The Dark and Terrible

[Kees_L]

The title is DARK AND TERRIBLE, but that's just the first 3 issues. And it won't quite be monthly, because there's a break after #5, but it will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. The Fiumara Bros are amazing. Look for more previews in the coming months.

Great that you stuck with that title.
I feel I suddenly remember interview stuff going like how some characters would be needing their space, for the scope of things to be coming across, or some such?
Dark And Terrible sounds ace and the Fiumara Bros their stuff look it.
So consider my interests peaking for this.

[DavidB.]

For anyone interested, here are the sketches done for the original version of Dark and Terrible back in 1996. They were published in The Art of Hellboy.
Attachment 106756
Attachment 106757

Came here to say the same, I was rereading my Library Edition vol.01 and there is a brief mention of this project on one of the last pages of the bonus sketches!

[Middenway]

I really have to buy the library editions....

[Middenway]

The variant cover for issue 1:

There will be variants on Abe Sapien for a while, not showing scenes from the story, but a kind of "lost story" from his past by various artists.

[dreadcthulhu]

Ooooh... those flash back covers will be great.

[TheCollector222]

Oh shit! I just turned on the first Hellboy movie, and the new Abe Sapien looks like the movie Abe. Movie Abe never looked much like comic Abe, I guess now he does.

[thwhtGuardian]

For anyone interested, here are the sketches done for the original version of Dark and Terrible back in 1996. They were published in The Art of Hellboy.
Attachment 106756
Attachment 106757

We never knew much about that story beyond the images in the art of Hellboy but just looking at them I always figured the unused story beats for that story morphed into the Hollow Earth and the Plague of Frogs storyline. We'll never know how similar that original Abe story would have ended up being to the Hollow Earth and the rest of the run but at least from where I'm sitting the design elements seem to be linked very heavily.

[Neil Hill]

Max Fuirama (sp?) is an incredibly gifted cat. Love his pages and covers a great deal.

[timbolton]

Someone mentioned "Jenny Finn" in terms of talking fish. I checked out the book, realising it was MM and I didn't have it, so I ordered it and read it. There may be some stuff in there that makes what could have to Abe in this series and further down the line more understandable. It all depends on whether the Oannes link is a red herring (sorry for the pun) or not. If Abe and Oannes are linked then the following character dialogue (it is the mad artist/Jack the Ripper character talking to the main hero -

"You saw my big painting, Oannes, who a million years ago rose from the sea to bring culture, law, and the principles of geometry to the man-apes."

"But Oannes promised that one day, when we were ready, he would send us his own child. She would complete his work. She would elevate us to a higher state of being."

"The great old men of the Temple say that she will come out of the sea and will live a while among the lowest of the low, until her special nature is discovered. Then she will be brought up to sit at the right hand of power."

"Lord Jones has been in contact with the Secret Masters and they tell us that this is the time and place."

--- Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah, Chapter 3

Now, Jenny Finn isn't a DHC book, but aspects of the above tie in with things that have happened during Hellboy, BPRD and other offshoot series. Makoma comes to mind in terms of the role of HB's friends will play in "saving" mankind after the ending and new beginning of the world. Is Abe going to become the person who re-educates the emerging humanity after the end of the world? Only time will tell...

[Kees_L]

Someone mentioned "Jenny Finn" in terms of talking fish. I checked out the book, realising it was MM and I didn't have it, so I ordered it and read it. There may be some stuff in there that makes what could have to Abe in this series and further down the line more understandable. It all depends on whether the Oannes link is a red herring (sorry for the pun) or not. If Abe and Oannes are linked then the following character dialogue (it is the mad artist/Jack the Ripper character talking to the main hero -


Now, Jenny Finn isn't a DHC book, but aspects of the above tie in with things that have happened during Hellboy, BPRD and other offshoot series. Makoma comes to mind in terms of the role of HB's friends will play in "saving" mankind after the ending and new beginning of the world. Is Abe going to become the person who re-educates the emerging humanity after the end of the world? Only time will tell...

I think it would be important to note that "Oannes" the Fish-God, who was granted immortality by the Gods as for becoming an elevated species but who refused, is an actual mythological both as ancient historic thing in our real world. It isn't purely a figment of mr Mike's or anybody's imagination.
Like so many other names and things and snippets being woven into Hellboy's world.

