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LAST VOLUME: CANR 334
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/30/mike-mignola-final-hellboy-comic-paint-watercolors * http://io9.gizmodo.com/hellboy-just-ended-in-the-most-beautiful-way-1779906631 * http://artofmikemignola.com/bio
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Booklist Nov. 15, 2017, Citation (MLA 8th Edition) Hunter, Sarah. Source, “Mr. Higgins Comes Home.”. p. 38.
Publishers Weekly Oct. 9, 2017, Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition) , “The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed.”. p. 51.
Publishers Weekly Apr. 17, 2017, Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition) , “Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea.”. p. 54.
Mike Mignola
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Mike Mignola
Mignola in June 2011
Born
Michael Joseph Mignola
September 16, 1960 (age 59)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Nationality
American
Area(s)
Writer, Penciller, Inker
Notable works
Hellboy
B.P.R.D.
Cosmic Odyssey
Gotham by Gaslight
Awards
Full list
Michael Joseph Mignola (/mɪɡˈnoʊlə/; born September 16, 1960)[1] is an American comics artist and writer best known for creating Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including B.P.R.D., Abe Sapien, Lobster Johnson, Witchfinder and various spinoffs. He has also created other supernatural and paranormal themed titles for Dark Horse including Baltimore, Joe Golem and The Amazing Screw-On Head.
Mignola's film work includes Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001), Blade II (2002), the 2004 adaptation of Hellboy, its 2008 sequel and 2019 reboot.
Contents
1
Career
1.1
Marvel and DC
1.2
Hellboy and related spin-offs
1.2.1
Hellboy
1.2.2
Abe Sapien
1.2.3
Lobster Johnson
1.2.4
B.P.R.D.
1.2.5
Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder
1.2.6
Spin-off miniseries
1.3
Baltimore and Joe Golem
2
Style
3
Film and television
4
Awards
5
Bibliography
5.1
Comics
5.1.1
Hellboy Universe (Dark Horse)
5.2
Novels
5.3
Covers
5.4
Media covers
6
Notes
7
References
8
External links
8.1
Interviews
Career[edit]
Marvel and DC[edit]
Mignola was born in Berkeley, California.[2] He began his career in 1980 by illustrating spots in The Comic Reader.[3] His first published piece was in The Comic Reader #183, a spot illustration of Red Sonja (pg. 9). His first published front cover was The Comic Reader #196 in November 1981. In 1982 he graduated from the California College of the Arts with a BFA in Illustration.[4]
In 1983 he worked as an inker at Marvel Comics on Daredevil and Power Man and Iron Fist and later on titles such as The Incredible Hulk, Alpha Flight, and the Rocket Raccoon limited series.
In 1987, he began working for DC Comics as well. He drew the Phantom Stranger[5] and World of Krypton limited series.[6] With writer Jim Starlin, Mignola produced the Cosmic Odyssey miniseries in 1988.[7] Mignola drew covers for several Batman stories, including "Batman: A Death in the Family"[8] and "Dark Knight, Dark City".[9] Writer Brian Augustyn and Mignola crafted the Gotham by Gaslight one-shot in 1989.[10] Through the early 1990s Mignola worked on covers and backup features for various DC and Marvel Comics.[6] He collaborated twice with writer Howard Chaykin. In 1990-1991, they produced the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser limited series for Epic Comics, with inker Al Williamson. This was followed with the Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution graphic novel in 1992.[11]
Hellboy and related spin-offs[edit]
Main article: Hellboy Universe
Hellboy[edit]
Prior to 1994 Mignola had done work-for-hire illustration. That year, Dark Horse Comics released Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, Mignola's creator-owned project. Though he wrote the story himself, it was scripted by John Byrne. The next Hellboy story, The Wolves of Saint August, was completely written and drawn by Mignola. Since then all Hellboy stories have been written solely by Mignola with the exception of They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships, which was co-written by Joshua Dysart.
Makoma (2006) was the first Hellboy story not drawn by Mignola, featuring the art of Richard Corben. Corben would return to draw many flashback stories for the series. Other artists have also had a hand in drawing flashback stories including Jason Shawn Alexander, Kevin Nowlan and Scott Hampton. In 2007, following after 2005's The Island, British artist Duncan Fegredo took over art duties on the ongoing story arc of Hellboy from Darkness Calls onwards.
Mike Mignola returned as the full-time artist for Hellboy in 2012 for the ongoing series, Hellboy in Hell. The series is currently published sporadically, but multiple-issue stories are monthly.[12]
Abe Sapien[edit]
In 1998 the first Hellboy spin-off, Abe Sapien, was launched. It was not written by Mike Mignola, but it did feature his Hellboy short story "Heads" as a back-up. Abe Sapien did not take off properly until a decade later in 2008's The Drowning. Since then it has had several short stories and beginning in 2013 it became an ongoing series with Scott Allie as the lead writer with Mignola.[13]
Lobster Johnson[edit]
Lobster Johnson was the next spin-off, debuting as a back-up feature in 1999's Box Full of Evil. The series got its own title later in 2007's Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus. It returned again with the miniseries The Burning Hand in 2012, followed by various short stories.
B.P.R.D.[edit]
B.P.R.D. was the third spin-off, but it was the first one which was conceived to be more than just a one-off side story, but rather a series of stories.[14] It began with 2002's Hollow Earth, which continued on from Hellboy: Conqueror Worm. Beyond that followed a series of short stories designed to explore what the B.P.R.D. series could be. 2004's Plague of Frogs was the story that solidified what the series was, and would set the direction for future books to come, so much so that the first major story cycle is collected in omnibus editions titled B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs. A vast majority of the stories in this era were co-written with John Arcudi and drawn by Guy Davis.
B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth is the main series continuing after the catastrophic events at the conclusion of the Plague of Frogs cycle. Guy Davis left the series in 2011 with the conclusion of Hell on Earth: Gods. Tyler Crook became the new ongoing artist beginning with Hell on Earth: Monsters, but he is joined by several regular artists, most notably James Harren and Laurence Campbell.
Continuing where Hell on Earth left off, The Devil You Know is written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie with Laurence Campbell serving as the regular artist.
Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder[edit]
Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder (more commonly known simply as "Witchfinder") began with a teaser story in 2008's MySpace Dark Horse Presents #16, followed by a full miniseries in 2009. It follows the stories of the occult investigator, Sir Edward, agent of Queen Victoria.
Spin-off miniseries[edit]
The Hellboy Universe also includes numerous spin-offs that only span a single book:
Sledgehammer 44: Set in World War II, this series is about the Epimetheus Vril Energy Suit created by Doctor Helena Gallargas.
Frankenstein Underground: Set in 1956, this series follows the Frankenstein monster as he ventures into the Pellucidar-like Hollow Earth.
Rise of the Black Flame: Set in 1923, this series explores how Raimund Diestel became the Black Flame.
The Visitor: How & Why He Stayed: This series follows the life of an alien visitor set to kill the infant Hellboy in 1944.
Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon: Set in 1941, this series follows Trevor Bruttenholm as he becomes a agent for the allied forces in World war II.
Koshchei the Deathless: Hellboy and Koshchei sit in a pub in Hell and chat.
Baltimore and Joe Golem[edit]
Baltimore began with a 2007 illustrated novel, and continued as a comic book series. It was created by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden.
Like Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective began as an illustrated prose novel (2012's Joe Golem and the Drowning City) and later continued as a comic book series. It was created by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden and exists in a shared universe with Baltimore.
Style[edit]
Alan Moore has described Mignola's style as "German expressionism meets Jack Kirby".[15] His style has also been likened to an amalgamation of Jack Kirby and Alex Toth.[16]
Film and television[edit]
Mignola worked as an illustrator for Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie Bram Stoker's Dracula. He was also the production designer for the Disney feature film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire in 2001, and was a concept artist for 2002's Blade II, also directed by del Toro, and a concept artist for Pixar's Brave.
Mignola was hired by Bruce Timm to provide character designs for Batman: The Animated Series in 1991. His redesign of Mr. Freeze was used for the series.[2]
Mignola's design of the 1880s Batman costume from the comic Batman: Gotham by Gaslight appeared in Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Hellboy was made into a feature film in 2004 by director Guillermo del Toro. Mignola was closely involved with the movie's production, and a sequel was released in 2008. Hellboy has been made into two direct-to-video animated films, Sword of Storms in 2006 and Blood and Iron in 2007.
Mignola's The Amazing Screw-On Head debuted in 2006 on the Sci-Fi Channel, starring the voices of Paul Giamatti and David Hyde Pierce.[17]
Mignola worked on the script for the R-rated Hellboy reboot film (2019), that was directed by Neil Marshall, and starred David Harbour as Hellboy.[18] He ended up receiving only a "based on" credit in the film.
