In a lot of ways, the holidays are about tradition. Everyone’s got ’em. It might be a family latke recipe, or getting together to watch Die Hard, or arranging the Christmas tree ornaments so the cats don’t knock them off the lowest branches. Here at Multiversity, we have an annual tradition of looking at shared comic book universes and politely ask them to do something differently. It’s one part new years resolution, one part gift giving- to us, every one!
Today, we’re looking at the works of Mike Mignola—so the Hellboy Universe, the Outerverse, the Adventures of Professor J.T. Meinhardt and His Assistant Mr. Knox, and any other universes he may have hidden up his sleeves. I think it’s pretty safe to say that we here at Multiversity Comics love the works of Mike Mignola. (We’ve had a dedicated column for his work since 2010, after all.) Here are a few things we’d like to see…
New time periods
One of the most beautiful things about the Hellboy Universe is how it’s stories span a vast timeline. Eldritch beings and ancient monsters have long lifetimes, and we’ve gotten stories from the dawn of humanity to it’s end, sometimes all in one book! As much as I’m enjoying the current focus on Victorian era and the 1950s, it’d be pretty neat in 2023 to get some stories in places and times we haven’t seen so much. How about some medieval knights, vampires in feudal Japan, or sea monsters in the golden age of piracy? I’d love to see the Hellboy Universe branch out into new eras and tell some brand new stories.
Bring back the vampires (and Bá and Moon)
In 2023, it will have been ten years since “B.P.R.D.: Vampire”:, and five years since ‘Lost Ones’, the short story continuing the story of the vampires. Since then the Hellboy Universe hasn’t been graced by Brazilian legends Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon. The ten year anniversary of “B.P.R.D.: Vampire” is a great opportunity to bring these talented creators back into the fold, and have them take on vampires again. Vampires are something the Hellboy Universe has always done interesting and particularly well, but they were given a bit of an anticlimactic, if poetic, dismissal in the pages of “Devil You Know”. It’s time for some of the most iconic monsters in horror history to make their grand return.
More Lobster please!
If there is one thing I can’t get enough of, it’s Lobster Johnson. The badass in blue is one of the most iconic characters the Hellboy Universe has ever produced. Getting a taste of the Lobster again with “Young Hellboy: Assault on Castle Death” has reminded me of just how much I love this fearless crimefighter. It’s been five years since a true Lobster miniseries, and he’s due a full story again. I’d love to see a new creative team tackle the Lobster, and see what they can come up with. Lobster Johnson is really quite something special, and the Hellboy Universe isn’t the same without Lobster stories in print.
