Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson have teamed up with artist Michael Avon Oeming, with colors by Taki Soma and letters by Clem Robins, for Ghost of a Ghost, an all-new 4-issue limited series spinning out of Giant Robot Hellboy that chronicles Agent Jian’s psychedelic 1960s adventures. Ghost of a Ghost #1 will be released to comic book shops and digital platforms by Dark Horse Comics on September 23rd, and I caught up with Roberson and Oeming to learn more about their collaboration, influences, and the dangers that await Agent Jian. We also have a preview of the first issue that you can read right now!
Ghost of a Ghost brings a 1960s spy vibe into the Hellboy Universe. Chris, can you talk about the initial conversations with Mike Mignola that resulted in this new story focused on Agent Jian?
Chris Roberson: I was first introduced to the character of Jian when Mike told me what he had planned for Giant Robot Hellboy, and when I started seeing the finished line art from Duncan Fegredo, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to know more about her. And luckily it wasn’t too much longer before Mike started telling me about his plans for Jian, and it was his suggestion that we could use her to tell a superspy story, something we hadn’t ever really done before in the Hellboy universe before. We’d done different kinds of espionage stories and even spy stories set during the Cold War, but we hadn’t played around with that kind of Swinging Sixties superspy vibe before, and I was excited to see how it would play out.
Michael, your artwork beautifully captures that psychedelic, 60s spy aesthetic. What were some of your visual influences when designing the look of this series and its characters?
Michael Avon Oeming: Obviously there is a big Jim Steranko influence. I loved how he pushed the boundaries of accepted design at a time when there was a solid company way of doing things. I’ve also been fascinated by Retro Futuristic designs. I try to take slightly different approaches on projects, such as the way Powers might be more cartoony than Murder Inc, but I tend to get more angular on any Mignola related projects. They are all pretty drenched in black, but with different ways of doing so. This was the first time on a Mignola project where I really went the opposite way I normally approach his books because this has such a different aura to it. I kinda warned Mike even, I was showing him Murder Inc’s crazier designs and saying I felt it should look like this. Mignola is always about artists being themselves so he welcomed it and I think he appreciated the approach Taki and I took.
Can you two speak to your collaboration on building up this new area of the Hellboy universe and its characters over the source of the mini-series?
Chris Roberson: Every project that we do in the Hellboy universe is a little different, process wise, but in this case the story was pretty much fully formed in Mignola’s head by the time he brought it to me, so that when the two of us sat down with Mike Oeming and Taki Soma it was really a question of Mignola describing to us how he saw the whole thing playing out, and the rest of us helping bring that into focus. But Mignola only had Jian and one other character firmly in mind, and the rest all developed organically as we went along, largely driven by the early developmental sketches that Oeming did as we were working out the basic plot in the beginning.
Michael Avon Oeming: While being a big fan of all of the Hellboy universe, I’m really a process junkie. My favorite thing is MAKING the book, working on pages with Chris, Taki and Mike. So those working relationships are what I focus on and the rest follows.
What can you tell our readers about enkeladite and the role it plays in this series?
Michael Avon Oeming: All I know is it was fun to draw! Especially the distorted, stretched out bodies and zippatone effects.
Chris Roberson: Enkeladite was first introduced in the pages of B.P.R.D.: 1948, and has been a continuing source of weirdness and menace throughout stories set in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s ever since. Very little has been explained about just what enkeladite actually is, but it’s been shown that it emits strange radiation that has a tendency to turn ordinary things monstrous, and to abuse the fabric of reality itself.
Can you tease the dangers that await Agent Jian and our readers over the course of Ghost of a Ghost?
Chris Roberson: Superspy adventures, strange menaces, mad scientist lairs, and general weirdness abounds!
What are some of your favorite spy movies, books, or TV series?
Michael Avon Oeming: Weirdly, I’m less of a fan of Spy Books/Films as I am the VIBE of the Spy genre. It is very close to Noir and Crime stories in many aspects. That said, when I think of the genre, Danger Diabolik and the In Like Flint films stand out. Branded to Kill by Seijun Suzuki isn’t a spy film, but it stands out to me in the way it FEELS like a spy film.
Chris Roberson: My absolute favorites are the two Derek Flint movies starring James Coburn, Our Man Flint and In Like Flint, but I’m also a huge fan of Steranko’s run on the SHIELD comic.
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"Comics Legend Mike Mignola and Hellboy Universe veteran writer and iZombie creator Chris Roberson are teaming up with superstar artist Michael Avon Oeming (Powers) for Ghost of a Ghost, an all-new 4-issue limited series spinning out of Giant Robot Hellboy. Written by Mignola and Roberson with art by Oeming, colors by Taki Soma, and lettered by Clem Robins, the series chronicles Agent Jian’s psychedelic 1960s adventures. Ghost of a Ghost #1 will feature a cover by Oeming and a variant cover by Dave Johnson, with subsequent variant covers by Kevin Nowlan, Elsa Charretier, and Michael Cho.
Fans first met superspy Agent Jian in Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo’s 2023 Giant Robot Hellboy, where she was exposed to enkeladite – the radiated substance known to cause sometimes monstrous mutations. Now, she’s working with a mysterious spy ring and using her newfound powers to keep enkeladite from falling into the wrong hands – but just whose hands are the wrong ones is harder to determine than she thought.
Ghost of a Ghost #1 is due out on September 23, 2026."
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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