- "And in charge of this whole Looney Toon party is me, a guy who'd never even heard the word "paranormal" before a week ago."
- ―1st Sgt. George Whitman
| "Seed of Destruction" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hellboy: Seed of Destruction | |
| Title: | "Seed of Destruction" |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 1 |
| Cover price: | $2.50 |
| Cover date: | March, 1994 |
| Publisher: | Dark Horse Comics |
| Credits | |
| Chief: | Mike Richardson |
| Writers: | Mike Mignola; John Byrne |
| Pencilers: | Mike Mignola |
| Inkers: | Mike Mignola |
| Cover artists: | Mike Mignola |
| Cover inker: | Mike Mignola |
| Cover colorist: | Mark Chiarello |
| Colorists: | Mark Chiarello |
| Letterers: | John Byrne; Mike Mignola |
| Editors: | Barbara Kesel |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | Hellboy: Seed of Destruction #2 |
"Seed of Destruction" is the title to the first issue of the Hellboy: Seed of Destruction comic book limited series published by Dark Horse Comics. The story was plotted by Mike Mignola with dialogue by John Byrne. Mignola also did the artwork, inks and lettering, and both Byrne and he did the lettering. It was colored by Mark Chiarello and edited by Barbara Kesel. This issue shipped with a March, 1994 cover date and carries a cover price of $2.50 per copy (US).
"Seed of Destruction"[]
The comic opens in 1944, with a report from a U.S Army official named George Whitman, who has been ordered to lead a team of commandos to the (fictional) village of East Bromwich in the English Midlands. The army group (accompanied by a Nazi-fighting superhero named The Torch of Liberty) is under the guidance of three paranormal officials, one of whom is a young Trevor Bruttenholm. According to the group psychic, one Lady Cynthia Eden-Jones, a terrible event is to take place in a local ruined church; a doomsday project orchestrated by the Nazis, which could herald the end of the world.
However, the actual rite is taking place at Tarmagant Island, a small island off the coast of Scotland. The Nazis have set up an array of strange machines around a stone circle, in the center of which stands the fabled Russian psychic Grigori Rasputin. The wizard, armed with a pair of powerful gauntlets, attempts to summon the Ogdru Jahad from their prisons to the earth; although unseen, the beasts are referred to as "knowing no care" and "heralds of pestilence", marking them out as amoral, dangerous entities.
Although the Ogdru Jahad are not summoned, a boy-like, red-skinned demon appears at the Church in East Bromwich, and is soon dubbed "Hellboy" by Professor Bruttenholm. Whilst the leader of the Nazi operation, Klaus Werner von Krupt, is dismayed at Rasputin's apparent lack of success, the mad monk knows otherwise and proclaims he has set into motion the world's ending.
The scene then changes to 1994, at the headquarters of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense in New York. A much older Bruttenholm is recounting the incident of Hellboy's "birth", when the demon himself enters the office. It is revealed that Bruttenholm has been missing for over one year, having disappeared after a polar expedition. He tells Hellboy the story of his recent disappearance, informing him of his trip to the Arctic circle with "the three Cavendish boys", and a man named Sven Olafssen, who is a "renowned Arctic explorer". The quartet entered a cave at the top of the world, which bore a strange Lovecraftian statue of a tentacled creature, and a human meditating at its feet. When Bruttenholm touched the relic, it seemed to come alive, and he can barely remember the events that followed. Before he can continue, he is interrupted by a plague of frogs, and runs from the office, giving his adopted son the final words of "Save yourself!".
Before Hellboy can react, Bruttenholm is killed by a huge "frog" monster, leaving him with hole-like markings around his dried-out corpse. The creature attempts to kill Hellboy, but he proves too strong for the frog-monster and is able to shoot it as it attempts to escape. After killing the creature, Hellboy telephones the B.P.R.D Director Tom Manning, informing him of Bruttenholm's death. As Manning arranges things with his fellow officials, the scene changes to the interior of an old Victorian house, whilst a dark, shadowed figure discusses Bruttenholm's death with a stately old woman. As the comic ends, a frog is seen in her teacup...
Featured characters
Supporting characters
Villains
- Grigori Rasputin
- Ilsa Haupstein (In a photograph only)
- Karl Ruprect Kroenen (In a photograph only)
- Leopold Kurtz (In a photograph only)
- Klaus Werner von Krupt
Minor characters
- Adolf Hitler (Behind the scenes only)
- Emma Cavendish
- Thomas Manning
- Torch of Liberty, Paul Gibney
- Sven Olafson (In flashback only)
Organizations
Races
Locations
Items
Vehicles
Powers
Miscellaneous
"Who Are... Monkeyman and O'Brien?"[]
| "Who Are... Monkeyman and O'Brien?" | |
|---|---|
| No image available | |
| Title: | "Who Are... Monkeyman and O'Brien?" |
| Credits | |
| Writers: | Arthur Adams |
| Pencilers: | Arthur Adams |
| Inkers: | Arthur Adams |
| Colorists: | Matt Hollingsworth |
| Letterers: | Lois Buhalis |
Appearances[]
Featured characters
Supporting characters
Villains
Minor characters
- Unnamed guards
- William S. O'Brien (Referenced only)
Organizations
Races
Locations
Items
Vehicles
Powers
Miscellaneous
Notes & Trivia[]
Earliest chronological appearance of Anung Un Rama.
- Hellboy was created by writer and artist Mike Mignola. The first representation of the character was an illustrated prototype featured on the cover to Dime Press #4 in March, 1993. Hellboy's first official promotional appearance was in San Diego Comic Con Comics #2 in August, 1993. His first actual appearance was in Next Men #21 in the third chapter of the "Faith" storyline in December, 1993.
- This issue is reprinted in the Hellboy: Seed of Destruction trade paperback collection, which was released in October, 1994, and in deluxe hardcover format, released in March, 1995.
- "Who Are... Monkeyman and O'Brien?" is reprinted in the Monkeyman and O'Brien: The Stories trade paperback collection, published in 1997.
- This is the first appearance of Hellboy in his own comic book series. He previously appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 and Next Men #21.
Sisters don't always get along.
- This issue includes a seven-page back-up story featuring Monkeyman & O'Brien by writer and artist Art Adams.
- Art Adams illustrated the "Monkeyman & O'Brien" insert on the cover.
- The first journal entry of Sergeant George Whitman takes place on December 23rd, 1944.
- This is the first appearance of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, also known as the B.P.R.D., which is headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut in the modern era.