Hellboy, a bloodred, cloven-hoofed demon raised by the United States government, is a top field agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He questions the unknown - then beats it into submission. In the upper reaches of the Himalayas, Hellboy\'s ex-girlfriend, archaeologist Anastasia Bransfield, believes she has found the location of the legendary "Dragon King Pool" - thought to be the ancient dwelling of an evil dragon who inflicted horrific devastation on the land and its people. Every year the villagers would sacrifice a child to placate the beast, until one day an unlikely hero fought the dragon and won, bringing peace and prosperity to the land. But Anastasia\'s triumph at her discovery is short-lived. Soon unearthly creatures are seen lurking around the dig site, someone is sabotaging the excavation with dire results, and the young daughter of one of the dig leaders goes missing. It looks like a job for Hellboy - but his toughest challenge might be putting his past with Anastasia behind him . . .

And you thought Hell was weird . . .Longtime contributor to the Hellboy mythos Christopher Golden brings together a crew of luminaries including Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba HoTep) and China Miéville (King Rat), crossgenre sensation Barbara Hambly (The Windrose Chronicles), celebrated mystery writer Ken Bruen (The Dramatist), bestselling science fiction and fantasy novelist Tad Williams (Otherland), and a bevy of other skilled storytellers eager to spin a tale or two about the world\'s greatest paranormal detective, as some of the biggest names in horror, mystery, and fantasy come together to pay homage to Mike Mignola\'s Hellboy!

Fifteen of the biggest names in weird literature come together to pay tribute to Hellboy and the characters of Mike Mignola's award-winning line of books! Assembled by Joe Golem and Baltimore co-writer Christopher Golden and featuring illustrations by Mike Mignola and Chris Priestley, the anthology boasts fifteen original stories by the best in horror, fantasy, and science fiction, including Seanan McGuire (October Daye series), Chelsea Cain (Heartsick), Jonathan Maberry (Joe Ledger series), and more! The new writer of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D., iZombie co-creator Chris Roberson, pitches in as well, and Chris Priestley (Tales of Terror) provides a story and an illustration! Each story illustrated by Mike Mignola!

Following the success of the 1996 illustrated novel Hellboy: The Lost Army, Dark Horse commissioned writer Christopher Golden (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Of Saints and Shadows) to gather some of the brightest creative lights in horror and mystery fiction to produce a prose anthology of Hellboy short stories, presenting original tales of the world's greatest paranormal investigator. The talented team behind this collection includes Brian Hodge (Wild Horses), Poppy Z. Brite (Lost Souls, Exquisite Corpse), Nancy A. Collins (Sunglasses After Dark), Greg Rucka (Keeper), Chet Williamson (Searchers: City of Iron), legendary horror/humor cartoonist Gahan Wilson, and many more. Profusely illustrated by Hellboy creator and Eisner and Harvey award-winner Mike Mignola, Odd Jobs will appeal to horror lovers and discriminating fans of great graphic fiction.

SUMMARY: Fifty years ago, a blood-red, cloven-hoofed demon was conjured up by Axis powers at the end of World War II, but adopted by the United States government, which gave him the name Hellboy and raised him in secrecy. Today, Hellboy is a top field agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He questions the unknown -- then beats it into submission. His latest case: Angels have attacked the Vatican, destroying an entire floor of the building's precious library. That's a new one, even for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. The BPRD dispatches Hellboy and his amphibious colleague, Abe Sapien, to investigate. When they arrive on the scene, they discover that thousands of documents from all eras of history have been destroyed -- except for one, saved from the holy fire by an obsessive scholar. His prize? An ancient scroll allegedly written by Jesus the Nazarene -- decades after the crucifixion. Hellboy's first thought is that the scroll was the focus of the seraphim's attack -- but why would heavenly creatures undertake such violence and ruin? The answer to this puzzle will lead Hellboy down a terrifying trail to ancient gods, vengeful demons, and a hidden world made of the purest evil....

Born in the flames of hell and brought to Earth to perpetrate evil, Hellboy (played by Ron Perlman) is rescued from sinister forces by the benevolent Dr. Broom (John Hurt) who raises him to be a hero. In Dr Broom's clandestine Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, Hellboy creates an unlikely family, consisting of telepathic Mer-man Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz Sherman, the woman he loves, who has the ability to control fire. Hidden from the very society they protect, they stand against an evil madman who seeks to reclaim Hellboy for the powers of darkness from which he was born and use him to destroy mankind... **

Hellboy has his hands full. While the supernatural is on a rampage in London, a series of brutal "Torso Murders" turns up at various sites around the city. All of the corpses are headless, limbless, and drained of their blood. Called in to investigate the killings, B.P.R.D. agents Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman discover a wellspring of black magic under the London streets. They also find a sack of heads. Hellboy descends into the dark underworld of London, encountering demons who prophesy the coming of plague and the opening of an eye to the otherworld, bringing forth death and destruction upon the land.

EDITORIAL REVIEW: ** Hellboy, a bloodred, cloven-hoofed demon raised by the United States government, is a top field agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. He questions the unknown -- then beats it into submission. ** Religious artifacts from every faith are disappearing without a trace. The identity of the perpetrator is a complete mystery until Hellboy and Liz Sherman -- acting on an unlikely tip from a ghost -- foil a museum heist attempted by crude, robotic constructs inhabited by human spirits. One of these freed human spirits offers to help Hellboy track down those who imprisoned him: a fanatical order of psychics obsessed with creating a new messiah, one that will bring about a new stage of evolution for mankind -- whether mankind is willing or not. Now only Hellboy and his colleagues stand between a vulnerable humanity and an evil, vengeful *god*....