Awards[edit]
1995:
Won "Best Writer/Artist" Eisner Award, for Hellboy: Seed of Destruction
Won "Best Graphic Album: Reprint" Eisner Award, for Hellboy: Seed of Destruction
Won "Best Artist" Harvey Awards[19]
Won "Best Achievement by an Inker" Don Thompson Award
1996:
Won "Best Artist" Harvey Awards[20]
Won "Best Graphic Album of Previously Released Material" Harvey Awards, for Hellboy: The Wolves of Saint August
1997:
Won "Best Writer/Artist" Eisner Award, for Hellboy: Wake the Devil
1998:
Won "Best Writer/Artist" Eisner Award, for Hellboy: Almost Colossus, Hellboy Christmas Special and Hellboy Jr. Halloween Special
2000:
Won "Best Artist" Harvey Award, for Hellboy: Box Full of Evil
2002:
Won "Best Finite Series/Limited Series" Eisner Award, for Hellboy: Conqueror Worm
2003:
Won "Best Humor Publication" Eisner Award, for The Amazing Screw-On Head
Won "Best Short Story" Eisner Award, for "The Magician and the Snake"
2004:
Won "Favourite Comics Writer/Artist" Eagle Award
Won "Best Comics-Related Book" Eisner Award, for The Art of Hellboy
Received "Inkpot Award"[21]
2006:
Won "Favourite Comics Writer/Artist" Eagle Award
2007:
Won "Roll of Honour" Eagle Award
Won "Favourite Colour Comicbook – American" Eagle Award, for Hellboy: Darkness Calls
2008
Won "Best Cover Artist" Harvey Awards[22]
Won "Award for Favourite Colour Comicbook – American" Eagle Award
Won "Roll of Honor" Eagle Awards
Won "Best Horror Comic Book" Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards, for Hellboy: In the Chapel of Moloch[23]
2009
Won "Best Finite Series/Limited Series" Eisner Award, for Hellboy: The Crooked Man
Won "Best Graphic Album: Reprint" Eisner Award, for Hellboy Library Edition, vols. 1 and 2
Won "Best Publication Design" Eisner Award, for Hellboy Library Edition, vols. 1 and 2
Won "All-in-One Award" Inkwell Awards
2010
Won "Best Cover Artist" Harvey Awards, for Hellboy: Bride of Hell[24]
2011
Won "Favorite Writer/Artist" Eagle Award
Won "Favorite Artist:Inks" Eagle Award
Won "Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)" Eisner Award, for Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil
Bibliography[edit]
Comics[edit]
Rocket Raccoon (artist, script by Bill Mantlo, inks by Al Gordon four-issue limited-series, Marvel Comics, 1985)
Amazing High Adventure #3 - Short Story "Monkey See, Monkey Die" (script by Steve Englehart, anthology series, Marvel Comics, October 1986)
The Chronicles of Corum #1–6, 9, 11-12 (artist, with Mike Baron and Mark Shainblum, First Comics, 1987)
Phantom Stranger (artist, script by Paul Kupperberg, inks by P. Craig Russell four-issue limited series, DC Comics, 1987-1988)
World of Krypton (artist, script by John Byrne, inks by Rick Bryant, four-issue limited series, DC Comics, 1987-1988)
Cosmic Odyssey (artist, with writer Jim Starlin and inker Carlos Garzon, 1988, DC Comics, TPB, 226 pages, Titan Books, ISBN 1-84023-715-5, DC Comics ISBN 1-56389-051-8)[25]
Doctor Strange/Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment (writer Roger Stern, art also by Mark Badger, 1989, Marvel Comics)
Batman:
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (pencils, with writer Brian Augustyn, and with inks by P. Craig Russell, DC Comics Elseworlds, TPB, 48 pages, 1989, Titan, ISBN 1-85286-265-3, DC, ISBN 0-930289-67-6)
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #54: "Sanctum" (pencils and story, with writer Dan Raspler, with letterer Willie Schubert, and with coloring by Mark Chiarello, single issue, DC, 1993)
Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham (writer, three-issue mini-series, DC Comics Elseworlds, 2000)
Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure (artist, with writer Walt Simonson and inker Bob Wiacek, single issue prestige format paperback, Marvel Comics, 1990)
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser (artist, with writer Howard Chaykin and inker Al Williamson, four-issue limited series, Epic Comics, 1990-1991)[11]
Ted McKeever's Metropol #9-11 (artist, with Ted McKeever "The Resurrection of Eddy Current", three-part mini-series, Epic Comics, 1991)
Bram Stoker's Dracula: official movie adaptation (artist, with writer Roy Thomas and inker John Nyberg, four-issue mini-series Topps Comics 1992)
Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution (art, with writers Howard Chaykin and John Francis Moore, and artist P. Craig Russell, 104 pages, 1992, Titan Books, ISBN 1-56389-065-8, DC Comics, ISBN 1-56389-065-8)[11][26]
Ray Bradbury Comics #4 - Short Story "The City" (with letterer Willie Schubert, anthology series, Topps Comics, 1993)
ZombieWorld: Champion of the Worms (writer, with art by Pat McEown, three-issue mini-series, 1997, Dark Horse, TPB, 80 pages, 1998, ISBN 1-56971-334-0, 2005, ISBN 1-59307-407-7)[27]
Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah (script, with art by Troy Nixey and Farel Dalrymple, TPB includes Jenny Finn #1–2, Oni Press, 1999, 128 pages, Boom! Studios, June 2008, ISBN 1-934506-14-1)[28]
The Amazing Screw-on Head and Other Curious Objects (Dark Horse, 2010) collecting:[29]
The Amazing Screw-On Head (one shot comic book, 2002)[30]
The Magician and the Snake (with Katie Mignola, published in Happy Endings anthology, 2002)[31]
Abu Gung and the Beanstalk (originally drawn 1998, redrawn and expanded for this collection)
The Witch and Her Soul (drawn for this collection)
The Prisoner of Mars (drawn for this collection)
In the Chapel of Curious Objects (drawn for this collection)
Baltimore (Dark Horse):
The Plague Ships (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck, 2010)
A Passing Stranger (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck for Free Comic Book Day, 2011)
The Curse Bells (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck, 2011)
Dr. Leskovar's Remedy (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck, 2012)
The Play (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck, 2012)
The Widow and the Tank (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck, 2013)
The Inquisitor (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck, 2013)
The Infernal Train (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck, 2013)
Chapel of Bones (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck, 2014)
The Witch of Harju (with Christopher Golden and Peter Bergting, 2014)
The Wolf and the Apostle (with Christopher Golden and Ben Stenbeck, 2014)
The Cult of the Red King (with Christopher Golden and Peter Bergting, 2015)
Empty Graves (with Christopher Golden and Peter Bergting, 2016)
The Red Kingdom (with Christopher Golden and Peter Bergting, 2017)
Joe Golem: Occult Detective (Dark Horse):
The Rat Catcher (with Christopher Golden and Patric Reynolds, 2015)
The Sunken Dead (with Christopher Golden and Patric Reynolds, 2016)
The Outer Dark (with Christopher Golden and Patric Reynolds, 2017)
Flesh and Blood (with Christopher Golden and Patric Reynolds, 2017)
The Drowning City (with Christopher Golden and Peter Bergting, 2018)
Mr. Higgins Comes Home (with Warwick Johnson-Cadwell, Dark Horse, 2017)
Hellboy Universe (Dark Horse)[edit]
Hellboy
Seed of Destruction (with John Byrne, 1994)
The Wolves of Saint August (1994)
The Corpse (1995)
The Chained Coffin (1995)
The Iron Shoes (1996)
Wake the Devil (1996)
Almost Colossus (1997)
A Christmas Underground (1997)
Heads (1998)
The Baba Yaga (1998)
The Right Hand of Doom (1998)
The Vârcolac (1999)
Goodbye Mr. Tod (1999)
Pancakes (1999)
Box Full of Evil (1999)
The Nature of the Beast (2000)
King Vold (2000)
Conqueror Worm (2001)
The Third Wish (2002)
Dr. Carp's Experiment (2003)
The Penanggalan (2004)
The Troll-Witch (2004)
The Ghoul (2005)
The Island (2005)
Makoma (with Richard Corben, 2006)
The Hydra and the Lion (2006)
They That Go Down to the Sea in Ships (with Joshua Dysart and Jason Shawn Alexander, 2007)
Darkness Calls (with Duncan Fegredo, 2007)
The Vampire of Prague (with P. Craig Russell, 2007)
The Mole (with Duncan Fegredo, 2008)
The Crooked Man (with Richard Corben, 2008)
In the Chapel of Moloch (2008)
The Wild Hunt (with Duncan Fegredo, 2008)
The Bride of Hell (with Richard Corben, 2009)
Hellboy in Mexico (with Richard Corben, 2010)
The Storm (with Duncan Fegredo, 2010)
The Whittier Legacy (2010)
