It was recently announced that RBmedia's GraphicAudio brand is releasing three original Hellboy audiobooks written by Christopher Golden! The first audiobook, Hellboy: A Plague Of Wasps, is scheduled for release at the end of the month and I had a chance to catch up with Christopher Golden to learn more about his experience telling new these stories in the Hellboy Universe:
You've written Hellboy comics and are the co-writer on the upcoming film. How did you first get involved with writing the three upcoming Hellboy audiobooks?
CG: I’d started working on a big audio project for another company, and it occurred to me that it would be really fun to create some new adventures with Hellboy in audio. At the same time, it turned out that more than one company had approached Dark Horse about the same thing. Graphic Audio had adapted CEMETERY GIRL, a trilogy of graphic novels I’d done with Charlaine Harris, and so I’d had some interaction with them before. They were really interested in doing some originals rather than just adaptations, and the deal came together very quickly.
Did writing for audiobooks differ from writing for comics or film? What were the challenges and benefits to writing for this creative medium?
CG: Every medium is a different challenge and requires its own separate education. That said, learning how to work in a new medium is always helped by having worked in others–learning story structure and character and dialogue. I’d done an online animated series with Amber Benson years ago called GHOSTS OF ALBION. It was written to be animated, but also to be listened to on BBC radio. That was a good training ground for something like this, as was the audio drama project I just co-wrote for Audible. Obviously the challenge is that we can’t rely on visual storytelling or art or motion that the audience can see. But that’s also a benefit, and what makes this unique. It’s about painting with words and sounds, with voices, but in a way it’s just about helping the listener create entirely in their imagination. It’s a blast.
You're expanding upon Hellboy universe mythology while still providing something exciting on its own. For longtime fans of the Hellboy Universe, can you tease why they won't want to miss these audiobooks?
CG: These stories are in continuity with Hellboy and the rest of the Mignolaverse. The first one is a vital addition to the HELLBOY IN LOVE story arc. The second one is the first fresh dose of LOBSTER JOHNSON we’ve had in a while, and expands his story in a number of ways, including introducing at least one significant new character, who will make his way back into the comics. And the third one includes Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman in this audio storytelling world for the first time. It’s going to be fantastic to be able to listen to these stories while out for a walk or at the gym, or commuting in your car. We’re all having a great time creating them.
It's been announced that Scott McCormick is the audiobook's creative director and voices Hellboy as well! Did you get a chance to get involved in the production of the audiobooks? If so, can you talk about your experience with that part of the creative process?
CG: I consulted with Scott on the casting and answered some questions, but beyond that, it was all his team doing the production. I’m currently reviewing the final recording of the first book and enjoying the hell out of it!
I'm very excited for Hellboy: The Crooked Man, so I have to ask for an update! Did you have a chance to go on set and is there anything you can share with readers about your experience working on the film?
CG: I wasn’t able to visit the set, but I do know Mike has seen a lot of the dailies from the production and has been very happy with what he’s seen. It looks like we’re finally going to get the kind of creepy folk horror movie that I’ve been waiting for. The Crooked Man is one of Mike’s favorite Hellboy stories, and one of mine, too. I can’t wait to sit in the theater and watch it unfold.
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To learn more, visit: https://www.graphicaudio.net/hellboy-a-plague-of-wasps.html
Hellboy: A Plague of Wasps. Things turn strange and dangerous when Hellboy accompanies his girlfriend, Anastasia Bransfield, on a trip to Brazil. They venture into the rainforest to stop an evil force from spreading. This first audiobook in the series will be available on July 31, 2023 wherever audiobooks are sold.
Lobster Johnson: The Proteus Club. Set in 1933, reporter Cynthia Tynan finds herself drawn into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of several prominent New Yorkers and seeks the aid of Hellboy’s childhood hero the Lobster. They must confront German spies, religious lunatics, and monstrously transformed people who have been subjected to hideous experimentation. The Lobster Johnson audiobook will debut in October.
Hellboy and the BPRD: The Goddess of Manhattan. Hellboy, Liz Sherman, and Abe Sapien are drawn into a bizarre case linked both to Hellboy’s adventure with Anastasia in Brazil and to Lobster Johnson. Co-authored by Young Hellboy writer Thomas E. Sniegoski, the third audiobook in the series will be released in November.
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