Over the years, Dark Horse Comics has published various Hellboy Winter Specials, anthology one-shots featuring Mike Mignola‘s beloved character. Today the publisher announced details for Hellboy Winter Special: The Yule Cat, the latest Hellboy holiday special. Written and drawn by cartoonist Matt Smith, the one-shot will also be colored by Chris O’Halloran and lettered by Clem Robins. In addition to the main cover by Smith, there will also be a variant cover by Mignola himself.
According to the press release, “the special one-shot is inspired by the stories of Jólakötturinn, the ferocious Yule Cat of Icelandic folklore, who is said to come down from the mountains, on the prowl for people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve.”
For a character that’s traveled the world, apparently this is Hellboy’s first time in Iceland. “In the one-shot, Hellboy travels to Reykjavik, where children are disappearing and a giant beast has been spotted…could it be the infamous Yule Cat of Icelandic lore?”
Having previously worked on past Hellboy projects, including Hellboy: The Bones of Giants miniseries, this project is perfectly suited for Smith. As the creator teased:
“The land of fire and ice, trolls and necropants, Iceland is as natural a setting for a Hellboy story as any I could think of. Set in 1990 and coming close to the events of the Hellboy: Bones of Giants, Hellboy likely hasn’t forgotten about the wrath of old Norse giants. But a giant, child-eating cat—that would be something new.”
Mignola had high praise for Smith:
“Matt Smith’s great. I have been very fortunate to have him working on Hellboy and thrilled that he came up with a story of his own, Especially a holiday story about a monster cat! Merry Christmas to me and to everybody who loves this kind of thing. He does it so well.”
Look for Hellboy Winter Special: The Yule Cat to arrive in stores on Wednesday December 6, 2023.