Double Feature of Evil (with Richard Corben, 2010)
The Sleeping and the Dead (with Scott Hampton, 2010)
Buster Oakley Gets His Wish (with Kevin Nowlan, 2011)
Being Human (with Richard Corben, 2011, collected in B.P.R.D.: Being Human)
The Fury (with Duncan Fegredo, 2011)
House of the Living Dead (with Richard Corben, 2011)
Hellboy versus the Aztec Mummy (2011)
The Midnight Circus (with Duncan Fegredo, 2013)
Hellboy Gets Married (with Mick McMahon, 2013)
The Coffin Man (with Fábio Moon, 2014)
The Coffin Man 2: The Rematch (with Gabriel Bá, 2015)
Into the Silent Sea (with Gary Gianni, 2017)
Krampusnacht (with Adam Hughes, 2018)
Hellboy in Hell:
The Descent (2012)
The Three Gold Whips (2013)
The Death Card (2014)
The Hounds of Pluto (2015)
The Exorcist of Vorsk (with Todd Mignola, 2015)
The Spanish Bride (2016)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (2016)
Hellboy and B.P.R.D.:
1952 (with John Arcudi and Alex Maleev, 2014)
1953:
The Phantom Hand (with Ben Stenbeck, 2015)
The Kelpie (with Ben Stenbeck, 2015)
The Witch Tree (with Ben Stenbeck, 2015)
Rawhead and Bloody Bones (with Ben Stenbeck, 2015)
Wandering Souls (with Chris Roberson and Michael Walsh, 2016)
Beyond the Fences (with Chris Roberson, and Paolo and Joe Rivera, 2016)
1954:
The Mirror (with Richard Corben, 2016)
Black Sun (with Chris Roberson and Stephen Green, 2016)
Unreasoning Beast (with Chris Roberson and Patric Reynolds, 2016)
Ghost Moon (with Chris Roberson and Brian Churilla, 2017)
1955:
Secret Nature (with Chris Roberson and Shawn Martinbrough, 2017)
Occult Intelligence (with Chris Roberson and Brian Churilla, 2017)
Burning Season (with Chris Roberson, and Paolo and Joe Rivera, 2018)
B.P.R.D.:
Hollow Earth (with Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, Ryan Sook and Curtis Arnold, 2002)
The Soul of Venice (with Miles Gunther and Michael Avon Oeming, 2003)
Born Again (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2004)
Plague of Frogs (with Guy Davis, 2004)
Another Day at the Office (with Cameron Stewart, 2004)
The Dead (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2004)
The Black Flame (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2005)
The Universal Machine (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2006)
Garden of Souls (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2007)
Killing Ground (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2007)
1946 (with Joshua Dysart and Paul Azaceta, 2008)
Revival (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2008)
Bishop Olek’s Devil (with Joshua Dysart and Paul Azaceta, 2008)
Out of Reach (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2008)
War on Frogs #1 (with John Arcudi, Herb Trimpe and Guy Davis, 2008)
The Ectoplasmic Man (with John Arcudi and Ben Stenbeck, 2008)
The Warning (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2008)
War on Frogs #2 (with John Arcudi and John Severin, 2008)
The Black Goddess (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2009)
And What Shall I Find There? (with Joshua Dysart and Patric Reynolds, 2009)
War on Frogs #3 (with John Arcudi and Karl Moline, 2009)
1947 (with Joshua Dysart, Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, 2009)
War on Frogs #4 (with John Arcudi and Peter Snejbjerg, 2009)
King of Fear (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2010)
The Dead Remembered (with Scott Allie, Karl Moline and Andy Owens, 2011)
Casualties (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2011)
1948 (with John Arcudi and Max Fiumara, 2012)
Vampire (with Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, 2013)
B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth:
New World (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2010)
Gods (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2011)
Seattle (with John Arcudi and Guy Davis, 2011)
Monsters (with John Arcudi and Tyler Crook, 2011)
Russia (with John Arcudi and Tyler Crook, 2011)
An Unmarked Grave (with John Arcudi and Duncan Fegredo, 2012)
The Long Death (with John Arcudi and James Harren, 2012)
The Pickens County Horror (with Scott Allie and Jason Latour, 2012)
The Devil’s Engine (with John Arcudi and Tyler Crook, 2012)
The Transformation of J.H. O'Donnell (with Scott Allie and Max Fiumara, 2012)
Exorcism (with Cameron Stewart, 2012)
The Return of the Master (with John Arcudi and Tyler Crook, 2012)
The Abyss of Time (with Scott Allie and James Harren, 2013)
A Cold Day in Hell (with John Arcudi and Peter Snejbjerg, 2013)
Wasteland (with John Arcudi and Laurence Campbell, 2013)
Lake of Fire (with John Arcudi and Tyler Crook, 2013)
Reign of the Black Flame (with John Arcudi and James Harren, 2014)
The Devil's Wings (with John Arcudi and Laurence Campbell, 2014)
The Broken Equation (with John Arcudi and Joe Querio, 2014)
Grind (with John Arcudi and Tyler Crook, 2014)
Flesh and Stone (with John Arcudi and James Harren, 2014)
Nowhere, Nothing, Never (with John Arcudi and Peter Snejbjerg, 2015)
Modern Prometheus (with John Arcudi and Julián Totino Tedesco, 2015)
End of Days (with John Arcudi and Laurence Campbell, 2015)
The Exorcist (with Camerson Stewart, Chris Roberson, and Mike Norton, 2016)
Cometh the Hour (with John Arcudi and Laurence Campbell, 2016)
B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know:
Messiah (with Scott Allie and Laurence Campbell, 2017)
Pandemonium (with Scott Allie, Sebastián Fiumara, and Laurence Campbell, 2018)
Lobster Johnson:
The Iron Prometheus (with Jason Armstrong, 2007)
The Burning Hand (with John Arcudi and Tonči Zonjić, 2012)
Tony Masso’s Finest Hour (with John Arcudi and Joe Querio, 2012)
The Prayer of Neferu (with John Arcudi and Wilfredo Torres, 2012)
Caput Mortuum (with John Arcudi and Tonči Zonjić, 2012)
Satan Smells a Rat (with John Arcudi and Kevin Nowlan, 2013)
A Scent of a Lotus (with John Arcudi and Sebastián Fiumara, 2013)
Get the Lobster (with John Arcudi and Tonči Zonjić, 2014)
A Chain Forged in Life (with John Arcudi, Troy Nixey, and Kevin Nowlan, 2015)
The Glass Mantis (with John Arcudi and Toni Fejzula, 2015)
The Forgotten Man (with John Arcudi and Peter Snejbjerg, 2016)
Metal Monsters of Midtown (with John Arcudi and Tonči Zonjić, 2016)
Garden of Bones (with John Arcudi and Stephen Green, 2017)
The Pirate's Ghost (with John Arcudi and Tonči Zonjić, 2017)
Mangekyō (with John Arcudi and Ben Stenbeck, 2017)
Abe Sapien:
The Drowning (with Jason Shawn Alexander, 2008)
The Haunted Boy (with John Arcudi and Patric Reynolds, 2009)
The Abyssal Plain (with John Arcudi and Peter Snejbjerg, 2010)
The Devil Does Not Jest (with John Arcudi and James Harren, 2011)
Dark and Terrible (with Scott Allie and Sebastián Fiumara, 2013)
The New Race of Man (with John Arcudi and Max Fiumara, 2013)
The Shape of Things to Come (with Scott Allie and Sebastián Fiumara, 2013)
The Land of the Dead (with Scott Allie and Michael Avon Oeming, 2013)
To the Last Man (with Scott Allie and Max Fiumara, 2014)
The Garden (I) (with Scott Allie and Max Fiumara, 2014)
The Healer (with Scott Allie and Sebastián Fiumara, 2014)
Visions, Dreams, and Fishin’ (with Scott Allie and Max Fiumara, 2014)
Lost Lives (with Scott Allie and Juan Ferreyra, 2014)
Sacred Places (with Scott Allie and Sebastián Fiumara, 2014)
A Darkness so Great (with Scott Allie, and Max and Sebastián Fiumara, 2014)
Subconscious (with John Arcdui and Mark Nelson, 2015)
The Ogopogo (with Scott Allie and Kevin Nowlan, 2015)
The Shadow Over Suwanee (with Scott Allie, Sebastián and Max Fiumara, and Tyler Crook 2015)
Icthyo Sapien (with Scott Allie and Alise Gluškova, 2015)
The Garden (II) (with Scott Allie and Max Fiumara, 2015)
Witchcraft & Demonology (with Scott Allie and Santiago Caruso, 2016)
The Black School (with Scott Allie and Sebastián Fiumara, 2016)
Regressions (with Scott Allie and Max Fiumara, 2016)
Dark and Terrible Deep (with Scott Allie and Sebastián Fiumara, 2016)
The Garden (III) (with Scott Allie and Max Fiumara, 2016)
The Desolate Shore (with Scott Allie and Sebastián Fiumara, 2016)
Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder:
Murderous Intent (with Ben Stenbeck in Dark Horse Presents #16, November 2008)
In the Service of Angels (with Ben Stenbeck, 2009)[32]
Lost and Gone Forever (with John Arcudi and John Severin, 2011)[33]
