Q&A: Todd Mignola Collaborates with His Brother Mike Mignola for New Story About Hellboy’s Brothers in THE CROWN: A TALE OF HELL

Brothers Todd and Mike Mignola team up to co-write a story about Hellboy's brothers (and parents) in the new two-issue comic book story The Crown: A Tale of Hell.

Set within the cunning world of palace politics and ruthless royalty at the Castle Azzael in the 16th century, The Crown: A Tale of Hell #1 is now available from Dark Horse Comics, and we caught up with Todd Mignola in a new Q&A feature to discuss working with his brother on a story about siblings, his interest in further exploring the immediate "Hell family" of Hellboy, and collaborating with artist Warwick Johnson-Cadwell to bring The Crown: A Tale of Hell to life!

Below, you can read our full Q&A with Todd Mignola, and we also have a look at preview pages from The Crown: A Tale of Hell #1 as well as the cover art by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell and Mike Mignola, respectively.

To learn more about The Crown: A Tale of Hell #1 and other exciting releases from Dark Horse Comics, visit:

• https://www.darkhorse.com/comics/3017-128/crown-a-tale-of-hell-1/

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions for us, Todd, and congratulations on The Crown: A Tale of Hell! How did you come up with the idea of revisiting Hellboy’s “Hell family,” including his mother and his brothers Gamon and Lusk?

Todd Mignola: After their brief appearance in Mike’s HIH [Hellboy in Hell], I was curious about Hellboy’s half-brothers, especially since they were loosely based on childhood versions of our brother Scott and I; greatly exaggerated versions, let me just say. I thought it would be interesting to explore those characters in greater detail, and ran the idea of doing so by Mike. He was game. Batting around ideas ended up raising a lot of questions that Mike had never asked himself about the “Hell-side” of Hellboy’s family. For example: If there were brothers, who was their mother? With The Crown we set out to answer those unasked questions.

You co-wrote The Crown: A Tale of Hell with your own brother, Mike Mignola. Did your relationship as siblings impact how you approached this story of family dynamics and brotherhood?

Todd Mignola: The Mignolas—thank god—aren’t quite the deceitful, backstabbing clan that we see in The Crown. I’d say the one aspect of the Hell-brothers’ dynamic that rang true for Mike and I was how much Gamon and Lusk fight. As kids, Mike, Scott, and I fought quite a bit—three largely unsupervised boys—and our alliances were constantly shifting. There’s a lot of that in the comic.

The Crown: A Tale of Hell takes place at Castle Azzael in the 16th century as Hellboy’s brothers vie for the throne of Pandemonium. How much fun was it for you to dive into this fantasy world of palace politics and ruthless backstabbing?

Todd Mignola: So much fun! Mike and I both like the over-the-topness of grand mansions and castles, and the bigness of royal characters competing for the highest of high stakes. There’s an almost Shakespearean quality to The Crown that he and I decided to lean into from the get-go, and bringing Warwick Johnson-Cadwell on for art duties—with his brilliance for grand scale—allowed us to further exaggerate the Hell-family home and character dynamics.

The Crown: A Tale of Hell is illustrated by the amazing Warwick Johnson-Cadwell. What has it been like working with Warwick on this two-issue story, and what is it about his visual style that made him the perfect fit for The Crown: A Tale of Hell?

Todd Mignola: Well, I’d been trying to get a different project off the ground with Warwick—our own creator-owned project—when Mike and I started work on The Crown. Since Mike and I both had working relationships with Warwick at that point—he and Mike having done the Encounters with Evil series together—and since we were delving into new territory with this series, a new look seemed appropriate. Warwick’s is definitely a new look for the Hellboy universe! The inherent grandeur—and inherent humor—that Warwick brings to his work made him perfect for the task at hand. Mike and I never even discussed having anyone else draw The Crown. Luckily, our first choice was both available and gung-ho!

Ultimately, what do you hope readers take away from The Crown: A Tale of Hell?

Todd Mignola: My hope is to add yet another layer to the already multi-layered universe Mike’s been constantly expanding for the past 30-plus years. Setting The Crown entirely in Hell, with a small cast of intimately connected characters—characters we haven’t seen “humanized” that often in previous appearances—and, also, by giving the story a historical/medieval setting, I feel The Crown adds still greater depth to the Hellboy mythos.

Do you and Mike have plans to tell future stories centered on Gamon and Lusk or other members of Hellboy’s immediate family?

Todd Mignola: We… Maybe? It sure would be fun. I have tons of ideas.

With The Crown: A Tale of Hell #1 now available from Dark Horse Comics, what other projects do you have coming up that you can tease for our readers?

Todd Mignola: Thanks for asking. I have several projects in various stages of development with a slew of fantastic artists—all of which are still looking for publishers. With the release of The Crown, I’m hoping… We’ll see. Fingers crossed.

Thank you very much for your time, Todd!

Todd Mignola: My pleasure.

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From the Press Release: Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and his brother Todd Mignola (“Hellboy: The Exorcist of Vorsk”) are teaming up with artist Warwick Johnson-Cadwell (Our Encounters with Evil) for a hellacious family reunion for the creators and their characters in The Crown: A Tale of Hell. Starring Hellboy’s brothers and their mother, the two-issue comic event will feature covers by Johnson-Cadwell and variant covers by Mignola and Bruno Seelig.

“Todd came to me with the idea of writing something about Hellboy’s brothers,” explains Mike Mignola. “It never would have occurred to me to do more with those guys but it didn’t take much prodding. Brothers writing about brothers in a somewhat complicated family dynamic—once we got going it was almost too easy. And fun. And SO MUCH fun that I could only imagine it drawn by Warwick.”

“The Crown follows a day in the 16th century life of Hellboy’s ‘Hell family.’” says Todd Mignola. “In the bowels of Castle Azzael, a crown is secretly being forged for a new king. Palace intrigue and deceitful backstabbing ensue as Hellboy’s dad, uncle and half-brothers all vie for the prize; for the chance to seize sleeping Satan’s throne.”

The Crown: A Tale of Hell stars Hellboy’s brothers Gamon and Lusk, who first appeared in Mignola’s beloved 2012 series Hellboy in Hell, as they fight for control of Pandemonium in this demonic family reunion. But it isn’t just the siblings who get involved in the power struggle, as their mother returns from her prison for the first time in a hundred years with plans of her own.

“I love where Todd and Mike are taking us with The Crown: A Tale Of Hell.” says Johnson-Cadwell. “I’m so grateful to have worked with Mike on Mr. Higgins and the Encounters With Evil books, but this is a step into the Hellboy universe and the opportunity to draw some of those legendary characters. And more exciting still, to introduce someone altogether new.”

The Crown: A Tale of Hell #1 is due out on February 11, 2026 from Dark Horse Comics. Follow Dark Horse on social media for more news, announcements, and updates.

Cover Art by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell

Variant Cover Art by Mike Mignola

The Crown: A Tale of Hell #1 Preview Pages