''The Dark Horse Book of...'' was the banner title given to a series of four

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 ...

one-shot hardcover comic book horror anthologies edited by

Scott Allie Scott Allie is an American comics writer and editor, best known as an editor and executive at Dark Horse Comics from 1994 to 2017. Early life Allie grew up in Massachusetts. Career Allie joined Dark Horse Comics as an editor in September 1994. ...

and featuring the work of

Mike Mignola Mike Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', '' Abe Sapien'', '' Lobster Johnson'', '' Wit ...

and others. In 2017 Dark Horse collected all four volumes together in ''The Dark Horse Book of Horror''.

Volumes

''The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings''

This first volume was published on August 27, 2003 and featured Mike Mignola's only new ''Hellboy'' story for that year as well as a new ''

Devil's Footprints The Devil's Footprints was a phenomenon that occurred during February 1855 around the Exe Estuary in East and South Devon, England. After a heavy snowfall, trails of hoof-like marks appeared overnight in the snow covering a total distance of som ...

'' story, a Victorian ghost story illustrated by Gary Gianni, and an interview with real-life

séance A séance or seance (; ) is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word ''séance'' comes from the French word for "session", from the Old French ''seoir'', "to sit". In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, spea ...

medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation *Medium bomber, a class of war plane *Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium of ...

L.L. Dreller. In his introduction editor Scott Allie states that he has loved anthologies for as long as he can remember and that the theme for this anthology came from the ''Hellboy'' story about a haunted house contributed by Mike Mignola, although he would later expand the remit somewhat to fit the works of Randy Stradler and others.

Jill Thompson Jill Thompson (born November 20, 1966) is an American illustrator and writer who has worked for stage, film, and television. Well known for her work on Neil Gaiman's '' The Sandman'' characters and her own '' Scary Godmother'' series, she has wor ...

won the 2004 "Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior)"

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

for the story ''Stray'' in this collection.

''The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft''

This second volume was published July 7, 2004 and featured a new ''Hellboy'' story by Mike Mignola as well as a sequel to ''Stray'' by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson story, a classic witch tale by

Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Algernon Charles Swinburne ...

illustrated by cover artist Gary Gianni, and an interview with

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

n High Priestess Phyllis Currott. In the introduction, editor Scott Allie states that he was once again influenced by Mike Mignola in the choice of a theme for this second volume, which is inspired by the works of

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

, Lord Dunsany and ''

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, prin ...

'' (for whom Smith formerly wrote). The volume was nominated for the 2004 "Favorite One-Shot" Wizard Fan Award and Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson won the 2005 " Best Short Story"

for the story ''Unfamiliar''.

''The Dark Horse Book of the Dead''

This third volume was published June 1, 2005 and featured a new ''Hellboy'' story by Mike Mignola as well as a story by ''Goon'' creator Eric Powell and a classic tale by ''

Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero who originated in pulp magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, films (including '' Conan the Barbarian'' and '' Conan the Destroyer'') ...

'' creator Robert E. Howard illustrated by cover artist Gary Gianni. In his introduction editor Scott Allie states that this was supposed to be the last book in the series, because he thought he was pushing his luck with three, but he changed his mind and a fourth was produced. He agreed to it because he enjoyed working with the writers and artists involved in the series.

''The Dark Horse Book of Monsters''

This fourth and final volume was published 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 ...

and featured a new ''Hellboy'' story by Mike Mignola as well as

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the ''Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled ''Astro City'', a four-year run on ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers, Thunderbolts (comics ...

and

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (born November 30, 1952) is an American comics artist and writer. He is known for his work for DC Comics on their '' Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of Lobo. Biography ...

's homage to the great monster comics of Jack Kirby and a classic tale of

South Seas Today the term South Seas, or South Sea, is used in several contexts. Most commonly it refers to the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of the equator. In 1513, when Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa coined the term ''Mar del Sur'', ...

horror by

William Hope Hodgson William Hope Hodgson (15 November 1877 – 19 April 1918) was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction, and scie ...

illustrated by cover artist Gary Gianni. The volume was nominated for the 2007 "Favourite Foreign Comic Book or Graphic Novel of the Year" Ledger Award and

won the 2007 "Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior)"

in part for the story '' A Dog and His Boy'' in this collection. {, class="wikitable" , - ! Title !! Creators , - , colspan="6" bgcolor="#FFFFFF", , - , ''I Witnessed the End of the World!'' , , , - , colspan="6", , - , colspan="6" bgcolor="#FFFFFF", , - , '' The Hydra and the Lion'' , , Story & Art: Mike Mignola , - , colspan="6", , - , colspan="6" bgcolor="#FFFFFF", , - , ''A Tropical Horror'' , , , - , colspan="6", , - , colspan="6" bgcolor="#FFFFFF", , - , '' To Weave a Lover'' , , , - , colspan="6", , - , colspan="6" bgcolor="#FFFFFF", , - , ''The Horror Beneath'' , , , - , colspan="6", , - , colspan="6" bgcolor="#FFFFFF", , - , '' Hidden'' , , {{flatlist, * Story:

* Art: Paul Lee,

Brian Horton Brian "Nobby" Horton (born 4 February 1949) is an English former footballer and manager. He spent 16 years as a professional player and 22 years as a manager, making 689 appearances and managing 1,098 matches. In addition to this he spent four ...

, - , colspan="6", , - , colspan="6" bgcolor="#FFFFFF", , - , '' A Dog and His Boy'' , , {{flatlist, * Story:

Evan Dorkin Evan Dorkin (born April 20, 1965) is an American comics artist and cartoonist. His best known works are the comic books ''Milk and Cheese'' and ''Dork''. His comics often poke fun at fandom, even while making it clear that Dorkin is a fan himsel ...

* Art:

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References

{{Reflist {{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Horse Book of...