Beware the Ape (with Ben Stenbeck, 2014)
City of the Dead (with Chris Roberson and Ben Stenbeck, 2016)
The Gates of Heaven (with Chris Roberson and D'Israeli, 2018)
How Koshchei Became Deathless (with Guy Davis, 2009)
Baba Yaga's Feast (with Guy Davis, 2009)
Sledgehammer 44:
Sledgehammer 44 (with John Arcudi and Jason Latour, 2013)
Lightning War (with John Arcudi and Laurence Campbell, 2013)
Frankenstein Underground (with Ben Stenbeck, 2015)
Broken Vessels (with Scott Allie and Tim Sale, 2016)
Rise of the Black Flame (with Chris Roberson and Christopher Mitten, 2016)
The Great Blizzard (with Chris Roberson and Christopher Mitten, 2017)
God Rest Ye Merry (with Chris Roberson and Paul Grist, 2017)
The Last Witch of Fairfield (with Scott Allie and Sebastián Fiumara, 2017)
The Visitor: How & Why He Stayed (with Chris Roberson and Paul Grist, 2017)
Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon (with Chris Roberson and Christopher Mitten, 2017)
Koshchei the Deathless (with Ben Stenbeck, 2018)
Novels[edit]
Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, with Christopher Golden, 2007, (ISBN 0553804715)
Joe Golem and the Drowning City, with Christopher Golden, 2012, (ISBN 0312644736)
Father Gaetano's Puppet Catechism, with Christopher Golden, 2012, (ISBN 0312644744)
Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal, with Thomas E. Sniegoski, 2017, (ISBN 1250077680)
Covers[edit]
Action Comics No. 614 (DC)
Action Comics Annual No. 6 (DC)
Adventures Of Superman Annual No. 6 (DC)
Aliens versus Predator No. 0 (Dark Horse)
Alpha Flight No. 29–34, 36, 39 (Marvel)
The American: Lost In America No. 3 (Dark Horse)
Aquaman vol. 3 No. 6 (DC)
Batgirl Special No. 1 (DC)
Batman Annual No. 18 (DC)
Batman/Judge Dredd: Vendetta In Gotham No. 1 (DC)
Conan No. 29–31 (Dark Horse)
Conan the Barbarian No. 236–237 (Marvel)
Daredevil (Marvel Comics series) Annual 1991 (Marvel)
Dark Horse Presents No. 88–91, 107, 142, 151 (Dark Horse)
Dark Horse Comics No. 2 (Dark Horse)
Deadman No. 3–5 (DC)
Death Jr. (Image)
Detective Comics No. 583 (February 1988)(DC)
Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Dark Horse)
Doctor Tomorrow No. 1 (Valiant)
Drawing On Your Nightmares Halloween Special RRP Variant Edition (Dark Horse)
Dylan Dog No. 1-6 and special number "Zed" (Dark Horse)
Fallen Angels No. 6 (Marvel)
Frankenstein Dracula War No. 1–3 (Topps)
The Incredible Hulk No. 302, 304–309 (covers), 311–313 (covers and interiors) (Marvel)
Justice League Quarterly No. 14 (DC)
Kickers, Inc. No. 9, 12 (Marvel)
Lobo: Unamerican Gladiators No. 1–4 (DC)
Marvel Comics Presents No. 20 (Marvel)
New Mutants No. 54, Annual No. 7 (Marvel)
Power Pack No. 20 (Marvel)
Quasar No. 15 (Marvel)
Rocket Raccoon No. 1–4 (Marvel)
Showcase '94 No. 3 (DC)
Silver Surfer Vol. 3 No. 14 (Marvel)
Solar Man Of The Atom No. 24 (Valiant)
Solomon Kane: Castle of the Devil
Spectre No. 7–9 (DC)
Starman No. 42–45 (DC)
Strange Tales Vol. 2 No. 19 (Marvel)
Strikeforce: Morituri No. 21 (Marvel)
Superman Annual No. 6 (DC)
Superman: The Man of Steel Annual No. 3 (DC)
X-Factor No. 55, 70 (Marvel)
X-Men Classic No. 57–70 (Marvel)
Zorro No. 6 (Topps)
Media covers[edit]
Cronos Criterion Collection Cover
Bio - Comic Book Author & Illustrator
Reading DRACULA at ago 12 introduced Mike Mignola to Folklore and Victorian Supernatural Literature from which he has still never recovered.
He began working as a comic book artist in 1982, working for both Marvel and DC Comics before creating HELLBOY, published by Dark Horse Comics in 1994. What began as a single comic book series would eventually expand to a “Hellboy Universe” of related graphic novels, prose novels, short story anthologies and both animated and live action films. He also wrote and drew THE AMAZING SCREW-ON HEAD AND OTHER CURIOUS OBJECTS. He has co-written novels with Christopher Golden (Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire) and Thomas Sniegoski (Grim Death and Bill The Electrocuted Criminal), worked with Francis Ford Coppola on BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, was a production designer on Disney’s ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE, and visual consultant to Guillermo Del Toro on BLADE II, HELLBOY and HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY.
A new HELLBOY film directed by Neil Marshall will be released this spring.
Mike’s comics and graphic novels have earned numerous awards and are published in a great many countries.
He lives in Southern California with his wife and a very demanding cat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who runs this website?
Yes we are asked this all the time. This website is run by a few different people. Christine Mignola no longer runs this website. Please send questions to skeleton21@me.com
Does Mike do commissions?
Currently Mike does not do commissions privately or at conventions. He just doesn’t have the time!
Can Mike design my ——-?
Mike currently has more than enough work but is always interested in your inquiries so please feel free to forward requests the skeleton21@me.com . You never know!!
How do I purchase original art?
Mike sells some original art at conventions.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes we ship everything International First Class…sometimes this can take up to 21 business days or 4 weeks to arrive to it’s destination. We use stamps.com for all postage…they issue a tracking # but once it leaves the US it no longer shows on their site. If you need an item by a certain date please contact us and we will send it Priority at an extra cost.
Will Mike design a tattoo for me?
This is a big one! We love to see all of Mike’s work on you guys! Unfortunately Mike does not design tattoos and suggests that you just go through his books to find an image that suits you!
Will Mike Attend our convention?
Mike is currently booked through 2016. He is also cutting back drastically on the number of conventions he does each year. If you have a request you can send it to skeleton21@me.com
Can I get an interview with Mike?
All interview requests should be directed to David Hyde at Superfan Promotions… david.hyde@superfanpromotions.com
Will Mike take a look at my art??
If you catch Mike at a convention and he has no line (yes it does happen) he is usually happy to look at your portfolio. Please do not send your work to our PO Box. He will not look at it and it will be returned immediately. We will not be responsible.
Will Mike sign my books, cards etc?
Mike is happy to sign your books, cards, DVD’s etc. at convention and signings. And he does not charge for signatures. Please do not send them to our PO Box…we will not be responsible for them.
Will there be a Hellboy 3?
There are currently no plans but let’s hope that some day that will change!!
What pencils, pens, paper does Mike use?
Pencil – Staedtler Mars Lumograph – 2H, HB
Pen – Staedtler Pigment Liner – 0.1, 0.3
Ink – Higgins Black Magic
Paper – whatever Dark Horse has been sending him foryears – not too smooth, not too rough
Who are Mike’s inspirations?
Frank Frazetta, Jack Kirby, Jeff Jones, Bernie Wrightson, NC Wyeth and many more.
What does Mike read?
He reads mostly older supernatural stuff 1800’s- 1930’s.
Favorite authors
M.R. James, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, E.F. Benson, William Hope Hodgson, H.P. Lovecraft, Manly Wade Wellman
What does Mike watch?
Mike likes to watch a little bit of everything. He does watch a lot of old horror movies.
Favorite movies
Bride of Frankenstein, THE BODY SNATCHER (Val Lewton), Night of the Demon, Black Sunday (Mario Bava), The Innocents, THE HAUNTING (the original), Great Expectations (David Lean), Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau), Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Moby Dick (John Houston), The Man Who Would Be King
What are Mike’s favorite comics?
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby’s Thor & Fantastic Four
How do you pronounce your last name?
MIN-YO-LA
Can I draw, produce and sell a print of your characters?
We are flattered by artists who love to do their spin on Mike characters…one off commissions are okay but we will not give anyone permission to sell prints or anything for that matter that is more than one. Please do not do this.
