HELLBOY

Hellboy is a fictional Dark Horse Comics character created by writer-artist Mike Mignola, who first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 in 1993. He has since appeared in a number of miniseries and one-shots, as well as a spin-off series focusing on the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense team of which he is a member, and some intercompany crossover.

Hellboy is a demon who finds himself fighting for the U.S. government and himself against dark forces, in a series of tales that have their roots in both folklore and pulp fiction, battling a range of enemies from Nazis to Baba Yaga.
His adventures have also been captured in various media, including live-action films, animated films, novels, and a range of merchandise.

A demon whose true name is Anung un Rama, Hellboy was brought to Earth as an infant by Nazi occultists. He was rescued by the Allied Forces, and raised by the U.S.A.'s Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). Hellboy grew up to be a large, red-skinned demon with a tail, horns (which he filed off, leaving behind the signature circular stumps on his forehead), and an oversized right hand made of stone. In the introduction to Odd Jobs he is described as smelling of dry-roasted peanuts. Although a bit gruff, he shows none of the malevolence thought to be intrinsic to demons, and works with other strange creatures in the BPRD. Hellboy has been dubbed as the "World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator".

The character has been featured in a sequence of comic book mini-series published by Dark Horse Comics, influenced by vintage adventure and horror fiction.

The comics were adapted into a 2004 film starring Ron Perlman as Hellboy with a sequel, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army released on July 11, 2008. There were two 75-minute animated movies, Sword of Storms and Blood and Iron, were aired on the Cartoon Network before being released on DVD. The first one aired October 28, 2006, and the second aired March 17, 2007. A third animated Hellboy film has just been announced called The Phantom Claw. Tad Stones, director and Writer of the DTV movies, says the film will star Lobster Johnson and will have some familiar characters, but Abe and Liz will not be in the film.

According to Mignola's commentary on the Hellboy film DVD, various aspects of the character's looks and personality were inspired by his own father, a cabinet maker who often returned home from work with tales of horrific on-the-job accidents, told in the nonchalant, unflappable manner that would eventually become characteristic of Hellboy.