What's Hellboy Promo #2

[ZedsDead]

I've just bought Seed of Destruction 1-4, but I'm not sure what comes next, is it Promo #2 (whatever that means?) or Wake the Devil?

http://community.comicbookresources....=3714#post3714

[Joker]

Wake the Devil. I believe that list is saying Promo 1 and 2 are in the Seed of Destruction trade, but I could be wrong. Haven't looked at mine in years, now.

[middenway]

I've just bought Seed of Destruction 1-4, but I'm not sure what comes next, is it Promo #2 (whatever that means?) or Wake the Devil?

http://community.comicbookresources....=3714#post3714

Promo #1 and Promo #2 are both in the Hellboy: Seed of Destruction trade. They are little pieces and far from essential.

[Joker]

This reminded me that I never read the little back ups that ran during some of Fegredo's run. How Koshchei Became Deathless and...? Were those essential?

[LobsterJohnson]

This reminded me that I never read the little back ups that ran during some of Fegredo's run. How Koshchei Became Deathless and...? Were those essential?

I don't think so. I think it was How Koschei Became Deathless and a Baba Yaga story, and they are collected in the Hellboy: Weird Tales hardcover. Not essential, but they are good, especially the Koschei one. Some of Guy Davis's best work.

[Kees_L]

The promo's appear to have been made to be serving the purpose of indicating the look and feel to Hellboy as a comics title, prior to or around the time of the first Hellboy mini-series being published.
Promo's for large catalogs and SDCC as reaching the audiences that would want to know about such, being:

- San Diego Comic Con Comics #2 (august 1993) Hellboy vs. Anubis 4-page B&W story;
- 'Mike Mignola’s Hellboy: World’s Greatest Paranormal Investigator' "Supplement to Comics Buyer’s Guide" B&W 4-page insert into Diamond Catalog #1070 (may 1994);
- 'Celebrating Diversity' "Hi, My Name Is Hellboy" B&W 1-page insert into a (october 1994) Previews Catalog;

All three of these are collected and reprinted and/or colorized into the Hellboy: Seed of Destruction TPB (october 1994) together with other published both as unpublished promo material.

Since they are promo's and introductory in nature they don't seek to offer continuity-altering information all that much but they are all of the same feel and quality as the comics I would think. Otherwise they likely wouldn't have been collected in every Seed of Destruction TPB since.
Although only the Hellboy vs Anubis really presents a full-fleshed story, albeit one which seems especially 'balls out' or unrestrained. Which I feel to enjoy, as what folklore or weirdness to it seems very American or unforeign: a gas station along some desert Route with one Prime and Leading Figure in the Demon World posing as some grumpy sleepy fleabag mutt of a dog, being to come alive on Big Red at a certain point. I would call such essential if any such could be your kind-of-thing.

[Kees_L]

This reminded me that I never read the little back ups that ran during some of Fegredo's run. How Koshchei Became Deathless and...? Were those essential?

Meh, taking a dump would be essential provided you'd be needing to.

These backup features were done to even out the pagebreaks per issue, due to a lapse of time needing to occur between the first 4 installments and the latter 4 to Hellboy: the Wild Hunt.
A pause or lapse needing to occur mid-series because mr Mike was needed at the filmset of Hellboy II, after which the writing or working on finishing the Wild Hunt was proceeded with, both as with the overall comics roster as evened out as nicely as could be. If I got that right at all.

They appear to be cool backups and feature Guy Davis toying with Hellboy stuff more rather than just BPRD-related stuff. They wouldn't seem torture to read I'd find .

[Joker]

Sounds good! Thanks for the info gents.

[ZedsDead]

They wouldn't seem torture to read I'd find .

I would if I could! My minor OCD means I must read them!!
I've searched ebay, but these little buggers are hard to find!

[Kees_L]

I would if I could! My minor OCD means I must read them!!
I've searched ebay, but these little buggers are hard to find!

The many collected editions would be your best bet, I'm positive they're available within both as outside the UK.

[middenway]

Yeah, Kees is right. Everything goes to the collections eventually. If you want it all, they're the best way to read it.