Hellboy Creator Mike Mignola, Artist Zach Howard, and Award-Winning Colorist Dave Stewart Collaborate for the Sequel to the Iconic Story The Crooked Man

For Immediate Release: 

Legendary Hellboy Creator Mike Mignola, Acclaimed Artist Zach Howard, and Award-Winning Colorist Dave Stewart Collaborate for the Sequel to the Iconic Story The Crooked Man

Dark Horse Comics to Publish Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Return of Effie Kolb, 

A Thrilling 2-Part Mini-Series, Beginning in February 2020

(November 14, 2019) Legendary HELLBOY creator Mike Mignola, acclaimed artist Zach Howard, award-winning colorist Dave Stewart, and letterer Clem Robbins are collaborating on a sequel to the iconic HELLBOY story THE CROOKED MAN. In HELLBOY & THE B.P.R.D.: THE RETURN OF EFFIE KOLB, years after he banished the infamous backwoods demon known as the Crooked Man, Hellboy returns to Appalachia when a young psychic warns Tom Ferrell of looming danger. But the Crooked Man’s house is no longer empty, and threats both new and old simmer in the Virginia woods. 

“Sometimes you create a character, they perform their function, and that’s it,” said series writer Mike Mignola. “Other times you finish with them and they just refuse to get back in their box. Tom Ferrell is one of those characters. Even as I was writing The Crooked Man I knew there was a whole lot more to that guy. And Effie Kolb… It turns out there are worse things you can do to a character than turn them into a horse.”

“Getting to stand in the shadows of the two legends that made The Crooked Man is an honor,” said Zach Howard. “Mignola asking me to draw the sequel is an opportunity I have not taken likely, and I’ve given my absolute best to live up to his wonderful creation. This will be my final sequential art as a freelance comic book artist, and I couldn’t ask for a better end to this chapter of my career.”

HELLBOY: THE CROOKED MAN by Mignola and celebrated illustrator Richard Corben was originally published by Dark Horse Comics as a 3-issue mini-series in 2008 and is included in HELLBOY: THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES Volume 1.

Dark Horse Comics will publish the debut issue of the thrilling, two-part HELLBOY & THE B.P.R.D.: THE RETURN OF EFFIE KOLB series on February 19, 2020.

For more information about Hellboy, and the Mignolaverse comic books and graphic novels, follow Dark Horse Comics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

For more information, contact:

David Hyde

Superfan Promotions LLC

david.hyde@superfanpromotions.com; 917-803-6684; @superfanpr

About Zach Howard:

Zach Howard is a freelance professional illustrator of seventeen years. His most notable employers include Marvel, Disney, DC, Warner Bros., Image, IDW, Boom, Simon & Schuster, and Steve Jackson Games. Zach’s most popular projects are Wild Blue Yonder, Shaun of the Dead, Spiderman, X-Men, GI Joe, The Cape, and Batman. He has been nominated for an Eisner Award, multiple Indie awards, and received an Amazon Book of the Month selection for Wild Blue Yonder. In addition to his professional work, Zach is passionate about supporting young artists and has dedicated much of his time to helping nurture the next generation of creators.

About Mike Mignola:

Mike Mignola’s fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age; reading Dracula at age twelve introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore, from which he has never recovered. Starting in 1982 as a bad inker for Marvel Comics, he evolved into a not-so-bad artist. By the late 1980s, he’d begun to develop his unique graphic style, with mainstream projects like Cosmic Odyssey and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. In 1994, he published the first of many Hellboy series through Dark Horse, leading to many spinoffs, prose books, animated films, and two live-action films. Along the way he worked on Francis Ford Coppola’s film Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), and with director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004), and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). A new Hellboy film by Neil Marshall is currently in the works. Mike’s books have earned numerous awards and are published in a great many countries. He lives in Southern California with his wife, daughter, and cat.

About Dark Horse


For more than thirty years, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, the company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X, and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga, and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Stranger Things, Aliens, The Legend of Zelda, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Minecraft, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.

Zach Howard is a freelance professional illustrator of fifteen years. His most notable employers include Marvel, Disney, DC, Warner Bros., Image, IDW, Boom, Simon & Schuster, and Steve Jackson Games. Zach’s most popular projects are Wild Blue Yonder, Shaun of the Dead, Spiderman, X-Men, GI Joe, The Cape, and Batman . He has been nominated for an Eisner award, multiple Indie awards and received an Amazon Book of the Month selection for Wild Blue Yonder. In addition to his professional work, Zach is passionate about supporting young artists and has dedicated much of his time to helping nurture the next generation of creators.

