Hellboy creator Mike Mignola has had a busy 2022, both in the Hellboy universe and in other terrifying worlds. But none of these projects have hit quite like Mignola and Rachele Aragno’s Leonide the Vampyr: Miracle at the Crow’s Head. That’s why we’re so happy to see that standalone comic get a sequel timed to the holiday season.
Mignola and Aragno are returning to this whimsically dark world with Leionide the Vampyr: A Christmas for Crows. This follow-up story is designed to be a Christmas carol in comic book form, one centered around this deceptively dangerous vampire. Get an exclusive first look at the sequel in the slideshow gallery below:
As the preview shows, the basic premise behind A Christmas for Crows is pretty similar to the original. Leonide’s coffin shows up in a remote village, and the unsuspecting townsfolk are completely unaware they’re walking into a bloodbath. But there’s a major wrinkle this time. The undead priest from the first story is doggedly pursuing her across this haunted land. Will he bring an end to Leonide’s cruel games, or will the holiday spirit be enough to mold these enemies into friends?
“As a child I loved copying the comics of the great masters, especially Mike Mignola,” Aragno tells IGN. “The first thing that struck me about his art—and changed my vision of the world of comics was the use of shadows: so clear and dark. And then there’s Mike’s ability to make gloomy but extremely empathetic scenes and characters. And everything’s placed exactly where it should be. Not even the smallest stroke was done by accident. I loved it.”
“We first worked with Rachele when she did a variant for our first Young Hellboy series, and we loved her style and whimsical storytelling,” adds Dark Horse editor Katii O’Brien. “With Leonide the Vampyr, her characters and settings are both fanciful and dark, and she and Mike together have created a sweet but slightly sinister new world.”
Leonyde the Vampyr: A Christmas for Crows is priced at $3.99 and will be released in print and digital forms on Wednesday December 14. You can preorder the book on Amazon and various other retailers.
Be sure to check out IGN’s nominees for the best comic book series or original graphic novel of 2022.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
About Post Author
