In January, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and writer/artist Ray Allen will collaborate with colorist Michelle Madsen and letterer Clem Robbins to create Carmen Red Claw: Belly of the Beast, the first in a four-issue limited series that connects Mignola’s Lobster John lore to the broader Hellboy universe. Today, The Beat has an exclusive preview of its debut issue.
Carmen Red Claw is a descendant of the privateer El Bogavante, who first appeared in the 2014 series Lobster Johnson: Get the Lobster by Mignola, John Arcudi, and Tonch Zonjic. In this new series, she takes on a job that may or may not be supernatural in nature.
Carmen Red Claw, a supernatural gun-for-hire and shape-shifting descendant of the infamous El Bogavante, confronts a new species of monster while investigating a purportedly cursed ranch. Something is killing the cows in the area, but Carmen must find out if it’s really the beast’s fault, or if humans are the real monsters here.
Check out interior art and covers by Allen and Mignola below.
Cover by Ray Allen Cover by Mike Mignola
“I had wanted to find a project for Rey for a long time, and finally, I had the good sense to ask her if she had any ideas, and she did,” Mignola said. “She had six ideas, all of which were great. But I was really impressed with this one: she was able to create an entire character and situation based on such a small part of Lobster Johnson’s history.
“It’s been such a fun addition to the Hellboy world. I went on and on about the details, but it was all fun and easy. She’s fun to work with, and I hope this is just the beginning,” he continued.
Allen said, “One of my favorite parts of ‘Hellboy’ is the fusion of classic folklore and the ‘Hellboy’ worldview. A lot of that ground has already been picked up in Europe, but what about from America? I was a big fan of “Traveling” (aired from 1958 to 1960) and thought a Paladin-style gun hire in the supernatural Old West, facing off against Native American, Colonial, and Minolaverse monsters, would be great.” It’s fun.
“And why not add a lizard-shouldered demon?” Allen continued. “Mike and I brainstormed ideas with each other to come up with a story that we thought everyone would really enjoy, and we look forward to presenting Lakota folklore inspired by Yankton Dakota author Zitkala Sa, enriched with help from our friend Shyla King.”
Carmen Red Claw: Belly of the Beast #1 will be available digitally and at local comic shops on January 7, 2026.
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