Major Issues: First Appearance of Hellboy

Hundreds of comic book characters are being portrayed in film and television, and with each new day more are being announced.

Major Issues -- a ComicBook.com original video series -- will speak to true comic book hobbyists as well as new fans in a short, fast-paced digital series featuring the first appearances of characters we all love. Each episode will feature the actual comic book, info on the creators, and the backstory on the creation and legacy of the character.

The next in our series is our look at the introduction of smart alec turned cult-movie, Hellboy.

The origin of Hellboy and his story is described by Wikia: The creature which would become known as Hellboy first appeared the night of December 23, 1944, when the evil mystic Grigori Rasputin summoned Hellboy to Earth with the help of the Third Reich. The child Hellboy appeared miles away in a churchyard in East Bromwich, England where he met a crack team of American soldiers lead by 1st Sgt. George Whitman sent to investigate the mysterious Nazi ritual. They were accompanied by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.), Professor Malcolm Frost, Lady Cynthia Eden-Jones, and the Torch of Liberty, a WWII-era costumed superhero. Bruttenholm befriended the creature, christening him Hellboy. The child was raised in secret by the U.S. government and trained to be a paranormal investigator.

Originally published as Next Men No. 21, Hellboy was created by comic artist Mike Mignola, and is published in comic books by Dark Horse Comics Inc. He was soon given the lead role in his own comic book series written and drawn by Mignola, with assistance from John Byrne at first.

Be sure to check out our other Major Issues.

Luke Cage | Black Mariah | Misty Knight | Cornell Cottonmouth | Wally West | Negan | King Ezekiel | Kaecilius | Bane | Savitar | Deadshot | Darth Vader | Spawn | Phoenix | SHIELD