I like the comics that Mike Mignola (with a lot of help from John Arcudi and Guy Davis, primarily) has written, drawn, and/or plotted about his demonic character Hellboy, the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense to which he once belonged, and associated characters, collectively called the Mignolaverse. There are an awful lot of them, collected under an awfully large number of titles, with an awfully large variety of numbering systems. Below is my stab at a reading order that incorporates all of the Hellboy/B.P.R.D./related titles. Enjoy!
Hellboy Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction
Hellboy Vol. 2: Wake the Devil
Hellboy Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others
Hellboy Vol. 4: The Right Hand of Doom
Hellboy Vol. 5: The Conqueror Worm
B.P.R.D. Vol. 1: Hollow Earth & Other Stories
Hellboy: Weird Tales Vol. 1
[Hellboy Junior]
B.P.R.D. Vol. 2: The Soul of Venice & Other Stories
Hellboy: Weird Tales Vol. 2
B.P.R.D. Vol. 3: Plague of Frogs
B.P.R.D. Vol. 4: The Dead
Hellboy Vol. 6: Strange Places
B.P.R.D. Vol. 5: The Black Flame
B.P.R.D. Vol. 6: The Universal Machine
Hellboy Vol. 7: The Troll Witch and Others
B.P.R.D. Vol. 7: Garden of Souls
B.P.R.D. Vol. 8: Killing Ground
Lobster Johnson Vol. 1: The Iron Prometheus
Hellboy Vol. 8: Darkness Calls
Abe Sapien: The Drowning
B.P.R.D. Vol. 9: 1946
B.P.R.D. Vol. 10: The Warning
B.P.R.D. Vol. 11: The Black Goddess
Hellboy Vol. 9: The Wild Hunt
Witchfinder Vol. 1: In the Service of Angels
B.P.R.D. Vol. 12: War on Frogs
Hellboy Vol. 10: The Crooked Man and Others
B.P.R.D. Vol. 13: 1947
B.P.R.D. Vol. 14: King of Fear
Hellboy: Masks and Monsters
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth Vol. 1: New World
Hellboy Vol. 11: The Bride of Hell and Others
B.P.R.D.: Being Human
Witchfinder Vol. 2: Lost and Gone Forever
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth Vol. 2: Gods and Monsters
Hellboy Vol. 12: The Storm and the Fury
Abe Sapien Vol. 2: The Devil Does Not Jest
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth Vol. 3: Russia
Lobster Johnson Vol. 2: The Burning Hand
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth Vol. 4: The Devil’s Engine and the Long Death
Tags: B.P.R.D., comics, Guy Davis, Hellboy, John Arcudi, Mike Mignola
As there is always a chance that there’s someone reading your list who has yet to read this stuff, I would just say that the B.P.R.D. Plague of Frogs Omnibuses Vols. 1-4 and the Hellboy Oversized Library Vols. 1-6 are very satisfying presentations of this material, probably a better value than the individual trades above, assuming of course someone is willing to shell out $30-$50 on a big book. And while it may not be part of the same universe (I can’t remember if it is or not), it’s hard to imagine someone enjoying Hellboy, BPRD or Witchfinder and not enjoying Baltimore as well.
Which of the above works are not included in the bprd omnibus’s and the library editions? What do I have to buy as trade paperbacks?
The only Hellboy stories not collected (as far as I know) are the OGN’s ‘Masks and Monsters’ and ‘House of the Living Dead’. The LEs cover virtually all the Hellboy material thus far, thankfully.
As far as BPRD goes, the HCs collect everything but Secret Origins (1946-1948) and the following trades: Being Human, Witchfinder, Lobster Johnson and Abe Sapien (which is now an on-going).
I think that just about covers it. There is also the recently released Sledgehamer ’44 based in the same universe, that deals with Mignola’s take on an Ironman of sorts. It’s only one issue, though, and I wouldn’t worry about it too much as far as Hellboy/BPRD continuity goes.
Hope that helps!
What about BPRD 1946 volume 2? Does this exist?