The Story Behind a Panel

[Middenway]

A long while back, I vaguely (very vaguely) remember reading an interview with Mike Mignola in which he mentions a story about Hellboy in a dingy, travelling back to England after the events of The Island. Then I never heard of it again.

Then this panel showed up in The Storm #1 on page 8:

It's clearly set after the events of The Island, but we've never actually seen this event in the comics yet. Is this a gap Mike Mignola intends to fill with a story he hasn't written yet? What is the story behind this panel?

UPDATE
I think I may have found the interview...

A few years ago, Hellboy was in Africa. He was only in Africa for a couple panels, but when we did the timeline, I realized he had to have been in Africa for at least a year. So there's a really good miniseries to do one of these days about that year Hellboy was in Africa. Or when he leaves this particular island a few years ago and he goes to England - oh you know what, look at the timeline! It took him a year-and-a-half to get from this little island to England! There's a miniseries right there. Why did it take him a year-and-a-half in a little leaky boat at sea?

[Jr. Wormwood]

I've been itching to see more of Hellboy at sea for a long time now. When I first saw that panel by Duncan I thought maybe that story wasn't far off. It'd be great to see Mike and Duncan team up on that tale!

[Middenway]

When I first saw that panel by Duncan I thought maybe that story wasn't far off.

Same. It just came and went and nothing was said at all.

[Kelly Tindall]

Oooo, can't wait!

[thwhtGuardian]

I want more of Africa and more of Hellboy at sea so sign me up for both.

[Middenway]

Oooo, can't wait!

I want more of Africa and more of Hellboy at sea so sign me up for both.

I should point out that interview was from 2008, and he wasn't really talking about upcoming projects, but possible areas he could go back and explore one day. I didn't think anything would ever come of it until I saw that panel in The Storm, because it deliberately highlights that moment and makes us ask the question, "What was that about?" That tease makes me think that we'll see that story at some point in the future, or at least I hope we will. The Africa thing I'm not so sure about... but I would love to see it. The sketches at the end of Strange Places alone have me imagining all sorts of awesome stuff.

Plus Africa is such a rich continent to explore. There could be several stories there. After all, Hellboy spent less time in Mexico, and there's already three stories about that time period with a possible fourth in the future.

[Kees_L]

A long while back, I vaguely (very vaguely) remember reading an interview with Mike Mignola in which he mentions a story about Hellboy in a dingy, travelling back to England after the events of The Island. Then I never heard of it again.

Then this panel showed up in The Storm #1 on page 8:

It's clearly set after the events of The Island, but we've never actually seen this event in the comics yet. Is this a gap Mike Mignola intends to fill with a story he hasn't written yet? What is the story behind this panel?

UPDATE
I think I may have found the interview...

Originally Posted by Mike Mignola

A few years ago, Hellboy was in Africa. He was only in Africa for a couple panels, but when we did the timeline, I realized he had to have been in Africa for at least a year. So there's a really good miniseries to do one of these days about that year Hellboy was in Africa. Or when he leaves this particular island a few years ago and he goes to England - oh you know what, look at the timeline! It took him a year-and-a-half to get from this little island to England! There's a miniseries right there. Why did it take him a year-and-a-half in a little leaky boat at sea?

The timeline. Being the one as published in Hellboy: the Companion. I'd really recommend purchasing it, because that official timeline (by Mignola, Scott Allie, ao) offers a slew of comprehensible, throatgripping information, hopefully quite different to any Wikis or such.
And, if Egypt counts as being on the African continent, then Hellboy visits Africa a number of times. Also at an early age already. And in recent interviews I've heard mr Mike refer to the upcoming Fegredo HC book as being "a coming of age-story".
(Something particularly interesting about Hellboy and the timeline would seem to be the swiftness to his body maturing, whereas as early as by the publication of Hellboy: the Lost Army, readers could be to know that his mental maturity would be quite another matter, as Hellboy would sort of be seeing his share of adolescence by then.)

It surely could be the ship in the 'Storm panel' physically points to an Africa trip. One áfter the meet with Mohlomi in october 2002 - still among the living? Because the ending to that meeting we see within the story of Hellboy: the Third Wish, being how Hellboy departs as by wave, but not by boat or dingy or ship.
But wait, they meet again by the end of Hellboy: the Island, with even sir Eddy there, standing like a reaper beside the old witch doctor, with Hellboy visibly lining himself up to be taking a sailing boat (a *dingy* you say?) out to sea.
So then Hellboy would set sail to England, for ending up in Africa again?

OK, cool. Of course it's gonna be cool, Makoma is cool, ending in that old photograph of 1947, the Hydra and the Lion is cool. The jungly Lobster from the sketchbook section is cool. Although for heading to England it seems a tad outta the way, like a setback of sorts, straight to the starting-point again?
Plus I was kinda hoping the ship might be the Flying Dutchman or something. Which maybe could still happen. Or maybe not.