Christopher Golden is always working on exciting new genre projects, so it’s always a treat to catch up with him. In our latest Q&A, we discuss two Hellboy stories he’s co-written with Mike Mignola: Hellboy in Love: Obsidian #1 and Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Monster of Nivola. Plus, he gave us an exciting update on the film adaptation of his book, Carry Me To My Grave! Lastly, we have preview pages from both Hellboy comic books that you can read below!
Can you share what drew you back to the Hellboy universe for these two new stories? How does collaborating with Mike Mignola on these stories compare to previous projects?
Christopher Golden: [Obsidian is] a two-issue story set in the Hellboy in Love era. I’m continuing to tell stories during that time period. Hellboy’s first love, Anastasia Bransfield, first appeared in the first Hellboy novel, The Lost Army, and I came back to her a few times. Over the years, Mike always said that if and when the series ever covered the era of their relationship, that he wanted me to write those stories. It’s been such a pleasure to do these comics, showing a very different side of Hellboy, and a time when he was more or less happy–probably the happiest he ever got to be. Obsidian is a story that was first talked about in the pages of one of my Hellboy novels, but I don’t consider those books to be canon anymore, because some things have changed as I’ve brought first The Bones of Giants and then these events into the comics. Working with Mike is different from project to project depending on how much rope he’s willing to give me, but it’s always a pleasure. We’re planning something big for down the line, and as busy as we both are, that’s such a joy. With The Monster of Nivola, it really came from wanting to do a Hellboy comic with my friend Daniele Serra, who is an incredible artist with a truly haunting style.
For Hellboy in Love: Obsidian, what can you tell us about Anastasia's adventure and her dynamic with Hellboy in this story?
Christopher Golden: Hellboy and Anastasia are really in a good place when the story starts. He’s such an awkward guy in so many ways, and being in love with her has had an effect on him that’s sort of like bringing the oilcan to the Tin Man. He’s loosened up, starting to realize that it’s possible to be happy and to not think about his obligations or the various fates people have predicted for him, or wanted for him. But there’s been a subplot brewing beneath the Hellboy in Love stories, and it really comes to a head in these two issues.
For The Monster of Nivola, what aspects of Sardinian folklore or setting inspired the story?
Christopher Golden: Daniele Serra is from Sardinia, and I wanted to surprise him. He’s such a huge Hellboy fan and really wanted to do a Hellboy story, but until he received the finished script, he had no idea we were giving him a story actually set on the island. The monster is invented, but it feels very in keeping with the kinds of sorrowful monster tales familiar to folklore from the area.
What was it like working with Alex Nieto on Obsidian and Daniele Serra on The Monster of Nivola?
Christopher Golden: Dani is a dream. He sent the pages in small clusters and they were like watching a nightmare unfold through a rain-streaked window. I just love his style. Alex’s work is so completely different, but it’s perfect for what we’re doing in Hellboy in Love. He’s so damn good. When he first came on the book, I wasn’t sure what we’d be getting, because his style is a bit broader and more cartoony than a lot of the artists I’ve worked with, and yet somehow he’s able to give life to complex emotions, to show us the love and heartache and the dread of the future that’s creeping along in the background of that series. These two artists couldn’t be more different, but each is equally wonderful.
Can you give us a tease for your upcoming novel, Carry Me To My Grave?
Christopher Golden: I’m thrilled to say it’s in development as a film by Lionsgate and director Francis Lawrence (The Long Walk, The Hunger Games). Carry Me To My Grave is honestly my favorite of all my novels, the one I liked the most when I wrote the final page. It’s set in 1956 and focuses on a young Korean war soldier who has promised his dying mother that he’ll bring her body across the country and bury her in the soil of her birthplace in Maine…but he doesn’t know why she’s asked him to do that. The minute she dies, ancient things start digging their way out of the ground all across the country, and setting out to stop Malcolm and his sister-in-law Violet from fulfilling his mother’s dying wish. It’s a gruesome horror thriller featuring a primal new breed of vampires. I can’t wait until it hits shelves!
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Carry Me To My Grave
"Maggie Wise will take your eyes.
When Malcolm was growing up, the local kids made up that chant about his mother, claiming she was a witch. He and his siblings did their best to ignore it. Now, Maggie is dying, and those same siblings have left Malcolm and his sister-in-law Violet to hold a vigil at her bedside.
But they’re not as alone as they think they are. A dark figure waits and watches from beneath the willow tree across the street. Hundreds of miles away, an ancient evil stirs in its burrow under a farmer’s cornfield. Across the country, other buried things begin to dream in anticipation of Maggie’s demise. On her deathbed, the old woman elicits a promise from Malcolm, her youngest child―when she dies, he and Violet must return her body to her birthplace in Shediak, Maine.
From the moment she takes her last breath, before her remains are even loaded aboard the baggage car of the Imperial Limited, there are forces trying to stop Malcolm from fulfilling that promise. Violence erupts on the train, evil preys on its passengers, and once the sun goes down, those long-buried things are coming to make Maggie Wise pay for her past. God help anyone who stands in their way."
Learn more and purchase at: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250404527/carrymetomygrave/
Hellboy in Love: Obsidian #1
"Anastasia is called to Crete when an excavation team unearths a tomb with striking similarities to the engraved skull stolen from her by a witch in India. The trail for proof of the mysterious Suaren Artea society may not have gone as cold as she thought, but danger still lurks behind every turn."
Creators
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Monster of Nivola
"Rumors of a monster bring Hellboy to a nearly abandoned town in Sardinia, where the search for the creature leads to a local abbey with a shocking secret of its own.
Writer Christopher Golden and artist Daniele Serra join Mike Mignola in exploring the meaning of true monstrosity in this standalone Hellboy one-shot!"
Creators
After more than a decade as a consultant in the entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who passionately explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He is also consulted with as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, film festivals, and conventions.
After more than a decade as a consultant in the entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who passionately explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He is also consulted with as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, film festivals, and conventions.
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