Hellboy's duster coat

Edward · Jul 7, 2008

Having a free afternoon yesterday and being inclined to stay home, i dug out my copy of Hellboy and threw it on the DVD. As impressive a film as I remember it being, I love it on many levels. Superficially, there's the good, old-fashioned pulpy Good Vs Occultist Nazis storyline, an extremely cool villain, and a screwed up anti-hero in a long coat. Looking more deeply, there's also a very well developed treatise on the 'nature vs nurture' debate. I was also reminded of how much I liked Hellboy's coat, which seems to me to be a long, oilskin duster with leather-lined collar and a buckle throat-latch, very old school in style (and perfect for hiding a tail should you need to):

Neck detail:

Anyone seen anything like this recently? I've never quite fancied the Drizabone type overcoats - too much of a 'bush' look to them for wearing with a suit, to my eye anyhow - but this one has a classic, urban noir look to it that I rather fancy for those days when even the Burberry isn't quite enough....

Feraud · Jul 7, 2008

This looks similar to the Drizabone/Outback style with the cape.

Cool trench regardless.

Black Prince · Jul 7, 2008

Is this the second Hellboy? I seem to remember his coat in the first film being made of weather-beaten brown leather

Feraud · Jul 7, 2008

The pic is from Hellboy 2.

chucklehead · Jul 8, 2008

i cannot wait for that movie to be out already

Josephine · Jul 8, 2008

chucklehead said:
i cannot wait for that movie to be out already

I'm right behind you.

Rockapin-up · Jul 8, 2008

And I'm in front of you both

Charlie Noodles · Jul 8, 2008

I'll see if I can get some shots of him in the first one. Any of you read the comics, then?

ADHD librarian · Jul 8, 2008

Closest I can think of, off the top of my head would be a Burke & Wills full length duster
http://burkewills.outfitters.com.au/products/jackets_coats.html

It's not what you want if you're going to dragon-con as hellboy, but if you're just after a full length that isn't an oilskin then it might be what you're after.

oh, and I'm waiting for the movie too (and I am not only a reader of the graphic novels, but I added them to the shelves of the last public library I worked for.)

Edward · Jul 8, 2008

ADHD librarian said:
Closest I can think of, off the top of my head would be a Burke & Wills full length duster
http://burkewills.outfitters.com.au/products/jackets_coats.html

It's not what you want if you're going to dragon-con as hellboy, but if you're just after a full length that isn't an oilskin then it might be what you're after.

oh, and I'm waiting for the movie too (and I am not only a reader of the graphic novels, but I added them to the shelves of the last public library I worked for.)

Thanks, I'll check those links out. I'm not so much keping an eye out for an exact copy of Hellboy's as something in that vein. A lot of oilskin dusters just look too contemporary to me - I want something with a bit more of a vintage look.

The photos are all from the second film, yes - I googled for pictures, and those are all that came up. Surprisingly little information about the coat online (I mean for something that is a fairly strong visual element in a film that must have a big cult following....). WAtcing the first one, I couldn't make up my mind whether it was a very thin leather (think lambskin, like the Indy jacket was on screen), or an oilskin.... hard to tell given the lighting, and given that so often when we see a sheen on it, it is also raining...

I'm definitely looking forward to the new film. Really enjoyed the first, knowing nothing about Hellboy. I had just become aware ofv the character when the film came out - the graphic novels have been on my "must read" list since, I really must get around to picking them up.

I do hope there are more films to come out in future - I'd especially like to see something about the young Hellboy growing up, the early days of the Bureau, chasing down ex-Nazis, and that fantastic teaser in the first film - the throwaway line about Hitler having died in 1958.

Feraud · Jul 8, 2008

Edward, I probably have Hellboy in my dvd collection and can grab a few screen caps if you want to pursue the trenchcoat.

I might be able to dig up some info on the material too.

You will see me in line opening weekend for Hellboy II.

Josephine · Jul 8, 2008

Rockapin-up said:
And I'm in front of you both

Hmph! I was trying to be polite! :

lants her larger self firmly in front of chucklehead and rocka-pinup::

Edward · Jul 8, 2008

Feraud said:
Edward, I probably have Hellboy in my dvd collection and can grab a few screen caps if you want to pursue the trenchcoat.

I might be able to dig up some info on the material too.

You will see me in line opening weekend for Hellboy II.

I wouldn't mind seeing a good still of that.... I do think that a duster would be more use to me (long term, I'd like a ww1 style long pilot's coat in leather), but I'd love to see the style detailing of the one in the first film. I think the buckle(s?) on the throat were finer / less crude on it?

J. M. Stovall · Jul 8, 2008

The rumors that I've heard is that the third movie will focus more on the BPRD early days and Lobster Johnson's role in the group.

Charlie Noodles · Jul 9, 2008

Here's some shots from the first movie. If I'm missing anything that would be useful I do have more.

Charlie Noodles · Jul 9, 2008

J. M. Stovall · Jul 9, 2008

It does look like a cloth duster now, I wonder if it was something Mignola wanted?

Edward · Jul 9, 2008

Thanks for the screenshots, Charlie... I'm still not sure, but I'm leaning a little in favour of it being a lambskin type lighter leather than an oilskin.... I think.....

The coat in the shots from the second film definitely seems to be a cloth type. It probably is a deliberate decision. It's never easy to fully realise a comic book character in live action.... first they have to get it as right as possible, and then alter it so it doesn't look stupid. What works in drawings doesn't always on an actor (as beautifully referenced in the "yellow spandex" line in X-Men). It may well be that they decided that a cloth coat would look more like Hellboy's in the comic.... I've not read those myself but from everything I have seen of the artwork, it does appear that the coat is always dull in colour, not shiny, and seems to drape more like a cotton type fabric than a leather. Maybe also, if this one is set earlier on (though as Liz is in the photos, it can't be that much earlier for the most part...), it might be designed to better reflect the trenchcoat style of the noir detectives that, in my opinion, have had some influence on the overall 'feel' of Hellboy's world. Yet another thing that occurs to me..... maybe they simply wanted to do something different with the look, given that the 'anti-hero in a leather trenchcoat' schtick has kinda been done a lot already? [huh]

Feraud · Jul 9, 2008

The trenchcoat is referred to as leather in the film.
The material is apparent in these pics.

Edward · Jul 9, 2008

Yeah, looks like lambskin or similar. Intersting detail, the collar being that different shade (possibly what put me in mind of waxed cotton).

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