I read my first Hellboy comic about fifteen years ago. I bought a few of the early trades, enjoyed them, and made it a point to buy all new Mike Mignola collections whenever they came out.  But at some point, I stopped reading them.

I've had a few customers ask me about reading order. And mostly I just tell them to read the Hellboy books in order, then BPRD, then BPRD Hell On Earth, and then Hellboy in Hell. I'd always admit that I hadn't read Witchfinder, or Lobster Johnson, or any of the other spin-offs.

A year or so ago, I looked up what the proper chronological reading order was via several websites, and they mostly spat the same uninformed advice that I'd been giving. After a couple of discussions with Jeff Stumpo about the BPRD series, I decided it was finally time for me to a deeper dive into The Mignolaverse (the unofficial name for  Hellboy, BPRD, and their spin-offs.

The Internet was once again, mostly unhelpful. The choices were: Just Read Them In The Order Of The Numbers On The Spine You Nerd, or lists that were so focused on chronology that they recommend putting a book down mid-story, and picking up another volume for a few pages, before returning to the original one. That's no way to read comics. And since the stories weren't written chronologically, nevermind collected chronologically, I decided  it was time to do some reading and research of my own.

So, here's another conceptual TV Series chronology.  It's four seasons long because there are four large arcs to the series so far, with a fifth one just beginning, and probably taking years before it's wrapped up.

As you can tell from the last post, we don't really know how Season 1 ends. SOMETHING happens that causes Hellboy to leave the BPRD. But we haven't seen what yet. For Season 2 we'll start following an entirely new BPRD team. Unlike the volumes in Season 1, most Mike Mignola books are all over the place, chronologically. They're not necessarily linked by themes, or in any sort of chronological order. They usually contain a couple to a few short stories and then one larger scale story linked to other volumes. So this should be....fun.

Episode 1: Mexico
(Hellboy In Mexico, Frankenstein Underground)
written by Mike Mignola, art by Ben Steinbeck, Richard Corben, Mike McMahon, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, and Mike Mignola

Do you like luchadores? Mummies? Frankenstein monsters? Well, then this season opens with an episode just for you. Following events from 1956, which still haven't been written yet, Hellboy goes on an epic bender in Mexico that ends up with him having a brief stint as a vampire fighting luchadore, getting married, and befriending a Frankenstein monster. The Frankenstein monster then has its own journey in Frankenstein Underground which you can read if you'd like, but isn't nearly as compelling or fun as Hellboy In Mexico.


Episode 2: The Pirate's Ghost
(Lobster Johnson 5: The Pirate's Ghost & Metal Monsters Of Midtown)
written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Tonci Zonjic

Back to the 1930's where Lobster Johnson battles some Zinco robots, which seems like a random aside from our Hellboy journey, but trust that Zinco will be making a return appearance this season. We also see Wald and Payne's adventures with the Lobster come to what seems to be a definitive close.


Episode 3: Honest Abe
(Abe Sapien 1: The Drowning, and Abe Sapien 2: The Devil Does Not Jest
​written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Jason Shawn Alexander, Patric Reynolds, Peter Snejbjerg, and James Harren

Hellboy isn't the only non-human agent at BPRD. Abe Sapien is a...well...a sort of fish guy. In "The Drowning", he gets sent to clean up a mess left long ago by Edward Grey during the first episode of last season. His mission doesn't go well. A bit later, he goes on his first few solo missions with a bit better luck, but an equal amount of having to go under water. Also, this makes back to back episodes featuring pirates, if that's your thing.


Episode 4:  The Crooked Man
(Hellboy 10: The Crooked Man And Others)
written by Mike Mignola, art by Richard Corben, Duncan Fegredo, Joshua Dysart and Jason Shawn Alexander

Witches and Satan are bad news, especially if you lived off the grid in the mid-twentieth century. Our main story is one of a man trying to redeem himself for the mistakes of his youth while Hellboy learns a bit about witchcraft. It's one of my favorite Hellboy stories. The volume also includes "In The Temple Of Moloch"  which is sort of flat, and "They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships" which allows us to spend more time with Abe Sapiens, and, yes, Another Pirate Story!


