Hellboy
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Hellboy is a Dark Horse Comics character. Created by Mike Mignola, he first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2
A demon named Anung Un Rama, Hellboy was brought to Earth as an infant by Nazi occultists. He was rescued by allied forces and raised by the United States’ Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). He grew-up to be a large red-skinned demon with a tail, horns, which he files down to stumps, and a big stone right hand. Although a gruff anti-hero, he shows none of the malevolence thought to be intrinsic to demons and works with other strange creatures in the BPRD. He has been dubbed the "World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator".
Hellboy has been featured in a sequence of comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse Comics, influenced by vintage adventure and horror fiction. They have been some of the most successful comics not published by Marvel, DC or Image Comics.
The comics were adapted into a 2004 film starring Ron Perlman as Hellboy with a sequel and animated series on the way.
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 linework, 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 has praised Hellboy as one of the most innovative and entertaining comics in recent years. Certain Hellboy stories also draw on folklore from Ireland, Norway, Russia, Malaysia, and Japan, among other countries.
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 people other than Mignola, including Christopher Golden, Guy Davis and Ryan Sook. Golden has also written several novels about the character.
Hellboy remains one of the few older Dark Horse titles to remain in print, after the company's focus shifted from their own titles to licensed properties.
Character history
Hellboy is a creature summoned in the final months of World War II by a fictional version of Grigori Rasputin, on a small island just off the coast of Scotland ('Tarmagent Island'), having been commissioned by the Nazis to change the tide of war ("Project Ragna Rok"). Hellboy appeared in a fireball in a ruined church in East Bromwich, England, December 23, 1944. He proved not to be a devil, but a little boy-like creature (with red skin, horns, a tail, and a large stone right hand)—hence the name given by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced Broom).
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, a U.S. agency dedicated to combating occult threats. He was granted honorary human status by the United Nations in 1952.
As an adult, Hellboy became the primary agent for the B.P.R.D., alongside several other human and quasi-human agents. His fellow agents include Abe Sapien, an amphibian humanoid ("icthyo sapien"); Liz Sherman, a pyrokinetic; Roger, an unusually large homunculus; and Johann Kraus, a disembodied spiritualist.
Hellboy's adventures in the comics span the 1940s to the present day and involve elements such as sorcerers, Nazis, the Thule Society, hollow earth explorers, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and other oddities such as the Ogdru Jahad.
Several of the storylines deal with Hellboy's Right Hand of Doom and its purpose in initiating the Apocalypse. Much in the same vein as fellow comic-book superheroes Batman, Blade and Wolverine, Hellboy is a hero constantly haunted by the knowledge of his past.
Powers and Abilities
Hellboy's superhuman abilities stem from his demonic nature. While his specific powers and abilities have never been explicitly described in the comics, Hellboy is much stronger and tougher than an ordinary human being.Hellboy is not invulnerable, but he is extremely tough. He has been savagely beaten by large monsters on several occasions and survived, often with relatively few injuries. On one occasion, he 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 on at least one occasion he has torn down a large tree and hurled it at an opponent. He has also thrown opponents weighing at least four hundred to five hundred pounds. The Hellboy Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game, which was produced with input from Mignola, states that with two hands, Hellboy can lift approximately 750 pounds (340 kg). However, the comics suggest that Hellboy is stronger than this.
Hellboy's right hand, referred to as the Right Hand of Doom, consists of a large forearm and hand that seem to be made from red stone. The Hand is effectively invulnerable and feels no pain, and is much like a sledgehammer when used to punch an enemy. Of course, being far larger than an ordinary human hand, the Right Hand of Doom is not very suitable for use with most objects, so he relies on his average-sized left hand to operate weapons and devices.
In addition to his natural gifts, Hellboy carries a variety of items--such as holy relics, horseshoes, and herbs--in his utility belt. These often come in handy when fighting supernatural beasts.
Somehow, Hellboy interacts regularly with normal humans, with little to no attention given to the fact that he is bright red and has a tail. In the film version, however, he is kept under lock and key and considered simply an "urban legend" by the general populace.
Hellboy usually carries a large pistol. In the film adaptation, the gun is called "the Samaritan," and Hellboy states that he uses special bullets containing silver shavings, holy water, and other materials to ensure the weapon's effectiveness against supernatural creatures.
Additionally, in the film adaptation, Hellboy is shown to be entirely invulnerable to heat and flame, including that which is generated by electrocution.
The Right Hand of Doom
In Seed of Destruction, Hellboy is confronted by a fictional version of Rasputin and begins to find out what he is doing on Earth and who summoned him there. Hellboy's 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. Hellboy, addressed as "Anung Un Rama", 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 other-worldly 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 regrown 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, in the House of the Fly, where a seat is reserved for him.
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 inadvertantly 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.
Hellboy Timeline
- 1952: Hellboy is granted honorary human status by the UN and becomes a field agent for the B.P.R.D.
