Devil (Vol. 2), calling it "the skillful cutting and the setting of the stone that we can see Mignola's sharp contemporary sensibilities at work".[48]

In March 2009, Hellboy won two categories in the fan voted Project Awards for 2008: "Best Indy Hero" and "Best Indy Character".[49]

See also The Amazing Screw‐On Head, another comic book from Dark Horse written and drawn by Mike Mignola.

Page 24