New Series from Mark Russell and Steve Pugh, Mariah McCourt and Soo Lee, and Tom Peyer and Alan Robinson Kick off the Fourth Wave of AHOY Comic Book Magazines in 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

All New Series from Mark Russell and Steve Pugh, 

Mariah McCourt and Soo Lee, 

and Tom Peyer and Alan Robinson

Kick off the Fourth Wave of AHOY Comic Book Magazines

Featuring Covers by Steve Pugh, Pia Guerra, Alan Robinson and Jill Thompson

Plus Extra Prose Stories, Poetry, Cocktail Recipes, Cries for Help and More

#ExpectMore

(November 12, 2019) Comic book creators Mark Russell and Steve Pugh, Mariah McCourt and Soo Lee, and Tom Peyer and Alan Robinson are launching three all new series for the fourth wave of AHOY comic book magazines. The three series all tackle 21st century fears and anxieties with a heavy dose of humor. The new wave of titles from the Syracuse-based company will launch next spring.  

AHOY Comics’ fourth wave includes three all-new titles:

• BILLIONAIRE ISLAND, a 6 issue mini-series by acclaimed writer Mark Russell (Second Coming) and artist Steve Pugh (Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass), and colorist Chris Chuckry, with lettering by Rob Steen. Issue 1 features a cover by series artist and co-creator Steve Pugh and a variant cover by bestselling artist Pia Guerra (Y The Last Man). 

Debuting in March 2020.

Welcome to Billionaire Island, where anything goes…if you can afford it. But the island’s ultra-rich inhabitants are about to learn that their ill-gotten gains come at a VERY high price. BILLIONAIRE ISLAND is a savage satire that reunites the creative team behind DC’s The Flintstones. 

“BILLIONAIRE ISLAND tells the story of Freedom Unlimited (FU Island), a private island created and populated by billionaires hoping to wait out the end of the world,” said writer and co-creator Mark Russell. “But because they are in international waters and not subject to any law, their haven is a nightmarish police state for anyone on the island who crosses them. In a broader sense, it's a series that asks the question: how do we save the world when all its resources are partying offshore?”

• ASH & THORN, a 5 issue mini-series by bestselling writer Mariah McCourt (True Blood, Stitched), artist Soo Lee (Mine!, Charlie’s Angels vs. the Bionic Woman), and colorist Pippa Bowland, with lettering by Rob Steen and covers by legendary artist Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother, Wonder Woman: True Amazon). 

Debuting in April 2020.

The apocalypse is nigh! The world needs a Champion, and the only heir to a sacred mystical lineage is…a little old lady? Meet Lottie Thorn, reluctant savior of the world, and her also-elderly trainer Lady Peruvia Ashlington-Voss. They might not look it, but these women are prepared to take on any Big Bad that comes along. But first, perhaps a nice cup of tea? 

“Everyone knows Chosen Ones are supposed to be young and extremely expendable, but even the Universe makes mistakes sometimes,” explained McCourt. “And sometimes the mistakes are big ones. Like when it taps an 80+ year old retired art teacher to be the Champion who fights the next Apocalypse. Can an octogenarian overcome age and arthritis to save the world from cosmic monsters, world eaters, and gross creepy crawlies?”

• PENULTIMAN, a 5 issue mini-series by writer Tom Peyer (The Wrong Earth), artist Alan Robinson (Planet of the Nerds), and colorist Lee Loughridge, with lettering by Rob Steen and covers by Robinson. 

Debuting in May 2020.

Penultiman is the greatest, best-looking, and most admired superhero in the world. Penultiman is The Next-To-Last-Stage In Human Evolution. So how can he stop hating himself? Only Penultiman’s android understudy, Antepenultiman, knows the answer. Or, at least, he thinks he does!

“Penultiman, The Next-To-Last Stage in Human Evolution, is hailed as the godlike epitome of beauty, power, and compassion in the year 2020,” said Peyer. “In the far-future century he came from, however, his more advanced contemporaries saw him as a brutish evolutionary throwback and exiled him to our era. Paragon or primitive? His one chance for peace is to deny the haters and admirers alike, and discover who he really is--if he only knew how to begin.”

