Good news for fans of the Hellboy Universe! The creator himself, Mike Mignola, is joining forces with writer/artist Rae Allen for a brand new paranormal Western comic series titled Carmen Red Claw: Belly of the Beast. This latest story isn’t just a one-off adventure. It’s a four-issue series that connects directly to the lore of Lobster Johnson, adding a fun, fresh layer to the universe we all love.
Mignola and Allen co-write the series. Art is by Allen, colors from Michelle Madsen, and letters from Clem Robins. You can also expect some incredible covers, with variants from Mignola, Jake Parker, Tonci Zonjic, and Benjamin Schipper.
Mignola himself sounds thrilled about the project, saying he’s “wanted to find a project for Rae for a long time.” He was particularly impressed that Allen was able to “create an entire character and situation based on a super tiny bit of a Lobster Johnson history.” He added that working with Allen was a “joy” and he hopes “this is only the beginning.”
So who is Carmen Red Claw? She’s a descendant of the notorious privateer El Bogavante. He’s a character who first appeared in the 2014 series Lobster Johnson: Get The Lobster. Carmen is a shape-shifting, supernatural gun-for-hire. She finds herself in 1870s New Mexico territory. She’s there to investigate a supposedly cursed ranch where something is brutally killing the cattle. It’s up to her to figure out if a monstrous beast is to blame, or if the real monsters are human. The story also incorporates Lakota folklore, enriched with the help of her friend Shiala King.
Rae Allen shared her inspiration for the series, explaining her love for “the merging of classic folklore with the Hellboy universe.” She drew from Have Gun Will Travel and wanted to create a “Paladin-style gun-for-hire in a supernatural Old West.”
Carmen Red Claw: Belly of the Beast #1 is set to hit shelves on January 7, 2025, from Dark Horse Comics. Get ready to saddle up for a supernatural adventure!
