Mike Mignola's Killing Off Hellboy

[vansau]

Mike Mignola's Killing Off Hellboy

Seriously, guys! He's gonna do it! For really reals!

Mike Mignola has a bit of a shocker for Hellboy fans: The character is about to be killed off and there aren't any plans to resurrect him in the future. It turns out this is a bit of a twist, since Mignola was originally promising that he would come back to handle both writing and artistic duties for the character after Duncan Fegredo finishes up the current miniseries Hellboy: The Fury.

The third - and final - issue of Hellboy: The Fury is due out on August 10th, and Mignola recently sat down with CBR News to talk about the upcoming death:

"I killed Hellboy once before, but he came back pretty quick. I knew he was dead, and I was waiting for people to go, 'Oh shit! Hellboy's dead!' But nobody seemed to notice. So this time we're doing Hellboy's death where you'll go, 'No. He's dead, and he's not coming back in 12 minutes.' There was a little bit of work that had to go into that because this really is the end of him as that physical character that appeared in the very first issue. It's a weird thing to do, but it's fun."

The full interview also reveals that Mignola's still got plans to further the stories of other characters in the shared universe, including the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense and a new solo adventure starring Abe Sapien.

Source: <a href=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=33698>Comic Book Resources

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[Mister Benoit]

Uhhhhh.... Spoiler?

What incentive does anyone have of reading this now. We already know he's going to die.

While reading Sandman if anyone would've spoiled anything for me I would of seriously punched them. Is this his idea of how to attract more readers to a character.... BY KILLING HIM???

 

[Truly-A-Lie]

He's known the plan for years apparently. Though I would rather have had them announce "The final Hellboy issue" rather than "Hellboy dies."
This just makes me want them to stop making short story collections and get on with collecting the main plot into new trade paperbacks so I can continue reading, The Wild Hunt had a really open ending and hints at things to come, and since then I haven't had a clue what follows.

 

[WabbitTwacks]

this really is the end of him as that physical character that appeared in the very first issue. It's a weird thing to do, but it's fun.

sounds like Hellboy will continue his adventures in the afterlife. or is it just me?

 

[Hitchmeister]

So it'll be like 12 months this time instead of 12 minutes?

 

[Roserari]

I know some people that are going to "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo-"

 

[Dyp100]

See, now this makes me wanna go get a hellboy comic.

I should really look for some to buy.

 

[plugav]

this really is the end of him as that physical character that appeared in the very first issue. It's a weird thing to do, but it's fun.

sounds like Hellboy will continue his adventures in the afterlife. or is it just me?

Yes, it does sound like that.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Damn. No more Ron Perlman movies, then?

 

[InsanelyZanter]

For gods sake. Can't comic book writers, you know, make a twist a twist? Stop announcing it before it happens.

 

[standokan]

So.. Hellboy gets sent to hell, I don't really see a problem here.

 

[Realitycrash]

Never cared for Hellboy.
Hellraiser, though..

 

[Pseudopod]

You know, it would have been nice for this not to be announced in the headline. I read Hellboy as trades are released and don't read any news that's comic specific, so I tend to enter without any preconceptions about what will happen. I don't think knowing this will hurt my enjoyment, but given the magnitude of the twist, it would have been nice to have been given a choice.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

" There was a little bit of work that had to go into that because this really is the end of him as that physical character that appeared in the very first issue."
So he will probably come back in a later series in a different body (possibly by possessing something). I don't read the (comic?) books, but that's just what this screams at me.

 

[vansau]

Where the fuck is Hellboy III?

Guillermo del Toro has said he still wants to make it, but there's no script as of yet.

 

[Ghengis John]

Dear Mike Mignola,

See now, when you killed off Hellboy before I didn't care because I didn't know who he was. Now that I've heard of Hellboy, and I like Hellboy and especially as my seventy year old dad likes Hellboy, allow me to say an over-reactionary: "Nooooooooo" *ahem*. My dad loves superheroes, classic superheroes, he was reading comics as a boy starting with the old Captain America's (he had the first one he is proud to note) and kept reading well into his 20's and 30's (I know where my dork genes come from) and I don't think he's liked any of the superheroes that have come along in the past 20 years with the exception of Hellboy. Whatever it is about him, he's got that classic character magic (my dad even calls him "HB") and nothing from the world of comics in the last decade has made him happier with the exception of the return of Captain Marvel. I guess it's your decision and I respect your artistic license, I'm sure you've got some interesting plans for this. But on a personal level if you're going to bring him back please don't take your sweet time about it.

 

[BreakfastMan]

[HEADING=1]NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO![/HEADING]

And I know he will do it permanently too, the jerk! Anyone who has read B.P.R.D. knows he isn't afraid of permanently killing of characters. He has done it twice already with two of my favorites! *grumble, grumble*

This does bring up many questions. Like, what will happen to the Right Hand of Doom? What about Liz's vision of the future where she saw Hellboy in full demon mode? Who will replace him as the Antichrist? So many questions... Not that I don't trust Mignola. The man hasn't let me down yet. I am just wondering what happens afterwards, considering Hellboy's significant importance in the apocalypse and the Ogdru Jahad.

 

[GothmogII]

You know, I would have been happier had he simply said that he was going to end the series. A common complaint about western comics is that they tend to re-use characters over and over long after they've ceased to be either entertaining or relevant.

Making note of intentions you end the main Hellboy series would let fans down gently, -and- not give away anything about the final plot.