Does Mike charge for signatures at events?
No… •
25 Years of Hellboy: Mike Mignola Interview
Mar 17, 2019
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In 1994, Mike Mignola released the first Hellboy series, Seed of Destruction and introduced the world to the Right Hand of Doom, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, and one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time. Now 25 years later comic shops will be celebrating Hellboy Day on March 23rd, a new Hellboy movie is about to hit theaters, and the Hellboy franchise is bigger and better than ever with a whole universe of characters to enjoy.
PREVIEWSworld talked with Mike Mignola about Hellboy's 25th Anniversary!
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PREVIEWSworld: 25 years of Hellboy is an amazing accomplishment. What's been the secret of keeping this franchise going for so long?
Mike Mignola: Well Hellboy is made up of all the stuff I like, and I like a lot of stuff. In fact I’ve barely scratched the surface of folklore and mythology from around the world. Also—and this I guess wasn’t part of the original plan—Hellboy himself ended up having a fairly long and involved history, and had a ways to go to play out his destiny. And, of course, I could not have done the thing this long if I didn’t have a publisher that, from day one, has supported and encouraged me while leaving me alone to tell the stories I’ve wanted to tell and. Also having a couple movies along the way hasn’t hurt.
PREVIEWSworld: Is there a Hellboy story that is your favorite or most special to you?
Mike Mignola: A couple. “The Corpse" was the first story that I think really worked, and made me realize that I could actually do this thing. And “The Crooked Man"—I think my favorite one I’ve written and, with Richard Corben doing the art, it’s the only one that I think is actually creepy. But there are a lot of them I really like for a whole lot of different reasons. I guess I’m a little surprised how much I still like most of them.
PREVIEWSworld: Fans that want to read Hellboy can now do it easily with the new Omnibus Collections (shown below). Tell us more about the four omnibus volumes and two short stories collections?
Mike Mignola: These book were something Scott Allie (former editor) had wanted to do for a long time, and he did most of the heavy lifting on them—separating out the completely standalone stories from the stories that make up the big arc of Hellboy’s life. Nice to have the big story neatly arranged in perfect order. And very nice to have the two big collection of stand-alone stories—these are the collections I would point new readers to as perfect introductions to the character.
PREVIEWSworld: We are all looking forward to seeing the Hellboy movie in April. How will this film bring the comics to life?
Mike Mignola: This new film is much closer to the Hellboy of the comic. Nothing against the del Toro movies, but this new one is much more faithful to the mythology and history I created for Hellboy.
Saturday, March 23rd is Hellboy Day—an exciting event taking place at comic book shops to commemorate the 25th anniversary of legendary comic book creator Mike Mignola's most famous creation, Hellboy! Fans can look forward to free special reprint Hellboy comic books, plus cool buttons, bookmarks, tattoos and more! Your local comic book shop will also have new Hellboy comics and merchandise available for the first time! Check with your local shop for all their Hellboy Day event plans and details!
Start reading Hellboy from Dark Horse Comics now with the new Omnibus and short stories collections!
Hellboy Creator Mike Mignola Almost Wishes He Hadn’t Let His Comic Character Go
By Abraham Riesman
@abrahamjoseph
Excerpt from a Hellboy comic. Photo: Mike Mignola/Dark Horse Comics
It’s been a rough 24 hours for everyone’s favorite crimson-toned paranormal investigator. Hellboy, a character created for comic books by writer and artist Mike Mignola in the early 1990s, was the lead in two Guillermo del Toro–directed film adaptations during the aughts, but his latest cinematic effort is a total reboot. This time around, The Descent director Neil Marshall is at the helm, a shockingly jacked David Harbour (Stranger Things) is in the title role, and the story is adapted from “The Wild Hunt,” a Hellboy comic that Mignola and artist Duncan Fegredo put together a decade ago. Alas and alack, critics have not been kind to the film so far — as of this writing, it’s rocking a 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But that’s hardly Mignola’s fault, and his Hellboy comics will surely remain classics in the canon of sequential art. We caught up with Mignola to talk about avoiding the reviews, the cameo from fan-favorite character Lobster Johnson, and his desire to get back to drawing comics.
What were your conversations with director Neil Marshall like?
Well, I never … I mean, I never really had much of a conversation with Neil. I only met him once or twice, I guess, before filming began. That’s an entirely different planet from the relationship I had with del Toro, ‘cause del Toro and I had been talking literally for years before he made the film. I was a huge fan of Neil’s work, especially The Descent, which is still one of my all-time favorite horror films. There were a lot of discussions about Neil and how Neil would be great for this. But no real conversations with Neil about what to do. It was kinda like, “Oh, you’re Neil Marshall; you’re here to do what you do, so you don’t need any help from me!”
The conversations I had, other than with the producer and the writer … I did talk to David Harbour quite a bit. He kept texting me questions. Really interesting questions about, “What were you thinking when you created him? What were you thinking about this?” I remember him asking, “Were there any particular animals you had in mind when thinking about how Hellboy moves?” I know we did at least one night where I was like, “Man, I can’t keep texting! Just call me!” So that turned into a two-hour conversation about God knows what. Everything under the sun. Did any of that affect his performance? I don’t know. But he clearly wanted as much background on where Hellboy came from to figure out his own version of the character.
Why allow a new, rebooted movie to happen?
I have no say in these matters because I don’t hold the film rights. There’s never been any real stop to the discussion of continuing to do more films. The producers have been on this since the very beginning and have never let go of the idea of continuing the Hellboy films. Did I ever believe it would happen? Nah, probably not. But for whatever reason, they picked that time to really get things moving and, y’know, a reboot made sense when you realized you weren’t gonna be doing it with del Toro and you weren’t gonna be doing it with [del Toro–era Hellboy actor] Ron [Perlman]. I think everybody’s feeling was, if we’re gonna start with a different director, are we gonna saddle the director with continuing the story line that del Toro started?
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I know you don’t have the film rights, but I guess I figured you would have an informal veto if you didn’t want a movie to get made.
I mean, I could’ve said, “I don’t want you to do it.” It doesn’t mean they necessarily would’ve listened to me. Thank God we never had to have that conversation. The best I can do with something like that is say, “I don’t wanna be involved.” But I’m very lucky to have producers that want me involved, and especially since with this one they wanted to go closer to the source material, well, it’d be pretty stupid of me, as the one guy who does fully understand the source material, to say, “Good luck, I want nothing to do with it.” So I was very happy that I got a chance to go in. Especially with “The Wild Hunt,” which is a very complicated story. If you’re gonna move the pieces around, then, yes, it’s good to have me there to say, “If you’re gonna move these pieces or you’re gonna substitute this character or that character, let’s use this character, not that character; let’s put this piece over here, not put that piece over there.” With all my stories, there’s a certain logic that … not all of it is on the page. It’s nice that I’m there to say, “What this means is this, and if we’re gonna use this, we need that.”
But you co-wrote a draft of the script, right?
At one point, yeah. Chris Golden and I … I hate typing. Chris Golden and I, who had done a couple novels together, we did take a shot at a couple drafts of the script somewhere in the middle. That was before it was a reboot. We took a couple shots at a draft of the script and then it went back to [sole credited screenwriter] Andrew [Cosby]. That’s the way this stuff works. This thing bounced back and forth for so long that, at one point, we did put our thing on it.
Was there anything from your script that made it to the screen?
Let’s see. There are some bits I had a hand in. Like the Baba Yaga stuff: There are two extra little Baba Yaga scenes that were added actually pretty late when we realized we wanted to up her involvement in the story. I mostly wrote those couple little bits. So, yeah, there’s stuff there that I go, I think I wrote that, or I think I was in the room with Andrew and said, “Hey, let’s do this.” But it’s such a collaborative thing that it’s really hard to pinpoint specific moments. But when Hellboy goes rolling out of Baba Yaga’s house and she curses him as he goes out of the house, that was an interesting bit because I believe it was [Hellboy actor] David Harbour who said that Baba Yaga should have some parting curse or some parting jab at Hellboy. That note came to me and I believe that bit, the things she says to Hellboy as he goes out the door, I believe that was my writing based on Harbour saying, “We need something there.” That’s one of my favorite little things I look at and I’d like to think, Ooh! Yeah! I wrote that bit!
What did you think of the finished film?
Again, it’s so surreal to me to see so much of it that’s lifted directly from the comic. Some of the pieces are moved around and some of the scenes are longer than what I did and some are shorter than what I did. I’d never before had the experience on set where I looked around and went, Holy crap, this is straight outta the comic. The day I was on set in Bulgaria, it was the Wild Hunt out in a field. So there’s Hellboy on horseback and the Wild Hunt guys looked so close to the design that Duncan Fegredo did in the comic. That was pretty surreal. And the costume for Lobster Johnson is spot-on, or 99 percent exactly what was in the comic. That’s taken a lot of getting used to, seeing my work so represented on screen. So that was pretty cool.
