Hellboy is one of the most prominent and loved non-Marvel and non-DC superhero characters. To truly understand why we say that, you need to read the best Hellboy comics that you can get your hands on. Don’t worry, we’ll help with that part.
Hellboy is the brainchild of Mike Mignola, who was both the writer and the artist in the early days. Published by Dark Horse Comics, the first comic debuted in 1994 and Mignola continues to write the stories to this day but the illustrations are generally done by different artists. The very first publication, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, was received with plenty of love by the readers who were left wanting for more. Following that, the story and world expanded across a large number of comic book series that have been released since then. The character also received a few animated and live-action movies — the best one being Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy duology, played by Ron Perlman.
Hellboy comics are known for their dark stories with a combination of mysticism, folklore, plenty of monsters, and a fair share of humor. Hellboy is a red-skinned demon with two broken horns and a giant stone right hand. This iconic design has inspired generations of people to cosplay him during Comic Cons and for Halloween. Despite Hellboy himself looking like a demon, he is the savior. One of the main driving forces of its success is Mignola’s art style, which is pretty unique. His artworks have a minimalistic yet stylized design, which suits the theme of the world he has created. There are some really extraordinary stories with amazing art that you should definitely read.
If you’re new to Hellboy comics, it’s going to be very difficult to know which one you should pick first. So, we have a list of the 7 best Hellboy comics to start your journey into the Mignolaverse.
How Many Hellboy Comics Are There?
All of Hellboy’s main stories have been brought together in a 12-volume series in the form of omnibuses. Additionally, there are also a lot of spin-off series like Abe Sapien, B.P.R.D, Lobster Johnson, and a few others, which collectively have well over 100 stories. Some of these spin-offs also include Hellboy short stories that act as self-contained stories and some that are referenced in the main books. Other spin-offs delve into other character’s pasts and investigations on their own.
In What Comic Did Hellboy Make His Debut?
The very first edition of Hellboy was in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2, which was released in 1993 and published by Dark Horse Comics.
Best Hellboy Comics in 2024
Hellboy comics explore a lot of mythological and ritualistic adventures in a supernatural narrative. These stories are dark, gritty, and yet quite exciting to read. Here are our favorite Hellboy comics that you’re going to love.
BEST OVERALL
Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories Volume 1
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The Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories Volume 1 works as a great introduction to Hellboy for new readers. It is a 368-page anthology of our red-skinned hero’s 15 short adventures between 1947 and 1961. As the stories in this book start from 1947, a lot of them take place early on in Hellboy’s life when he is still a kid who is trying to explore himself and the world around him. By the time you turn the last page, he is already a part of the B.P.R.D. and goes on his own for paranormal investigations.
Some of our favorite shorts that are included here are Hellboy in Mexico, The Coffin Man, The Crooked Man, and The Corpse. The art is done by Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, Duncan Fegredo, and a few others. The art style is pretty consistent and tries to stay close to what Mike Mignola creates. This collection has some of the best Hellboy comics of all time. So, if you’re new to Hellboy, this collection is where you get started.
BEST OMNIBUS
Monster-sized Hellboy
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The name Monster-Sized Hellboy is very appropriately chosen for this collection. This massive 1500-page book brings together the Hellboy Omnibus Volumes 1-4 — Volume 1: Seed of Destruction, Volume 2: Strange Places, Volume 3: The Wild Hunt, and Volume 4: Hellboy in Hell. All these Volumes have multiple stories that were originally released as individual stories. It was in 2018 that they were put together and released as an Omnibus.
Everything from his origin story to the scariest and most adventurous paranormal investigations, you’ll find a lot of action-filled and thrilling stories. The stories are all arranged in the order of their release dates, so that should work as a great guide, giving you a good idea of the timeline. The book is surely expensive but if you’re a huge fan and a collector of comics, it will definitely look good on your shelf.
BEST SHORT STORIES
Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories Volume 2
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The Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories Volume 2 is the second part of the two-part short story collection. This one has a total of 17 short stories spanning from 1961 to 1993, all leading up to the events of the Seed of Destruction. It has some fan-favorite stories like The Troll Witch, The Baba Yaga, and The Hydra and The Lion.
Continuing as the investigator for B.P.R.D., we see Hellboy take on some supernatural entities, encounter other-worldly creatures, come across haunted relics, experience dark magic, and so much more. A lot of these shorts are referenced in the later books, so reading and understanding the lore is going to help you with other books. The art, as usual, is extremely well done. The art is done by Mike Mignola, Scott Hampton, P. Craig Russel, and nine more artists.
