Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Mike Mignola's Hellboy, and today, the comic book creative alongside publisher Dark Horse Comics have announced that they plan to celebrate the pancake eatin' and kitten pettin' demon with Hellboy Day! Set for March 23, 2019, the event will introduce readers and collectors to a 25th anniversary edition of the Hellboy comic that started it all, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction No. 1. When this special version of the comic hits shelves, it will include a new cover by Mignola and longtime partner in creative crime, color artist Dave Stewart. If you're concerned about the collector's item putting your wallet through Hell and back, fear not, because the issue is set to be given away for free at participating stores across the U.S. honorning the Hellboy Day event.
But wait, that's not all! As a part of the festivities, Dark Horse is also preparing to release special Hellboy Day promotional material for retailers, including a tattoo sheet, a Right Hand of Doom bookmark, a window cling, an open/close store sign and a new version of the Mignolaverse timeline that originally debuted at New York Comic Con. Furthermore, the publisher of such fine titles as Black Hammer, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, Briggs Land, Harrow County and much more will also offer special pricing on its Hellboy backlog, in addition to hosting a drawing for special prize packages courtesy of Dark Horse.
"When I created Hellboy way back when, I never imagined he would be around long enough to celebrate a 25th anniversary," Mignola said in a statement. "I'm grateful to the writers, artists, colorists and letterers who have joined me in telling Hellboy stories for all these years. And, of course, so grateful to the fans. This thing could not exist without their support, and it's a pleasure every time I get to go out to meet them."
For those of you who'd like to celebrate Hellboy Day alongside Mignola, the comic book mastermind will be signing at Earth 2 Comics in Sherman Oaks in Los Angeles on March 23.
Of course, this is just another cool way to get the word out about Neil Marshall's HELLBOY starring David Harbour (STRANGER THINGS) and Milla Jovovich (THE FIFTH ELEMENT, ZOOLANDER), which is scheduled for an April 12, 2019 release.
You can expect more information about Hellboy Day to be announced in the coming months. In the meantime, check out this sweet poster highlighting the event and be sure to plan your celebration accordingly.