Have you read the reviews of the movie?
I have not.
You have not.
I’m aware of the reviews, but I have decided not to read the reviews. I’m anxious to hear what the fans think of the film. I certainly want the fans to be happy. But, no, I’m gonna stay away from the reviews.
You have greater strength than me. I always end up reading my bad reviews.
I mean, the internet is so much more of a toxic place than it was ten years ago when we had the last movie out there. It’s been quite an ugly experience seeing just how different the internet response or the internet rumor mill, all that stuff … It’s just a different planet than it was ten years ago.
Whose decision was it to include the “Hellboy in Mexico” mini-adaptation in the early part of the movie?
I don’t know where that came in. I think that was one of the relatively late additions to the script. It always started with something else, with something before the main Wild Hunt story, to introduce Hellboy as a character. I can’t remember what it used to start with. But I do remember the phone call I got — and maybe it was Neil’s idea — to do the Mexico scene, which I thought just worked beautifully.
It prompted me to look at the comic again and remind myself of how much I love Richard Corben, who did the art.
It’s been one of the great pleasures of my career to get to work with the two guys who get a thank-you on this film: Duncan, who did the Wild Hunt story; and Richard, who drew some of my all-time favorite Hellboy stuff. I’ve been a lucky boy.
Take me back to the origins of “The Wild Hunt” as a comic, way back in the day?
Oh, my memory is so bad. I’m not sure when that thing started cooking. It’s funny: It was around the same time that I decided I couldn’t draw the comic anymore because I was suffering a major loss of confidence in my own abilities as an artist. So at the same time as I was going, Oh, no, I can’t draw comics, I was cooking up this three-book epic. Thank God Duncan Fegredo said yes to working on it or I’d have this massive story clogging up the back of my head. I’d always wanted to do something with King Arthur. Years ago, I had talked about doing some kind of adaptation of the Holy Grail story line and I guess that just never quite went away. Most everything I’ve ever wanted to do has found its way back into Hellboy, so I think, for a long time, this idea of connecting Hellboy to the King Arthur thing was in the back of my head. How it turned into this story? I honestly don’t know. I do know that, once it started … I never set out to go, I want to do a gigantic, three-book epic, but these things sometimes turn into that snowball rolling down the hill.
Whatever one thinks of the movie, it would be wrong to say Harbour doesn’t do a good job of embodying the character. Which Ron Perlman also did, of course. David really dug in and tried to make it his own while being truthful to the core ideas.
Yeah, he was fantastic. And, again, it’s very different … It’s interesting that both actors come from my work and both maintain certain aspects of the character from my work, but they’re such radically different stories, and the tones of the two films — or three films, I guess — are so different that it can’t help but call for a different kind of actor. The fact that David’s relationship is a father-son thing, whereas Ron and [original Hellboy co-star] Selma [Blair] had that kind of romantic thing at the core of their story, it made for two very different types of performances.
Did you interact with Ian McShane at all?
No. I saw him from a distance. Frankly, he scares me to death. Nobody introduced us and I was kinda like, I’m fine. It was cool to see him walk by. But, no, it was just the one night in England when it was raining so hard that I was just looking for a cup of coffee and an awning to stand under. I saw him from a distance.
I interviewed him a few years ago and was similarly terrified, but he ended up being as open and agreeable as anyone I’ve ever interviewed. So, if you get another chance to meet him, don’t be afraid!
I think what’s fascinating is, apparently, he was very good friends with [original Hellboy co-star] John Hurt. So the fact that he was playing the character that John had played, I thought, was actually very cool.
At this point, between the comics, the movies, the animated movies, and so on, you’ve let a lot of different people interpret Hellboy. What do you think you’ve learned about the character from other people’s interpretations of the character?
It’s a tough question. I don’t know that I’ve learned anything about Hellboy, but I have learned about the whole creative process and what it’s like to have a character that’s yours and, little by little, he slips out of your grasp. Y’know? He takes on this other life, and more and more, you’ll run into people who know Hellboy, or think they know Hellboy, but they actually have no idea of the original comics. So it’s an interesting process of creating something and letting it go. There’s always gonna be a part of you that says, I almost wish I hadn’t let him go. Y’know? It’s not really mine. The books are mine; that’s great. But at a certain point, it’s like watching your kid grow up and move away. They’re doing shit you don’t know anything about and you kinda miss when they lived in the house.
The fact that I have the comics that are 100 percent me or it’s me collaborating with another artist — that, to me, is always gonna be the real Hellboy stuff. Because, at the end of the day, that stuff wasn’t done until I said it was done. When you loan out the character and let other people take the character, you have to make your peace with the fact that it’s not going to be exactly what you would’ve done. Different doesn’t necessarily mean worse; it just means it’s different.
What’s coming up next for you?
I’m kind of in between things right now. I’m writing several issues of Hellboy — doing that today, as a matter of fact. But every few years, I get that itch to draw comics again. It’s been way too long since I was sitting there, actually drawing comics. And writing is no fun. Making shit up is fun. Sitting around, writing something for someone else to draw, is no fun at all. So I’m starting to cook up some comics stuff so I can sit there and I can be the guy having fun.
You mentioned that you hate typing — do you do everything longhand and then someone else types it up?
No, no, I do type. I just hate typing. Typing is work. Explaining to another artist what goes on in a panel is work. And it’s not naturally what I do. So, yeah, the whole process of sitting down and actually typing up a script, I find it very painful and it’s really work. But pacing around the kitchen, making up a story, that’s fun, until you go, Oh, shit, now I gotta write it down for somebody. I’m looking forward to pacing around, making up a story, and then sitting down and drawing it myself. Not that that doesn’t have its own challenge, but at least I can do it with the TV on and it’s kinda fun. I’d much rather be drawing than typing.
They got the Lobster into the movie! The character was rumored to be in the works for Guillermo del Toro’s unproduced threequel, but how did he end up onscreen here? When did he start coming up in conversations about the film?
Well, del Toro wanted to use everything in the third movie. [Laughs.] I have no idea what a third movie actually would’ve been, but every other day, he’d mention something that was going to be in there. So God only knows what he would’ve done. But, yes, we discussed early on that Neil did want to have the origin sequence in there and he wanted to go back and do it closer to the comic version than what del Toro had done. And, in the comic version, there’s a superhero character there, the Torch of Liberty. But I’d pointed out, when they mentioned they wanted to use that character, that that character was actually on loan from [comics writer and artist] John Byrne. I said, “Let’s not use the Torch of Liberty. But had I created Lobster Johnson way back when, I would’ve put Lobster Johnson into that scene.” I’m glad they checked with me instead of just putting the Torch of Liberty in. But I said, “Yeah, this is a perfect place to insert Lobster Johnson.” Which is really a good example of me getting to go back and touch up and add details that I just didn’t know yet when I did the comic.
So, in a way, this movie’s version of Hellboy’s origin is the ideal one for you?
Yeah, yeah, exactly. I just didn’t have my own pulp/adventure/superhero character when I started the comic.
I love the idea of them not asking you about the Torch of Liberty and then putting him in the movie without asking Byrne, because, of all the people in comics, he’s probably the least likely to be calm and forgiving about it.
I don’t think they would’ve done it without telling me, but I do specifically remember the phone call and being like, “Wait, wait, let’s not do that!”
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Mike Mignola Interview: Hellboy
by Zak Wojnar – on Jul 23, 2019 in Interviews
Comic book creator Mike Mignola is best known for his work on Hellboy, the demonic defender of Earth from paranormal, satanic, and otherwise bizarre threats. For over twenty-five years, the writer and artist has leveraged his talents to create some of the wildest and most provocative stories ever published by Dark Horse comics.
Hellboy's popularity skyrocketed with the release of 2004's Hellboy film and its 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Both films were written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, while a third film found itself stalled in development limbo for many years. Finally, April 2019 saw the release of a cinematic reboot of the series, simply titled Hellboy. Though the film was faithful to the comics, it ultimately failed to make a lasting impression at the box office.
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While promoting the home video release of Hellboy, Mike Mignola spoke with Screen Rant about his history with the Hellboy character, including his work on the film, Hellboy III, which ultimately became the current reboot. He discusses what it's like to see his creation become part of the work of authors other than himself, and even shares fond memories of his time working on the cult Disney film, Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
We're doing this interview for the home video release of Hellboy. I like doing interviews at different points in a movie's life cycle, but the Blu ray and digital era is something like "last call" for me. There's something special about this period of time. So, for people who missed out or skipped the movie, what would you say to them now that they can get it on Digital or Blu ray?
