We are delighted to be joined by New York Times best-selling author Thomas E. Sniegosky. With the release of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan from GraphicAudio, we got to chat with Thomas all about the project, which he co-wrote with Christopher Golden.
Hi Thomas, it is so nice to have you here with us.
TOM: Thanks so much, it’s great to be here.
Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
TOM: My name is Tom Sniegoski, and I’ve been kicking around the comic and book industry for quite a few years. I’m a New York Times best-selling author who has written for children, young adults, and adults, and have also worked extensively in the comic book industry, for nearly every major comic publisher. Currently, I’m working with Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola, and my writing partner, Jeannine Acheson, on the further adventures of Grim Death, the first book in the series, Grim Death & Bill the Electrocuted Criminal, currently being adapted as a dramatic podcast by the content studio, Echoverse. And, to top it off, I’m working on a comic book series of The Herculoids, based on the 1967 Hanna Barbera cartoon show, for Dynamite Comics. Phew!
Can you tell us about when you first discovered Hellboy?
TOM: Hmmmm. I would imagine that my first contact with the character was like a lot of people, getting a glimpse of him as a guest star in John Byrne’s Next Men # 21 in 1993, and then picking up his first mini-series, Seeds of Destruction. What’s so interesting is that I remember instantly being invested in the character. There was just something about him that spoke to me. It was like Mike Mignola took everything that I loved, threw it in a pot, and made a comic just for me.
How would you describe Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan?
TOM: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan is what people have come to expect from Hellboy. It’s got everything that we love . . . horror, adventure, a dash of humor, and characters that you would want to have a drink with, even though most of them don’t necessarily appear human. As a Hellboy fan, I’m really looking forward to people listening to this.
How did you get involved with Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan?
TOM: Chris Golden, my brother from another mother, had been talking to me about these three dramatic audio books he’d been contracted to write/script — Hellboy: Plague of Wasps, Lobster Johnson: The Proteus Club, and Hellboy and the BPRD: The Goddess of Manhattan. His plan was to have them be stand alone adventures, but to also have a connecting thread running through all three of the books. It sounded really fascinating, and when he asked me to be involved with the last book, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.
What has it been like working with Christopher Golden on Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan?
TOM: Chris and I have been writing partners for many, many years so it was very easy to slip into our old style. Chris provided me with a loose outline for the book, which we talked about extensively, and revised, and then we started writing, switching off on chapters, going back and forth until we had a finished book. It’s quite the process.
Is Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan the first audiobook you have been involved with?
TOM: It’s my first audio book, but I recently adapted the novel that I wrote with Mike Mignola in 2017, Grim Death & Bill the Electrocuted Criminal, for a dramatic podcast so the process wasn’t totally foreign. The Goddess of Manhattan was quite the challenge though due to the Hellboy universe being such a visual one. I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to pull off some of the things in our outline, but then Chris reminded me how immersive the Graphic Audio format actually is, and giving the first book, Hellboy: A Plague of Wasps a listen, I relaxed and went to work. I have to say it came out beautifully.
How long have you been working on Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan?
TOM: If I recall, the deadline was pretty tight, so I think I was working on it for a few months. Chris and I just kept tossing our chapters back and forth to each other until we had our first draft.
This year celebrates 30 years of Hellboy; does being involved with Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan make it feel more special for you?
TOM: Being a part of the Hellboy universe is just fun in general, but adding that 30 year anniversary just adds a special polish to the whole thing. It’s always some of the most fun that I have writing, working in the Hellboy universe.
Is Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan new listener-friendly?
TOM: It’s VERY listener friendly. Chris has designed the three books in such a way that one doesn’t need to listen to all three to have a blast, but if you wanted to, there’s something special there if you did.
What is it about Hellboy as a writer that makes you want to be involved with the series?
TOM: It’s like I said earlier, Mike Mignola has created a character and universe that seems to encompass everything that I love. It is an absolute honor to be asked to write the characters in this world . . . and have I mentioned how much fun it is?
What can Hellboy fans expect from Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan?
TOM: With Hellboy and the BPRD: The Goddess of Manhattan, Hellboy fans, as well as fans of horror, adventure, and just good solid storytelling, will have the time of their lives. The characters are rich, the threats are terrifying and the conclusion of this three book epic, absolutely satisfying. Fans will be missing out if they don’t give it a listen!
Any message for the ComicBuzz readers?
TOM: Listen to all three of these fantastic audio adventures . . . Hellboy: Plague of Wasps, Lobster Johnson: The Proteus Club, and Hellboy and the BPRD: The Goddess of Manhattan. You won’t be disappointed. Christopher Golden has written something outstanding, and I helped with the last one. If you’re a fan of Hellboy, you need to listen to these books.
Also, be sure to listen to the audio drama, Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal coming in October 2024 from Echoverse, and read the new Grim Death adventures by Mike Mignola, me and the amazing Jeannine Acheson, coming sometime in 2025 from Bad Hand Books.
We would like to say thank you to Thomas for chatting with us. We would like to wish him the best of luck with Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: The Goddess of Manhattan.