(If you are so compelled, this is where I would put Hellboy 7: The Troll Witch and Others, and Hellboy 12: The Bride Of Hell And Others, which are both, like "The Crooked Man",  stories from Hellboy's time wandering without the BPRD. They are completely skippable, though, and some of my least favorite of the Mignolaverse)


Episode 5: Seed Of Destruction
(Hellboy 1: Seed Of Destruction)
written by Mike Mignola and John Byrne, art by Mike Mignola

The original Hellboy story! This is the beginning of an actual arc featuring Rasputin from last season, and some of those residual Nazis. Plus, a sad goodbye to an old friend, and a hello to frogs, who will mostly be pestering our heros in season three. There's also my favorite comic panel of a dog in one of the backup stories.


Episode 6: Wake The Devil
(Hellboy 2: Wake The Devil, Hellboy 3: The Chained Coffin & Others)
written by, and art by Mike Mignola

Continuing the Rasputin & the residual Nazis arc, Hellboy also encounters the Thessaly women, and of course, vampires in Wake The Devil. The Chained Coffin & Others is largely skippable for now, except for the last story "Almost Colossus" which takes place during and immediately after Wake The Devil, why it's put all the way at the back of the volume, I couldn't tell you.


Episode 7: Being Human
(BPRD Being Human)

We're going to take a brief respite from the major storyline of the season to get a chance to better know the other BPRD characters. In this episode we get to learn more about Liz Shaw's origin, Abe Sapien learns to deal with the consequences of his actions, Hellboy and Roger The Homunculus work a case together, and we meet a medium named Johann Krauss.


Episode 8: Conqueror Worm
(Hellboy 5: Conqueror Worm)
written by, and art by Mike Mignola

Ok, back to Rasputin, Baba Yaga, and the residual Nazis storyline. We also get more time with Roger The Homunculus and his new friend...Lobster Johnson? Didn't think we were going to see him and Hellboy in the same episode.

 
Episode 9: Hollow Earth
(BPRD 1: Hollow Earth & Other Stories)
written by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, and Brian McDonald, art by Ryan Sook, Matt Smith, Derek Thompson, Mike Mignola, and Curtis Arnold)

Hellboy has quit the BPRD, Liz Shaw has taken a leave of absence, and Abe Sapien and Roger The Homunculus are debating jumping ship as well.  But when Liz sends Abe an urgent message, he and Roger take the new recruit, Johann Kraus with them to rescue her. There are also some important side stories in this volume, and I would recommending reading it in reverse order. So, starting with "Drums Of The Dead", then "Abe Sapien Vs. Science", then "The Killer In My Skull" (hey, it's Lobster Johnson again!), and then ending with "Hollow Earth". It's a much more satisfying narrative experience. I have no idea why they chose to flip the order around.


Episode 10: Another Day At The Office
(BPRD 2: The Soul Of Venice & Other Stories)
written by Mike Mignola, Michael Avon Oeming, Miles Gunther, Brian Augustyn, Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, and Joe Harris, art by Michael Avon Oemin, Guy Davis, Scott Kolins, Adam Pollina, and Cameron Stewart

A bunch of short cases featuring Liz, Abe, Roger, and Johann. Not a ton of continuity, just some much needed character building time. Plus, art by Cameron Stewart who has colored pretty much, if not all of the episodes so far.


Episode 11: Three Wishes
(Hellboy 6: Strange Places)

We conclude the second season with Hellboy taking a trip to Africa. An ill-advised trip, as he ends up at the bottom of the sea for two years, arguing with Ursula about prophecy. When he finally gets back to the surface, well, lots of prophecy talk, including letting him know that while he was under water The Plague Of Frogs hit, and since Plague Of Frogs is the title of the third season, it's time to bow out for a bit.