AHOY Comics’ fourth wave also includes 2 trade paperback collections:

• SECOND COMING: Volume One trade paperback by Mark Russell, artists Richard Pace and Leonard Kirk, and colorist Andy Troy, with lettering by Rob Steen and a cover by Richard Pace. The book will be released timed to Lent and will be on sale in comic shops on February 26th and in bookstores on March 10, 2020.

• DRAGONFLY & DRAGONFLYMAN: NIGHT & DAY trade paperback by Tom Peyer, artist Peter Krause, and colorist Andy Troy, with lettering by Rob Steen. The book will be released timed to dragonfly season on the east coast and will be on sale in comic shops on May 27th and in bookstores on June 9th, 2020.  

AHOY Comics is led by Publisher Hart Seely, an award-winning reporter whose humor and satire has appeared in The New York Times and on National Public Radio; editor-in-chief Tom Peyer, a veteran of DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint; Stuart Moore, who handles something called "Ops"; and Chief Creative Officer Frank Cammuso. Since its debut in September of 2018, AHOY Comics has pledged for readers to “expect more” from its line of comic book magazines and graphic novels with full length comic book stories, accompanied by “extras” including short prose fiction, the occasional recipes, and even a crossword puzzle. 

“The new wave of AHOY Comics are timely and relevant,” said Seely. “You could say they’ve been ripped from the headlines.”

“Seely?” asked Peyer. “Where are you getting your headlines?”

“I’m just saying,” said Seely. “For his follow up to SECOND COMING, Mark Russell is collaborating with Steve Pugh for the scandalous tale of FU Island. Mariah McCourt and Soo Lee are gazing into the abyss of the apocalypse and the reality of old age. And you and Alan Robinson will have readers everywhere asking, who watches Penultiman? The comics are funny, but it’s a dark humor.” 

For more updates on AHOY Comics, visit them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Dark Horse Comics Previews OUR ENCOUNTERS WITH EVIL: ADVENTURES OF PROFESSOR J.T. MEINHARDT AND HIS ASSISTANT MR. KNOX!

For Immediate Release: Dark Horse Comics Previews OUR ENCOUNTERS WITH EVIL: 

ADVENTURES OF PROFESSOR J.T. MEINHARDT AND HIS ASSISTANT MR. KNOX

The Sequel to The Acclaimed Graphic Novel MR. HIGGINS COMES HOME 

Created by Mike Mignola and Acclaimed Artist Warwick Johnson-Cadwell

(November 12, 2019) Ahead of its publication, Dark Horse Comics is previewing the original graphic novel OUR ENCOUNTERS WITH EVIL: ADVENTURES OF PROFESSOR J.T. MEINHARDT AND HIS ASSISTANT MR. KNOX. The highly anticipated book is the sequel to the acclaimed graphic novel MR. HIGGINS COMES HOME created by legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell. In this all new installment, Professor J.T. Meinhardt and Mr. Knox continue their pursuit of ne’er-do-well creatures of the night. Now, backed by the dauntless vampire hunter Ms. Mary Van Sloan, the heroes pursue vampires, werewolves, and other horrors that even they are hard-put to name or explain. The only thing that’s for certain? The strange truths these adventurers uncover are seldom what they seem. Dark Horse will publish the hardcover graphic novel―created by Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, with story and art by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, lettering by Clem Robins and a cover by Mike Mignola with Eisner Award-winning colorist Dave Stewart―in comic shops on Wednesday, November 13th and in bookstores on November 26, 2019. 

Like MR. HIGGINS COMES HOME, the new graphic novel is set outside the Hellboy Universe. “OUR ENCOUNTERS WITH EVIL recounts three adventures of our intrepid hunters as they battle evil in various supernatural forms, said Johnson-Cadwell. “The first of these, “The Lost Duke Kurtz,” is the possible discovery of a long-forgotten vampire menace and a tale of vampire vengeance. A typical not-so-typical night in the careers of Professor J. T. Meinhardt, Mr. Knox, and Ms. Mary Van Sloan.”

“Warwick brought an insane amount to energy and invention to MR.HIGGINS COMES home—more ideas than could ever fit into that one book, “ said Mignola , who scripted MR. HIGGINS COMES HOME which he created with Johnson-Cadwell. “So I was thrilled when he told me he wanted to continue the adventures of Meinhardt and Knox. You can look forward to a whole world of vampires and related monstrosities like nothing you've ever seen before.”

