Hellboy and Anastasia head to Iceland to look for a network of occultists! Discover more about their relationship in Hellboy in Love: The Art of Fire #1 from Dark Horse Comics!
HELLBOY IN LOVE: THE ART OF FIRE #1 
Writer: Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
Artist: Alex Nieto
Colorist: Alex Nieto
Letterer: Clem Robins
Editor: Katii O’Brien
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: August 6, 2025
Previously in Hellboy: Hellboy, a character created by Mike Mignola, is a half-demon summoned from Hell to Earth. He has long worked with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Currently, he’s on leave, focusing on developing his relationship with Anastasia Bransfield.
Hellboy in Love: The Art of Fire #1 opens with a picnic date between Stasia and Hellboy, but things aren’t all rosy. Stasia has had a rough day at work, with her boss pressuring her to reconsider her relationship with Hellboy. Hoping to cheer her up, Hellboy surprises her with tickets to Iceland to revisit a strange event from her past. She once discovered ancient writing and a body that predates the volcanoes, and now they’re off to investigate.
Once there, they find the ancient body and begin a necromantic spell to question the spirit. Despite the spell’s weakening effects, the spirit still has enough power to alter the weather drastically. As Hellboy and Stasia try to control the spirit and get answers, it becomes clear that the volcano might erupt, and the spirit may have possessed the local trees to come to life!
I really like Hellboy, and I think the character still has a ton of story potential. But in Hellboy in Love: The Art of Fire #1, I felt like he lost some of his usual charm. I didn’t really get the sense of humor that’s often part of his appeal, and I found myself struggling to remember or understand the context of this particular situation.
The plot has a solid hook and is both well-written and well-drawn, but I didn’t feel that spark of excitement. The emotional draw seems to be the relationship between Hellboy and Anastasia, but that dynamic felt more like a backdrop to Anastasia’s personal excitement about going to Iceland and solving the mystery. Still, the execution is strong, and I’ll always enjoy the unique Hellboy art style.
I’m curious to see where the story goes and want to know more about this mysterious figure. But I’m not fully drawn back into the Hellboy universe, at least not yet. The ideas are interesting, but they don’t quite cross the line into greatness. Hellboy in Love: The Art of Fire #1 gets a 3.5 out of 5 stars from me.
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Hellboy in Love: The Art of Fire #1
Hellboy in Love: The Art of Fire #1 is a decent story, but it misses that wow factor.
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Writing6
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Art8
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Coloring7
Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com