Interview with Rob Williams

A joy. I’ve been reading Hellboy and B.P.R.D. comics for the last couple of decades, probably. I’m a fan and have huge admiration for the work Mike and his key collaborators have done on this universe. So, your initial reaction is to go “exciting!” and then the fear creeps in. The standards in this world are so remarkably high that you don’t want to let them slide down. Fortunately I was collaborating with Laurence Campbell on Sword of Hyperborea, and Laurence is one of the best around. It’s a very collegial group in the creative process, jumping on Zoom calls with Laurence, Mike, Katii O’Brien, and the Hellboy editorial team. Everyone was very welcoming. Mike had a plot in mind for a Gall Dennar story that we built out from. Laurence and I talked a lot about the story and the world before scripting began. It was fun.

Like any story with some emotional resonance, it’s about finding a theme that speaks to you. Here it’s “How do you keep going in a world without hope?” What is there for Gall Dennar to continue fighting for when we know the overall ending of the Hellboy and B.P.R.D. story is one of a long defeat? Is that really any different for us, knowing that somewhere out there, death’s waiting for us too? But we find love, we find things worth fighting for, worth living for. That’s Gall’s journey in issue #1. And then in issues #2-#4, we introduce brand new sword-bearers that readers have never met before, and they have their own curses and wants and battles to fight. We’re adding to the world here, not just playing cover tunes.

Argh, good question. I’ve been fortunate enough to write in the Marvel and DC universes, and in Star Sars and Judge Dredd and Doctor Who. I struggle to think of a piece of lore I have a strong desire to write for. If somebody wants to pay me to write some comics set in the “Cheers” universe, I’d be up for that. I realize that’s a tough ask.