Season Two is somewhere between 11 and 13 episodes, depending on whether you bothered with The Troll Witch, The Bride Of Hell, or the stories in The Chained Coffin that weren't "Almost Colossus"

I read my first Hellboy comic about fifteen years ago. I bought a few of the early trades, enjoyed them, and made it a point to buy all new Mike Mignola collections whenever they came out.  But at some point, I stopped reading them.

I've had a few customers ask me about reading order. And mostly I just tell them to read the Hellboy books in order, then BPRD, then BPRD Hell On Earth, and then Hellboy in Hell. I'd always admit that I hadn't read Witchfinder, or Lobster Johnson, or any of the other spin-offs.

A year or so ago, I looked up what the proper chronological reading order was via several websites, and they mostly spat the same uninformed advice that I'd been giving. After a couple of discussions with Jeff Stumpo about the BPRD series, I decided it was finally time for me to a deeper dive into The Mignolaverse (the unofficial name for  Hellboy, BPRD, and their spin-offs.

The Internet was once again, mostly unhelpful. The choices were: Just Read Them In The Order Of The Numbers On The Spine You Nerd, or lists that were so focused on chronology that they recommend putting a book down mid-story, and picking up another volume for a few pages, before returning to the original one. That's no way to read comics. And since the stories weren't written chronologically, nevermind collected chronologically, I decided  it was time to do some reading and research of my own.

So, here's another conceptual TV Series chronology.  It's four seasons long because there are four large arcs to the series so far, with a fifth one just beginning, and probably taking years before it's wrapped up.

Season One takes us from the 1800s into the 1950s. None of the show's major characters show up in the first few episodes. But the main characters of  each episodes will return during later seasons, and I've only included their most interesting and important adventures. You also get to see baby Hellboy grow into rebellious teen Hellboy during this season, which is an absolute blast. You may also note that there are a couple of episodes which just say "missing", this is because there are clearly stories that have to fill in a couple of tiny gaps that haven't been released yet. I'll update them  when they come out.

Episode 1: Witchfinder
(Witchfinder 1: In The Service Of Angels, Witchfinder 2: Long & Gone Forever)
written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Ben Stenbeck and John Severin

A nineteenth century English boy gets accidently involved with the occult when, during a search for lost children, he's bitten by a werewolf, who he then kills. He grows up to be an occult celebrity in England, eventually tracking a case down to Nevada. As you might guess by the title, there are witches involved in these stories, but it's more about dismantling folk tale tropes by changing their settings and giving some thought as to what the evil characters have to gain by giving them somewhat smaller scopes then Taking Over The World. There's also an interesting placement of how religion can interact with profane magic without going wildly-over-the-top in either direction. This is easily the best western witchcraft examination of privilege and Christianity that I've seen in a comic book.



Episode 2: Rise Of The Black Flame
(Rise Of The Black Flame, Lobster Johnson 2: The Burning Hand)
written by Mike Mignola John Arcudi and Chris Roberson, art by Christopher Mitten and Tonci Zonjic

Young girls start go missing in Siam. When some of those girls turn out to be British, your early 20th century racist cops go looking for them, and end up meeting some of the Witchfinder's associates. They combine their efforts​, and end up tragically contributing to the origin of the Black Flame. A few years later, a Batmannish vigilante named Lobster Johnson is trying to wipe out the mob. After losing some pivotal battles, the mob starts to work with some occult experts, and, lo must Lobster Johnson battle The Black Flame in order to save his city.



Episode 3: The Voice Of The Dragon
(Rasputin: The Voice Of The Dragon)
written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Christopher Mitten

As I'm compiling this chronology, this book isn't out yet, but it's shown up in Previews. This volume is intended to introduce us to future villain Rasputin, as well as the closest thing Season 1 has to a protagonist, Trevor Bruttenholm, future founder of the BPRD and eventual caretaker of Hellboy. 



