What do you think?
Rate this book
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. #6
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957
Hellboy crisscrosses the globe on missions to track down demonic books, solve the sightings of mysterious creatures, and deal with restless spirits in this gripping collection of one-shots.
These stories will let readers get to know some of the human members of the B.P.R.D. and the unique talents they bring to the organization. Even Hellboy needs backup from time to time!
All five issues of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957 are collected in this paperback with writing by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, featuring art by Mignolaverse veteran Laurence Campbell (B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know), Stephen Green (Lobster Johnson: Garden of Bones) Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves), Alison Sampson (Jessica Jones), and Mike Norton (Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1956), plus the short “Happy New Year, Ava Galluci” by Mignola and Ben Stenbeck, featuring colors by Dave Stewart and a bonus sketchbook section.
Collects Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957 one-shots: Family Ties, Forgotten Lives, Falling Sky, Fearful Symmetry, and From Below, and the short “Happy New Year, Ava Galluci” from the Hellboy Winter Special.
These stories will let readers get to know some of the human members of the B.P.R.D. and the unique talents they bring to the organization. Even Hellboy needs backup from time to time!
All five issues of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957 are collected in this paperback with writing by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, featuring art by Mignolaverse veteran Laurence Campbell (B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know), Stephen Green (Lobster Johnson: Garden of Bones) Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves), Alison Sampson (Jessica Jones), and Mike Norton (Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1956), plus the short “Happy New Year, Ava Galluci” by Mignola and Ben Stenbeck, featuring colors by Dave Stewart and a bonus sketchbook section.
Collects Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957 one-shots: Family Ties, Forgotten Lives, Falling Sky, Fearful Symmetry, and From Below, and the short “Happy New Year, Ava Galluci” from the Hellboy Winter Special.
152 pages, Paperback
First published December 20, 2023
10 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,864 books2,527 followersMike 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 3, 2025
Great early stories of this characters adventures. Very recommended
January 11, 2025
Hellboy books are usually a guaranteed good read. This was no exception. I will be sad when I run out of Hellboy to read.
Recommend.
Recommend.
August 21, 2025
One of the best short Hellboy stories I’ve ever read is the final story in this collection - happy new year, Ava Galluci. It is just prime Hellboy, bite size twisted tale. A human thinks they can finally be the one to pull the wool over the immortal ghouls and of course, it fails horribly. This would be a great first Hellboy story to read!
With that being said, the rest of this collection is very lackluster- from ok to plain boring. A weak collection of stories that really don’t add much, aren’t great looking and feel like the BPRD well is a bit dry (I disagree but this reads like it is).
With that being said, the rest of this collection is very lackluster- from ok to plain boring. A weak collection of stories that really don’t add much, aren’t great looking and feel like the BPRD well is a bit dry (I disagree but this reads like it is).
August 14, 2024
Realizing after 1956's wandering nature how much this series hits differently when it's bursts of tightly woven stories essentially celebrating connection and fulfillment—mostly two or three individuals (Hellboy being one of them) bonding on a field assignment that stems from the lore of a regional cultural or local community. There's a curious sense of feeling like part of the gang in these quieter small talks in faraway lands, and with 1956, it was more like watching other people play chess. This was such a treat.
July 10, 2024
Another set of random adventures from the old days of the B.P.R.D.
Family Ties--Hellboy and field agent Sue hunt down a paperback copy of Gustav Strobl's "Witchcraft and Demonology," an authentic text of occult practices. This particular copy is in a Dayton, Ohio, suburb, where a family is suffering from one of the members being possessed. That particular demon causes a lot of trouble. The telling has creepy atmosphere and a build-up that pays off well.
Forgotten Lives--Professor Bruttenholm and Hellboy set out to investigate a haunted graveyard. This particular cemetery has mass graves for the indigent, so finding the right unsettled spirit is much tougher. They wind up at an auction of personal effects from the indigent, which indirectly solves the problem. The story is charming in its way. There's an old security guy who is completely unphased by ghosts since he's seen 'em all already, unlike the newer interment crew. I liked this one a lot.
Falling Sky--Hellboy and cryptozoologist Woody Farrier go on a field assignment to investigate a flying saucer sighting that has resulted in a monster in the woods. Woody has been work for a few years with the Bureau and is dissatisfied, since any weird creature they find has been either a hoax or a demon-crossed regular animal, not an actual new species. Hellboy tries to cheer him up but that is not Hellboy's core competency. They discover the UFO is just a downed weather balloon. The locals are still fearful of something in the woods, so the investigation continues with a mixed-blessing ending. This story is a nice character study, mostly of Woody, but a bit of Hellboy too.
