Earlier this year, it was announced that the Mignolaverse would continue to expand with the five-issue miniseries Witchfinder: The Reign of Darkness, a collaboration between Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, artist Christopher Mitten, and colorist Michelle Madsen. Featuring occult expert Sir Edward Grey's investigation into the gruesome murders of Jack the Ripper, all five issues of Witchfinder: The Reign of Darkness will be collected as a trade paperback in 2020 following their individual releases, and as a special treat for Daily Dead readers, we've been provided with the exclusive cover art for the trade paperback.
Featuring an ominous gathering of red-eyed birds, you can view the full cover art for the Witchfinder: The Reign of Darkness trade paperback below ahead of its release on July 15th, 2020.
Offering some insights into what readers can expect from Witchfinder: The Reign of Darkness, co-writer Chris Roberson shared these details with us:
"One of the first things readers learned about Sir Edward Grey when he was first mentioned in the pages of Hellboy was that he was involved in the investigation into the Ripper killings in 1888, which lead to him leaving government service shortly afterward. But just what it was that Sir Edward discovered, and who was behind the Ripper murders in the world of Hellboy, has never been revealed. In Witchfinder: The Reign of Darkness we are digging a little deeper into those mysteries, and learn that there is more to the story than anyone suspected, and that the Ripper murders we know about were only the beginning."
Visit Dark Horse Comics' website for more updates on Witchfinder: The Reign of Darkness, keep an eye out for the first issue on November 27th, and read on for additional details:
“It’s been long-established that Sir Edward Grey was involved in some capacity in the investigation into the Ripper killings in 1888, and that shortly afterward he left government service for good,” said Roberson. “But we’ve never known just what Sir Edward discovered during his investigation, or who was behind the Ripper murders in the world of Hellboy, or what happened that caused the royal Witchfinder to have a falling-out with Queen Victoria…until now, at least. In the pages of WITCHFINDER: REIGN OF DARKNESS, we’ll be exploring all of those questions and more, as Sir Edward’s investigation into a string of grisly murders leads him in directions he couldn’t have guessed, encountering new enemies and new allies along the way.”
In WITCHFINDER: REIGN OF DARKNESS, Sir Edward Grey is the only one who thinks Jack the Ripper’s murders have an occult purpose. When Scotland Yard turns its back on him, Grey finds an ally in American occult adventurer Sarah Jewell. But the forces aligned against their investigation are more powerful than either one of them imagines.
The series is illustrated by acclaimed Mignolaverse artist Christopher Mitten. “It’s not hard to have a blast illustrating a Witchfinder story for the first time, particularly since in this story Sir Edward is dealing with the notorious Ripper murders and resulting fallout,” said Mitten. “It's an interesting time to be wandering around inside this world, playing with the styles and the architecture, the mood of time and place as seen through the Mignolaverse lens. We revisit some wonderful set pieces from Victorian London, while finding a few new ones. The terrific characters are just the icing on the cake.”
WITCHFINDER: REIGN OF DARKNESS will debut on November 27, 2019.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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