The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England

The World of Hellboy: Standalone Books

by Mike Mignola, Ben Stenbeck (Artist), Dave Stewart (Colorist)

Hellboy is dead and the world as we know it is gone…but the Witchfinder is called upon to defend Avalon one last time.

Witchfinder Ed Grey is summoned by Alice, queen of the last standing realm on earth, to defend her and England against Morgan Le Fay and her champion in a final standoff. Grey must transform into the defender he was destined to be if England has a chance of surviving, while Le Fay has her own intentions for her.

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and fan-favorite artist Ben Stenbeck team up for a final story after the end of the world, continuing the fantasy epic from Koshchei the Deathless and Koshchei in Hell.

Collects The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England #1–#3, cover gallery, and bonus sketchbook material.

This hardcover volume contains issues #1-3 and includes a bonus sketchbook section and cover gallery.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror

104 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 2025

About the author

Mike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.

In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.

In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.

Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.

Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continues the story of Ed Grey and Gruagach (pig-like guy) and Mignola's Arthurian legend worship. The first 30 pages of this basically 60 page story is just a recap of what's happened thus far. I was wondering if I had read the first two issues already...

The final half is pretty great! I certainly can't complain about getting more Mignolaverse stuff. One of these days I'll have to go back and give a proper reread to all the non-Hellboy books I haven't revisited much.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

The return of Gruagach is never a bad thing, and he is still a moving combination of horrible and very, very sad. Grey goes through a transformation (in more ways that one), and the whole is beautifully illustrated. One of the better recent Hellboyverse spin offs. A good job.

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus, you can really tell when Mike Mignola himself wrote the book, not some layperson playing in the Hellboy sandbox. The Serpent in the Garden is the good stuff, pure fantastical weirdness.

As with any good Mignola work, it reads almost like a fairy tale. An unhappy queen has set a forlorn beast lose on the kingdom, and Ed Grey must come to the rescue one last time. It all turns into an unexpected kaiju battle, but an almost quaint one. Giant monsters, gentle fisticuffs.

It's hard to exactly place why I liked this book so much. I think, again, in true Mignola fashion, The Serpent in the Garden cleverly subverted my expectations at every turn, with terrific artwork to match. Really just scratched a very specific itch - especially with a Mignola-drawn epilogue that literally just has two skeleton fellows ballooning through cosmic weirdness. Inject it directly into my veins.

[Sol]

For the love of God, stories are meant to end. This one did. Ed should've just turned into a river, that woulda been cool.

[Kyle Dinges · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was some good, old-fashioned Hellboy lore and action. It's not a coincidence that this was also one of the few recent Hellboy universe stories written directly by Mignola. Stenbeck brings the perfect Hellboy art too. This was also one of the few recent Hellboy universe stories that serves as a direct extension of the end of Hellboy in Hell. Mignola is slowly but surely tying up any loose ends and this one was a fun, but poignant, romp featuring some fan-favorite side characters.

There's also an epilogue written AND drawn by Mignola, which is another rare treat these days. I doubt those who aren't steeped in the Hellboy lore will really understand much of what's happening here. Those that are will have a delightful time.

[Cail Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice way to unwind after a tough couple days. An excellent send-off and so nice to see Mignola involved in this one.

[Luke Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gruagagh 4 life

a weirdly lovely one that functions as a goodbye I didn't know I needed to a minor hellboy figure and also a Kaiju battle between the fae and the green man. And the unrelated epilogue by Mignola still packs like 20 of the most evocative drawings I've ever seen in my life into an almost wordless story. truly nobody does it like him

[Gabriel Benitez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que hemos llegado al último número del mundo de Hellboy. Hellboy está muerto así como la mayor parte de nuestro mundo, solo la mágica isla de Avalon ha quedado en pie, gobernado por Alicia, la chica que tomó el lugar de la reina Mab. Los sobrevivientes del fin del mundo son algunas criaturas antiguas que han hecho de la isla su hogar. Pero entre ellos está un humano, Ed Grey, antiguo cazador de brujas y su esposa el cual será llamado por la reina Alicia para una última misión: ser el campeón de Avalon, en una justa que lo enfrentará a él con dos viejos enemigos de Hellboy, la criatura cerdo Gruagach y Morgana, el hada, la bruja roja hermana de Arturo. El enfrentamiento definirá quien gobernará la isla.
Por extraño que pudiera parecer Ed Grey no es el personaje principal de esta historia sino Graugach y Morgana. Para ello, gran parte del libro funciona como un resumen, resumen que necesitarán aquellos que quieran leer el libro y no conozcan casi nada o nada de la historia de Hellboy.
La serpiente en el jardín es una historia melancólica, un cierre que habla del piadoso corazón de su autor, Mike Mignola, quien no permitirá que varios de sus personajes de décadas vivan en el limbo de un círculo que no se ha cerrado para ellos. Es una historia melancólica y crepuscular, ciertamente triste, pero necesaria. Y claro, como comic de acción que es, resulta inevitable un poderoso enfrentamiento que, al final, es necesario y catártico.
Creo que es un buen fin para toda la serie.
En realidad, me gustó la imaginería y toda esa parafernalia de la antigua isla de Bretaña, sus leyendas y su magia.
Incluye además un epilogo dibujado y escrito por Mike Mignola (la historia principal está dibujada por Ben Stenbeck) que en realidad no entendí mucho, pero no era posible cerrar una historia así sin el sello de su autor original.