Fearful Symmetry--Hellboy visits an old college friend of Bruttenholm's in India. He teams up with Ginny Payne who had been something like a summer intern for the Bureau seven years earlier. They investigate some animal attacks in a remote village, probably a were-tiger but people aren't sure. It's another monster-of-the-week story for Hellboy.
From Below--Hellboy, Bruttenholm, and Agent Archie go to investigate a noisy, abandoned saw mill in Oregon. The spot has had sporadic sightings or, more precisely, sounds of the supernatural. Archie had investigated seven years ago and came up with nothing. This time, they discover a trap door leading to a basement full of arcane equipment and a symbol of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra. So something bad is down there. It's another fun venture that uses Archie's background well.
Happy New Year, Ava Galluci--Hellboy attends a New Year's Eve seance where a shyster medium, the titular Ava Galluci, is guest of honor. The locals want to summon a discredited ancestor with the usual unhappy results. This is a quick story that hits the typical Hellboy horror vibe, with art by Mignola as well as the story.
This collection is a lot of fun, with Forgotten Lives being the standout.
Recommended, highly for Hellboy fans.
Family Ties--Hellboy and field agent Sue hunt down a paperback copy of Gustav Strobl's "Witchcraft and Demonology," an authentic text of occult practices. This particular copy is in a Dayton, Ohio, suburb, where a family is suffering from one of the members being possessed. That particular demon causes a lot of trouble. The telling has creepy atmosphere and a build-up that pays off well.
Forgotten Lives--Professor Bruttenholm and Hellboy set out to investigate a haunted graveyard. This particular cemetery has mass graves for the indigent, so finding the right unsettled spirit is much tougher. They wind up at an auction of personal effects from the indigent, which indirectly solves the problem. The story is charming in its way. There's an old security guy who is completely unphased by ghosts since he's seen 'em all already, unlike the newer interment crew. I liked this one a lot.
Falling Sky--Hellboy and cryptozoologist Woody Farrier go on a field assignment to investigate a flying saucer sighting that has resulted in a monster in the woods. Woody has been work for a few years with the Bureau and is dissatisfied, since any weird creature they find has been either a hoax or a demon-crossed regular animal, not an actual new species. Hellboy tries to cheer him up but that is not Hellboy's core competency. They discover the UFO is just a downed weather balloon. The locals are still fearful of something in the woods, so the investigation continues with a mixed-blessing ending. This story is a nice character study, mostly of Woody, but a bit of Hellboy too.
Fearful Symmetry--Hellboy visits an old college friend of Bruttenholm's in India. He teams up with Ginny Payne who had been something like a summer intern for the Bureau seven years earlier. They investigate some animal attacks in a remote village, probably a were-tiger but people aren't sure. It's another monster-of-the-week story for Hellboy.
From Below--Hellboy, Bruttenholm, and Agent Archie go to investigate a noisy, abandoned saw mill in Oregon. The spot has had sporadic sightings or, more precisely, sounds of the supernatural. Archie had investigated seven years ago and came up with nothing. This time, they discover a trap door leading to a basement full of arcane equipment and a symbol of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra. So something bad is down there. It's another fun venture that uses Archie's background well.
Happy New Year, Ava Galluci--Hellboy attends a New Year's Eve seance where a shyster medium, the titular Ava Galluci, is guest of honor. The locals want to summon a discredited ancestor with the usual unhappy results. This is a quick story that hits the typical Hellboy horror vibe, with art by Mignola as well as the story.
This collection is a lot of fun, with Forgotten Lives being the standout.
Recommended, highly for Hellboy fans.
November 5, 2023
Besides for these stories arbitrarily taking place in 1957, I'm not sure why this is a numbered volume as opposed to the typical Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. collections like the other collection publsihed this year "The Secret of Chesbro House & Others".
Family Ties Lawrence Campbell
Hellboy goes a suburban household and helps expel some demons from an old lady.
Forgotten Lives Stephen Green
There are reports of spectral apparitions at the local "Potter's Field" a term taken from the ground where Judas was buried - now meaning the burial grounds of the indignant dead. Hellboy and Bruttenholm see a ghost there who wants to not be forgotten. They attend the decedent property auction the next day and Hellboy bids on a Lobster Johnson calling card. Hellboy recalls the name of the card's previous owner was a writer of Lobster Johnson fiction books.
Fearful Symmetry Alison Sampson
Tigers have been attacking a village. Hellboy and Ginny go investigate.
Falling Sky Shawn Martinbrough
Hellboy and BPRD agent Woody Farrier team up in West Virginia for a UFO sighting. Woody is a cryptozoologist enthusiast. its just a weather balloon but there are some weird claw marks on the trees from a giant "thunderbird".
