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How to read Hellboy comics in order: The complete Mignolaverse reading guide

The complete Hellboy reading order: Every series you need to know, from B.P.R.D. to Abe Sapien.

Guides by Joshua Lapin-Bertone, Contributing writer

Published on Fri Aug 07 2026

In the final days of World War II, the Nazis tried to turn the tide by summoning a young demon. A government agency known as the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense got its hands on the young demon and raised him to be one of their best agents. Hellboy, who was created by Mike Mignola, has been entertaining comic book readers since his debut in 1993.

The success of Hellboy has led to spinoff titles that have expanded his world into a full-blown Hellboy Universe, sometimes referred to as the Mignolaverse. From Hellboy to other offbeat characters like Lobster Johnson, let’s explore the Hellboy Universe and how to read it in release and chronological order.

How to read Hellboy in release order

There are a few ongoing titles in the Hellboy Universe, but it should be noted that they are cataloged differently than normal titles. Hellboy’s ongoing title is broken up into various miniseries and one-shots, which each make up their own story arc. While each miniseries has its own numbering, there is a secondary numbering that signifies its place in Hellboy’s ongoing adventures. For example, Hellboy: Wake the Devil #1 is also considered issue seven of Hellboy’s ongoing series. If it seems confusing, don’t worry, because the trade paperbacks keep things organized.

All the Hellboy Universe ongoings

How to read Hellboy trade paperback collections in release order

How to read B.P.R.D. trade paperback collections in release order

How to read Lobster Johnson trade paperback collections in release order

How to read Abe Sapien trade paperback collections in release order

How to read Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder trade paperback collections in release order

How to read Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. trade paperback collections in release order

How to read the Hellboy Universe in chronological order

The Hellboy Universe is made up of multiple comics, trade paperbacks, short stories, and more. It may not be as large as the Marvel or DC Universe, but it’s a ton of comics. Cataloging every single story is a herculean task that would take months of research, and this guide would probably be as long as a short novel. Trust me, because I originally tried to write this section that way. To make things more practical, this section of the guide will use the trade paperback collections. This makes things simpler for new Hellboy Universe readers, takes up less space, and is a more organized approach.

How to read Hellboy trade paperback collections in chronological order

1900-1953: The Silver Lantern Club
1956: Hellboy in Mexico
1958-Present: The Crooked Man and Others
1958-1993: The Troll Witch and Others
1960-1985: The Bride of Hell and Others
1979: Hellboy in Love
1988: The Bones of Giants

Present Day

Seeds of Destruction
Wake the Devil
The Chained Coffin and Others
The Right Hand of Doom (with the exception of the flashbacks)
Conqueror Worm
Strange Places
The Troll Witch and Others
Darkness Calls
The Wild Hunt
The Storm and the Fury
The Descent
The Death Card

How to read B.P.R.D. trade paperback collections in chronological order

1938-Present: Hollow Earth & Other Stories
1946: 1946
1947: 1947
1948: 1948
1948-1954: Vampire

Present Day

The Soul of Venice & Other Stories
Plague of Frogs
The Dead
The Black Flame
The Universal Machine
Garden of Souls
Killing Ground
The Warning
The Black Goddess
War on Frogs
King of Fear
Being Human
New World
Gods and Monsters
Russia
The Devil’s Engine & The Long Death
The Pickens County Horror & Others
The Return of the Master
A Cold Day in Hell
Lake of Fire
The Reign of the Black Flame
The Devil’s Wings
Flesh and Stone
Metamorphosis
End of Days
The Exorcist
Cometh the Hour
Messiah
Pandemonium
Ragna Rok

How to read Lobster Johnson trade paperback collections in chronological order

1932: The Burning Hand
1932-1933: Satan Smells a Rat
1934: Get the Lobster
1934-1935: A Chain Forged in Life
1936: The Pirate’s Ghost and Metal Monsters of Midtown
1937: The Iron Prometheus

How to read Abe Sapien trade paperback collections in chronological order

1981: The Drowning
1982-1985: The Devil Does Not Jest and Other Stories
1983-2005: Lost Lives and Other Stories

Present Day

Dark and Terrible and The New Race of Man
The Shape of Things to Come
Sacred Places
A Darkness So Great
The Secret Fire
The Desolate Shore

How to read Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder trade paperback collections in chronological order

1879: In The Service of Angels
1880: Lost and Gone Forever
1881: The Mysteries of Unland
1882: City of the Dead
1884: The Gates of Heaven
1888-1889: The Reign of Darkness
Far Future: The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and The Last Battle for England

How to read Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. trade paperback collections in chronological order

1952: 1952
1953: 1953
1954: 1954
1955: 1955
1956: 1956
1957: 1957
1960-1975: The Beast of Vargu and Others
1962-1989: The Secret of Chesbro House & Others
1967-1991: The Return of Effie Kolb and Others

TL;DR – What are the best Hellboy comics?

