Comics
‘Hellboy’ Spinoff Comic ‘The Foundry’ Coming from Mike Mignola & ‘iZombie’ Creator [Exclusive]
Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is teaming with iZombie creator Chris Roberson for The Foundry: In Peril on the Seas, a four-issue miniseries set in the Hellboy universe.
We have an exclusive look at Christopher Mitten‘s cover art for the first issue, releasing August 12 via Dark Horse Comics.
Featuring characters from Witchfinder and Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club, the comic is co-written by Mignola and Roberson with art by Mitten, colors by Michelle Madsen, and letters by Clem Robins.
The globe-trotting adventure follows Queen Victoria’s secret agency as they travel the world seeking supernatural-powered technologies and the stories of the civilizations that harnessed them — for good and for evil.
“Long before Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. defended the world against supernatural threats of all types, the men and women of the Foundry protected Queen Victoria’s Empire,” explains Roberson. “But the operatives of the Foundry were adventurers and explorers with no time for the paranormal or the occult, only interested in the scientific applications of the artifacts that their expeditions uncovered or what engineering marvels could be devised from ancient discoveries.”
Roberson continues, “In The Foundry: In Peril on the Seas, Major Karam Singh and his fellow members of the Foundry go in search of an unknown menace that appears to threaten enemies and allies alike, unsure whether they are in pursuit of some sort of monster or something far worse.”
“This is a really fun corner of the universe in which to wander and explore; finally seeing the Foundry in more detail than we have before is exciting,” adds Mitten. “Chris, as he always does, infuses the book with such intrigue and heart, giving all these characters their proper moments to shine. He’s a remarkably gifted writer, and he makes it all feel effortless. Having the chance to again work with this team, these wonderful people with whom I’ve been telling these stories for the last decade, is truly such a joy.”
“We like to explore the dark corners of the Hellboy universe, and it’s always important to us that each story stands on its own and is a story worth telling and worth reading,” says editor Katii O’Brien. “The Foundry is no exception to that, and is a deep-cut look at humanity’s exploration into science and the supernatural long before the B.P.R.D. comes on the scene, but that has both ties to and implications for the Hellboy universe as a whole.”
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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