[Joseph R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder to Queen Victoria, was granted immortality through a set of bizarre and convoluted circumstances that I won't relate here (many situations in the Hellboy universe result from the bizarre and convoluted). He lives in England, the only part of the planet Earth spared from the apocalyptic ravages that have happened everywhere else. He lives a simple cottage life with Mary, though he is called upon by Queen of Avalon Alice to defend the country from a last ditch attempt by Morgan le Fay to take over. Morgan has her own champion Gruagach, an old foe of Hellboy. Things come to a blows when the small, piglike Gruagach is transformed into a more fitting champion and Grey is similarly transformed into a Green Man.

The story is interesting but leans heavily on previous Hellboy lore, so I am sure newcomers will not appreciate all the details laced into the plot. As with most other Hellboy-adjacent works, the art is delightful, capturing the richness of the world that Mignola has imagined. The ending has a nice payoff that is unexpected and satisfying.

Recommended for Hellboy fans who have kept up with the Witchfinder's tale and the general arc of the Hellboy universe.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first story Mike Mignola has written for his mythos in a while. Edward Grey, Queen Victoria's occult expert, is called back to battle Morgan leFay after the end of the world.
The little weird touches show why I love Mignola's work, like Morgan having the good parts of her soul living as a goldfish.
I think I'd have been happy if the end of everything had been, in fact, the end, but if you can get a story like this ... however if you're not a regular Hellboy fan, this story may be baffling

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Egads! this was great stuff. Truly gives an ending for someone in Hellboy's past. Gives a nice reminiscent feeling of yonder days in the series, without lingering too much. Plus in typical Mignola fashion so much more. Wild Jack Kirby inspired pages add additional story that becomes so much more than the titular title. Absolutely worth picking up in this fancy hardcover.

[Hanna McGehee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mignola’s art style and storytelling shine in this post-Hellboy store of Morgan Le Fay vs. Alice, and the extension of their war through their respective fighters. Overall, this is a solid story with good art, a gripping story with entertaining dialogue, especially if you like Hellboy classics!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gruagach from Hellboy is back, basically so Mignola can give him a proper sendoff. He also comes up with a way for Sir Edward Grey to return to the comics as well. These comics are so much better when Mignola is personally involved.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much to this, other than giving Gruagach a proper send-off. Nice to have some art from Mignola himself in the two epilogues, which don't really add much to the story. I'd rate this higher if there was a bit more to this.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England, Mike Mignola, Ben Stenbeck
#1- "Rise, champion of Avalon."
#2- "Immortality does not have to be a curse."
#3- "The land will endure. And the sun will come again."

[Cid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my most beloved character from the Hellboy universe.
So good to read of him again and see this conclusion to his story.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un largo resumen, para una coda de dos personajes relevantes en la historia de Hellboy

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as individual comics, but its the best hellboy related story I've read since the conclusion of Hellboy in hell.

[Mee Too · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just ok to me. Now mind you, i don’t follow the hellboy series or the mythology of ‘Matter of Britain‘. So i have no backstory. As a standalone it was a random read on a train ride.

3.1✨

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rather lovely.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four Star story, slightly rated less because I owned the floppies and then bought the HC for the 17-page epilogue, that I found VERY underwhelming.

[Cal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stenbeck and Mignola are such a perfect team up.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shakespeare and Arthur go together.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a lot of new ground covered here, but a beautiful story and artwork none-the-less.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat little bow on the end of some stories. Not super weighty. Kind of an epilogue of a book.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

A weak entry in the Mignolaverse, sadly. A big fight with zero hype that’s meant to feel much bigger than it actually is. It all felt pointless. This story is definitely for super fans only. There were characters I forgot all about referring to things equally forgotten. Fun art, at least.