Hellboy Universe: The Secret Histories Volume 1 (Paperback)

Three stories of instrumental side characters are explored in full, collected for the first time in a trade paperback graphic novel perfect for any Hellboy fan's library!

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!

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, Sledgehammer 44, and The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed.

MIKE MIGNOLA’s fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age; reading Dracula at age twelve introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore, from which he has never recovered. Starting in 1982 as a bad inker for Marvel Comics, he evolved into a not-so-bad artist. By the late 1980s, he’d begun to develop his unique graphic style, with mainstream projects like Cosmic Odyssey and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. In 1994, he published the first Hellboy series through Dark Horse, leading to over two decades of comics spinoffs, prose books, animated films, and live-action films. He worked on Francis Ford Coppola’s film Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), and with director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004), and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). A new Hellboy film by Neil Marshall is in the works. Mike’s books have earned numerous awards and are published in many countries. He lives in Southern California with his wife, daughter, and cat.

JOHN ARCUDI has been telling lies since he was a boy. Eventually it became clear that this was the only thing he was any good at. After a stint writing for Marvel, he ended up at Dark Horse, where he wrote, among other things, The Mask. John is best known as cocreator of Major Bummer and A God Somewhere, both for DC Comics, and collaborating on a whole mess of comics with Mike Mignola. Recent work includes his original series Rumble and Dead Inside, as well as Mike Mignola’s Lobster Johnson.

CHRIS ROBERSON is the co-creator of iZOMBIE (with Mike Allred) and EDISON REX (with Dennis Culver), and the co-writer of HELLBOY AND THE B.P.R.D and other titles set in the world of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. In addition to his numerous comics projects, he has written more than a dozen novels and three dozen short stories.

LAURENCE CAMPBELL worked as a graphic designer for six years before studying, and later teaching, at Central Saint Martins. During this time he started drawing comics for Caliber Comics before working for Image, 2000 AD and Marvel on titles like Punisher Max, The Dark Tower and Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine. He is now happy drawing monsters while hearing his family around the house.

CHRISTOPHER MITTEN is originally from the cow-dappled expanse of southern Wisconsin, and now spends his time roaming the misty wilds of suburban Chicago, drawing little people in little boxes. He can be found online at www.ChristopherMitten.com and on Instagram @Chris_Mitten.

PAUL GRIST is a British writer and artist known for his creator-owned series Kane and Jack Staff, published through his own Dancing Elephant Press and collected by Image Comics. He has also worked on Rift War! (Titan Comics), Judge Dredd (2000AD), and St. Swithin’s Day with Grant Morrison  (Trident Comics). 

North Carolina native JASON LATOUR has been making comics for over a decade, from the award winning Southern Bastards with Jason Aaron, to the hit Marvel series Spider-Gwen with Robbi Rodriguez. When not creating comics, Latour can be found rapping under the name Old Youngin’.  

DAVE STEWART was born on the high desert to the chatter of a rattlesnake. Despite a rare case of Sasquatch leg and the desire to run with any northbound moose migration, he found the coloring arts were a suitable profession, allowing him to build a moonshine still in the hills of Southwest Portland. His coloring garnered him industry awards, unlike his feverish gathering of dry leaves for winter bedding. And he colors on.

BILL CRABTREE is an Eisner Award and Harvey Award nominated colorist who has worked in comics since 2003. He has worked on Invincible (Image Comics), The Sixth Gun (Oni Press), and The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed for Dark Horse Comics among others.