HELLBOY 20th Art Show

For the upcoming Guillermo del Toro: In Service of Monsters art show, curator, Chogrin, invited artist extraordinaire, Mike Butkus, with the task to create a concept movie poster of what Hellboy 3 might look like. This is based on an epilogue that was never shot for Hellboy 2 and lots of fan wishful thinking. Let’s analyze this art below:

HELLBOY’S FATHER Hellboy’s dad plays a key part in Hellboy being the beast of the apocalypse (in the comic). Hellboy’s dad is Azzael, and who better to play him than Tom Waits! After all, Hellboy is introduced to his music playing in the first movie, and Ron Perlman has always wanted to work with him on something since they look alike.

LIZ, THE ANGEL OF DEATH, AND THE TWINS In Hellboy 2, the Angel of Death makes a deal with Liz to save Hellboy’s life. The Angel warns Liz about Hellboy’s path to end the word. Liz still chooses to save him. This key scene will definitely come into play in the third film, as well as the twins that Liz mentioned she was expecting at the end of movie 2. 

THE SUSPECTED VILLAINS In the Hellboy II: The art of the movie book (last page), it is revealed that Kroenen & Rasputin are back! Bringing a “Conqueror Worm” type set up to the beginning of what the third film might be. Kroenen the immortal masochistic nazi is back! But this time in a giant mecha suit with his head floating in a glass jar. The last time we saw Rasputin, Hellboy stabbed him in the stomach with his horns! Now he’s back in ghost form and angrier than ever! 

LOBSTER JOHNSON, JOHANN, AND ABE And last, but not least, it has always been rumored that Bruce Campbell would play Hellboy comic favorite, Lobster Johnson! Which would go along with that “Conqueror Worm” set up described in the epilogue. Maybe we will even see Johann’s origin that was teased in movie 2 too?

Or  how about Abe’s origin? It would be fantastic to see Doug Jones play Abe Sapien’s human counterpart, Langdon Everrett Caul.

A lot of this information comes from this page of Hellboy II: The art of the movie book:

Another piece of art exclusively made for the show is by Blake Armstrong and art directed by Chogrin. Could this be an intro to Hellboy 3? Having Hellboy roam the jungles of South America in the 60s, looking for escaped Nazi scientist, Herman Von Klempt (portrayed in this poster by actor Burn Gorman)? This would maybe play into the plot later? Again, giving the movie a lot of “Conqueror Worm” vibes based on the epilogue. And of course Kriegaffe #10 is there too! This piece is more of Chogrin’s wishful thinking as a fan of the comics and movies though. 

Both these original pieces of art will be available starting tonight at GUILLERMO DEL TORO: IN SERVICE OF MONSTERS at Gallery 1988 West from 7-10pm. You don’t want to miss this amazing art gallery that truly honors the filmography of one the greatest visionaries in cinema history, Guillermo del Toro.

I wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes look of my Hellboy design (“Anung Un Rama, the beast with the heart of gold”) currently on display for the Hellboy 20th Anniversary Art Show at Hero Complex Gallery. 

To me, Hellboy is one of the richest treasures of Illustration & storytelling combined. (Mike) Mignola is a true master, who makes everything he draws look flawless, yet you can trace the evolution of his craft over the years. This is one of the many reasons I’ve found myself feasting on his books over & over again (good eye protein). You can always tell it is about quality. That’s something I highly admire and try to incorporate in all of my work and my life in general. 

When I started to work on my tribute I was frustrated because I wanted to draw 20 different images I had thumbnailed, but none of them satisfied me. I wanted something that combined them into one…one meaningful love letter that said it all. I kept going back to a doodle I had done 4 years back of Hellboy bearing his heart (which is heavily inspired by the cover of “Hellboy - the island #2,” which is my favorite Hellboy illustration (see first pic above)). I thought about Hellboy’s dual roles of protector & destroyer, and ultimately his sacrifice for the greater good.

What you see above is a layer by layer summary from start to finish. If you got this far, thank-you for reading!

Best,