For fans of Mike Mignola’s comic Hellboy, as well as fans of the gifted director and filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, today ends a long awaited sense of anticipation as Hellboy II: The Golden Army is released in theaters nationwide. This new film promises to be different from del Toro’s previous treatment of Hellboy in 2004. The first film followed more conventional adaptations of comics to film as well as the pulp novel aspects of the story, albeit while retaining the interesting aspects of Mignola’s character and del Toro’s spin on him as a fan and filmmaker. Interviews with del Toro reveal that this second film will build upon what has been developed previously but will also incorporate more of the mythology, fairytale and foklore aspects that so intrigue del Toro, and which served as the foundation for his Oscar winning film Pan’s Labyrinth (2006).

In an interview in the July edition of Rue Morgue magazine, del Toro discusses the story for the new film that he developed, as well as the influences that shaped this film, including not only mythology and fairytale, but also the magical stop-motion animated monsters of Ray Harryhausen, and the music of Bernard Hermann.

This film seems to have been released at a time which will maximize its ability to do well at the box office. The summer film bonanza is in full swing, and while Hellboy II will face stiff competition from the new Batman film The Dark Knight and WallE, comic books continue to provide the stuff of creativity and box office success for filmmakers. Audience fascination with and positive response to comics turned into films have led some to suggest that comicbook superheroes now function as new sources of mythology in our time.

Although Hellboy II was already greenlighted for production prior to the success of Pan’s Labyrinth, del Toro says that given the positive reception to that film it gave him greater leeway for his plans for Hellboy. Let’s hope that Hellboy II does well in fan reception and box office receipts so that del Toro’s desires for a trilogy can become a reality.