Hellboy opens in theaters everywhere this Friday, April 12.
This year, the Hellboy franchise (created by Mike Mignola) celebrates its 25th anniversary, which means there’s plenty of comics to read about the exploits of Anung Un Rama, the world’s greatest paranormal investigator. With the live-action film reboot opening in theaters this weekend, it might seem a daunting task to throw one’s self into this sprawling fantasy/horror/sci-fi mythos that spans nearly 30 years of content.
If you’re new to this universe, however, there’s only eight Hellboy comics you need to read in order to prep yourself for the new movie. Since the feature adheres more heavily to its source material than the del Toro films did, you’ll definitely have a lot of fun spotting all of the panel recreations and Easter eggs.
Seed of Destruction (1994):
This is the story that got the ball rolling all the way back in 1994. It provides an explanation of how Hellboy was summoned to Earth in the first place by the Nazis, who were eager to turn the tide of WWII in their favor. Working with Russian magician Rasputin (who promised Hitler a miracle), they performed an arcane ritual off the coast of Scotland, but it didn’t do any good in helping the Third Reich in winning the war. The ritual did summon a demon to Earth, Hellboy, who came under the protection of the Allied forces and raised by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm.
2. The Wild Hunt (2008-2009):
The movie draws most of its plot from this arc, which finds Hellboy recruited by the Osiris Club (an ancient society) to hunt down a group of giants in England. Meanwhile, Gruagach, a pig-like monster looking to get revenge on Hellboy, seeks to restore the Blood Queen, Nimue, to her full powers. The Wild Hunt also features Alice Monaghan, who was saved by Hellboy when she was just a baby. In the new film, Gruagach and Alice are played by Stephen Graham and Sasha Lane respectively.
The Storm and the Fury (2010-2011):
Immediately following the events of Wild Hunt, this comic centers on Hellboy’s efforts against Nimue after she has been restored. In order to defeat her, he makes an eye-popping deal with the Baba Yaga, whose eye he once shot out in 1964.
Conquerer Worm (2001):
You only need to read the first few pages of this one to enjoy an exciting story about a group of American soldiers (led by the legendary Lobster Johnson, but more on him later) barging in on a Nazi experiment in 1939 meant to contact alien forces beyond human comprehension. This is essential to the list because based on a recently-released sizzle reel, it looks like Lobster Johnson will be present for Hellboy’s arrival on Earth when he wasn’t there in the original comics. In fact, he actually died during that 1939 mission, so he wasn’t around in 1944 when Hellboy was summoned by Rasputin. The Torch of Liberty (created by John Byrne) was there for the coming of Hellboy in the comics, but it seems that the film wants to switch that up, using Johnson’s derring-do in Conquerer Worm as a basis.
The Visitor: How & Why He Stayed (2017):
In 1944, an unnamed alien species that monitors the universe and its different dimensions arrived on Earth to kill Hellboy as soon as he arrived on Earth. The assassin meant to strike the fatal blow stayed his hand after sensing that the baby demon, while destined to bring about the end of the world, could do good in the world under the right circumstances. Over the next few decades, the assassin remained on our planet, watching Hellboy from a distance and taking care of the paranormal threats others could not—at least until Hellboy came of age. The alien ship can be glimpsed from a distance in the official movie featurette about staying true to the comics, but The Visitor is also a great comic to read for its heartfelt exploration of love, loss, responsibility and what it means to be human.
