The Hellboy Universe Publishing Order

[Middenway]

Perhaps Return of the Master will be numbered #98-102 and 1948 will be #103-107. The recent numbers have been mixed up depending on when the issue was released but they have all been set around the same time, during Hell on Earth. But 1948 and Return of the Master are completely seperate and reading them together could cause readers who pick the issue up at a later date some confusion.

No, it seems 1948 won't carry any ongoing numbering, nor will any other flashback stories from now on.

[Middenway]

Around the 9.30 mark, Kevin Nowlan mentions he's doing a one-shot Lobster Johnson story. He mentions the possiblity of doing the story without inks, simpling colouring his pencils to achieve a very dark, textured look. He says most Mignola stories a pretty dark... this one is very dark. He does admit he's more likely to ink it, but he is considering a different look.

[Middenway]

Added Peter Snejbjerg's blog to the Useful Links section.

It's also worth noting he'll be the artist on A Cold Day in Hell written by John Arcudi and Mike Mignola.

[Chris CCL]

One thing that I don't like about the Dark Horse website is that each individual page like the Hellboy Library Edition Volume 1 does not include all the contents listed in the book. It just lists the two main trade paperbacks. In reality Volume 1 collects Hellboy: Seed Of Destruction #1-4, Hellboy: Wake The Devil #1-5, epilogue of Hellboy: Wake The Devil, and stories from San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2, and the Comics Buyers Guide.
I don't think Dark Horse would confuse the buyer by displaying what exactly is reprinted.
Again this is just an example and a minor nit-pick at that.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Chris

[UnravThreads]

If my memory is correct, all of that is collected in the first two trades.

[Middenway]

If my memory is correct, all of that is collected in the first two trades.

It is. The Hellboy Library Editions collect exactly what is in the two trades listed on the cover. The only exception is the short story The Mole which was moved from Library Edition 4 to Library Edition 5 to avoid spoiler a reveal at the end of another story.

[Chris CCL]

It is. The Hellboy Library Editions collect exactly what is in the two trades listed on the cover. The only exception is the short story The Mole which was moved from Library Edition 4 to Library Edition 5 to avoid spoiler a reveal at the end of another story.

Right. My only gripe this that Dark Horse only says that it collects the "two trades" and does not covey that the Library Edition collects more then that.
Chris

[Middenway]

Right. My only gripe this that Dark Horse only says that it collects the "two trades" and does not covey that the Library Edition collects more then that.
Chris

No, actually it doesn't. It collects exactly what was in those two trades, plus an expanded sketchbook section.

The Seed of Destruction trade collects:

• Seed of Destruction #1-4
• Promo from San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2
• Promo from Comics Buyers' Guide

The Wake The Devil trade collects:

• Wake The Devil #1-5
• Wake The Devil epilogue

But it would be nice if on the Dark Horse site it listed the stories collected in the volume.

There's a list on the boards with the contents of each trade if you're interested.

[Middenway]

B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH #101: THE RETURN OF THE MASTER — PART 4 (of 5)
Written by: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by: Tyler Crook
Colours by: Dave Stewart
Cover by: Ryan Sook
Variant Cover by: Mike Mignola

On sale November 28, 2012 (32 pages, $3.50)

Chaos erupts as the B.P.R.D.’s forces are weakened by the crazed Russian scientist and his cult of followers. Meanwhile, the Zinco experiment at the Bureau headquarters reaches a dangerous and unexpected conclusion.
• It’s all going to hell in 2012!
“Dark Horse has been building up to something big for awhile now, and 2012 promises to be a complete game-changer in Mignola's shadow-haunted universe.” —Comics Bulletin


B.P.R.D.: 1948 #2 (of 5)
Written by: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by: Max Fiumara
Colours by: Dave Stewart
Cover by: Dave Johnson

On sale November 21, 2012 (32 pages, $3.50)

As the battle between the atomic-bred monsters and the B.P.R.D. rages in the Utah desert, Professor Bruttenholm and the agents successfully kill one of the beasts and conduct an autopsy with horrifying results.
• Featuring young Hellboy!


BALTIMORE: THE PLAY
Written by: Christopher Golden, Mike Mignola
Art by: Ben Stenbeck
Colours by: Dave Stewart
Cover by: Ben Stenbeck

On sale November 21, 2012, (32 pages, $3.50)

A mad playwright puts on a Grand Guignol featuring actors that are real vampires. The evil financer of the play makes a bizarre discovery when he finds out that the playwright is a fraud and the true author is a disembodied head of a famous American author kept in a glass case.
• From Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden!

[Middenway]

This was brought to my attention by the BPRD Center Blog, but it appears the 4th BPRD Hell on Earth trade may be juggling the order of the stories, if the title is anything to go by. The fourth volume will be called The Devil's Engine & The Long Death. This would make sense, given that the final issue of Russia featured a scene that serves as a lead in for The Devil's Engine.

I don't see why they'd change the title of the book if the story order hasn't been swapped though.

