Have you made your Hellboy Day plans yet? Better hurry up, because March 22 is the 20th anniversary of the big red hero who has graced comics’ pages and movie screens for the past two decades.
Created by writer/artist Mike Mignola, Hellboy has spawned a mini empire of graphic novels and collectibles, with new issues of “Hellboy” and its spin-off comics — most notably “B.P.R.D.” which follows the adventures of Hellboy’s former team-mates as they battle apocalyptic monsters — hitting stands weekly.
And sure you could celebrate the festivities at your local comic book shop wearing a lightly used “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” T-shirt; or you could go a little more high end, with one of Skelton Crew Studio‘s many superbly crafted collectibles based on the Mignola-verse.
The company is known for their finely manufactured pieces based on comics properties, including “Locke & Key,” “Chew,” “Mouse Guard” and most appropriately for the topic at hand, “Hellboy/B.P.R.D.”
They’ve previously released four items from that last collection, all packaged as if they were artifacts rescued from supernatural sites by the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. And now, in honor of Hellboy Day, MTV News is exclusively revealing two more items in the collection.
The two new releases in Skelton Crew Studio’s Artifact Archive line, in conjunction with Mike Mignola himself are: Vasilisa’s Comb and Handkerchief; and the Ogdru Jahad Amulet from “Hellboy: The Island.”
Both are based on storylines/items from the comics themselves. The pewter replicas are hand-numbered, limited to 1,000 pieces and made in the USA.
The comb is sculpted by Jamie Macfarlane, who previously made the limited edition Bishop Zryini’s Silver Button and Elf Shot, two other items in the line; while the amulet is sculpted by Tim Arp, who also made Cornelius Agrippa’s Charm (also in the Artifact Archive line).
Each Artifact Archive piece comes packaged in an archival box and tag and B.P.R.D. Do Not Tamper tape as if they’ve just been sprung from the agency’s back room, and will retail for $36 (each) when released in mid-April.
In addition, pre-orders of either item will receive tags signed by the appropriate designer. Previous releases have come signed by Mignola, “Hellboy” artist Duncan Fegredo and studio founder Israel Skelton.
“Not everyone can make it to a con, or England, and it’s something extra that we like offering fans,” Skelton said. “At the studio, we’re really fans first and we hope that shows in all the work we put out.”
You can check out more of Skelton Crew Studios’ amazing work on their website, and happy Hellboy Day!
Photos/design by Jose Leiva and Bethany Jourdan
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