This October, Hellboy battles an array of goblins on a train, explores the British countryside and falls in love, all within the same limited series.

CBR can exclusively reveal a sneak peek at the first issue of Hellboy in Love, an all-new series starring Mike Mignola's most famous creation that takes place in 1979 in the north of England. In the preview, a group of goblins board a train and immediately start disrupting passengers by rummaging through their luggage. The disruptive fiends are searching for a case held by Doctor Anastacia Bransfield, an archaeologist in charge of transporting important artifacts to a museum. Luckily, a dozing Hellboy is also on the train and the preview further sees him jump into action after telling Anastacia her superiors in the British Museum sent in a request with the B.P.R.D. for him to act as a chaperone.

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Issue #1 is the first part of Hellboy in Love's "Goblin Night" story arc, which features Anastacia and Hellboy chasing the goblins throughout the nearby countryside and stumbling upon a local punk show in the process. Over the course of their travels, an unlikely romance blossoms between the pair -- which will come as no surprise to longtime Hellboy fans already familiar with Anastacia Bransfield, who was created by Hellboy in Love co-writer Christopher Golden for the 1997 novel Hellboy: The Lost Army.

Who Is Anastasia Bransfield?

Hellboy: The Lost Army, which saw Hellboy in the Egyptian desert looking for a missing British archeological team, presented Anastasia as one of the big red devil's ex-lovers. The pair dated from 1979 to 1981 and Anastasia also appeared in Golden's 2007 novel Hellboy: The Dragon Pool. While both novels are considered parts of the Hellboy canon, Anastasia has yet to appear in any of the Hellboy comics, though she has been mentioned from time to time. This changes with Hellboy in Love, which finally reveals how the pair fell for each other.

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“It’s been twenty-five years since Dr. Anastasia Bransfield first appeared as Hellboy’s ex-girlfriend in my novel Hellboy: The Lost Army,” Golden said when Hellboy in Love was first announced. “I’ve always thought one of the reasons Mike considered my three Hellboy novels as canon is because of that relationship. Over the years, we talked many times about telling the stories of their adventures together, and the day has finally come. It’s Romancing the Stone-style action, occult weirdness, and first love, with gorgeous Matt Smith art! We’re having so much fun!”

Hellboy in Love is written by Mignola and Golden. The series is illustrated by Matt Smith, features colors by Chris O'Halloran and cover art by Smith. Hellboy in Love #1 goes on sale Oct. 19 from Dark Horse.

Source: Dark Horse Comics