Charity in Hell (“The Three Gold Whips”)

Presented as an aside amidst the broader “Hellboy in Hell” story arc, “The Three Gold Whips” is an elegantly simple story that implicitly re-defines Hellboy’s long and difficult journey and the innately human qualities that define his heroism. #Hellboy 1/11

The origin for the story is a folktale collected by the Brother’s Grimm titled “The Devil and His Grandmother” in which 3 soldiers sell their souls to the devil for gold and 1 of said soldiers seeks the Devil’s Grandmother for help in evading his soul’s collection. 2/11

The Hellboy version is quite faithful to the Grimm one, with some minor modifications to align it to the Hellboy universe and with the important (or arguably unimportant) inclusion of Hellboy as a companion on the quest. There’s no fight scene here; no gunplay; no sorcery. 3/11

Both the Grimm and Mignola versions of the story speak to the terrors of the world juxtaposed with the randomness of charity – that there is malevolent evil out there, but also people willing to help, even for inscrutable reasons, wherein they’re simply compelled. 4/11

In his commitment to irresolution (a staple of Hellboy comics), Mignola presents the tale within a casual atmosphere of wandering impulses and polite fellowship rather than the passionate grandeur of a Dante or Milton. This hell is kind of low-key, despite the stakes. 5/11

The emotions are there, however, just simmering beneath the surface. Jules Dulot (the seeker of salvation) exudes a quiet desperation couched in the trauma of warfare and the polite mannerisms that he abides by at all cost. 6/11

This makes him an effective foil for Hellboy, a character here bereft of meaning and purpose – frozen, essentially, in a Hell of his own creation. With nothing better to do, he chooses to help somebody, therein re-staging his origins and the valorous thread of his heroism. 7/11

Their quest meanders toward a solution comprised of mostly random luck. The demon’s grandmother (despite having a vested interest in the harvesting of souls) hides them away to eavesdrop on the demon and they thus learn the solution to a riddle that saves Jules. 8/11

Hellboy’s identification with others is made apparent in a pair of scenes – first when Jules identifies Hellboy as a solider and notes “It leaves a mark, doesn’t it?” and again in the final page when Hellboy meets the other soldiers and invites them drinking. 9/11

Read in the context of Hellboy in Hell’s broader meditation on ennui, or depression, or even a mid-life crisis specifically, the story makes a somewhat beautiful argument that life is dark & difficult, but some people are willing to help and that’s what makes them heroes. 10/11

The final panel quietly articulates the value of this viewpoint with a caption reading: “Jules Eugene Dulot died in Paris at midnight, August, 1819. On the stone wall near his body someone (or something) had etched these words – ‘His Soul, His Own.’” 11/11