“A Lot of Blood in These Waters” — Q&A: Rob Williams Takes Readers to a Town Overrun by Spirits in HELLBOY AND THE B.P.R.D.: THE GHOST SHIPS OF LABRADOR #1, Now Available from Dark Horse Comics

After taking readers on an epic journey through the history of Mike Mignola's Hellboy universe in The Sword of Hyperborea, writer Rob Williams has reteamed with Mignola, artist Laurence Campbell, and letterer Clem Robins (with coloring by Lee Loughridge) to tell a haunting seaside tale in Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Ghost Ships of Labrador #1.

Featuring Hellboy and Abe Sapien investigating the disappearance of a B.P.R.D. agent (and her trusty dog) and the sudden appearance of supernatural sailors in the coastal community of Red Bay, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Ghost Ships of Labrador #1 is now available from Dark Horse Comics, and we caught up with Rob Williams to discuss the frightful fun awaiting readers in the two-part standalone Hellboy story!

You can read our full Q&A with Rob below, and we also have a look at the eerie cover art and paranormal preview pages from Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Ghost Ships of Labrador #1.

For all the latest on Hellboy comic books, along with all the other great new releases from Dark Horse Comics, visit them at: www.darkhorse.com

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions for us, Rob, and congratulations on Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Ghost Ships of Labrador #1! How did you get involved with co-writing this story with Mike Mignola (whom you also worked with on The Sword of Hyperborea)? Was this an idea that had been swimming under the surface for a while?

Rob Williams: Thanks. Working on The Sword of Hyperborea with Mike and Laurence was a real treat. I’d been reading the Hellboy and B.P.R.D. books for years, so to get to contribute a little in that universe was huge fun and we ended up with a book I think Laurence and I were really happy with. Off the back of that, Laurence and I pitched a Hellboy two-parter, which was Ghost Ships of Labrador. Then Laurence went off to do his Eisner-winning The One Hand for Image. So this one took a little while to come around. But while Sword of Hyperborea was part of Hellboy’s world, this is Hellboy (and Abe Sapien). So, yeah, this is a real thrill for us.

How do you and Mike Mignola creatively collaborate on a story? Is there a lot of communication back and forth as you write out the scenes?

Rob Williams: Considering Mike’s history in the industry and with the Hellboy world, he’s incredibly generous letting us play within certain confines. On the first issue of Sword of Hyperborea, Mike said he had a plot in mind for Gall Dennar, and then it was up to me to put flesh on those bones. For the most part it’s a case of my running things past the Hellboy editorial team, with Mike obviously having the final say on yes/no. I have read a lot of Hellboy and B.P.R.D. comics over the years. I hope I have the tone down, the voices, etc. That helps a great deal. You’re very aware of the quality of the work that’s gone before in this world. You have to bring your A game.

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Ghost Ships of Labrador is a two-part story featuring Hellboy and Abe Sapien (as well as B.P.R.D. field agent Agatha Blunt and her trusty dog Elba) on the case and ready to rumble with whatever supernatural forces come their way. How much fun was it for you to play in the sandbox of Mignola’s Hellboy universe in this standalone tale?

Rob Williams: Enormously so. Somewhere along the line I read about how ancient ghost ships are sometimes seen off the coast of Labrador, Newfoundland. These are the seas where Basque whaling ships would come across the Atlantic in search of profit. So: a lot of blood in these waters. We’re telling the story of how one day several of those ghost ships pull into harbour in a small town and take the place over, forcing the residents out. Initially the B.P.R.D. sends in an agent—Agatha Blunt and her loyal dog Elba. But when Agatha and Elba don’t return, Hellboy and Abe Sapien arrive to get to the bottom of the mystery. Why are the ghosts doing something that ghosts usually don’t do? Invading…

Your prose pairs wonderfully with the ghostly, foreboding illustrations by Laurence Campbell, expert coloring by Lee Loughridge, and spot-on lettering by Clem Robins. What was it like to collaborate with Laurence, Lee, and Clem to bring this phantasmal tale to life?

Rob Williams: As you’d expect from the Mignolaverse, the creatives on show are some of the best in comics. Lee’s coloured Laurence before on a couple of my scripts: Old Haunts from AWA and even going back to a Punisher Max we did together a decade or more back. They work great together. And Clem’s been one of the finest letterers in comics forever. He lettered Unfollow, a book I did for Vertigo. Laurence and I have worked together a number of times over the years. He's so good at mood and tone and bringing the spooky to life. But more than anything he's just a brilliant storyteller.

The haunted coastal town of Red Bay reminds me of the doomed seaside community of Antonio Bay in John Carpenter’s The Fog. Did the atmospheric setting of that film (or any other movies or stories) influence you while you were writing The Ghost Ships of Labrador?

Rob Williams: I guess you can’t go to haunted coastal towns on the upper East Coast without bumping into Stephen King thoughts at some point or another. The Fog, to a degree. But while it sounds like a strange touchstone I suppose something like Local Hero too - one of my favourite films. There's something about stories of small coastal towns a long way from anywhere.. More shipwrecks than people, as our script says. There’s a degree of Moby Dick in there too, as you’ll see.

The surprising conclusion to the first issue already has me eagerly awaiting the second issue of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Ghost Ships of Labrador, which is slated to haunt shelves in January. What can you tease about the ghostly horrors that await readers in the second half of this scary seaside tale?

Rob Williams: No spoilers here, sir! But there’s a twist at the end of issue one that shows the story Hellboy and Abe are investigating isn’t all that it initially seems. And then issue two turns into a strange, eerie rescue mission, of sorts. One that could see Hellboy imprisoned for eternity if he can’t be freed. There’s a spectacular Double Page Spread in #2 from Laurence and Lee which is worth the admission price alone.

In addition to Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Ghost Ships of Labrador #1 now setting sail from Dark Horse Comics, what other projects do you have coming up that you’re excited for readers to experience?

Rob Williams: I’ve recently been writing a horror Judge Dredd story for 2000 AD called And To the Sea Return that also has an aquatic bent, funnily enough. Clearly there was something in the water when I was coming up with both stories. That’s going to be collected in a GN next year from Rebellion and contains incredible art by Henry Flint. Another of my recent Judge Dredd collections Rend and Tear with Tooth & Claw is out in February, I think. That collects two longform stories I did with Scalped’s R.M. Guéra and is a very beautiful book. And a movie I wrote the screenplay for, Game, is out in UK cinemas in November. It’s from Invada Films and is a folk horror-tinged thriller set against the backdrop of the rave scene in the early ’90s. We’re currently doing a screening Q&A tour around UK film festivals with it and it’s going down great.

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Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Ghost Ships of Labrador #1: A town overrun by ghosts would be enough of a problem, but Hellboy has an even bigger problem on his hands when a fellow B.P.R.D. agent disappears amongst the paranormal chaos.

• Rob Williams and Laurence Campbell return to the Hellboy universe!

• First of a two-part standalone Hellboy story.

Creators

Writers: Mike Mignola, Rob Williams
Artist: Laurence Campbell
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Cover Artist: Laurence Campbell
Variant Cover Artist: Matt Smith
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Occult & Supernatural
Publication Date: November 12, 2025
Format: FC, 32 pages; Miniseries
Price: $4.99
Age range: 16+

Cover by Laurence Campbell with Lee Loughridge:

Variant Cover by Matt Smith: