Mike Mignola Returns With Vampire-Centric OGN

CBR

By Brandon Staley

Published Apr 7, 2017

The creator of Hellboy will release a new comic this Halloween about a duo of vampire hunters who must convince a man to confront his dread.

Mike Mignola’s hiatus from the comic book industry has seemingly come to an end. The artist and writer claimed he was taking a break from comics after he finished work on “Hellboy in Hell,” but is now preparing to take on another aspect of the occult: Vampires.

Mignola recently revealed to io9 that his next project would be titled “Mr. Higgins Comes Home,” a graphic novel that chronicles the efforts of two vampire hunters to convince the eponymous Mr. Higgins to return to the scene of his wife’s murder at Castle Golga. The story will force Higgins to come to terms with the dark reality of his wife’s demise and looks to add a twist to classic vampire narratives. Mignola will write the script for “Mr. Higgins” and team with “Helena Crash” artist Warwick Johnson-Cadwell.

“I’d been a fan of Warwick’s work for a very long time,” Mignola said in a written statement. “I met him recently, discovered he had a fondness for sad werewolves, and that got the ball rolling for Mr. Higgins. This one is a very affectionate (and obvious) nod to the old Hammer Dracula films and my favorite vampire film of them all, Roman Polanski’s ‘The Fearless Vampire Killers.’”

The cover art is unexpectedly creepy:

Mignola began working in the comic book industry as a freelance artist on titles like “Daredevil” and “Power Man” in the early ‘80s. In 1987, he would go on to work at DC Comics on series like “Phantom Stranger” and “World of Krypton.” In 1994, Dark Horse released “Hellboy: Seed of Destruction,” the first entry in the long running “Hellboy” franchise, the latest of which was “Hellboy in Hell.” Mignola claimed he was taking a break from comics last year after he finished work on “Hellboy in Hell.” “Mr. Higgins Comes Home” is his first announced project since then.

Several of the characters established in the “Hellboy” franchise have gone on to star in series of their own, with and without the aid of Mignola. The “Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead” one-shot launched in 1998 and was helmed by Brian McDonald and Derek Thompson. The series would not find widespread popularity until 2008, when Mignola returned to the character with a miniseries titled “The Drowning.” Pulpy hero Lobster Johnson also received his own comic book line, the latest of which was written by John Arcudi.

“Mr. Higgins Comes Home” is set to be released in comics book stores on October 25. A widescale bookstore release is scheduled for, of course, October 31.