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Mike Mignola

Mike Mignola
Mignola in June 2011
BornMichael Mignola
(1960-09-16) September 16, 1960 (age 64)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Area(s)Writer, Penciller, Inker
Notable works
Hellboy
B.P.R.D.
Cosmic Odyssey
Gotham by Gaslight
AwardsFull list

Michael Mignola (/mɪn-ˈjoʊ-lə/; born September 16, 1960)[1] is an American comic book 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, and various spin-offs. He has also created other supernatural and paranormal themed titles for Dark Horse including Baltimore, Joe Golem, and The Amazing Screw-On Head.

Early life

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Mike Mignola was born September 16, 1960.[1] He was raised Catholic.[2]

Career

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Marvel and DC

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Mignola was born in Berkeley, California.[3] He began his career in 1980 by illustrating spots in The Comic Reader.[4] 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.[5]

In 1983 he worked as an inker at Marvel Comics on Daredevil and Power Man and Iron Fist and later became the penciler 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[6] and World of Krypton limited series.[7] With writer Jim Starlin, Mignola produced the Cosmic Odyssey miniseries in 1988.[8] Mignola drew covers for several Batman stories, including "Batman: A Death in the Family"[9] and "Dark Knight, Dark City".[10] Writer Brian Augustyn and Mignola crafted the Gotham by Gaslight one-shot in 1989.[11]

Batman #429 cover by Mike Mignola

In an early 2000s interview, Mignola was asked if his 1988 cover art and cover text for Batman #428 anticipated the telephone vote for the death of the second Robin (Jason Todd). Mignola responded:[12]

"It's so amazing to me that people are still talking about that damn thing. I didn't know if he was going to live or die, because I did the cover ahead of time. So the idea was: I'll draw him dead, and if he lives, then it's just a cover of him being badly hurt. I've gotta say---I don't think I was giving it a lot of thought. I never imagined I'd be talking about it all these years later."[12]

When asked if fans continued to question him about that cover, he replied, "You know, it does crop up. When people talk about my career, that is one of the covers that a lot of people kind of go back to. I wish I had something profound to say about it. But at the time, it was just another job."[12] In contrast, Mignola did not address his cover illustration of the Joker, and the accompanying cover text, for Batman #429. His visual depiction of the Joker anticipated prospective advertisements for his work in Gotham by Gaslight, yet the cover text still adhered to the "Death in the Family" storyline. This Elseworlds Joker is only briefly discussed in Gotham by Gaslight as a man who married ten wealthy widows, poisoned all ten with strychnine, and then ingested the poison himself when police attempted an arrest, resulting in partial facial paralysis. Mignola included a black-and-white police sketch in Gotham by Gaslight that did not replicate his Batman #429 cover art, choosing instead to root that Elseworlds incarnation of the Joker in Conrad Veidt's 1928 portrayal of Gwynplaine for The Man Who Laughs. A scene from Tim Burton's Batman, released in June 1989 (United States), additionally featured Jack Nicholson's Joker in a top hat, but without a monocle.[13] Two years later, Jack Shaheen published an assessment of Islamophobia pervasive in Jim Starlin's plot and Jim Aparo's interior pencils for "Death in the Family," particularly Batman #429, which prompted debates over Mignola's intentions.[14]

Through the early 1990s Mignola worked on covers and backup features for various DC and Marvel Comics.[7] 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.[15]

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Main article: Hellboy Universe

Hellboy

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Prior to 1994 Mignola's career had been spent doing work-for-hire illustration for corporate publishers. 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 series' conclusion, Hellboy in Hell.[16]

Abe Sapien

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In 1998 the first Hellboy spinoff, 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.[17]

Lobster Johnson

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Lobster Johnson was the next spinoff, 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.

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B.P.R.D. was the third spinoff, 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.[18] 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

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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.

Frankenstein

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The Frankenstein began with Frankenstein Underground in 2015. Set in 1956, this miniseries follows Frankenstein (in the Hellboy Universe, the Frankenstein monster takes his father's name) as he ventures into the Pellucidar-like Hollow Earth. This also canonized Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The series was further expanded in 2020 with Frankenstein Undone, a direct sequel to Shelley's novel.

Spinoff miniseries

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Numerous spinoffs have been published that are set in the Hellboy universe:

The Outerverse

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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 called "The Outerverse".[19]

Style

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Alan Moore has described Mignola's style as "German expressionism meets Jack Kirby".[20] His style has also been likened to an amalgamation of Hal Foster and Alex Toth.[21]

Film and television

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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 a concept artist for 2002's Blade II and Pixar's Brave.[citation needed]

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.[3]

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.[22]

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.[23] Mignola also co-wrote the screenplay for a 2024 reboot film titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man alongside Chris Golden.[24]

In 2022, Mignola's career was highlighted in the documentary Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters. Directed by Kevin Konrad Hanna and Jim Demonakos, this film explores Mignola's journey in creating the Hellboy series and features interviews with industry figures like Guillermo del Toro and Neil Gaiman. The documentary has been noted for its comprehensive portrayal of Mignola's impact on the worlds of comics and film.

