Hellboy’s been to hell, but now he’s going to someplace even more surprising.
IDW.
Don’t worry, though — Hellboy’s not leaving Dark Horse. What’s happening is that IDW and Mike Mignola have reached an agreement for the California-based publisher to send up Hellboy in its Artist’s Edition line of books. Scheduled to be released next summer, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy: Artist Edition will contain high-quality scans from Mignola’s original art boards of the first five issues of his recent series Hellboy In Hell, as well as the three early Hellboy stories published in anthologies and inside John Byrne’s Next Men before the character got his own miniseries. In addition, IDW and Mignola have agreed to publish arguably one of the greatest Hellboy stories ever, “The Corpse” in this impressive format.
In an interview with CBR, IDW Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier said that this agreement was worked out directly between him and Mignola and the artist’s wife Christine is already in the process of scanning the original art. Given the massive oeuvre Mignola’s developed over the years with Hellboy, Dunbier doesn’t shy away from the possibility of doing more Hellboy in the Artist’s Edition line down the road.
But first thing’s first. Mike Mignola’s Hellboy: Artist’s Edition, summer 2014. It’s never too early to buy Paul Montgomery a birthday present.
Find us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Some rights reserved.
I’ll take it!
I want this. I already have most of the material in TPBs already, but I’m missing the Next Men issue. Plus “The Corpse” is one of my favorite stories. As long as this outrageous expensive, I’ll probably buy this.
I’ve been struggling as to whether or not these artist editions are worth it for me. For those of you who have bought some of these, any regrets? I can imagine myself giving it an initial browse-through, and then (potentially) never cracking it open again. I can see these being useful for artists, as inspiration or a technique primer, but I’m just a reader. Am I correct that the artist editions are the original pencils/inks but do not have any text?
A new printing of the Simonson Thor edition has been solicited, and although I love that run, I think having the original issues in my short-boxes and the omnibus on my shelf is enough for me. It still seems like it would be cool to have on some level; I just hate that buyer’s remorse feeling. I’ve never seen one of these in person, so maybe it would change my opinion.
I own 3, with plans to eventually acquire another 2. For me personally, there have never been any regrets. My collecting nowadays focuses more on hardbacks, trades & special editions, so bear that in mind! The IDW books are very expensive & a pain in the ass to store but they give you a perspective on the artist’s work that can only be bettered by owning the original pieces – mine never stay on the shelf for very long!
You absolutely must see them in person – they are overwhelming in the flesh – & preferably get a peek inside. These are a different beast from any other published versions of the stories – the spotlight is firmly on the artwork. Do I want to own every single one? No. Am I deliriously happy with the ones I have (& will have)? Oh god yes!
Good luck 🙂
Thanks, you may have just convinced me. Maybe I’ll shell out some cash for the Simonson one and see if it ends up being worth it for me. If not, I imagine these things have pretty good resale value. The Mazzucchelli one is another that I was considering–I bet that one will get a new printing eventually as well.
Umm, can we please finish Hellboy in Hell first? haha