The Mignolaverse is heading out west — to the Old West, that is — in a new miniseries by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and artist Rae Allen. Dark Horse will kick off the four-issue series in January.
Carmen Red Claw: Belly of the Beast will star “a shape-shifting, supernatural gun-for-hire” who has ties to Lobster Johnson. Allen pitched the series to Mignola after her husband showed the creator a graphic novel Allen had created in college. Allen shared more details on the process via her Substack newsletter.
“One of my favorite parts about Hellboy is the merging of classic folklore with the Hellboy universe,” Allen said. “A lot of that ground has already been covered in Europe, how about more from America? I’m a big fan of the radio show Have Gun Will Travel (aired 1958-1960), and I thought a Paladin-style gun-for-hire in a supernatural Old West facing off with Native American, Colonial, and Mignolaverse monsters would be a lot of fun. Plus, why not add a lizard shoulder demon? Mike and I bounced ideas off each other and landed on a story that we think you’ll really enjoy. And I’m excited to introduce you to some Lakota folklore inspired by Yankton Dakota author Zitkala-Sa, enriched with the help of my friend Shiala King.”
Dark Horse shared more details on the project:
Carmen Red Claw is a descendent of the notorious El Bogavante, the fearsome privateer who first appeared in Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Tonci Zonjic’s 2014 Lobster Johnson: Get The Lobster featuring iconic 1930s crimefighter, the Lobster. Working as a shape-shifting, supernatural gun-for-hire, Carmen investigates a supposedly cursed ranch in 1870s New Mexico territory. Something is killing the cattle in the area, and it’s up to Carmen to find out whether there’s a beast to blame, or if humans are the real monsters.
“I’ve wanted to find a project for Rae for a long time, and finally just had the good sense to ask her if she had something in mind—and she did,” Mignola said. “She had half a dozen ideas—all great—but I was super impressed with this one, that she was able to create an entire character and situation based on a super tiny bit of a Lobster Johnson history. Such a fun addition to the Hellboy universe. We banged some details back and forth, but that was all fun and easy. She is a joy to work with and I hope this is only the beginning.”
Mignola drew a variant cover for the first issue:
Look for the first issue of four to arrive Jan. 7.