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A small community on the Labrador coast is shrouded in fog and terrorized by ghosts, but world-famous paranormal investigator Hellboy is on the scene.
This is the premise Ghost ships of Labradora new comic book story co-written by Hellboy created by Mike Mignola and Rob Williams, illustrated by Lawrence Campbell. This is the latest installment in the popular and long-running comic book series, set around the world and now in Red Bay, Labrador.
“I love the idea of this little town of about 100 people or more and then suddenly one day there's a big fog and there are ghosts everywhere,” Williams said on CBC Radio. Labrador Morning.
In this new Hellboy adventure Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) send exorcist Agatha Blunt, who uses a wheelchair and is helped by her dog Elba, to Red Bay – only for the couple to go missing.
That's when Hellboy heads out into the community.
Williams said he became interested in Basque whalers who made the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain to Labrador in the 1600s. During his readings, he came across the ship San Juan, which sank off the coast of Labrador in 1565.
IN Hellboy The story goes that the San Juan is a ghost ship that sails the ocean, forcing ghosts to join its crew.
“If you are caught by the San Juan, you will be in her brig forever. Hellboy along the way,” Williams said.
After the first issue was published, Williams said he learned that it coincided with replica of San Juan he was again lowered into the sea, “which amazed us.”
He said he was interested in digging into the history of the area as part of his research.
“That's part of the fun of writing these stories. You can…be a little historian for a couple of days, doing research. And it's amazing, you know, the worlds you discover,” he said.
The first issue was released in November, and the last part Ghost ships of Labrador scheduled for release in January.
Hellboy debuted in 1993 and tells the story of the half-demon of the same name.
“The best Hellboy the stories are always based on real folk tales,” Williams said.
This time the inspiration was a map of Newfoundland and Labrador with a ghost ship posted on the Internet.
“Some kind soul made a list of all the sightings and the places where they happened. And what was… seen there,” Williams said.
“Glad to hear”
Karin Murray-Bergquist, a PhD candidate in folklore at Memorial University, is the creator of this map. It denotes legends and their locations.
And when is new Hellboy the issue was published and messages started coming in, she said.
“People were sending me a link to this new episode and saying, 'Look, the ghost ships of Labrador.' And I thought, 'Wow, that's a funny coincidence,'” she said.
When CBC News told her that her research helped inspire the new issue's story, Murray-Bergquist said she couldn't believe it.
“I was really excited as a writer. It's really nice to know that someone's research can be used in a creative way,” she said. “I was very happy to hear that.”
She said she knew about Hellboy comics, but never read them.
“Now I'm curious. I'm really interested in learning more,” Murray-Bergquist said.
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