While readers have been given a bounty of Hellboy-centric stories following the character’s narrative ending in the Hellboy in Hell maxiseries, which was illustrated and written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola with colors by Dave Stewart, those tales followed the B.P.R.D. before his death and retirement in the netherworld. After discovering the work of internationally acclaimed artist Cyrille Pomès and later meeting with him, Mignola agreed to collaborate on a story together, with Pomès helping Mignola flesh out an already half-completed tale
That collaboration gave birth to Hellboy in Hell: Nothing But Blood, a two-issue miniseries that debuted last month from Dark Horse Comics. Taking place after Satan’s death and Pandemonium’s fall, Nothing But Blood follows Hellboy stepping up to save a young woman being chased by winged beasts. However, his good intentions could spell more trouble for our hero, become mired in an uncertain situation that is not all that it seems.
I had the chance to talk to Cyrille Pomès recently about how he became involved, revisiting Hellboy’s Hell with Mike Mignola, preparing for tackling illustrating the comic, and his favorite part of working on the miniseries.
Pomès talks about paying tribute to Mignola’s work without copying him and giving his own take on Hellboy’s world, and Pomès has certainly done that. Every page is bounding with an energy that’s moving and filled with uncertainty, perfectly complimenting the story. It’s been so nice revisiting Hellboy after the character’s final chapter 10 years ago, and Mignola and Pomès are working perfectly in sync to give readers another ride following the hero’s swan song.
FreakSugar: Before we get into the comic itself, how did you become involved in working on Hellboy in Hell: Nothing But Blood?
Cyrille Pomès: I first met Mike through Facebook and the compliments he regularly gave on my posts, before meeting him later in Los Angeles—where he was living at the time—over lunch, during which I didn’t beat around the bush and asked him if we could work together.
Mike had the beginning of the script for Nothing But Blood sitting in his drawer, and spontaneously suggested dusting it off.
FS: Where do we find Hellboy in the first issue? What can you tell us about what sets him out on this adventure?
CP: Hellboy steps in to save a young woman being chased by winged beasts deep in Hell in the midst of an uprising against the most powerful demons. But nothing — and no one — are what they seem to be.
FS: Your linework is so mesmerizing and ethereally kinetic, a perfect aesthetic for the “who do you trust” vibe of the first issue. What is your approach to illustrating the book?
CP: I felt the need to practice for months to draw a Hellboy that would be both faithful to Mike’s and entirely my own, with nearly daily roughs in my sketchbooks.
Photographs were what helped me the most to bring to life the forest and the chapel, which are the two central setting elements of the story. Photos of gothic chapels, twisted staircases, broken mirrors… and dozens of photos of dead trees!
It was the best way to make Mike’s universe my own without copying it: going back through photographic reality to offer my own interpretation of it.
FS: Following up on that, what is your collaboration like with Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart, and Clem Robins?
CP: Mike gave me a huge amount of freedom in staging the two issues, as well as a hand in writing the second one, and Dave came on board to bring all his talent while respecting the Hellboy in Hell visual style, with its dark colors and ash-gray skies.
FS: It seems like you’re having a lot of fun working on this book, judging by the art alone. What’s been your favorite part of delving into the world of Hellboy?
CP: I really enjoyed drawing the action scenes scattered throughout the two issues, tackling those epic battles of HB against giant monsters that are a genre in themselves.
Staging Hellboy’s more contemplative wandering through the desolate landscapes of Hell, with his monolithic and powerful poses, was also a wonderful challenge.
FS: Following up on that, what does working on this comic give you creatively that’s different or similar to your other work?
CP: This adventure allowed me to let loose the American comics influence already present in my drawing, notably through the use of solid black shapes to radically mark out shadows, something I very rarely do in my usual books.
FS: Can you tease anything we will see in the two-parter?
CP: I would kick myself for revealing too much about the story, but I can tell you that we’re dealing with a narrative that follows the red devil’s poetic and dark tradition, and that through my artwork, I tried to pay tribute to him while putting my own unique stamp on it.
Hellboy in Hell: Nothing But Blood #2 goes on sale Wednesday, November 18, 2026, from Dark Horse Comics.
From the official issue description:
After mistakenly falling in with a demon in his quest to save an innocent, Hellboy finds himself at the center of Hell in the midst of the fallout from Satan’s murder.
Mike Mignola is joined by artist Cyrille Pomès (Moon, 6,000 Miles to Freedom), colorist Dave Stewart, and letterer Clem Robins for this misadventure in Pandemonium set after the events of Hellboy in Hell #8: “The Hounds of Pluto” Part Two.
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Series finale!
