The Iron Shoes
| Writer | Mike Mignola |
|---|---|
| Art | Mike Mignola |
| Colorist | James Sinclair |
| Lettering | Pat Brosseau |
| Editor | Scott Allie |
| Published by | Hellboy: The Corpse and The Iron Shoes |
| Issues | Hellboy #6 |
| Publication date | January 1996 |
| Collected edition | Hellboy – Volume 3: The Chained Coffin and Others |
| Collected in | Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories – Volume 1 |
The Iron Shoes is a short story by Mike Mignola.
Publication History
In January of 1996, when it was decided to collect The Corpse, a new short story was needed to fill out the issue. The six-page story The Iron Shoes was created and Hellboy: The Corpse and the Iron Shoes was born. In August 1998, the story was collected in Hellboy – Volume 3: The Chained Coffin and Others. Mike Mignola described it as not an actual story but just a weird encounter.
Synopsis
The story opens with two Folklore experts, Edwin D. Wolf and Katherine Boggs, who state that in general iron is potent against fairies and other supernatural creatures, but that some, like Iron Shoes, are immune and actually use iron to their advantage. In Ireland, 1961, Hellboy enters a ruined tower and is attacked by Iron Shoes who leaps out a window. Hellboy catches his neck with a lasso, and is pulled out of the tower. Then he drags Iron Shoes to a nearby church. As the church bell tolls, Iron Shoes crumbles to dust leaving only his shoes behind. Hellboy leaves the shoes with the church's priest. The story ends with the shoes sitting next to a statue.
Story Chronology
The story takes place in 1961, the same year as The Hydra and the Lion. When collected in chronological order for the Hellboy omnibus editions, it was placed prior to The Hydra and the Lion.
The Corpse and "World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator" (CBG) occurred two years earlier. In 1962, Hellboy met with Cynthia Eden-Jones shortly before she died,[1] on April 15th Elizabeth Sherman was born in Kansas City, Kansas,[2] and on October 3rd Hellboy killed Black Annis, the cannibal hag[3] The Troll-Witch takes place two years later in 1963.
Content
Characters
- B.P.R.D.
- Iron Shoes
- Edwin D. Wolf
- Katherine Boggs
- Father Mike
Locations
- Ireland
- Iron Shoes' Tower
- Father Mike's Church
Noteworthy artifacts
- Iron Shoes
Animated Version
An animated short version of The Iron Shoes was included on the DVD of Hellboy: Blood and Iron with the titular antagonist voiced by Dan Castellaneta.
Notes
1as revealed in The Chained Coffin ↑
2as stated in Seed of Destruction #2 & Wake the Devil #3 ↑
3as seen in The Wild Hunt #4. ↑