The art on that card has always made me scratch my head and wonder how I got so lucky. As an integral part of Vs. System’s history, that little proud zinco product not only brought one of Mike Mignola’s most magnificent paintings to real life on the Pro Circuit, it cemented something special inside of me.
See, here’s how it goes. One person crystallizes a myth in words and imagery. Then a whole bunch of others celebrate it and expand its existence in the collective psi-bank. Finally, the commercial conglomerate sanctions it with official releases. Continuity and canon arise from imagination, and we all live happily ever after.
What am I babbling about on this glorious Sunday morning? The myth of Hellboy, of course. Specifically the link between a fan-created Playmobil set that was eventually purchased by Mike Mignola himself, and our beloved Vs. System cardboard incarnations. Feast your eyes.
