Hellboy Is Ocean Bound As He Sails ‘Into The Silent Sea’ [Preview]

Just in time for Halloween, Dark Horse has released a five-page preview of next year's Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea, which offers plenty of atmosphere and a devil in a black dress.

Hellboy spends the entire preview tied to the mast of a ship he'd rather not be on, while a cabin boy explains to him how the sailors can't seem to decide exactly what he is. But despite being a literal red-skinned demon, Hellboy isn't the number one suspect on this ship for the role of actual devil. That honor goes to the mysterious woman in black, who we catch a glimpse of on the last page of the preview.

Who is she, and what's she been up to that makes her scarier to regular people than actual demons? Is she someone who's crossed Hellboy's path before, or a totally new threat? And what, if anything, does this have to do with the sea monster that the book promises?

Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea is an original graphic novel co-written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, co-written and illustrated by Gary Gianni, and colored by Dave Stewart. It's available spring 2017.

Here's the official word from Dark Horse:

Dark Horse Comics invites you to celebrate Halloween with a preview of the upcoming original graphic novel, Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea, co-written by legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, co-written and illustrated by Eisner Award winning artist Gary Gianni and colored by award winning colorist Dave Stewart.

“The biblical Jonah was vomited up by a whale, but Hellboy might not be as lucky,” said Gary Gianni. “A superstitious crew and a figure in black will make sure there's no escaping the silent sea.”

Following the events of the classic story “The Island”, Hellboy sets sail from the wreckage of a deserted island only to cross paths with a ghost ship. Taken captive by the phantom crew that plans to sell him to the circus, Hellboy is dragged along by a captain who will stop at nothing in pursuit of a powerful sea creature.

Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea is the third Hellboy original graphic novel, following the classics, Hellboy: House of the Living Dead by Mignola, Richard Corben and Stewart (2011) and Hellboy: The Midnight Circus by Mignola, Duncan Fegredo and Stewart. It will be published in the spring of 2017.