Ever wondered what Hellboy smells like?

Saw this via Mike Mignola’s Facebook feed: I feel like I’m maybe the wrong man to bring you this news, but Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab are Elizabeth Barrial or Brian Constantine, a pair of Californian perfumiers who “specialize in integrating mythology, archetypes, folklore, poetry, and visual artwork with scent.” They’ve produced themed ranges influenced by H.P. Lovecraft and the works of Neil Gaiman in the past, and now they’ve brought out The Hellboy Collection, a “series based on the characters, locations, themes, and concepts in the world of Eisner-award winning Mike Mignola’s Hellboy.”

There’s a lot of humor present in this range: Hellboy’s signature fragrance is described as “aftershave, candy wrappers, brimstone, and cat.” There’s a scent called “A Plague of Frogs” described as “rubbery, wet, and warty.”  Trevor Bruttenholm’s is “a classic men’s cologne mixed with the scent of old, yellowed books, a splash of bay rum, and summoning incense,” and Kroenen’s has the extremely pervy-sounding “shining black leather, gleaming metal, labdanum, and myrrh.”  Funny stuff, but showing the B.P.A.L. crew are obviously fans of Mignola’s work.

The thing is, I don’t need this because I reckon I already smell like Trevor Bruttenholm without even needing a bottle of perfume, but this is possibly the oddest sounding product licensed from a comics property ever, and for that it deserves a hearty round of applause.

Bid today on lettered edition of Strangers in Paradise Omnibus

Terry Moore has teamed up with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab on a limited edition “lettered” version of the Strangers in Paradise Omnibus. Now I know some smart ass out there (other than me) is thinking: “Aren’t all comic books lettered? How else would we read them?” In this case, lettered means it’s limited to 26 copies — A through Z — and it includes the following:

• One set of the strictly limited three-volume hardcover SiP Omnibus edition
• An original drawing by Terry Moore
• A bottle of “Parker Lily,” a fragrance based on Terry Moore’s beloved epic created by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, and strictly limited to 26 bottles.

All sets can be available for pick up at Comic-Con in San Diego, or will be mailed in the first week of August … except for the “A” edition, which is up on eBay right now. The auction, which is currently over $1,000, ends tomorrow. The set costs $500 on the CBLDF site.