After giving readers a closer look at the “wide-eyed innocence” and admirable courage of Hellboy in his formative years in the comic book miniseries The Hidden Land and Assault on Castle Death, Thomas Sniegoski is reteaming with co-writer Mike Mignola and artist Craig Rousseau for the new four-issue series Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures!
Following a classic pulp-style “story within a story” featuring the Sky Devil herself, Scarlett Santiago, the first issue of Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures has now landed on comic shop shelves via Dark Horse, and we caught up with Thomas Sniegoski in a new Q&A feature to discuss getting the creative “band” back together for another Young Hellboy tale, further exploring the adolescent version of Hellboy who doesn’t yet bear “the scars of time,” and the joys of continuing to collaborate with Mike Mignola in his ever-expanding Hellboy universe, which led to Sniegoski creating a backstory for a previous Mignola drawing that has now become the character of Ghost Leopard!
Below, you can read our full Q&A with Thomas Sniegoski, and we also have the official press release and a look at preview pages and cover art for Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures #1 (including the main cover by Craig Rousseau and the variant cover by David Hitchcock).
To learn more about Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures #1 and other exciting releases, be sure to visit Dark Horse Comics’ official website!
Thank you for taking the time to answer questions for us, Thomas, and congratulations on Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures! How did the opportunity to write another Young Hellboy adventure come about, and when did you and Mike Mignola initially come up with the idea for this particular tale?
Thomas Sniegoski: There had always been the hope that we would do more Young Hellboy stories, and after the first series, Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land, we’d talked about wanting to do something more with our pulp adventure character, Scarlett Santiago (before she was sharing her material form with a giant ape god!). We figured this third series would be the perfect place to do something more with Scarlett.
You’ve reteamed with artist Craig Rousseau for Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures. How important was it to you and Mike to get the band back together and maintain that wonderful visual style that Craig established in Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land?
Thomas Sniegoski: Besides wanting to have a certain consistency with these series, Craig is just the perfect fit for the Young Hellboy stories. I don’t think there’s anyone better for these types of stories. When coming up with the story and scenes for Thrilling Sky Adventures, Craig’s art style was always on my mind.
What do you enjoy the most about writing Hellboy in his formative years, and how different (or similar) is he at that young age compared to his adult years?
Thomas Sniegoski: There’s actually a pretty big difference between young and old. The older version of the character has years of experiences that color his attitude and ways of thinking about his world. He bears the scars of time both literally and figuratively. The younger version is still fresh, unscathed by the world. Still waiting to be shaped by his experiences. Playing with Young Hellboy’s wide-eyed innocence makes writing this version of the character extremely fun.
What can readers expect to find within the pages of this latest Young Hellboy adventure, and what do you hope they ultimately take away from this story?
Thomas Sniegoski: They can expect a rousing adventure in the classic pulp style of storytelling. This series is done as a story-within-a-story style. We have Young Hellboy devouring Thrilling Sky Adventure comics featuring Scarlett Santiago, the Sky Devil. As he reads, we are pulled into the actual adventure that she’s experiencing. And, as far as what readers will take away, they’ll get a real sense of how much Mike, myself, and Craig really love these characters.
What has it been like to work with Mike Mignola to continue creating new stories in his epic Hellboy universe?
Thomas Sniegoski: It’s a dream come true, really. I’m beyond honored that Mike trusts me with these characters and allows me to continue to create and come up with their stories. Mike even trusted me to develop a character that he had drawn years and years ago. I’d seen this drawing of a character and asked Mike about him—who was he, what was his story? Mike said he had nothing, it was just a drawing that he’d done. Remembering that character, I thought he might make a cool addition to this miniseries. Mike gave me his blessing to create a backstory and name this mysterious new character in the Mignolaverse. And that’s how Ghost Leopard was born.
What advice would you give to writers who are just getting started?
Thomas Sniegoski: Read all sorts of things: comics, books, newspapers, fiction, nonfiction… everything. And then, write. Experiment with all sorts of writing, but you need to do it all the time. One needs to exercise that creative muscle or it will never develop. I think if somebody is serious about possibly becoming a writer, I’m guessing they’re already doing that. I believe us writer types know at an early age what we are.
With Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures #1 now landing on comic shop shelves, what other projects (Young Hellboy or otherwise) do you have coming up that you can tease for our readers?
Thomas Sniegoski: I’ve got some things that I’m working on that I can’t quite talk about yet due to the fact they haven’t been announced, but let’s say there are some really exciting projects coming down the line. One of the projects I can talk about is a graphic novel that I did with my writing partner, Jeannine Acheson, called Nothing Can Stop… The Ape! And that comes out from Mad Cave Studios/Papercutz on July 21st, 2026. It’s drawn by Craig Rousseau as well, and it’s as crazy as the title sounds.
Thank you very much for your time, Thomas!
Thomas Sniegoski: You are so welcome!
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From the Press Release: Legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is reuniting with acclaimed writer Thomas E. Sniegoski and renowned artist Craig Rousseau for a brand-new adventure from Hellboy’s youth. Written by Mignola and Sniegoski, with art from Rousseau, colors by Chris O’Halloran, and letters from Clem Robins, Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures will be a fun-filled four-issue miniseries starring Young Hellboy and his hero Scarlett Santiago. Each issue will feature covers by Rousseau and a variant cover. Issue #1 will feature a variant cover drawn by David Hitchcock and a Blank ‘Sketch Variant’ cover.
Fans first met the swashbuckling airborne adventurer Scarlett Santiago in Mignola, Sniegoski, and Rousseau’s 2021 Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land, when she helped Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm navigate an island of mysterious monsters and vampires. Now the pulp-inspired hero stars in her very own comic book, and young Hellboy is still her number one fan. In this comic adventure within a comic adventure, Scarlett Santiago may have vanquished too many villains and made too many enemies to keep a low profile on the streets anymore. To keep herself safe and defeat the bad guys who are after her, she teams up with a mysterious, feline figure who has similar goals.The new heroic duo goes toe to toe with new dastardly foes in a series that’s sure to entertain Hellboy and Hellboy’s fans alike.
“Since wrapping up the Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land, I’d been thinking about Scarlett Santiago, the Sky Devil, and how much we still didn’t know about her past adventures (before being possessed by the spirit of a giant ape god),” Explains writer Thomas E. Sniegoski. “I was hoping that there would be a way to tell some of Sky Devil’s earlier exploits, and with Thrilling Sky Adventures, we’re getting to do just that. The whole team has excitedly returned, Mike Mignola and I coming up with the story, Craig Rousseau on art, Chris O’Halloran on colors and Clem Robins doing the lettering. The series is coming out great, and I can’t wait for folks to be immersed in its pulpy goodness!”
“Having the opportunity to work on more Young Hellboy is an absolute treat,” says artist Craig Rousseau. “It’s fun working with some of my all time favorite creative partners to expand on the story of Scarlett Santiago, Sky Devil and introduce The Ghost Leopard. Every script gets bigger and crazier and Tom and Mike know how to write some wild pulpy adventure to expand her backstory (and getting me to draw gangsters, biplanes, wild animals, crazy monsters and so much more). Speaking of which, back to the drawing board!”
Young Hellboy: Thrilling Sky Adventures #1 is due out on May 20, 2026 from Dark Horse Comics. Follow Dark Horse Comics on social media for more news, announcements, and updates.
Cover Art by Craig Rousseau
Variant Cover Art by David Hitchcock
Blank “Sketch Variant” Cover
