The Pull List – Hellboy Winter Special 2018
Evil doesn’t rest just because it’s winter. The winter brings mischief and trouble in new stories from Mike Mignola, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, Tonci Zonjic are presented in Hellboy Winter Special 2018. This comic brings together three short stories, each taking place in different time periods of the Hellboy universe. Ghosts, forest spirits and a street Santa’s join Hellboy, Lobster Johnson, and a surprise guest in a few tales that take place in the winter season.
The first story features Hellboy, as he is invited to a polish New Year’s Eve party at the Wakefield manor in 1957 in Happy New Year, Ava Galluci. The party plans to perform a traditional seance, but Hellboy warns them that there are some traditions that should be retired. Despite his protest, the Wakefield family takes part in the seance, lead by the mysterious Madam Zorna, who has the ability to communicate with the dead. When the spirit they call out to pays the party a visit, Hellboy is ready to dish out a beating to start the new year.
The next story takes place in Bulgaria in 1954, a group of villagers are trying to ward off spirits that dwell in a neighboring forest in The Lost Ones. The villagers wish for the winter season to end, hoping to fight off the mystical creatures they believe are responsible for the weather. Armed with weapons, bells, and masks they declare gives them power, they try to scare off the spirits. But their predicament only becomes worst when the winter night lures in more creatures they can handle.
And lastly, Lobster Johnson pays a visit to some gangsters in New York City during the winter of 1930 in The Empty Chair. The streets are running wild with a mobster turf war and the corpses left behind are scarred with an impersonated lobster claw. One gang has been using covering up their attacks to make it seem like the Lobster has been cleaning up the streets, but that only angers the crustacean vigilante. Lobster Johnson investigates the criminals behind these attacks and wants to deliver his own brand of justice.
These three stories are quick and simple tales, delving into the exciting past adventures of different characters. Hellboy has been a full B.P.R.D agent for some years before the events of Happy New Year, Ava Galluci and his work experience warned him about messing around with the dead. The Lost Ones takes place after the events of B.P.R.D.: Vampires and features a character that survived the events of that story. One of Lobster Johnson’s early missions before becoming an agent for the US government happens in The Empty Chair, where he violently takes on street-level crime. These stories add extra details to other storylines, especially when for Lobster Johnson who really hates plagiarism. The artwork features an all-star cast of artists, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, Tonci Zonjic, Ben Stenbeck, people that have helped contribute their talents to previous Hellboy stories. Hellboy Winter Special 2018 is a great addition to the grand collection of the Hellboy Universe, and should not be missed out by fans of the series.
Hellboy Winter Special 2018 will be on sale December 12th, 2018.