The Right Hand of Doom

The Right Hand of Doom is a short story that serves to recap the ongoing Hellboy series for new readers while revealing new details about the Right Hand of Doom.

Publication History

The Right Hand of Doom was published in black and white, as part of the Dark Horse Presents Annual 1998, in August 1998 (dated September). The story was reprinted in color in Hellboy – Volume 4: The Right Hand of Doom. In the trade, this story was connected to Box Full of Evil by way of a new epilogue.

Synopsis

Hellboy travels to Spain to meet with a priest Adrian Frost, son of Malcolm Frost. Malcolm had been present at Hellboy's 'birth' and had spent eight years trying to have Hellboy destroyed. Adrian Frost shows Hellboy a scrap of paper written in Lemurian, with a picture of Hellboy's hand that reads "Behold The Right Hand of Doom." Adrian Frost agrees to give the text to Hellboy in return for hearing Hellboy's life story.

Hellboy recounts his 'birth' in England, childhood in New Mexico and his joining of the B.P.R.D. in 1952. Briefly Hellboy describes the events of Seed of Destruction, The Chained Coffin and Wake the Devil focusing on his alleged destiny. Frost asks about the Hand, and Hellboy suggests he might cut it off, but Frost retorts that it would never be safe. Hellboy leaves with the blessing of Adrian Frost, still skeptical of his 'destiny.'

Story Chronology

Hellboy: The Companion places this story in July 1998. The year can also be determined from the story: Hellboy says that Trevor Bruttenholm was killed four years ago, and Seed of Destruction took place in 1994.

The Right Hand of Doom takes place between Abe Sapien versus Science and Box Full of Evil.

Content

Characters

• B.P.R.D.
  • Hellboy
• Frost Family
  • Adrian Frost
  • Malcolm Frost (Photograph, Flashback)
• Cynthia Eden-Jones (Flashback)
• Witches/Wizards
  • Rasputin (Flashback)
  • Sarah Hughes (Flashback)
  • Hecate (Flashback)
• Demons
  • Azzael (Flashback)

Locations

• Spain
  • Lizarza Monastery
• England
  • East Bromwich church ruins (Flashback)
• U.S.A.
  • Peerlo Air Force Base (New Mexico) (Photograph)
  • Cavendish Hall (Upstate New York) (Flashback)
• Romania
  • Giurescu Castle (Flashback)

Noteworthy Artifacts

• Malcolm Frost's note on the Right Hand of Doom
• Right Hand of Doom (Separated from Hellboy) (Vision)

Hellboy: Blood and Iron

In the Hellboy Animated movie Blood and Iron, a parchment fragment, just like the one in The Right Hand of Doom can be seen in a flashback towards the end of the movie. In the scene Malcolm Frost and Trevor Bruttenholm briefly discuss the parchment.