The Super Powered Fancast

The stories of the Hellboy Universe are some of the most celebrated and beloved in comics fandom. Blending folklore, horror, mythology, action, and adventure, legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and a host of celebrated writers and artists have chronicled the adventures of Hellboy, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, Lobster Johnson, and Sir Edward Grey for more than two decades. Beginning in 2021, Dark Horse Books will publish four volumes of essential Hellboy Universe stories, all selected by Mike Mignola, each featuring all new covers by Mignola and award-winning colorist Dave Stewart. 

“In some cases—B.P.R.D. and Witchfinder—it was pretty easy to select the one “essential” book,” said Mignola. “Hellboy was more complicated, as there is so much ground to cover. In the end we chose to go with a collection of short stories rather than a single graphic novel, to give more of an overview of the character. We chose certain stories that say important things about his background, but also some that just show what he does and how he does it. A couple of stories are in there just because they are my favorites.”

The HELLBOY UNIVERSE ESSENTIALS line debuts in July 2021 with HELLBOY UNIVERSE ESSENTIALS: HELLBOY. Priced at $14.99, the trade paperback will collect these iconic stories: The Chained Coffin, The Third Wish, Pancakes, The Nature of the Beast, The Corpse, The Baba Yaga, A Christmas Underground, The Ghoul, and The Troll Witch. 

That release will be followed by HELLBOY UNIVERSE ESSENTIALS: B.P.R.D. in November 2021, followed by HELLBOY UNIVERSE ESSENTIALS: LOBSTER JOHNSON in March of 2022, and HELLBOY UNIVERSE ESSENTIALS: WITCHFINDER in July of 2022.

“From ‘The Corpse’ to ‘Pancakes,’ these standalone stories are the perfect way for new readers to get a feel for Hellboy and his world,” said HELLBOY editor Katii O’Brien.

HELLBOY UNIVERSE ESSENTIALS: HELLBOY will be available in comic stores on July 7, 2021 and in bookstores on July 21, 2021. The trade paperback is available for pre-order now.