The art of comic creator Gabriel Hernández Walta has graced a number of acclaimed projects over the years such as the groundbreaking The Vision series with writer Tom King at Marvel. After working on the recent Barbalien: Red Planet Black Hammer spin-off series, Walta is entering the world of Hellboy with the upcoming Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Old Man Whittier one-shot from Dark Horse Comics.
Walta is teaming up with Mike Mignola as writer along with letterer Clem Robbins for this one-shot that continues a story that began with Hellboy: The Whittier Legacy over a decade ago. Whittier Legacy was part of a promotion between Dark Horse teamed up with USA Today to release five original eight-page stories on the USA Today website. The Whittier Legacy was the first of the five, released in two parts of four pages each on October 11th and 12th 2010.
The original short story involved B.P.R.D. agent Hellboy being called in to Boston to look into the disappearance of a man and the desecration of three grave. Here’s how publisher described the Old Man Whittier one-shot:
In Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Old Man Whittier, trouble runs in the family. When Catherine Whittier learns she’s inherited the house she grew up in, she knows better than to return home alone. And who better to escort her than Hellboy? After all, with a house with a history like this, “plot” can mean more than just a family graveyard.
Unsurprisingly, Walta expressed great excitement at the chance not only to work in the Mignola-verse but to collaborate with the legendary creator:
“Drawing this Hellboy one-shot has been a dream come true,” said Walta. “I’ve been a fan of Mike’s work for more than thirty years, and having the chance to work with him and the Hellboy team was simply awesome. I also had the chance to draw an old house with cobwebs, ghosts, snakes, and a charismatic red demon wearing a trench coat…what more could I ask for?”
The sentiment was reciprocated by Mignola himself:
“Sometimes my brain won’t let a story die. I first introduced the Whittier family back in 2010, but their story wasn’t over, especially when there was a chance to collaborate with the amazing artist Gabriel Hernández Walta.”
In addition to the main cover drawn by Walta, a variant drawn by Mignola and regular Hellboy colorist Dave Stewart will also be available.
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Old Man Whittier goes on sale in comic shops on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