- 1954, England: Hellboy is asked by the Osiris Club to slay the Saint Leonard Worm. Hellboy is successful, but the mission was really a cover for the Club to discern Hellboy’s true allegiances. In the end, they remain undecided, although the lilies that grew from his blood spatters indicate that Hellboy would not confine himself to his destiny. Bruttenholm’s complicity in this test is unknown. (The Nature of the Beast)
- 1956, Norway: 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, and manoeuvres Hellboy into completing Vold’s tasks for him. (King Vold)
- 1957 India: Hellboy works on a werewolf case.
- 1959 Ireland: To retrieve a 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 a werewolf case.
- 1959 Macapa: Hellboy stops von Klempt's experiments, but the severed head escapes.
- 1961 Ireland: Hellboy ensnares the Iron Shoes demon and hands him over to Father Mike. (Iron Shoes)
- 1961 Saybrook, Connecticut: Hellboy works with Father Edward Kelly on an unnamed mission.
- 1964 Bereznik, Russia: Hellboy tracks down the Baba Yaga, and in the ensuing encounter shoots out her left eye.
- 1967, Kyoto, Japan: Hellboy travels to Japan, and handles a case involving floating heads called nuke-kubi (抜首). (Heads)
- 1969 Lockmaben, Scotland: Bruttenholm and Hellboy visit the castle which would later be purchased by Count Guarino. The Guarinos would turn out to be Satanists.
- 1979 Portland, Oregon: Mister Tod, a physical medium (much like Johann Kraus) whom Hellboy had met several years earlier, unwittingly opens an ectoplasmic door to an Ogdru-Jahad-like being. Hellboy manages to repulse the entity, but Mister Tod is destroyed in the process. There are implications that this being was much like the entities in space that The Nazis and Herman von Klempt were trying to contact in Conqueror Worm. (Goodbye Mister Tod)
- 1982 Yorkshire, England: Hellboy, after over seven years of searching, tracks down the body of the vampire Countess Ilona Kakosky. She attempts to trick him with an illusion, but he kills her. (The Varcolac)
- 1982 India: Hellboy works on a werewolf case.
- 1989 England: Hellboy investigates the disappearance of Ann Heath, who was lured underground by a demon. (A Christmas Underground)
- 1990 Anonta, Ontario: Hellboy and Abe capture a wendigo.(B.P.R.D.:The Universal Machine)
- 1992 Lake Okanagan, British Columbia: Hellboy and Abe search for the Ogopogo Monster.
- 1993 New York, New York, Africa: Hellboy is invited to the New York Explorer's Club, where a recently accquired mummy "speaks" with him. Although the conversation appears to take place invisibly and in a matter of seconds from the outside, the mummy tells him the tale of Makoma, born at the beginning of the world and wandering it to its end. While the significance of this is unknown, Makoma appears until the end to be Hellboy, both in looks and personality. The mummy collapses after relating the tale, and Hellboy is immediately ejected and banned from the Explorer's Club. (Makoma)
- 1994: The Cavendish Hall affair (Seed of Destruction)
- 1994 Griart, the Balkans: Hellboy and Kate visit a town decimated by werewolves. Father Kelly had been there before them to investigate, but he was murdered along with the rest of the town. (The Wolves of St. August)
- 1995: Hellboy returns to the ruined church where he 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. During this dream, Hellboy believes that the demon turned to acknowledge him.
- 1997 Romania: The Giurescu affair (Wake the Devil)
- 1998 Lizarza, Spain: Hellboy meets up with the son of Malcolm Frost, Adrian 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 must keep the hand lest someone else retrieve it and use it. (The Right Hand of Doom)
- 1999 Druggan Hill, England/Lockmaben, Scotland: Igor Bromhead releases Ualac, a minor demon trapped in a box by St. Dunstan. Ualac tricks Bromhead into summoning the Crown of Apocalypse, which sits invisibly on Hellboy’s head. Ualac wanted Hellboy’s right hand, but Hellboy is spurred into action by a vision of the King of the Daoine Sidh and his two attendants, who reveal that his name no longer binds him now that the Crown has been taken from him. Bromhead prays to Astaroth for deliverance, but winds up being turned into a lizard. Ualac, too, is ensnared by Astaroth, who takes Hellboy’s crown to Hell where it waits for Hellboy to retrieve it. (Box Full of Evil)
- 2001 Austria: The Conqueror Worm affair. Nazis 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.
- 2005: 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 Apocolypse by dismembering him and hiding the Right Hand of Doom, but Hellboy manages to escape with a mermaid's help. After two years, 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 England as the Daoine Sidh watch on. (The Third Wish and The Island)
Other media
Feature films
Guillermo del Toro directed a film adaptation titled Hellboy in 2004, a screenplay was originally written by Peter Briggs in 1997. Del Toro, a fan of Mignola's work, had previously written the preface to Hellboy: Conqueror Worm. The film starred Ron Perlman as Hellboy (the favourite of both del Toro and Mike 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 Prof. Trevor Bruttenholm, Doug Jones as Abe Sapien (voiced by an uncredited David Hyde Pierce), Karel Roden as Rasputin, and Jeffrey Tambor as FBI Senior Special Agent Thomas 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 Guillermo 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.