Here’s what the critics are saying about the book:

“Hauntingly unique.”—FORBES

“Whimsical, dark, macabre… A treasure trove of gothic tales.”—FANBASE PRESS

“Satisfying horrific but refreshingly imaginative and playful.”—LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Sensational…. These standalone horror stories set just outside the Mignolaverse carry the colorful vibe and style of the classic old Hammer Dracula films.”—SYFY WIRE

“OUR ENCOUNTERS WITH EVIL draws it inspiration from a wide range of influences, namely Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stocker, Hammer Studios fifties and early sixties heyday and The Fearless Vampire Killers, but even though it affectionately wears all of its forbears on its blood soaked sleeves, it’s also an incredibly original, vibrant, whimsical and at times, comedic take on a much loved horror staple.”—MASS MOVEMENT 

“A grand new graphic novel…. with a triple treat of supernatural stories.”—COMICON.COM

“An endlessly clever and surprisingly hilarious horror graphic novel. Mignola and Johnson-Cadwell have created a story that derives influence from literature and mythic monsters of old, and still stands on its own as a unique creation. Any fan of Gothic horror, classic monsters or even just witty humor are in for a definite treat.”—MONSTERS FIGHTING ROBOTS

“Incredibly dynamic and interesting.”—COMIC WATCH

For more information about OUR ENCOUNTERS WITH EVIL: ADVENTURES OF PROFESSOR J.T. MEINHARDT AND HIS ASSISTANT MR. KNOX, follow Dark Horse Comics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

For more information, contact:

David Hyde

Superfan Promotions LLC

david.hyde@superfanpromotions.com; 917-803-6684; @superfanpr

About Warwick Johnson-Cadwell:

Warwick Johnson- Cadwell has been drawing as long as he can remember, enthusiastically digesting comics and transposing James Bond, spaghetti westerns and Hammer Horror movies onto paper. This drawing persisted, taking him through an Illustration degree and on to work in Publishing with work for The Guardian and The Times newspapers. Animation Design for several projects in commercial or features studios including Aardman Animation’s Pirates! His comic work has featured in Nelson (2011) Lovecraft Anthology 2 (2012) Sold State Tank Girl (2013) Samuari Jack (2018), and many “Small Press” titles including Dangeritis (2014) with Robert Ball. He also skippers boats on the South coast of England. He collaborated on HELENA CRASH, with Fabian Rangel Jr. and, most recently, MR. HIGGINS COMES HOME with Mike Mignola.

About Mike Mignola:

Reading DRACULA at ago 12 introduced Mike Mignola to Folklore and Victorian Supernatural Literature from which he has still never recovered. He began working as a comic book artist in 1982, working for both Marvel and DC Comics before creating HELLBOY, published by Dark Horse Comics in 1994. What began as a single comic book series would eventually expand to a “Hellboy Universe” of related graphic novels, prose novels, short story anthologies and both animated and live action films. He also wrote and drew THE AMAZING SCREW-ON HEAD AND OTHER CURIOUS OBJECTS. He has co-written novels with Christopher Golden (Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire) and Thomas Sniegoski (Grim Death and Bill The Electrocuted Criminal), worked with Francis Ford Coppola on BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, was a production designer on Disney’s ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE, and visual consultant to Guillermo Del Toro on BLADE II, HELLBOY and HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY.  A new HELLBOY film directed by Neil Marshall will be released this spring.Mike’s comics and graphic novels have earned numerous awards and are published in a great many countries He lives in Southern California with his wife and a very demanding cat.

About Dark Horse


For more than thirty years, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, the company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X, and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga, and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Stranger Things, Aliens, The Legend of Zelda, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Minecraft, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.

Zach Howard is a freelance professional illustrator of fifteen years. His most notable employers include Marvel, Disney, DC, Warner Bros., Image, IDW, Boom, Simon & Schuster, and Steve Jackson Games. Zach’s most popular projects are Wild Blue Yonder, Shaun of the Dead, Spiderman, X-Men, GI Joe, The Cape, and Batman . He has been nominated for an Eisner award, multiple Indie awards and received an Amazon Book of the Month selection for Wild Blue Yonder. In addition to his professional work, Zach is passionate about supporting young artists and has dedicated much of his time to helping nurture the next generation of creators.