Mike Mignola’s new Hellboy book was inspired by his charity sketches

Mike Mignola’s artwork was causing a stir in March of 2020. Hellboy created dozens pop art pieces in his signature style, and sold them at auction with the proceeds donated to charity. The works included renderings of original characters, strange figures and even some from the Hellboy comics. All proceeds went to charity. Adventure Time, Pokémon, Marvel and DC Comics, and, of course, lots and lots of sketches of Hellboy.

In the new miniseries, one of these sketches takes on a whole new life. It grows bigger, more robotized, maybe even Hellboyier. Giant Robot Hellboy. What’s it about? What’s the story? It seems that some scientists have taken Hellboy hostage and inserted his mind into a huge robot body. What’s he gonna do about it? Well, he’s a giant robot, so he’s probably going to punch some stuff. But he’s Hellboy, so he’ll probably be grumpy, unimpressed, and lovable while he does it.

You will not be disappointed.

“Giant Robot Hellboy is my very obvious nod to all those Japanese giant monster movies — which I actually have no particular love for,” Mignola shared in a Dark Horse Comics news release. “What I DO love is listening to Geof Darrow and Art Adams TALK about those movies — so really, I guess this series was inspired by those guys.”

A sketch of Hellboy fighting a very classic Tokusatsu monster. — One of Mignola’s initial sketches of Giant Robot Hellboy, and the final cover of *Giant Robot Hellboy* #1.

Giant Robot Hellboy strikes a cool pose amongst some jagged cliffs on the cover of Giant Robot Hellboy #1.

“[Giant Robot Hellboy]The original intention was to make it a simple, straightforward product. [a sketch],” artist Duncan Fegredo told Polygon. “Sometime later, Mike approached me about another Hellboy one-shot, maybe split into two short stories? Our conversation led to the two-issue one-shot, which was again divided into smaller stories. Mike suggested that a shorter story could revolve around the quarantine sketch. Giant Robot Hellboy was born, and the now-forgotten stories were pushed aside. Two issues turned into three. Well, he’s still growing, and as I write this I’m also developing Mike’s plot for what comes after…”

“Giant Robot Hellboy really has taken on a life of his own,” Mignola told Polygon. “I know where he is going and, with Duncan, it’s going to be a wild ride and a whole lot of fun getting him there.”

Take five pages to read about Giant Robot HellboyDark Horse Comics, #1.