The film begins with a simplified version of Hellboy's origin (see above) and then jumps to the present day, when FBI Agent John Myers joins the B.P.R.D. as Hellboy's new "minder". The plot draws mostly from the comic storyline Seed of Destruction, but also uses elements from other stories, most notably The Right Hand of Doom and Box Full of Evil.The movie makes a passing reference to the Spear of Longinus, supposedly acquired by Hitler in 1938, and now safeguarded by the B.P.R.D.. Kroenen is also a more prominent character in the movie than in the comics.
A sequel to this movie, Hellboy 2, is currently under development (for release in June of 2007) by director del Toro, and will feature the returning talents of Perlman, Blair, and Jones. The working title of the sequel is Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. 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 characters of Johann Kraus and Kate Corrigan 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 certain shots in Professor Brutenholm's study in the first movie. The cast for the first film, Perlman, Blair, Jones, and Hurt respectively, are scheduled to return.Videogames
A Hellboy videogame called Hellboy: Asylum Seeker was also previously released for the PC and the PlayStation, by Cryo Interactive. It has no relation with the recent movie.On April 6, 2005, Hellboy movie director Guillermo Del Toro announced on his [official site] 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.
On May 9, 2006, it was revealed that the Hellboy game would appear sometime in 2007, on PS3, XBox 360, and PSP. It is being developed by Krome Studios.
Role playing game
A Hellboy sourcebook and role playing game was also published by Steve Jackson Games, using the GURPS system.Animated Series
On November 9, 2005, IDT Entertainment issued a [press release] 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.Two 75-minute animated movies will air on the Cartoon Network and then be released on DVD, with the first one to air sometime at the beginning of 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 colour palette is derived very closely from Mignola's original artwork.
Bibliography
Art Book
- Mignola, Mike (March 2003)The Art of Hellboy (ed. Scott Allie) Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books ISBN 1-56971-910-1
Collected graphic novels
- Mignola, Mike Hellboy: Seed of Destruction (ed. Barbara Kesel with Scott Allie, Plot by Mike Mignola, Script by John Byrne) Third Edition: November 2003 Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books ISBN 1-59307-094-2
- Mignola, Mike Hellboy: Wake the Devil (ed. Scott Allie, colors by James Sinclair, separations by Dave Stewart, letters by Pat Brosseau) Second Edition: November 2003 Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books ISBN 1-59307-095-0
- Mignola, Mike Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others (ed. Scott Allie, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Pat Brosseau) Second Edition: November 2003 Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books ISBN 1-59307-091-8
- Mignola, Mike Hellboy: The Right Hand of Doom (ed. Scott Allie, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Pat Brosseau) Second Edition: November 2003 Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books ISBN 1-59307-093-4
- Mignola, Mike Hellboy: Conqueror Worm (ed. Scott Allie, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Pat Brosseau) Second Edition: November 2003 Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books ISBN 1-59307-092-6
- Mignola, Mike Hellboy: Strange Places First Edition: April 2006 Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books ISBN 1593074751
- 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
Other trade paperbacks
- Hellboy: Weird Tales Vol. 1 (cover by Mike Mignola)
- Hellboy: Weird Tales Vol. 2 (cover by Mike Mignola)
- Ghost/Hellboy Special (story, cover and layout by Mike Mignola)
- Savage Dragon/Hellboy (collects Savage Dragon #34-35, cover by Mike Mignola)
Uncollected comics
- Hellboy: Makoma, or, A Tale Told by a Mummy in the New York City Explorers' Club on August 16, 1993 #1-2
- Hellboy: Darkness Calls #1-?
- Batman/Hellboy/Starman #1-2 (written by James Robinson, art by Mike Mignola)
- Painkiller Jane/Hellboy (variant cover by Mike Mignola)
Fiction
- Golden, Christopher Hellboy: The Bones of Giants
- Golden, Christopher Hellboy: The Lost Army
- Brian Hodge Hellboy:On Earth as it is in Hell (September 2005)
- Tim Lebbon Hellboy: Unnatural Selection (March 2006)
- Thomas E. Sniegoski Hellboy: The God Machine (July 2006)
- Golden, Christopher ''Hellboy: The Dragon Pool (March 2007)
- Golden, Christopher (ed.) Hellboy: Odd Jobs (December 1999) an anthology of short stories by various writers including 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
- Golden, Christopher (ed.) Hellboy: Odder Jobs (October 2004), a second short story anthology; contributors include Frank Darabont, Guillermo del Toro, Charles de Lint, Graham Joyce and Sharyn McCrumb.
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.External links
- [Hellboy official site]
- [Website for the Hellboy videogame]
- [Hellboy film official site]
- [Hellboy Movies] hype at the [SuperHeroHype!]
- [Hellboy Animated Series Production Diary]
- [Movie Review] - Mark Sells, The Oregon Herald
- [}}}] at Rotten Tomatoes
- [Full Hellboy Timeline]
- [The Doug Jones Experience - Doug Jones as Abe Sapien]
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