I think this is significant because it denotes that the Hellboyverse doesn't work quite the same as any 'ordinary' superhero continuity or science fiction continuity so to speak.
It's more that already existing names or bits of lore may signal certain or various themes or motifs, even to readers who would not know the Hellboy narratives but who would know some or anything of such names as Mabh or Hecate or the Baba Yaga or the Dagda or "Oannes" for example.

Since Jenny Finn isn't part of the Hellboy books I assume it won't necessarily be shedding much light on Abe or any such.
But on the other hand, because Berossus's Oannes would be an existing mythological thing, it would be plausible for mr Mike to use certain inspiritations of his for more than one book-line or gig.

I find it inspiring I guess, from what I know of it. I could see it fit onto Abe because some group of men experimented upon one of their own for creating some godly kind of thing, like as playing gods themselves. But I could see Abe looking back on such as with a mind of his own, like as if Abe and Langdon Caul would be different beasts altogether.
I'm sure the books will be telling me more.

[timbolton]

I agree Kees that MM always adapts myths to his own use, so they are never quite what they are in "real" mythology - but this whole aspect of the BPRD supernaturals being the ones to save humanity has been a constant throughtout the MM mythology, and possibly in the Jenny Finn story MM has given a glimpse of what he wants for Abe's part in that saving of humanity. It's possible, nothing is ever definite so I posted the above as food for thought not as a definite ;)

[Kees_L]

I agree Kees that MM always adapts myths to his own use, so they are never quite what they are in "real" mythology - but this whole aspect of the BPRD supernaturals being the ones to save humanity has been a constant throughtout the MM mythology, and possibly in the Jenny Finn story MM has given a glimpse of what he wants for Abe's part in that saving of humanity. It's possible, nothing is ever definite so I posted the above as food for thought not as a definite ;)

Point taken, although I was really only aiming to do the same with my post, without taking anything away from you or anyone.

I think one particular panel in the final Fury issue conveys something like - I wouldn't say "saving humanity" but - more rather helping Hellboy onto finalizing his destiny thing? The panel showing Abe and Liz and even Roger, next to another panel of villains so to speak, all under the influence of like an evil power-obsessed little ball of fire hanging over their heads.

[Kelly Tindall]

There will be variants on Abe Sapien for a while, not showing scenes from the story, but a kind of "lost story" from his past by various artists.

I really don't like that this is becoming a regular thing.

It's bad enough that most comics don't show what's going on in the actual books, but showing scenes that will never be otherwise published? It almost feels like a lack of confidence in the stories themselves. "The monsters in this story are O.K. but look at this guy, WHOA!"

And putting Hellboy on the cover of a book where he doesn't appear... I can't be the only one thinking that's misleading.

[Kees_L]

I really don't like that this is becoming a regular thing.

Well, any of the regular editions are still gonna be the regular ones, aren't they?
So my guess is there would be very little chance of anyone ending up with a variant when they wouldn't want to?

It's bad enough that most comics don't show what's going on in the actual books, but showing scenes that will never be otherwise published?

It is? It's still an Abe cover. Is there some unspoken law against displaying a title character or anything to do with such for a cover?
How heavily should it equate to the story inside, should it match the narrative completely, or at least partly, or would an extra "gimme" like a special non-regular variant cover image be okay as to invoke some extra incentive or fun thing in order to be enticing readers into purchasing single issues instead of trade-waiting?

And putting Hellboy on the cover of a book where he doesn't appear... I can't be the only one thinking that's misleading.

I might agree to variants seeming a bit of a drag when publishers would insist on doing like sketch variants and uncolored variants next to variant variants just as regularly for any issues getting done unvariatingly, but I don't find Dark Horse is doing any such. At all.
Plus I like how mainly any covers both as any variant cover images get reprinted into the trades.
So I don't think these variants as harmful to my own particular interests or reading pleasure.

Plus like I said I don't think anyone is gonna be ending up with a variant when they wouldn't be specifically wanting to. Because of the regular covers so greatly outnumbering the variants (like in the order of at least 5 to 1 I'd wager?). As such these variants wouldn't be misleading, since who'd be to purchase them would know about them being variants, by means of price difference or because they'd get sold as being "variants" quite specifically I'd trust?

[Scurlogg_Hawkk]

Yeah ....another thing to love about Abe .....the fishman .