Hellboy: A Catholic Comic?

I recently picked up some of the library editions of the Hellboy Comics, and have enjoyed them immensely. I have read them before, but since returning to my Faith, I have seen them in a different light.

So the story of Hellboy is a strange one. The Premise is that the Nazis (led by Rasputin, who didn’t die) have decided to summon a demon from Hell to destroy the world as foretold in prophecies. Unfortunately they are interrupted by the Allies who interrupt and take Hellboy and raise him as a man. What unfolds here is a strange mix of Pulp fiction, Sci-Fi, Myth and Adventure. What also underlies this is issue that Hellboy is foretold to bring about the apocalypse. Hellboy resists and the whole story becomes this great battle of free-will and temptation, as he battles demons, Mythical figures and Nazis.

The interest of this to a Catholic is that Mignola portrays Hellboy as a Catholic (he is often pictured with a Rosary), and the discussion again and again features Hellboy as something not quite a man, resisting what was “foretold” in favor of his own decisions and seeking his own fate. God isn’t even absent there are moments when Priests or other figures arrive to advise and lead Hellboy along the way. Although Evil appears to be a greater manifestation (isn’t that how it always is) time and time again it becomes apparent that Hellboy succeeds not because of his own hand but because of an almost strange twist of fate.

I am still going through the Comics, but they are magnificent gloriously drawn and incredibly funny. It might seem off the beaten path, but Hellboy is a good comic book to delve into if one is interested in looking at new and interesting ways to explore Catholic themes in not just in a modern world, but a different medium as well.