Personal life

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As of 2014, Mignola resides in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.[2]

Regarding the influence of his religious upbringing on his artwork, Mignola explained in a 2014 interview, "No, I don't believe in anything, really. Not on a conscious level. That is the beauty of it. I was raised Catholic. I was taught a bunch of stuff. I find religion fascinating, but at no time does any of that tie my hands. I get to play with stuff without getting too reverential. There's some Miltonian stuff to the geography of my Hell, the Hell I'm doing is much closer to the world I created in The Amazing Screw-On Head. It's this pile, this jumble of old buildings for the most part. It's entirely made out of everything I want to draw."[2]

Awards

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Bibliography

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Comics

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Hellboy Universe (Dark Horse)

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Novels

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Covers

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Media covers

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Miller, John Jackson (June 10, 2005). "Comics Industry Birthdays". Comics Buyer's Guide. Iola, Wisconsin. Archived from the original on February 18, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Montgomery, Paul (March 22, 2014). "CBR SATURDAY CONVERSATION: Mike Mignola". CBR.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Art of Mike Mignola - Bio". Art of Mike Mignola. 2010. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  4. ^ "Mike Mignola". Lambiek Comiclopedia. March 31, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013.
  5. ^ Norrena, Jim. "Spotlight: Mike Mignola". California College of the Arts. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  6. ^ Greenberger, Robert (October 2016). "The Paul Kupperberg Phantom Stranger Interview". Back Issue! (92). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 44–50.
  7. ^ a b Mike Mignola at the Grand Comics Database
  8. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Writer Jim Starlin and artist Mike Mignola teamed up for a sci-fi miniseries that spanned the [DC Universe]. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 235: "Written by Jim Starlin, with art by Jim Aparo and haunting covers by Mike Mignola, 'A Death in the Family' proved a best seller with readers in both single-issue and trade paperback form."
  10. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair, ed. (2014). "1990s". Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 188. ISBN 978-1465424563. Writer Peter Milligan penned this memorable three-issue storyline, illustrated by Kieron Dwyer and with cover art by Mike Mignola, in which the Riddler proved that he was still a serious threat to Batman. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 241: "An 'alternate history of the Batman' was spawned in this dark prestige format one-shot by writer Brian Augustyn and artist Mike Mignola."
  12. ^ a b c Voger, Mark (2006). The Dark: Grim, Great & Gimmicky Post-Modern Comics. Raleigh, N.C.: TwoMorrows. p. 123. ISBN 9781893905535.
  13. ^ Booker, M. Keith (2010). Encyclopedia of Comic Books and Graphic Novels. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press. pp. 262–63. ISBN 9780313357466.
  14. ^ Shaheen, Jack (November–December 1991). "Jack Shaheen versus The Comic Book Arab". The Link: Published by Americans for Middle East Understanding, Inc. 24 (5): 1–16.
  15. ^ a b c Greenberger, Robert (2012). The Art of Howard Chaykin. Dynamite Entertainment. p. 132. ISBN 978-1606901694.
  16. ^ Khouri, Andy (December 14, 2012). "Hellboy in Hell is the Comic Mike Mignola Will Be Drawing for the Rest of His Life". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  17. ^ Salvatore, Brian (March 1, 2013). "Talkin' Abe Sapien with Scott Allie". Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  18. ^ Mignola, Mike (2011). "Introduction by Scott Allie". B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs - Volume 1. Dark Horse Comics. ISBN 978-1-59582-609-1.
  19. ^ Tweedale, Mark (March 19, 2020). "Mignolaversity: Christopher Golden teases The Outerverse". Multiversity Comics.
  20. ^ Mignola, Mike; Moore, Alan (Foreword only) (1997). "Foreword". Hellboy: Wake the Devil. Dark Horse Comics. ISBN 978-1593070953.
  21. ^ Cooke, Jon B. (January 2002). "The Art of Arthur Adams". Comic Book Artist (17). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Mike's style is almost a weird amalgamation of Kirby and Toth.
  22. ^ "Fanboy Radio #353 - Mike Mignola LIVE" Archived August 31, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Fanboy Radio. November 30, 2006.
  23. ^ Kit, Borys (May 8, 2017). "Hellboy Reboot In the Works With 'Stranger Things' Star David Harbour". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017.
  24. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (February 18, 2023). "'Hellboy: The Crooked Man' Plot & Production Details Revealed By Millennium; Reboot To Be A 'Departure' & First In New Series — EFM". Deadline. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  25. ^ "1995 Harvey Awards". Harveyawards.org. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  26. ^ "1996 Harvey Awards". Harveyawards.org. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  27. ^ "Inkpot Award Winners". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012.
  28. ^ "2008 Harvey Awards". Harveyawards.org. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  29. ^ "Seventh Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards". Rondoaward.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  30. ^ "2010 Harvey Awards". Harveyawards.org. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  31. ^ Gustines, George Gene (September 25, 2019). "Harvey Awards Hall of Fame to Induct New Members". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  32. ^ "Cosmic Odyssey". DC Comics. March 9, 2012. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  33. ^ "Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution". DC Comics. March 9, 2012. Archived from the original on January 14, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  34. ^ "ZombieWorld: Champion of the Worms". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  35. ^ "Read Pages 1–29 of Mike Mignola's Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah". Comic Book Resources. March 28, 2008. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012.
  36. ^ "The Amazing Screw-on Head and Other Curious Objects". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  37. ^ "The Amazing Screw-On Head". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  38. ^ "Dark Horse Maverick: Happy Endings". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013.
  39. ^ Narrain, Aparna (November 18, 2019). "Warwick Johnson-Cadwell of 'Samurai Jack' fame on his latest work". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  40. ^ "Epeolatry Book Review: Our Encounters with Evil & Other Stories Library Edition - The Horror Tree". horrortree.com. December 27, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  41. ^ Manning, Shaun (June 19, 2009). "Mike Mignola Talks Witchfinder". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 21, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  42. ^ Montgomery, Paul (July 22, 2010). "SDCC 2010: Mignola, Arcudi, and Severin Head West for Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever". iFanboy. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2011.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mike Mignola.

Interviews

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