Dark Horse Comics Unveils HELLBOY UNIVERSE ESSENTIALS
Dark Horse Comics has made an announcement sure to please many Hellboy fans. Hellboy Universe Essentials will be volumes of stories handpicked by creator Mike Mignola that have been deemed essential. These volumes will begin launching next year, and each one will feature brand new covers with art by Mignola and colors by Dave Stewart. Mignola said:
In some cases—B.P.R.D. and Witchfinder—it was pretty easy to select the one “essential” book. 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.
Editor Katii O’Brien added:
From ‘The Corpse’ to ‘Pancakes,’ these standalone stories are the perfect way for new readers to get a feel for Hellboy and his world.
The first volume, Hellboy Universe Essentials: Hellboy will launch in July 2021 (July 7 for local comic shops and July 21 for bookstores) for $14.99 and include “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.” This will be followed by Hellboy Universe Essentials: B.P.R.D. in November 2021, Hellboy Universe Essentials: Lobster Johnson in March 2022, and Hellboy Universe Essentials: Witchfinder in July 2022.
This definitely sounds like a great way for old fans to relive iconic stories and for new fans to become better acquainted with this devilish character.
