''Hellboy: The Troll Witch and Others'' is the seventh

trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...

collection in the ''

Hellboy Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers ...

'' series (created by Mike Mignola) and published by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

on October 3,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

. It collects various mini-series, one-shots and back-up features featuring fictional paranormal detective

Publication history

The Penanggalan

Cover by Mignola. This story by Mike Mignola was originally published by Dark Horse Comics and

Wizard Press Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as GoEnergy and Wizard World, is a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company started as the holding company for Strato Malmas' interests in the energy business. Gareb Sham ...

as the lead story in ''Hellboy Premier Edition'' (March

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

) along with '' B.P.R.D.: Born Again'' which was a promotional for '' Wizard'' available in three different covers: *A photographic cover was available to those who pre-ordered tickets to Wizard World Los Angeles 2004. *A cover drawn by Guy Davis was available via a special offer to renew or subscribe to ''Wizard''. *A Mike Mignola-drawn cover was available via a mail-in offer found in ''Wizard'' #148. The edition also included some pages from a sketchbook of monsters Mignola drew for pleasure during his spare time while assisting on the pre-production of the ''Hellboy'' movie in Prague. Hellboy travels to

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

in 1958 where a village devoid of Bomah

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritu ...

s has fallen victim to a demonic

penanggalan The ''penanggal'' or ''penanggalan'' is a nocturnal vampiric entity from Malay ghost myths. Its name comes from the word ''tanggal'' meaning to remove or take off, because its form is that of a floating disembodied woman's head with its trailin ...

. A young guide leads him to the demon's cave, where Hellboy is met with a betrayal.

The Hydra and the Lion

This story by Mike Mignola was originally published in one-shot anthology ''

The Dark Horse Book of Monsters ''The Dark Horse Book of...'' was the banner title given to a series of four Dark Horse Comics one-shot hardcover comic book horror anthologies edited by Scott Allie and featuring the work of Mike Mignola and others. In 2017 Dark Horse collected ...

'' (December 13,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

). Hellboy travels to

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

in 1961, where he finds not only the grave of the recently deceased

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

(who lived out the final years of his life in anonymity as a school janitor) but a monstrous

hydra Hydra generally refers to: * Lernaean Hydra, a many-headed serpent in Greek mythology * ''Hydra'' (genus), a genus of simple freshwater animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria Hydra or The Hydra may also refer to: Astronomy * Hydra (constel ...

. Hellboy's battle with the creature is interrupted by a mysterious lion girl that generates more than a few theories amongst the experts of the

B.P.R.D. The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola, founded by the United States and United Kingdom governments, charged with researching the occult, paranormal ...

The Troll Witch

This story by Mike Mignola was originally published in one-shot anthology ''

The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft ''The Dark Horse Book of...'' was the banner title given to a series of four Dark Horse Comics one-shot hardcover comic book horror anthologies edited by Scott Allie and featuring the work of Mike Mignola and others. In 2017 Dark Horse collected a ...

'' (July 7,

). Hellboy travels to

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

in 1963 to seek the legendary troll witch, who, armed with only a wooden spoon, had ridden into battle against a group of

troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

s on the back of a goat.

Dr. Carp's Experiment

This story by Mike Mignola was originally published in one-shot anthology ''

The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings ''The Dark Horse Book of...'' was the banner title given to a series of four Dark Horse Comics one-shot hardcover comic book horror anthologies edited by Scott Allie and featuring the work of Mike Mignola and others. In 2017 Dark Horse collected ...

'' (August 27,

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

) and was Mignola's only original Hellboy comic book work that year. Hellboy travels to

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1991, to investigate the haunted house of former Master of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra, Dr. Carp, who vanished in 1902. In a secret basement room, Hellboy uncovers the remains of the doctor's experiments and the source of the haunting.

The Ghoul

This story by Mike Mignola was originally published in one-shot anthology ''

The Dark Horse Book of the Dead ''The Dark Horse Book of...'' was the banner title given to a series of four Dark Horse Comics one-shot hardcover comic book horror anthologies edited by Scott Allie and featuring the work of Mike Mignola and others. In 2017 Dark Horse collected ...

'' (June 1,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

). Hellboy travels to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1992 to hunt down the ghoulish poetry-reciting grave robber Edward Stokes who is at work in the city's

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

cemetery. Concurrently, B.P.R.D. agent Pauline Raskin encounters the innocent Mrs. Stokes, who is watching a puppet theatre production of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' on television.

The Vampire of Prague

This story (written by Mike Mignola and illustrated by

P. Craig Russell Philip Craig Russell (born October 30, 1951) is an American comics artist, writer, and illustrator. His work has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards. Russell was the first mainstream comic book creator to come out as openly gay. Biography ...

) was created specially for the collection. Hellboy arrives in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

on August 19, 1982, to challenge the former verger of St. Peter's Church, a vampiric gambler who was cursed for playing cards with the dead when he ran out of living opponents. Hellboy must beat him at his own game to end the reign of terror.

Makoma

This story by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben was originally published as the two-issue mini-series ''Hellboy: Makoma'' (February–March 2006).

References

{{Hellboy Dark Horse Comics vampires