There's so much frenzy around the release of a movie, and so many people jumping in with opinions, fairly or unfairly. It creates a certain atmosphere, and I think the nice thing is, now that's died down, so there's not so much noise about the movie. Maybe now people can say, "now I'll judge for myself." And it wasn't in theaters for that long. I kept running into people who said, "I see you have a movie coming out, I really want to see it," but I had to point out that it had already come and gone. It went pretty fast! Hopefully, this is a chance for a lot of people to see it, without the frenzy of initial reviews. It's a relaxed time for people to sit down and judge for themselves.
The atmosphere is so fast nowadays. Blockbusters, or especially aspiring blockbusters, mid-tier movies, just kinda get thrown out there and never get a chance to grow their audience.
Also, you have critics, and by critics I mean whomever; everybody is a critic now, everybody is an online critic. You have so many people making snap judgments based on a movie trailer, or a story that they heard third or fourth-hand that suddenly turns into internet fact. It's nice when people get a chance to actually see the thing and judge for themselves.
Absolutely. I don't want to ask stuff like, "why wasn't the box office strong," because I know you've been over that a million times by now. Instead, there's a lot of storylines in this movie that get set up, like with Abe Sapien, Baba Yaga, and Lobster Johnson – my favorite. Whether or not we're going to get movies based on any of those characters in the future, which of your comics would you want people to read if they're going to learn more about these characters who are only teased in the film?
Well, it's hard to say. There's so many things... The Wild Hunt storyline, if people want to see where this story was going, there are three books that make up this epic. Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, and The Storm and the Fury. It's one big story, and if we were to continue the films, I think we would use those books as the guide for where the series would go. Baba Yaga has popped up in a bunch of different places, but she does function in a certain way in that storyline. Lobster Johnson has his own book, his own series of books. If people like Lobster Johnson, there's a lot of Lobster Johnson out there to like. Abe Sapien, he's got his own line of books, and he's been in a bunch of the Hellboy stories. There's a lot of material out there. I think the beauty, for people who are discovering Hellboy with this film, or with any of the films, is, if you like this world, it's not like there's only one book out there; there's 25 years of material out there.
That's a lot of Hellboy!
As a fan of certain things, I'm always frustrated when I love something and I find out there's only one or two books. But if you go into Hellboy, oh, there's 80 books! That's nice! You don't need to read them all to know what's going on, but the more you read, the more you see how things are connected. It's not like the Marvel universe, where you don't know what the hell's going on if you pick up a stray book. I've always made it something where you didn't need to read everything. You just needed to read what you like! But the more you read, the more you see the big picture. It's something I'm really happy with with this film. Because we needed to introduce Lobster Johnson, because we teased Abe Sapien, and we had the Baba Yaga in there, you got the sense of how big this world is. It was a great teaser for the comics!
In the movie business, it's kind of hard to tell the difference between fact and myth, you know, these Hollywood legends. From my understanding, Hellboy started out as Hellboy III before it became a reboot. Aside from the title character, do you think there's any DNA from that lost sequel that's in this Hellboy?
Let's see... It was always going to be The Wild Hunt. It was always going to be that storyline. But you're right, at the beginning, the idea was, how do we go from the Del Toro movies to continue into this storyline? Plot-wise, it's always been similar. When the decision was made to reboot, it was really just a matter of saying, "well, okay, let's take the Del Toro-isms that we put into the original script, let's take those out. You know, I don't know that there's anything in there that really carries over that's specifically Del Toro. It was more of an effort we made of putting those Del Toro-isms in there. It was easy to take them out. I know that was one reason why Neil Marshall wanted to do the Hellboy origin sequence, even though it was covered really well in Del Toro's movie. He wanted to put his own spin on that, so it was a different version of the Hellboy origin scene.
I know you were closely involved in the Del Toro films. What was your involvement with this one? I always wonder how these adaptations work when the creator is right there. Are you on call in case anyone has lore questions? Did you do a draft of the script? How does that work?
I was definitely on call. When they sent me the rough breakdown of what they wanted to, they got me involved right away. I was there to go, if you're doing Wild Hunt, don't do this; do this. Take this piece from over here and put it over there. All I could do is make suggestions, but as long as they're asking for my opinion, I'll give them my opinion. I was very involved. On this one, I was very involved with the script. It went on for... There were a billion different drafts of this script. In fact, Chris Golden, whom I'd worked with before on novels, he and I worked on a couple of drafts of the script, somewhere in the middle, and then it went back to (credited screenwriter Andrew) Cosby. We worked on the script, wow, up until filming. We shot for a fortnight in the U.K., and then we had a few days in Bulgaria before they started filming there. and those couple of days in Bulgaria, before they started filming, I sat down with the producer, and with Andrew Cosby, and we went through the script again, and made changes. It was little stuff, not major stuff, because everybody's working on the film, but it was dialogue changes. Say this instead of that. I've been very fortunate on all of these Hellboy things, that they've wanted my involvement. You know, if they're going to ask for my opinion, I'm going to give my opinion.
So, when you were working on the script, that was before it was a reboot?
Yes.
Is there a chance in a million years that the old script could be made into a comic book version of Hellboy III?
You know, I think Del Toro mentioned it to me once, and I said no. I think, let the comics be the comics. Comics are confusing enough for people. Let's not have two different versions of the Hellboy comic out there. My vote would be "no."
That makes sense. Plus, you know, they never get the eyes right.
Exactly. That's probably true, yeah (laughs)
So, I write for Screen Rant, and we do a lot of stories about Disney. One underrated classic that comes up when talking about all-time Disney classics is Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
That's nice, because that's a movie nobody talked about for years! It seemed like there is a generation of people who grew up with that film who are now excited about that film, that's cool.
I think, for people who are my age, I'm 28, that was one of the last big movies we watched on cable as kids. So even if we missed it in the theaters, it was on one of those cable channels every day. That's how I saw it. But with the current trend of live-action Disney remakes, would you love to see them try to do a live-action remake of this? Would you be interested in working on that?
Yeah! I mean, they would never call me to work on it, but that would be cool. It wasn't a huge box office movie. But that's what we had in mind. When they came to me, they said we want to do something that was a throwback to the adventure films they used to do, like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I think it would be a terrific live action film. It's funny, nobody has ever mentioned that before. That would be great! Hopefully, somebody at Disney reads this and wants to make that Atlantis movie, because I think that would be really cool.
Then I'd deserve a producer credit! So, there aren't a whole lot of truly huge comic book characters who are wholly creator-owned. Hellboy is yours. You've had your stamp on almost everything he's ever been involved in. But there are novels and stories here and there which you did not write. When you see those stories, which you didn't write, are you like a parent watching their child go out by themselves?
It is strange, yes. I have a daughter who is 25. She's in Minnesota in vet school. It's very similar. I used to know what she was doing. But now, I check in with her once a week. We Skype. We occasionally message back and forth, but there are gigantic chunks of her time where I have absolutely no idea what she's doing. That's very much what it's like with Hellboy. I check in with the various writers who work on the various Hellboy books, periodically. But I'm not there day-in-day-out, in contact with these guys. There are Hellboy stories that show up, and some of the related books, they show up and I go, oh, I remember we sort of mentioned that kind of idea in one of these long lunches or phone conversations, and it evolved into this story. Or there are stories that pop up where I go, "I had absolutely no involvement with that." For the most part, I'm working with writers whom I've worked with for a very long time. And at some point, they kind of go, "I know what I'm doing. Mignola trusts me." I do trust them. I know it's in capable hands. But it is weird. It's very strange where you go, oh, my little thing is out there, not beyond my control, but I'm not day-in-day-out controlling it.
You said your daughter was 25?
Yes.
And Hellboy just celebrated his 25th year...
Yes. When somebody pointed out to me that Hellboy was turning 25, my first thought was, "Holy s***, that means my daughter is 25!" She was born the month before Hellboy was published.
So, subconsciously or deliberately, is there a bit of Hellboy in your daughter and Bruttenholm in yourself?
Uhhhh, no, I don't think so! I mean, there may be, who knows! That's the kind of stuff I don't actually think... If it gets in there, it's in there, but it's not the kind of stuff I'm ever going to analyze!
Fair enough!
HEAT VISION
'Hellboy' Creator Creates 'Our Encounter With Evil' Graphic Novel (Exclusive)
March 18, 2019 9:00am by Graeme McMillan
Mike Mignola/Dark Horse Comics
The upcoming graphic project reteams Mike Mignola with British cartoonist Warwick Johnson-Cadwell.
The year 2019 is one in which a lot of attention is being paid to Mike Mignola’s Hellboy, and with good reason; in addition to his imminent return to the big screen with Neil Marshall’s reboot of the franchise, the demonic hero is celebrating 25 years of comic book adventures. But Hellboy is not Mignola’s only comic book character, something a new graphic novel titled Our Encounters With Evil: Adventures of Professor J.T. Meinhardt and His Assistant Mr. Knox underscores with good humor and just a little bit of monster mayhem.
