A couple of years before Mike Mignola would begin publishing stories featuring his iconic half-demon supernatural detective, there was a sketch of a character with the same name in the program guide for the 1991 Great Salt Lake Comic Con. Although fairly distinct from his final design, this “Hell Boy” (as his stomach plate describes) sports the same sawn-down horns and cloven feet, but this time with an extra pair of horns out the side of his head, a more caveman-like build, two feathered wings, and a notable absence of his Right Hand of Doom.

Mignola’s original drawing is the inspiration for Mondo’s superb statue of “The First Hellboy”.  At 31cm (~12 inches) tall, and with a level of build and paint quality that far outstrips its $200 price tag, this hulking Polystone presence makes a perfect discussion piece for any Hellboy fan. Much like many of Sideshow’s statues, The First Hellboy assembles via strong magnets. His tail, gun, blade and scabbard, and wings/vulture are all packed separately, in a clean, beautifully designed box. It’s pretty enough that I’m seriously considering getting the front panel of the box framed.

Hellboy’s design makes a surprisingly good match for Sideshow’s Premium Format Hellboy, despite the lack of colour depth and the focus on a more cartoony design. They’re both perched on stone, and they share a similarly curved-but-angular muscular physicality in their interpretations of Mignola’s famously high-contrast artwork.  Although the colour edition is sold out as of this article’s publication, there are still a few of the stunning Black and White colorway available for order.

The first thing I noticed when I freed Hellboy from his Styrofoam prison was how loud his red colour was, and how clean and vibrant all the paint work felt. He strikes a wonderful balance with his ratio of detail to overall scale. As with most GEEKY SHIT posts, I consider this particular addition to my collection to be special, not just for its design, but also its subject matter. The Mignolaverse is very dear to my heart, and I’m delighted that more high quality merchandise is hitting the market.

As always, feel free to click on the images to see the photos in their original resolution.

The First Hellboy joins some other Mignola-inspired statues in my display cabinet, along with Azusa, who is just being adorable while hanging out with her big, red friends. Thanks for checking out The First Hellboy, a statue by Mondo.

GEEKY SHIT looks at rare, geeky, and (allegedly) awesome items in Evan’s collection.