BEST SPIN-OFF
B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 1
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The B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 1 is a spin-off series to the original Hellboy saga. This is an amazing collection of stories that introduces us to other characters in the organization and also expands the lore even further. After Hellboy leaves the B.P.R.D., the team continues to fight against supernatural threats. The team consists of Abe Sapien, an amphibious man with psychic abilities; Liz Sherman, a Pyrokinesis; Johann Kraus, a smoky spirit in a containment suit; Roger the Homunculus, a humanoid giant; and many others.
The stories in this book also delve into the past of these characters, letting us understand these characters and their history. It does a great job of balancing the world-saving adventures and character arcs. Unlike most other books, Mike Mignola isn’t the only writer involved in the series; it has nine more writers who have contributed to the series. Hollow Earth, Abe Sapien vs Science, The Soul of Venice, Dark Waters, and Plague of Frogs are some of the stories in the book.
BEST SELF-CONTAINED
Abe Sapien: The Drowning and Other Stories
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The Abe Sapien: The Drowning and Other Stories, created by Mike Mignola, is a collection of standalone stories based on Abe Sapien, an agent of the B.P.R.D. Abe is quite a complex character given his history and the insecurities he carries. This collection has a total of 12 stories that explore Abe’s works as a B.P.R.D. agent while also showing us an in-depth narrative about his origin story. “The Drowning,” Abe’s first solo mission, is at the center of this volume. It is set in the year 1980 when he is sent to the coast of France to retrieve the body of a powerful warlock.
But he soon realizes that he is going up against an evil of unexpected power. This mission allows the organization to see Abe as a worthy agent who later gets to do a lot of solo missions. Some of his other stories in this collection are The Abyssal Plain, The Ogopogo, and The Land of The Dead. Mike Mignola shares the writing credits with John Arcudi and Scott Allie on this series and over 12 artists for the illustrations.
BEST MYTHOLOGY-BASED
Hellboy: The Bones of Giants
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The Hellboy: The Bones of Giants is a four-series comic book issue that combines the Hellboy universe and Norse mythology. Out of nowhere, when suddenly, a hammer and the corpse of a man fall from the sky in Sweden, the B.P.R.D. sends Hellboy and Abe to investigate the scene. When they reach there, Hellboy picks up the hammer, and he immediately recognizes it as Mjolnir. He is soon struck by lightning, allowing him to see why Mjolnir and the body crashed there.
Now, Mjolnir is stuck to his hand and he can’t get rid of it, no matter how hard he tries. This follows a crazy adventure involving the Norse gods and a threat that looms over all realms. This collection has all four issues, including the ending that wraps up on a high note. With the story by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden, this series is one of the best Hellboy comics to read.
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The Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Secret of Chesbro House & Others is a collection of five stories, written majorly by Mike Mignola and shared credits with Christopher Golden, and Oliver Vatine on a few chapters. From Greece to Budapest, Hellboy’s adventures take him to different countries. Everything from defeating a Cyclops and facing Aphrodite herself to cleaning up a haunted house, this collection gets some really interesting stories.
The main focus of this book is The Secret of Chesbro House, where Hellboy works with a psychic to get rid of the ghosts that are set to be on sale at an auction. But things are never as easy as they seem, are they? Quite a few artists worked on the illustrations, which creates art consistency problems, but it is still great to look at. This works as a great read to finish in one sitting!
How We Chose the Best Hellboy Comics
These Hellboy comics were chosen by our team of well-versed readers. They have spent a major chunk of their lives reading comics and have in-depth knowledge about the characters. These books were chosen based on their story, art quality, and buying price. The team also did a lot of research on forums and other platforms to learn the opinions of other readers. The above-listed books are incredibly entertaining and some of the best Hellboy comics to start with.
FAQ
What Hellboy comic should I start with?
You can start with The Complete Short Stories Volume 1.
How powerful is Hellboy in the comics?
Hellboy, being the son of Azzael, is incredibly powerful. Throughout his stories, we have seen him fight extremely big monsters and defeat them on his own. Given that his right hand acts as the key to reigning down the apocalypse on the planet, we can say that his strength is world-ending.
Who is the strongest villain in Hellboy?
Ogdru eb Jurhad, a supernatural entity with seven heads, is the strongest villain in the Hellboy universe.
