Beginning in late 2006, in conjunction with the release of the animated HELLBOY: THE SWORD OF STORMS DVD, Dark Horse Deluxe will launch a variety of comics and toys. The animated feature is being produced by Starz Media and released on DVD by Anchor Bay.
Inspired by Tad Stones and Jeff Matsuda, the look of the HELLBOY Animated line is quite different from the Mignola comics with its contemporary, stylistic feel. Taking a cue from that look, Dark Horse Deluxe will release two full-size limited-edition statues, both sculpted by Tony Cipriano, that will appear on store shelves just before the holidays. The first of these, Hellboy, features the muscular red demon in his billowing trench coat, posed with his gun ready to fire. Hellboys amphibious confidant, Abe Sapien, is posed and ready for action as the second statue.
The HELLBOY Animated line continues in full-force in early 2007, with the release of an original digest-size comic drawn in the animated style, a boxed set of three four-inch PVC figures, the first in a series of mini-busts and sculptural refrigerator magnets.
The busts are sculpted by top talent Tim Bruckner, and represent his first work for Dark Horse.
We are delighted to have Tim on board as weve been fans of his work for years, David Scroggy, Dark Horses vp of product development, noted. He really captured the new look of these characters, and was very successful in breathing life into them.
Dark Horse looked to Gentle Giant Studios for the creation of the PVC figures and the magnets.
Gentle Giant will be creating their own line of action figures and bust-up toys, Scroggy continued, so it made sense to collaborate with them on these items.
Originally developed as a popular comicbook by award-winning creator Mike Mignola, HELLBOY has rapidly expanded into the realm of feature films and merchandise.
Dark Horse plans to update the line with new releases throughout 2007.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
