Following the news that Hellboy In Hell is coming to an end with issue #10 later this year, the future of the franchise is unclear. All we know is that after this series comes to an end, creator Mike Mignola will be focusing his creativity elsewhere. It also seems that this “elsewhere” will be mainly outside the world of comic books, even if his current ties to other stories will ensure his presence will still be felt during his vacation.

My introduction to Hellboy came in my early teens, following the release of Guillermo Del Toro’s first film adaptation starring the great Ron Perlman. It would be my gateway to the Mignolaverse, a place where I’ve spent many a daydream living in – and a reality revisiting – time and time again, through Hellboy and subsequent spin-offs. It’s an incredible place to explore, and soon we might be saying goodbye to its stem.

In an interview with Variety, he discussed his plans to focus predominantly on his painting for a year. I’m sure I speak for many of us when I say his stories will be missed during his (hopefully brief) sabbatical, but he’s more than earned the freedom to pursue other passions, even if we do want to hog him to ourselves. That said, the thought of him coming back recharged and inspired with brand new, fresh ideas is truly mouth-watering.

Maybe Hellboy will have a future beyond the afterlife, or maybe his time has come to an end. Regardless, whatever Mignola does next is almost guaranteed to be incredible, and will please his legion of die-hard fans anyway. Plus, there is always the likelihood that we’ll be treated to more stories from Hellboy’s unexplored past endeavours through the B.P.R.D standalone series’. We’ll just have to wait and see.

In spite of the positives, the thought of the potential end of Hellboy’s present story arc is a heart breaking one to comprehend. Over the years, he’s become a huge part of the lives of many a comic fan, and it’d be a shame to see such an iconic character without a future beyond the Underworld. It’s a reality we might shortly have to accept – but at least he’ll go out on a high. And he deserves that.

Whether this is just the end of another chapter in the Hellboy legacy, or an end completely we do not know. If it is the latter, it’s been a hell of a run and one that will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.

The writer of this piece was: Kieran Fisher
Kieran Tweets from @HairEverywhere_.