The Vampire of Prague is a short story in which Hellboy faces off with a card-playing Vampire in Prague.
Publication History[]
This story was published for the first time as part of Hellboy – Volume 7: The Troll Witch and Others in October 2007.
Synopsis[]
The story opens with a broad look at the many ghosts and ghouls in Prague. Prof. Gustav Kubin tells the story of "The Vampire of Prague". During the plague lived a verger who was a gambler. When so many people were dead that the man could not find a game, and so he played cards with the dead. For this he was cursed to walk the night looking for victims. If anyone can beat him at cards he will be able to die, but he will kill the losers.
Hellboy enteres the lair of the vampire. He finds the vampire and throws a large grenade at him. In the resulting explosion, the vampire grabs Hellboy and begins to choke him. The two fight across the city, until the pair crash through the glass at a marionette shop. Hellboy grabs a piece of the plate glass and beheads the vampire. As Hellboy frees himself from the marionette strings, five small cards tumble out of a puppet's sleeve. The vampire turns into a bat and flies away leaving the contents of his pockets, including five cards, behind. Hellboy checks the cards and sees that his hand beat that of the vampire. The sun rises and the vampire is destroyed.
Story Chronology[]
The story takes place on August 19th 1982. This is the same year as The Vârcolac and Abe Sapien: The Haunted Boy
Content[]
Characters[]
Locations[]
- Czech Republic
- Prague
Hellboy Publication Order | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships |
The Vampire of Prague |
Followed by The Mole |
Hellboy Trade Paperback Order | ||
---|---|---|
Vol. 7 The Troll Witch and Others | ||
Preceded by The Troll-Witch |
The Vampire of Prague |
Followed by Dr. Carp's Experiment |
Hellboy Story Chronology | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Goodbye Mister Tod |
The Vampire of Prague Same time as Hellboy in Mexico The Vârcolac |
Followed by The Bride of Hell The Whittier Legacy |