Crossovers We Want To See: Hellboy/Fringe
By T.J. Dietsch
Welcome to Crossovers We Want to See, a fairly self-explanatory recurring feature in which we pitch the meeting of a pair of characters or teams from different comic companies. Playing editor, we'll dream up writer and artist combinations and basic story points.
Hellboy/Fringe: The Edge of Reality
Written and drawn by Mike Mignola
Story: Back in the late 70s, Hellboy had a run-in with a nasty demon possessing reality-altering powers. Just as our hero lays the killing blow, the demon strikes Hellboy with a curse that sends him spiraling through a dimensional rift landing him smack in the middle of Massachusetts, though not the one from his universe. Hellboy is soon tracked down by a young Walter Bishop, who has been studying dimensional science. The two men would compare notes, though Hellboy's world of magic and demons won’t quite jive with Walter's hard science. They don’t have much time to argue as the siblings of the demon Hellboy killed earlier seek him out for revenge. When the dust settles with our heroes victorious, Hellboy convinces one of the demons to send him home in exchange for sparing his life. Hellboy and Walter say their goodbyes, but have no idea that their paths will cross again in modern times when the demon returns, more powerful than ever, in the Fringe universe. Once again, Hellboy will find himself helping Walter out, though this time joined by Walter's son Peter and their associate Olivia Dunham.
The worlds of Hellboy and Fringe have so many similarities that they would make for a fantastic crossover and who better to handle the proceedings than Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, no stranger to complex worlds or teams of eccentric characters dealing with the abnormal. We'd like to see what he does with the characters established in Fox's more science-based show as well as the comics from Wildstorm/DC (including this week's Tales from the Fringe #5), just to see how he handles more traditional science-fiction elements in addition to the folk lore and demonology he usually references.
Mignola has created such a deep and rich history with the character of Hellboy as well as the greater Hellboy universe which includes spin-off title B.P.R.D. and this week's Hellboy: Beasts of Burden with Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, that the Fringe characters could easily fit in and not seem shoehorned like so many crossovers do. Someone get these camps in a room and hash this out because it's too good not to actually create.
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