Over the last decade, Hellboy has become one of the most successful non-superhero comic book properties in the United States. After starring in two blockbuster movies, multiple animated projects, video games, action figures and comic book miniseries, the Seed of Destruction has cemented himself as an icon for horror/fantasy/sci-fi fans everywhere.
Don’t think that all of this mainstream success has stopped the folks behind Hellboy from being innovative with the most famous demon in comics, though. And according to an article posted by Entertainment Weekly, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is about to create a new beginning for the character.
In the upcoming miniseries, “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.” Mignola will team up with writer John Arcudi and artist Alex Maleev to tell a story of Hellboy’s early days with the titular paranormal organization in 1952.
This new series is a continuation of previous miniseries set in 1946, 1947 and 1948. Together, these series will fill fans in on the blanks regarding Hellboy’s formative years as a young adventurer with the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the character, and with “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.,” Mignola and Dark Horse Comics are striving to tell the definitive Hellboy story, and finally tell fans about the events before the character’s first appearance in the “Seed of Destruction” miniseries.
While Mignola is just as famous for his art as he is for his writing, the illustrations by Alex Maleev in this miniseries will be a definite change of pace for the property. Gone will be Mignola’s heavy shadows and gothic atmosphere as Maleev will employ his trademark gritty, photorealistic style for the book. It will be interesting to see if the series strays from Hellboy’s usual fantasy-driven plots to accommodate Maleev’s more realistic style.
Guillermo del Toro may be too busy directing a "Pacific Rim" sequel to ever revisit the Hellboy universe, but Dark Horse’s comic book output has been just as good as, if not better than, the character’s big screen exploits in recent years.