If you scrolled down this far, then you can see that there have been a lot of Hellboy comics. If your time is short, and you can’t read them all, here are the five best ones to give you a sense of the character, his world, and his greatest adventures.

Seeds of Destruction – Hellboy’s first appearance and origin. What happens when a demon is raised by humans and becomes a paranormal agent? If you’re going to read Hellboy, you might as well check out the character’s beginnings.
Wake the Devil – Hellboy battles Nazi occultists and a revived Romanian vampire. This story is when Hellboy found its tone and the character truly hit his stride. Seeds of Destruction may have been the character’s origin, but Wake the Devil is when he truly began.
Pancakes – A short story where young Hellboy tries pancakes for the first time and falls in love. It’s only two pages long, but it perfectly sums up Hellboy’s relationship with humanity, and what makes the character so special.
The Crooked Man – Hellboy takes on a demon called the Crooked Man in 1950s Appalachia. This is Hellboy creator Mike Mignola’s favorite story and the basis for the 2024 movie Hellboy: The Crooked Man.
Hellboy in Hell – After sacrificing himself to save the world, Hellboy finds himself in Hell, where he’s forced to confront things about himself he would rather avoid. This storyline took Hellboy out of his comfort zone (in more ways than one), and gives readers an interesting character study on the hero.

Is Hellboy owned by DC or Marvel?

Hellboy is not owned by DC or Marvel Comics. Hellboy is published by Dark Horse Comics, while creator Mike Mignola retains ownership to the character. This means that Dark Horse can publish Hellboy comics under a licensing agreement, but Mignola still retains complete creative control. The character is part of his own universe, which has been called both the Hellboy Universe and the Mignolaverse. Hellboy did crossover with the DC Universe in the 1999 miniseries Batman/Hellboy/Starman. However, this was a special occasion, and Hellboy is not considered part of the DC Universe.

Is Hellboy a good guy or a bad guy?

Hellboy is a good guy. Despite his name and demonic appearance, Hellboy acts as a hero, fighting monsters and investigating paranormal activities. While Hellboy was initially summoned to Earth by Nazis, the half-demon rejected his demonic nature, preferring to work with humans instead of against them. He looks scary, and his attitude can be rough at times, but Hellboy is on our side.

Will there be a new Hellboy movie in 2026?

There are currently no plans for a Hellboy movie. The last film, Hellboy: The Crooked Man, was released in 2024. A short film titled Hellboy: Devastation was released in 2026, but that was a fan made project and not an official part of the franchise. In the meantime, the 2004 Hellboy movie is free to watch on Tubi.

Is Hellboy 2004 and 2019 the same?

Hellboy 2019 is a reboot of the franchise and isn’t part of the same continuity as the 2004 Hellboy film. Every character was recast, including Hellboy, who was played by David Harbour instead of Ron Perlman. The project was originally planned as a sequel, but after director Guillermo del Torro and Ron Perlman opted not to return, the studio repositioned the film as a reboot. Incidentally, the film franchise would reboot again five years later with Hellboy: The Crooked Man.

How can I read Hellboy comics?

You can look for Hellboy graphic novels or individual issues at your local comic shop. If you prefer collected editions, book retailers like Barnes & Noble might have some of the trade paperbacks in their graphic novel section. If not, you can’t fail with Amazon. Thanks to the character’s popularity, collections of his early adventures, particularly Seeds of Destruction, are always in print, so they shouldn’t be hard to find. If you prefer reading comics digitally, Comixology, Amazon’s digital comics service, has tons of Hellboy comics in its library. For the most bang for your buck, try Comixology Unlimited, their monthly subscription service, which gives you access to some of Hellboy’s greatest stories.

Interested? Here's where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet, and here's a guide to how (and where) to read comics online. If you're looking for the best comics in recent memory, check out the Eisner Awards winners and the Harvey Awards nominees. And if you like free comics, here's everything we know about Free Comic Book Day 2027.

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Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.