In honor of the 25th anniversary of Hellboy, Dark Horse Comics is naming a day in March specifically after the comic book character. The character was created by Mike Mignola, and first appeared on the cover of Dime Press #4 in March 1993. Going by the alter ego Anung un Rama, Hellboy is a half-demon who has the abilities of superhuman strength and endurance, a vast knowledge on the supernatural, and an oversized right hand called the Right Hand of Doom.
The character has been a popular comic book hero since his creation, and in 2004, Guillermo del Toro crafted a Hellboy movie. Ron Perlman played Hellboy for the first film and the follow-up film called Hellboy II: The Golden Army in 2008. Reviews for both films were generally positive, but a third film starring Perlman never came to be. Perlman had advocated for Hellboy 3 for years, but he and fans were both sorely disappointed when a reboot was announced by Lionsgate. Despite the initial disappointment, many fans were pleased to hear that Stranger Things’ David Harbour would play Hellboy, and that the reboot was getting an R-rating-promising a dark and gruesome horror film. Between his comic, movie, and video game appearances, Hellboy has become popular enough to get a day named after him, just in time for the reboot.
According to THR, Mignola and Dark Horse Comics are celebrating the success of Hellboy by naming March 23, 2019 “Hellboy Day”. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the character, Dark Horse will publish a 25th anniversary print of Hellboy: Seed of Destruction No. 1, with an all new cover illustrated by Mignola and color artist Dave Stewart. Participating comic shops will be giving away tattoo sheets, a Right Hand of Doom bookmark, a window cling, and a new version of the Mignolaverse timeline. Dark Horse will also be selling previous issues of Hellboy comics at a discounted price.
“Hellboy Day” will take place just a few weeks before the new superhero movie hits the big screen. Aside from Harbour, Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich has been cast as the Blood Queen along with Ian McShane as Professor Bruttenholm. Ed Skrein was also a part of the project but dropped out after his casting caused a whitewashing controversy. His role has since been filled with Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimio, and Thomas Haden Church is reportedly playing the character Lobster Johnson.
Despite fans being irked that del Toro wouldn’t be turning his Hellboy movies into a trilogy, many fans have since gotten behind Harbour being cast in the role. Besides the popular casting choices, fans can also be relieved to know that the reboot is heavily relying on the Hellboy comics written by Mignola. Twenty-five years is quite the milestone for a comic book character, and it’s intriguing that the character will not only be getting a new movie in 2019, but an entire day named after him as well.
More: When Will The Hellboy Trailer Release?
Source: THR
- Hellboy Release Date: 2019-04-12
