Posted By Dan Greenfield on May 2, 2020 | 1 comment

A scary send-up in a scary time…

Dark Horse this week has been throwing a spooky spotlight on “essential” stories from the world of Hellboy — and beyond — featuring excerpts and comments from creator Mike Mignola and his august crew of collaborators.

Well, since we’re big fans of Mignola’s oeuvre, we’re pleased to present this excerpt from 2017’s Mr. Higgins Comes Home, Mignola’s non-Hellboy collaboration with Warwick Johnson-Cadwell. (It’s already spawned the follow-up Our Encounters With Evil.)

Here’s the official description: “Preparations begin at Castle Golga for the annual festival of the undead, as a pair of fearless vampire killers question a man hidden away in a monastery on the Baltic Sea. The mysterious Mr. Higgins wants nothing more than to avoid the scene of his wife’s death, and the truth about what happened to him in that castle. However, these heroic men sworn to rid the world of the vampire scourge inspire Higgins to venture out and to end the only suffering he really cares about — his own.”

“Just so much fun,” Mignola said. “My love letter to my favorite old-school vampire movies.”

“This one started when a mutual friend pointed out Warwick Johnson-Cadwell’s affection for sad werewolves. Then Warwick and I exchanged a few words about vampires and that was it,” Mignola said. “Mr. Higgins Comes Home is my very obvious nod to any number of old Hammer Dracula films and my all-time favorite vampire film, Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers.”

“Working on a project with Mike Mignola is an amazing thing to be able to do,” said Warwick Johnson-Cadwell. “His art and storytelling is a massive influence and inspiration for me and chatting with him about werewolves, vampires and the like was very exciting. When Mr. Higgins Comes Home turned up in my email I was in awe. It’s a rollicking vampire romp right in the Hammer vein and it’s a pleasure to be slapping that crimson goop they used for blood all over it.”

Check out the rest of the excerpt:

The 49-page Mr. Higgins Comes Home lists for $14.99 in hardcover. It’s available at online retailers and for digital download (at a lower cost) but you should also check to see if your comics shop carries it — if they’re open for business. (If you have a good one, support your local comics shop as much as possible.)

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MORE

— MIKE MIGNOLA’s Coolest Project Yet: Classic Cereal Characters. Click here.

— VIDEO SPECIAL: MIGNOLA Talks HELLBOY, Painting and Creativity. Click here.