Episode 4: Sledgehammer 44
(Lobster Johnson 1: The Iron Prometheus, Sledgehammer 44)
written by Mike Mignola and Jason Arcudi, art by Jason Armstrong and Jason Latour

Nazis, magic suits, dragons, and action fill these two stories. They're both fairly weak entries in the Mignolaverse but the stories resonate later in the series, and the art for The Iron Prometheus is fantastic. Imagine if the early Iron Man suit were in the hands of a well-intentioned but not scientifically trained wannabe hero, instead of an alcoholic millionaire.



Episode 5: Vampire Sturm
(BPRD 9: 1946)
written by Mike Mignola and Josh Dysart, art by Paul Azaceta

During 1944, Project Ragnarock resulted in the appearance of a demon child named Hellboy. He was adopted by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, who went on to found the Bureau For Paranormal Research and Development (BPRD). Now that the war is over Bruttenholm returns to Germany to try and learn more about Project Ragnarock and Hellboy. Unfortunately, some Russian soldiers, the remnants of a German army of Vampires and some other paranormal villains have other plans in mind.



Episode 6: A Game Of Catch
(BPRD 13: 1947)
written by Mike Mignola and Josh Dysart, art by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon

BPRD, now based out of a New Mexico airbase, sends some new recruits on a mission to France to learn about what a two hundred year old opera has to do with a train car load of dead former Nazis. Featuring a few familiar demony faces from Vampir Sturm, and introducing some new humans to Brutteholm's paranormal team. Also, adorable young Hellboy just wants to play a game of catch while Bruttenholm deals with the consequences of his latest mission.



Episode 7 : Enkalados
(BPRD 1948)
written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Max Fiumara

BPRD relocates yet again to Connecticut, but the new members we met in 1947 travel with Bruttenholm to Nevada, where they research the appearance of monsters who may or may not have a connection to tests of the atomic bomb. Meanwhile, in Connecticut, Hellboy prepares to meet President Truman. There is some great conversation in this episode about the difference between theoretical physics and magic, and how one can be proved while the other can't.



Episode 8: The Midnight Circus and Other Tales
(BPRD Vampire, Hellboy Midnight Circus)
written by Mike Mignola, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, art by Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon, and Duncan Fegredo

The conclusion to Agent Anders's arc that started in "A Game Of Catch". This will surely be the last we hear of vampires for a while. Also, Hellboy runs away from the BPRD to a place that's just as weird and demonic as any place the BPRD ends up.


Episode 9 missing
there will be a story here which should give some sort of context for why Bruttenholm decides to allow Hellboy in the BPRD in the next episode



Episode 10: Anchunga
(Hellboy & The BPRD 1952)
written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Alex Maleev

Hellboy's first case with the BPRD takes them to Brazil where a series of murders could either be connected to a haunted prison or a sound studio for propaganda films. Not both, obviously. 



Episode 11: Beyond The Fences
(Hellboy & The BPRD 1953)
written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Ben Stenbeck, Paolo Rivera, and Michael Walsh

More early adventures of Hellboy with the human BPRD.  The crux of the stories offering more information about the monsters who showed up in Enkalados. 



Episode 12: Black Sun, Ghost Moon
(Hellboy & The BPRD 1954)
written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Brian Churilla, Stephen Green, and Richard Corben

A slightly less noobish Hellboy travels the world with his human BPRD agents. We encounter even more damned dirty apes and the threat of the "occult Cold War" that's been foreshadowed in "Vampire Sturm" and "Beyond The Fences". As of this posting, the collection isn't yet available, but most of the issues are already out.


​
Episode 13: Occult Intelligence
(Hellboy & The BPRD 1955)
written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Shawn Martinbrough

The story for this episode/collection hasn't quite started yet, but 1956 is the beginning of the second major arc for Hellboy, as well as the BPRD, so this should be a really important adventure that ends with a major shuffling of the staff of the BPRD.

​
Season One is probably 13 episodes, maybe 14 depending on whether Mignola explains the shuffle in Hellboy & The BPRD 1955, or if there will be a Hellboy & The BPRD 1956....which doesn't seem likely at this point.