OLD COVER:


NEW COVER:

[new_onslaught]

This is just to help people locate certain stories using the list above.


HELLBOY LIBRARY EDITIONS
Hellboy ― Volume 1 includes:
Hellboy 1: Seed of Destruction
Hellboy 2: Wake the Devil

Hellboy ― Volume 2 includes:
Hellboy 3: The Chained Coffin and Others
Hellboy 4: Right Hand of Doom

Hellboy ― Volume 3 includes:
Hellboy 5: Conqueror Worm
Hellboy 6: Strange Places

Hellboy ― Volume 4 includes:
Hellboy 7: The Troll Witch and Others
Hellboy 10: The Crooked Man and Others*

*Does not include The Mole

Hellboy ― Volume 5 includes:
Hellboy 8: Darkness Calls
Hellboy 9: The Wild Hunt

+ The Mole

BPRD OMNIBUSES
BPRD: Plague of Frogs ― Volume 1 includes:
BPRD 1: Hollow Earth and Other Stories
BPRD 2: The Soul of Venice and Other Stories
BPRD 3: Plague of Frogs

BPRD: Plague of Frogs ― Volume 2 includes:
BPRD 4: The Dead
BPRD 12: War on Frogs
BPRD 5: The Black Flame

BPRD: Plague of Frogs ― Volume 3 includes:
BPRD 6: The Universal Machine
BPRD 7: Garden of Souls
BPRD 8: Killing Ground

BPRD: Plague of Frogs ― Volume 4 includes:
BPRD 10: The Warning
BPRD 11: The Black Goddess
BPRD 14: King of Fear

Hi everyone! I'm thinking of starting reading Hellboy, but I'm really confused about the reading order of the trades. This thread is really helpful, but I've got some questions. What I don't get the most is why in the HC collections of both Hellboy and BPRD the TPBs are not collected in order. For example BPRD: Plague of Frogs ― Volume 2 includes
BPRD 4: The Dead
BPRD 12: War on Frogs
BPRD 5: The Black Flame

Why is that? Are they read better that way? Also I don't see BPRD 9 and 13 collected. Are they gonna be collected in a future volume? Thanks in adavance guys!

[new_onslaught]

Also which way do you recommend getting the stories both story-wise and financially. Ate the Library books worth the extra bucks because if I get the trades they seem to cost less. But in the case of BPRD the Hc seem to cost less than the 3 trades they include...

[UnravThreads]

Also which way do you recommend getting the stories both story-wise and financially. Ate the Library books worth the extra bucks because if I get the trades they seem to cost less. But in the case of BPRD the Hc seem to cost less than the 3 trades they include...

The Library Editions are oversized and have extra features (such as a larger sketchbook) but other than that they just collect two trades. As for B.P.R.D., the HCs are replacing the paperbacks and are collected in a better reading order - some issues are effectively re-titled and moved around to provide better reading - but are the standard page size. Trades 9 and 13 are 1946 and 1947 respectively (there's also the unnumbered Being Human trade that is uncollected), but none of these are vital for the story and have little to no relation to the Plague of Frogs arc itself (as far as I'm aware).

But as I said in the other topic (it was yours, yes?), Hellboy vols 1-5 are where you should start, with B.P.R.D. coming after Hellboy Vol 5.

[new_onslaught]

The Library Editions are oversized and have extra features (such as a larger sketchbook) but other than that they just collect two trades. As for B.P.R.D., the HCs are replacing the paperbacks and are collected in a better reading order - some issues are effectively re-titled and moved around to provide better reading - but are the standard page size. Trades 9 and 13 are 1946 and 1947 respectively (there's also the unnumbered Being Human trade that is uncollected), but none of these are vital for the story and have little to no relation to the Plague of Frogs arc itself (as far as I'm aware).

But as I said in the other topic (it was yours, yes?), Hellboy vols 1-5 are where you should start, with B.P.R.D. coming after Hellboy Vol 5.

Yes it was. Haven't seen this sub-forum at the time. I kept searching and I'm pretty sure I got a handle on the stories. My remaining questions are whether Dark horse intends to publish all 12 (so far) TPBs of Hellboy in Library form and if BPRD: Hell on Earth wil be collected in HC. What to you think is the best way to collect Hellboy and BPRD? Trades or Library/HC?

EDIT: Also, is in Hellboy tpb vol.12 where he spoilers:

he gets to Hell?

end of spoilers

[UnravThreads]

I would think HCs and Library editions, personally. They're reorganised a little (more so in the HCs) so should provide a better reading order. I would think all of Hellboy will be collected in Library (at least the 'main' titles), as they've just released the fifth so there's at least two left uncollected.

Hell On Earth will be a HC, but not for a long while. They've not finished Plague of Frogs yet in HC (comes out this November), and it's been said that Hell on Earth won't get the treatment until that arc (i.e. HoE) is finished, which seems a good few story arcs away. As for '46/'47/Being Human, there's no indication these will be collected as yet.

And I can't answer your final question, I've not got past trade 8 for Hellboy, instead I'm focusing on B.P.R.D.