The graphic novel sees Mignola reteam with British cartoonist Warwick Johnson-Cadwell for a follow-up to their 2017 comedy Mr. Higgins Comes Home. Once again, Meinhardt and Knox are investigating things that go bump in the night — not to mention other sounds, as well — with the assistance of Ms. Mary Van Sloan, vampire hunter. As before, however, what the three uncover may not be quite what it appears on first glance.
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"We join this trio as Professor Meinhardt recounts three of their 'Encounters With Evil,'" Johnson-Cadwell, who writes and draws the graphic novel, said Monday in a statement. (Mignola provides a cover with colorist Dave Stewart, and Clem Robins letters the book.) "These stories take us through the dark hearted Hornetwood, across the diabolic Blackwater Falls and into the hands of a deadly hunter."
“Warwick brought an insane amount to energy and invention to Mr. Higgins Comes Home — more ideas than could ever fit into that one book — so I was thrilled when he told me he wanted to continue the adventures of Meinhardt and Knox,” Mignola told Heat Vision. As to just what kind of evil is encountered in the book? Mignola wasn’t saying, but he did tease, “Look forward to a whole world of vampires and related monstrosities like nothing you’re even seen before.”
Mike Mignola/Dark Horse Comics
Our Encounters With Evil: Adventures of Professor J.T. Meinhardt and His Assistant Mr. Knox is set to be released Oct. 9 in comic book stores by Dark Horse Comics, with an Oct. 22 release everywhere books are sold.
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Graeme McMillan
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INTERVIEW: Mike Mignola on what’s next for Hellboy
By Zack Quaintance -
04/12/2019 11:00 am
5
This is a big month for Hellboy. There’s a new movie out, which reviews aside has gotten people talking about the character. Also, the storyline driving both Hellboy and B.P.R.D comics for near three decades is concluding in next week’s B.P.R.D. The Devil You Know #15.
With all that going on, I had the opportunity recently to email a few questions to Hellboy’s creator, Mike Mignola. His answers are direct and interesting, as to the point as Hellboy reacting to a gigantic monster he’ll probably have to fight later. I’ll stop jawing now and get right to my chat with Mike Mignola.
Photo by Christine Mignola.
Zack Quaintance: First things first. Next week we’re getting a finale that seems in some ways like it has been almost 30 years in the making. So, how does it feel to be finishing the main Hellboy/B.P.R.D. narrative in Devil You Know?
Mike Mignola: It’s very satisfying to have it all wrapped up—and ended the way it was supposed to end.
Quaintance: Was this always the planned ending, beyond what you’d already laid down in Hellboy in Hell?
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Mignola: It wasn’t planned from the very beginning, but I have had it in mind for a long time. From the time I wrote the Plague of Frogs miniseries I knew the B.P.R.D. was fighting a losing battle, and even before that—when Rasputin mentioned Ragna Rok—I knew we would eventually be dealing with the end of the world/beginning of the world. It just took a while to figure out exactly how we would get there and how it would all work.
Quaintance: It’s really exciting to see Duncan Fegredo coming back for the first post-Devil You Know comic, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D – The Beast of Vargu. Aside from being absurdly talented, is there a certain energy that makes Fegredo well-suited to kickoff this next phase of Hellboy comics?
Mignola: There are certain storytelling tricks in the The Beast of Vargu—for those I wanted an artist who I’d worked with before who would understand what I was going for—and I’ve been wanting to work with Duncan again ever since he wrapped up The Storm and the Fury. I was afraid he’d had enough of drawing Hellboy after that whole epic, so I was very very happy that I was able to lure him back.
Quaintance: Speaking of, what does the next phase of Hellboy comics look like, is it all back-filling previous eras or will there be new stories past The Devil You Know on the timeline? Personally, I’d love to see more shorts….
Mignola: Right now there are several Hellboy short stories in the works—some by Chris Roberson and quite a few by me. Right now they are all set in Hellboy’s past. I do actually have a couple ideas for things that take place after The Devil You Know. Hard to say how or if Hellboy will feature into those plans, and The Devil You Know leaves him in a very strange place that I’m not even sure I understand.
Quaintance: The new Hellboy film also hits theaters this week, and it looks like it has a lot more, or at least different, imagery out of the actual comics. How was the experience of watching this one for you, especially compared with the del Toro movies?
Mignola: This new one certainly does follow the comics more closely—mostly the Wild Hunt storyline, with a lot of other bits sprinkled in. It’s actually very surreal to see characters and situations that are so close to the actual comic page.
Quaintance: Hellboy aside, I’m excited to read the follow up to Mr. Higgins Comes Home later this year too. I know it’s not until fall, but would you mind tipping maybe just one bit of mythology, legend, folklore etc. that helped to inspire this one?
Mignola: I actually had almost nothing to do with the followup to Mr. Higgins. If I recall correctly, Warwick [Johnson-Cadwell] came to me with a whole lot of ideas for stories featuring Professor Meinhardt and Knox—some really new and interesting takes on vampires—and I told him he should just write it himself. I was busy with other things and it was clear that he had more than enough ideas for a book. He’s done an amazing job and I hope he’ll do more.
Quaintance: And last, any plans to play the new Hellboy board game with your family?
Mignola: Nope—not going to play the actual game, but I do look forward to getting my hands on all the cool little figures.
Mr. Higgins Comes Home.
By Mike Mignola. Illus. by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell.
2017. 64p. Dark Horse, $14.99 (9781506704661). 741.5. Gr. 9-12.
It starts out like any good vampire story--a creature lurks at night; a team of vampire hunters plans its next move; a horde of the undead gathers to worship Satan--but Mignola and Johnson-Cadwell playfully upend many classic vampire tropes for a graphic novel that's as surprising as it is delightfully ghastly. Professor Meinhardt and Mister Knox are on a mission to defeat Count Golga, the most evil of all vampires, but to do so, they need to enlist the help of Mister Higgins, who lost his wife to Golga's nefarious schemes and was transformed into a werewolf. With off-kilter shapes, smudgy shadows, pools of brilliant red blood, and plenty of exaggerated body shapes, Johnson-Cadwell's illustrations are certainly eerie, though the sunnier palette and stylized figures are in compelling contrast to the grim story line. When Golga invites Meinhardt, Knox, and Higgins back to his home, the action picks up in an over-the-top, disembodied-limb-strewn twist. Simultaneously a loving homage to and send-up of classic horror, this will surely delight fans of the genre.--Sarah Hunter
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Hunter, Sarah. "Mr. Higgins Comes Home." Booklist, 15 Nov. 2017, p. 38. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A517441804/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=285180cd. Accessed 12 Nov. 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A517441804
The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed
Mike Mignola et al. Dark Horse, $19.99
(144p) ISBN 978-1-5067-0345-9
When Mignola introduced the character of Hellboy to the world, he included a single page in the first series that puzzled readers for 23 years. It showed aliens monitoring Hellboy's activities from space. But who were they, and what were their intentions? Finally in this volume, Mignola gives the answer. An extraterrestrial is present at Hellboy's first appearance on Earth in 1944, and his mission is to assassinate the demon child--but a premonition of the power of free will stays his hand. The visitor takes on the alias of human Michael Mathers and stays to watch Hellboy's progress. Unexpectedly, Michael falls in love and builds a life on earth, averting a number of paranormal disasters and regularly calling in anonymous tips to the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense). Drawn by Grist and colored by Crabtree in a style deliberately similar to that of the original series, this comic slots easily into the Mignolaverse and offers a satisfying answer to a long-running mystery. (Oct.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed." Publishers Weekly, 9 Oct. 2017, p. 51. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A511293338/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=4499e564. Accessed 12 Nov. 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A511293338
Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea
Mike Mignola and Gary Gianni. Dark Horse, $14.99 (56p) ISBN 978-1-5067-0143-1
A 19th-century ghost ship on the high seas shanghais Hellboy during his escape from a deserted island in this brief but welcome return to Ol' Red's world by creator Mignola and Eisner Award-winning artist Gianni (Prince Valiant). The spectral crew--unaware of their deceased status--plots to sell the recalcitrant (and baffled) Hellboy to a circus sideshow while an eerie woman onboard seeks forbidden knowledge beyond her ken. Quickly, the primordial powers lurking in the ocean rear their heads for a maritime showdown. Mignola weaves literary nautical quotes and the superstitious lore of old-timey sailors into his storytelling and stays true to his iconic Lovecrafitian, tentacled themes. Gianni's detailed artwork, inspired by classic pen-and-ink illustrations, and Stewart's judicious use of color (Hellboy is fire-engine red against a backdrop of subdued blues, grays, and browns) is a fresh contrast to Mignola's weighty aesthetic and moves the narrative-light plot along. (May)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea." Publishers Weekly, 17 Apr. 2017, p. 54. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A490820810/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=6d3bcda6. Accessed 12 Nov. 2019.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A490820810