Welcome to Mignolaversity, Multiversity Comics’ home for all things Mike Mignola. April’s going to be a big month for Mignola’s books, with his and Christopher Golden’s Outerverse kicking into high gear. I’m ridiculously excited about this.
YOUNG HELLBOY: THE HIDDEN LAND #3 (of 4)
Written by Mike Mignola and Tom Sniegoski
Illustrated by Craig Rousseau
Colored by Dave Stewart
Lettered by Clem RobinsOn sale April 14, 2021
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
MiniseriesHellboy, the Professor, Scarlett, and the Ohnar are all in danger when an ancient evil awakes. The vampire Vesperra and her undead legions are too powerful for Hellboy and his companions to face alone, but Scarlett has an ace up her sleeve that will give them a fighting chance.
Mark Tweedale: If you aren’t following Craig Rousseau on a social media platform, I recommend doing so. He keeps posting drawings of young Hellboy or Professor Bruttenholm, and it’s great to get swept up in his enthusiasm.
LADY BALTIMORE: THE WITCH QUEENS #2 (of 5)
Written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Illustrated by Bridgit Connell
Colored by Michelle Madsen
Lettered by Clem RobinsOn sale April 21, 2021
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
MiniseriesThe witch queen Yelena has called the hexencorps down on the Baltimore estate, but Lady Sofia Baltimore’s eclectic band of allies has some surprises in store for the cursed hordes. Meanwhile, Sofia’s fight takes a sudden new turn when an old acquaintance reveals some startling new knowledge about Lord Baltimore himself!
MT: Here’s my early review of “Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens” #1. This is everything I wanted from a Sofia Valk series. Bridgit Connell’s art is fantastic. She clearly has a passion for the characters and for drawing monsters. I hope we’ll be seeing a lot more from her on Mignola’s books in future. Christopher Golden is clearly having fun opening up the Outerverse. This is something he’s been planning for a while, but he’s been taking his time laying the groundwork, so that as it all starts happening, it just works.
If you want to know more about this series, tomorrow Dark Horse will be doing a live panel on their Twitch stream with Christopher Golden, Bridget Connell, and editor Katii O’Brien. They’ll also be giving away a copy of the first “Baltimore” omnibus edition. The panel begins at 1pm PT.
COJACARU THE SKINNER #1 (of 2)
(The first part of a triptych cover)
Continued belowWritten by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Illustrated by Peter Bergting
Colored by Michelle Madsen
Lettered by Clem RobinsOn sale April 21, 2021
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
MiniseriesCojacaru the Skinner, the strange and enigmatic bane of Eastern European witches, has been dead many years. But from a bloodied French town in the throes of World War II, a plea for help carries across the winds of time. A desperate band of resistance soldiers and their white witch allies rest their fate in the hands of Cojacaru’s ghost. And when she answers their call, it will be heard near and far.
Celebrated horror writers Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden return to tell the story of Cojacaru the Skinner, once a small girl named Crina who befriended a witch-hunting golem. Rejoined by artist Peter Bergting (Baltimore and Joe Golem: Occult Detective) and colorist Michelle Madsen, the tale they spin will be one of horror, desperation, and ultimately hope.
MT: In case you missed the announcement, there’s a whole lot of the Outerverse coming in 2021. “Cojacaru the Skinner” is the first ‘Tales from the Outerverse’ story, which is able to explore different characters in the Outerverse from different periods of time, without it having to be a part of a major series, which really opens up this universe in a big way. Peter Bergting is back and I can’t wait to see what he’s done. Everyone that’s seen it so far has been very complimentary.
On a different topic, I just want to point out that we have two series this month with women as their lead characters, something we’ve never had on Mignola’s books before. In fact, it wasn’t until 2018’s “Crimson Lotus” we even had a series with a titular woman character. Now we’re getting two in one month. There’s a definite shift happening in these comics and it’s for the better. And with “Imogen of the Wyrding Way” starting in June, there’s more to come, and I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate that.
HELLBOY UNIVERSE: THE SECRET HISTORIES
—OMNIBUS EDITION—
Written by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Chris Roberson
Illustrated by Laurence Campbell, Christopher Mitten, Paul Grist, and Jason Latour
Colored by Dave Stewart and Bill Crabtree
Lettered by Clem RobinsOn sale June 2, 2021
Full color, 440 pages
$39.99
Hardcover, 7″ x 10″When did Rasputin find his calling to bring about Ragna Rok? How did the Visitor stay hidden on Earth for so long? And where did the legendary Sledgehammer armor really come from? These questions and more are answered in this new collection from the world of Hellboy! Three stories of instrumental side characters are explored in full, collected for the first time in a handsome hardcover perfect for any Hellboy fan’s library.
Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is joined by John Arcudi, Chris Roberson, Laurence Campbell, Christopher Mitten, Dave Stewart, and others to bring these hidden corners of the Mignolaverse to light. Collects Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon TP; Sledgehammer 44 TP; and The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed TP.
MT: Editor Katii O’Brien hinted at this omnibus in an interview way back in January 2019, so it’s nice to see it come to fruition. This collection focuses on a bunch of stories set during World War II (or in the case of “The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed,” begins in World War II), so there’s a thematic connection that unifies the collection. These aren’t just a bunch of disconnected stories thrown together for the sake of it. I appreciate the level of thoughtfulness put into the omnibuses, so thank you, Katii O’Brien!
