Hellboy is dead and the world as we know it is gone…and now the Witchfinder is once again called upon to defend Avalon
Mike Mignola and his longtime collaborator Ben Stenbeck are joining forces to create the next chapter of the Hellboy Universe in The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England, a new 3-issue miniseries written by Mignola and drawn by Stenbeck with colors by Dave Stewart, with lettering from Clem Robins. Issue 1 will be published in November by Dark Horse Comics.
Nineteenth-century paranormal investigator Ed Grey’s illustrious and otherworldly career has been a pivotal part of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy Universe. From his first appearance of Hellboy: Wake the Devil to his unforgettable roles in Hellboy in Hell and Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder, Grey has always been one of the most important and enigmatic figures in the Hellboy Universe.
“Ed Grey feels to me like he took off like a rocket,” said Mignola. “He was my ‘regular guy’ occult detective but then just kept going. Being dismembered and stitched back together didn’t even slow him down. He became a magician and flew around doing stuff. He decided to take on some of Hellboy’s curse and everything just kept beating him and he just kept getting up, and before too long, I just felt bad for him and wanted to give him a quiet place to sit down – retire in peace. BUT he had just one more (I hope) thing to do and then not only could he retire but he could retire another of my favorite characters. Let’s hope both of them can finally relax after this one last battle for England.”
Taking place after the events of B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know and Mignola and Stenbeck’s Koshchei in Hell, The Serpent in the Garden follows Grey after he’s summoned away from Hell by Alice, queen of the last standing realm on Earth, to help defend England from King Arthur’s half-sister Morgan Le Fay and her fearsome champion.
“This is going to be my last ‘Hellboy universe’ story for some time,” Stenbeck added. “So I’m really happy I finally get to draw one of my favorite characters.”
“Whenever Mike Mignola, Ben Stenbeck, and Dave Stewart collaborate, they end up creating some of the very best books in the Hellboy Universe.” – Multiversity
The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England #1 will be available in comic shops on November 27 by Dark Horse Comics.