From Below Mike Norton
A haunting at a closed sawmill in Oregon. In the basement they discover the reanimated corpse of an ape creature with a mechanical exoskeleton leftover from experimentations of the occult group the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra.
Happy New Year, Ava Galluci
Family Ties Lawrence Campbell
Hellboy goes a suburban household and helps expel some demons from an old lady.
Forgotten Lives Stephen Green
There are reports of spectral apparitions at the local "Potter's Field" a term taken from the ground where Judas was buried - now meaning the burial grounds of the indignant dead. Hellboy and Bruttenholm see a ghost there who wants to not be forgotten. They attend the decedent property auction the next day and Hellboy bids on a Lobster Johnson calling card. Hellboy recalls the name of the card's previous owner was a writer of Lobster Johnson fiction books.
Fearful Symmetry Alison Sampson
Tigers have been attacking a village. Hellboy and Ginny go investigate.
Falling Sky Shawn Martinbrough
Hellboy and BPRD agent Woody Farrier team up in West Virginia for a UFO sighting. Woody is a cryptozoologist enthusiast. its just a weather balloon but there are some weird claw marks on the trees from a giant "thunderbird".
From Below Mike Norton
A haunting at a closed sawmill in Oregon. In the basement they discover the reanimated corpse of an ape creature with a mechanical exoskeleton leftover from experimentations of the occult group the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra.
Happy New Year, Ava Galluci
July 30, 2024
"Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957" is yet another short story compilation, written by Mignola and Roberson (more Roberson than Mignola, from what I can tell.) It's weird, at the beginning of this series there used to be an overarching plot that connected the narrative between volumes, but it's been years since they stopped doing this, leaving unresolved story elements hanging in the air.
The quality of the stories is mixed, same with the artwork. They all have in common that Hellboy is out investigating some case, teaming up with a B.P.R.D. buddy. They find the supernatural evil of the week and kick its ass, end of story.
For me, the best tales were "Family Ties" (beautiful artwork and atmosphere), "Forgotten Lives" (emotional story) and "Happy New Year, Ava Galluci" (written solo by Mignola, and it shows!). The others were mediocre, except for "Fearful Symmetry" which is just terrible – the characters look uncomfortable, in awkward positions and badly drawn; the tiger-men in particular are laughably bad looking, I don't understand how they published this.
Honestly, this series is going nowhere. Mignola should put it out of its misery and focus on his new projects. We'll see what the future brings.
The quality of the stories is mixed, same with the artwork. They all have in common that Hellboy is out investigating some case, teaming up with a B.P.R.D. buddy. They find the supernatural evil of the week and kick its ass, end of story.
For me, the best tales were "Family Ties" (beautiful artwork and atmosphere), "Forgotten Lives" (emotional story) and "Happy New Year, Ava Galluci" (written solo by Mignola, and it shows!). The others were mediocre, except for "Fearful Symmetry" which is just terrible – the characters look uncomfortable, in awkward positions and badly drawn; the tiger-men in particular are laughably bad looking, I don't understand how they published this.
Honestly, this series is going nowhere. Mignola should put it out of its misery and focus on his new projects. We'll see what the future brings.
February 16, 2024
Весь том повністю складається з Ван шотів.
Геллбой і Ханґ виганяють демона з бабки, а потім і саму бабку з хати. (Малює богоговитий Лоренс Кемпбелл!)
Тревор Брум ностальгує за польовими роботами і виїжджає з Арчі і Червоним на завдання в закинуту пилораму де вони знаходять таємну базу Геліопічного Братства Ра і кіберетичного гігантьского копача.
Геллбой знаходить Лево-Перевертня.
Ще один ностальгійний випуск з Боєм і Брумом в якому вони обговорюють смерть Стеґнера, вічну нестачу часу на найрідніших і загалом як все змінилося. Геллбой купує картку Лобстера на аукціоні (прямий аналог в нас - візитка Яроша). Таке враження, що Міньойла хоче дати своїм героям набутися перед тим Пеклом і смертями в майбутньому.
Геллбой і Ханґ виганяють демона з бабки, а потім і саму бабку з хати. (Малює богоговитий Лоренс Кемпбелл!)
Тревор Брум ностальгує за польовими роботами і виїжджає з Арчі і Червоним на завдання в закинуту пилораму де вони знаходять таємну базу Геліопічного Братства Ра і кіберетичного гігантьского копача.
Геллбой знаходить Лево-Перевертня.
Ще один ностальгійний випуск з Боєм і Брумом в якому вони обговорюють смерть Стеґнера, вічну нестачу часу на найрідніших і загалом як все змінилося. Геллбой купує картку Лобстера на аукціоні (прямий аналог в нас - візитка Яроша). Таке враження, що Міньойла хоче дати своїм героям набутися перед тим Пеклом і смертями в майбутньому.
March 8, 2024
The chronological 'dip into Hellboy's youth with a batch of short stories' collections have reached such a level of bland stupefaction that I forgot I had read this until I was clearing out the ipad, and it was less than a month ago that I did. All of these are cosily generic Hellboy strips, adding nothing in terms of characterisation, ideas, jokes, scares... the one area where quality standards remain high is the art, so that gets it an extra star: but even there, most of the artists stick to a kind of ersatz-Mignola house style. Purely for suckers who'll buy anything Hellboy-related, which I regret to say apparently includes me.
January 22, 2024
A collection of minor stories which are...comfortable in the Hellboyverse. There no stories with the cutting edginess of the first ten, fifteen, twenty years but is coming back to a well known world which traffics in demons, spirits and other assorted beings. The stories by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson are well crafted. Artists Laurence Campbell, Shawn Martinbrough, Alison Sampson, Ben Stenbeck, Stephen Green, and Mike Norton make each story visually appealing.
Well worth reading for the hardcore Hellboy fan.
Well worth reading for the hardcore Hellboy fan.
August 25, 2023
Collects all of the 1957 one shots. I thought the book end stories were the best of the 6. The first one was a story of demonic possession with Lawrence Campbell. The last felt like a classic Hellboy story with Ben Stenbeck on art where a clairvoyant calling a spirit back goes wrong. All of these are just one off stories with Hellboy and a different BPRD member solving cases.
December 22, 2024
A solid collection of Hellboy one-shots. There's nothing exceptional for the format here, but the art, characterization and creepy atmosphere are all well-done. My high point was probably "From Below," which revisits a creepy house established in some past spin-offs, but it's all good stuff for fans.
March 18, 2025
I rediscovered this book while unpacking and shelving my graphic novel collection after a flood of sewage required the entire library to be moved for re-carpeting. It was... fine? Nothing really outstanding, but nothing awful. I liked all the artists well enough. The final story was better than the others, but overall, even a week later I'm having trouble remembering what the others were about.
October 31, 2025
An okay volume, not the most memorable. The best story, unsurprisingly, is the final one actually written by Mignola (rather than the typical phony co-writer credit). The simple, weird ending immediately took me back to classic Hellboy, and confirmed the inferiority of Roberson. Still enjoyable overall though.
December 21, 2023
A good collection.
5 different issues and 1 extra short story set during the year 1957.
It's a fun prequel to Hellboy's main story and a good jumping point for fans of Hellboy's films.
5 different issues and 1 extra short story set during the year 1957.
It's a fun prequel to Hellboy's main story and a good jumping point for fans of Hellboy's films.
December 30, 2023
Another great collection of Hellboy shorts featuring early BPRD agents. Hellboy has returned from his Mexican sojourn and rejoins the BPRD to punch demons, cryptos, zombies, and ghosts in the face. Susan, Woody, and Archie all return as well.
October 9, 2023
Cuentos de Hellboy. Se extrañan leer historias más desafiantes...
Read
January 2, 2024nice.......
January 17, 2024
A couple of really good stories and a couple of so-so ones.
January 20, 2024
Enjoyable little collection of 5 short tales. Best one was Forgotten Lives which ties in Lobster Johnston, past arcs and the brilliant relationship between Hellboy and the Professor.
January 25, 2024
i havent read any hellboy since 2022 and i missed him! also very excited to see my name in a hellboy comic (even if its just a lying psychic medium)
January 26, 2024
Werebeasts. Thunderbirds. Seances. The Heliotropic Brotherhood of Ra. A lot of familiar stuff in this Hellboy collection and nothing as wild as KoshChei in Hell, but still, good entertainment.
February 3, 2024
Solid short stories. Always fun seeing Big Red. Love this world.
November 9, 2024
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. stories are always good.
December 28, 2024
Very nice storytelling via a bunch of very intriguing one shots
August 11, 2025
Amb diferència, la col·leció més fluixa d'històries en molt de temps. Fa ràbia perquè amb l'augment de preus és el volum més car fins ara, i no s'ho val ni de conya.
August 18, 2025
3,5
Historias breves y autoconclusivas que están bastante bien
Historias breves y autoconclusivas que están bastante bien
October 8, 2025
A nice collection of short Hellboy stories including some that give you a glimpse into events prior to the establishment of the B.P.R.D.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews