It’s hard for me to imagine now, but there was a time when I didn’t care for Mike Mignola’s artwork.
Perhaps I wasn’t ready for his genius when I picked up Cosmic Odyssey or the issues of Alpha Flight he did covers for. Maybe Mignola’s distinctive character design was too much of a departure for me – I didn’t like the barrel-chested male figures and simple line work that he did for conventional superhero books. I can’t recall what exactly changed my mind, but somewhere along the way I came to appreciate how utterly fucking amazing Mike Mignola’s art is. I did a complete 180 and now am a Huge Fan.
Who knows how or why a person’s aesthetic biases evolve? When I was a young whipper-snapper, I did not like Led Zeppelin. I found Robert Plant’s voice whiny and annoying. Then late in junior high it was as if a part of my brain – the part that appreciates radness – switched on, and I found myself appreciating art that I previously loathed. How could I have not liked Led Zeppelin?
Or Mike Mignola? What the hell was wrong with me?
Thank God for that rush of hormones or whatever that changed my taste in art and culture, because without it, I would be one of those stupid people who doesn’t like Hellboy.
Perhaps I wasn’t ready for his genius when I picked up Cosmic Odyssey or the issues of Alpha Flight he did covers for. Maybe Mignola’s distinctive character design was too much of a departure for me – I didn’t like the barrel-chested male figures and simple line work that he did for conventional superhero books. I can’t recall what exactly changed my mind, but somewhere along the way I came to appreciate how utterly fucking amazing Mike Mignola’s art is. I did a complete 180 and now am a Huge Fan.
Who knows how or why a person’s aesthetic biases evolve? When I was a young whipper-snapper, I did not like Led Zeppelin. I found Robert Plant’s voice whiny and annoying. Then late in junior high it was as if a part of my brain – the part that appreciates radness – switched on, and I found myself appreciating art that I previously loathed. How could I have not liked Led Zeppelin?
Or Mike Mignola? What the hell was wrong with me?
Thank God for that rush of hormones or whatever that changed my taste in art and culture, because without it, I would be one of those stupid people who doesn’t like Hellboy.
This four-part story, Seed of Destruction, is the first full-on Hellboy saga and the basis for Guillermo del Toro’s 2004 Hellboy film. Mignola’s brash, two-fisted demon with a heart o’ gold battles the resurrected Russian madman Rasputin, who has hatched a sinister Lovecraftian plan that would mean the end of all life on earth or something equally bad.
Hellboy integrates Nazis, ghouls, Gothic architecture, deathless Cthulhu monsters, graveyards, steampunk, and wry pulp action into one beautifully drawn tale. It seems like Hellboy contains everything Mike Mignola loves, distilled into concentrated sequential art form. I don’t have the artistic vocabulary to adequately describe Mignola’s masterful design work, his attention to form and composition. Deep black shadows, clever use of negative space, Kirby-esque flourishes – they all combine to create a unique Gothic-noir vibe. Hellboy is like a German Expressionist film produced by Roger Corman. That’s a good thing.
Hellboy integrates Nazis, ghouls, Gothic architecture, deathless Cthulhu monsters, graveyards, steampunk, and wry pulp action into one beautifully drawn tale. It seems like Hellboy contains everything Mike Mignola loves, distilled into concentrated sequential art form. I don’t have the artistic vocabulary to adequately describe Mignola’s masterful design work, his attention to form and composition. Deep black shadows, clever use of negative space, Kirby-esque flourishes – they all combine to create a unique Gothic-noir vibe. Hellboy is like a German Expressionist film produced by Roger Corman. That’s a good thing.
As Khan says, time is a luxury that I do not have today, so I’ll dispense with any commentary about the Hellboy: Seed of Destruction story or themes or any of that crap. Heck, even if the story doesn’t grip your nads, any Hellboy book is worth picking up just for Mignola’s art alone. This particular comic, BTW, was scripted by none other than John Byrne, based on Mignola’s plot. Little trivia for you there.
Anyway, the point of this whole post is that I used to not dig Mignola but I have seen The Light and am now a Huge Fan. You can’t go wrong with Mignola and Hellboy.
Go check that shit out.
Mignola inspires a ton of people to incorporate his style (I've been guilty of that myself) or completely rip him off. I read the first issue of B.P.R.D. and didn't realize it was Ryan Sook until I got to the staples. Thankfully he has since found his own groove.
ReplyDeleteBut the imitators don't realize there is only one Mike Mignola. And he bathes in awesome, eats awesome and possibly craps awesome. He is... awesome.
I don't like Led Zeppelin, but Mingola rocks.
ReplyDeleteHellboy is more anecdotal evidence for a theory I first read in a "Hepcats" comic (waaaay back when) that writer/artists create comics to draw what they want to draw and work out a story to go around it afterwards. Other anecdotal evidence for this theory are Mark Schultz's Xenozoic Tales/Cadillacs and Dinosaurs and Art Adams' Monkeyman and O'Brien, which was the backup feature in this very comic. I'm sure there are many, many more.
ReplyDeletespeaking as both a led zep and hellboy fan....yes, I'm with you on how mignola's artwork "grows on you."
ReplyDeleteand i still think that nobody's nailed a comic book hero like ron pearlman did in the movie. dead on in my book.
Just like you, Dave, and you're right, it's Alpha Flight's fault if I/we didn't "get" Mignola at first.
ReplyDeleteI loved AF under Byrne, and everything after that was at best a letdown, and at worst, frickin awful. And Mignola was a part of that.
To be frank, a lot of those covers were also hurt by Al Milgrom's inking.
I think "Gotham By Gaslight" was when I first 'got' Mignola's stuff, though it still a little time to percolate into my head.
ReplyDeleteDamn!
ReplyDelete- Not the first to mention Gotham by Gaslight.
You win this round, chawunky. But watch your back.
I disliked Mignola at first, also. Gotham by Gaslight and that Aliens Graphic Novel he did (either Salvation or Sacrifice, I get them mixed up) just didn't click for me at all. I actually only started appreciating the man after the Hellboy movie and I went back and found Mignola's inner Kirby. Now it all makes sense.
ReplyDeleteTwas only luck, I assure you.
ReplyDeleteedward liu, I think Frank Miller said the same thing about Sin City. He wanted to do a book where he could draw exactly what he wanted, and the story grew from there.
ReplyDeleteYou just can't beat a funnybook chock-full of Mignola goodness that features the cherry on top that is a back-up feature by Art Adams. Can't beat it, not even with a stick.
ReplyDeleteMignola and Adams couldn't be more dissimilar except that both are six kinds of awesome.
i agreeeeee.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, now I have to go and dig through God knows how many boxes of back-issues to find my Mignola stuff.
ReplyDeleteLove the site, it's always a great nostalgia trip for me, and let's me feel like I still have at least a toe dipped in the comic world, even though I don't really collect anymore.
Great stuff Dave. I only liked Gotham by Gaslight when I was a kid because it was Batman. To hell with that Mignola guy. I was an avid Next Man fan, and subsequently fell in love when Hellboy made his entrance, which in turn made me re-visit Mignola's stuff and allowed myself to appreciate his genius. Seems that way for most of us.
ReplyDeleteAlmost the exact same thing here. When I was younger I couldn't stand Mignola. My comic shop guy said it was because he never drew feet. I think it was Hellboy that did it for me. A story that totally fit his style and opened my eyes to his awesomeness.
ReplyDeleteI must've had the "radness" part of my brain turned up to 11 from birth...I dunno.
ReplyDeleteI've ALWAYS loved Mignola.
And I'm talkin' 'bout when he FIRST got into the 'mix.
Back in his fanzine submission days.
His style (in the beginning) was a crude Michael Golden / Paul Smith blend.
Check out early issues of the original OHOTMU (Marvel handbook for you non-geeks) from the 80's.
Mignola did some character designs for ancient races and Knights of Wundagore and such.
Very smooth and rounded shadows.
Much like my own style back then.
Maybe THAT's why I grooved to him.
I dunno.
Then, when he started to get REALLY dark and wonky my brain exploded and I was amazed.
For a loooong time there were 2 artists that I would buy ANYTHING that they did. Even if it was JUST a cover, I bought it and soaked it in.
Michael Golden & Mike Mignola.
I had seen the light and it was bathed in darkness.
Mignola noir.
All blessed be.
Oh!
And Dave...Robert Plant's voice WAS/IS all whiny and crap...but Zep still rocked 32 flavors of awesome!
I'm realy *not* a Byrne hater, but I thought the dialogue got better when Mignola started scripting his own stuff.
ReplyDeleteThwew. I'm glad I'm not the only person who absolutely hated Mignola's art when he was with Marvel.
ReplyDeleteI admit I didn't start loving it until Hellboy. I also appreciate that in addition to being a good artist, he's a good storyteller.
That science is tight.
Rocket. Freakin'. Raccoon.
ReplyDeleteHow soon we forget.
The movie was awesome, but what really made it hot was Selma Blair.
ReplyDeleteJake, great call. Rocket Raccoon is one of my favorite comic sets. The story was ridiculous and the characters were annoying but the art kicked ever-loving ass. It was my first taste of Mignola and I was hooked from there.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like Mignola as a kid, either. But I grew to see the light.
ReplyDeleteNever read any Hellboy, though, and I hated the movie. I hope the movie is not indicative of the comics.
2 words: Ironwolf hardcover.
ReplyDeleteand hidden behind this horror is the only x-force worth reading
ReplyDeleteI will buy any book with a Mignola cover, just for the cover. I've always liked his barrel-chested, spindly-legged take on superheroes. Perhaps because I fall into the barrel-chested, spindly legged category.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I think his artwork is totally boss, I also think that he's really grown as a writer. The recent spate of B.P.R.D. arcs that he wrote have been fantastic even if they've been illustrated by someone else (Guy Davis, whose stuff I've really come to love, too).
I didn't get Mignola at first either, but now I loves me some Hellboy. I loved the previously mentioned "Gotham by Gaslight" back in the day, but more in spite of the art than because of it. Now I look back and marvel at what a damn fool I was.
ReplyDeleteMignola's work is like "Anchorman" or "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." I hated all three when I first saw them, but now appreciate them all in a way that borders on embarrassing.
"I'm realy *not* a Byrne hater, but I thought the dialogue got better when Mignola started scripting his own stuff."
ReplyDeleteFACT.
Count me as yet another person that didn't appreciate Mignola when they were making him draw superheroes but who totally flipped out for his work once he started drawing What Mike Mignola Draws.
ReplyDeletephantom stranger sucked ass cos of paul kupperburg's lousy story but the art was lovely...
ReplyDeletebut in those days i wasn't aware that comics were drawn, much less that it was by different people.
i didn't like the art on the covers of death in the family because batman and robin looked fat.
cosmic oddyssy looked wrong due to a poor colour palet, and maybe he shouldn't do that kind of cape book...
and then he created hellboy and style met form in the idyllic combo gothicness, big monsters and mignola!!!
I don't have much use for Hellboy, but loved R. Plant's first two solo records, so what does that make me?
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I loved about Mignola's work in Gotham by Gaslight is that his Commissioner Gordon was a dead ringer for Teddy Roosevelt. Genius!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Max - You have to read the Ironwolf hardcover. Aside from the Hellboy work, it's the best thing going. Has vampires, werewolves, wooden spaceships. You can't beat that.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Hellboy film, must look at these comics.
ReplyDeleteI liked Robert Plant in The Honeydrippers. The only Led Zep song I like is Kashmir, but only for the strings, and only when I'm in the mood for it, which is less and less these days.
I have always loved Mignola's artwork (he drew one of my favorite graphic novels--the Doctor Strange/Doctor Doom one), but to tell the truth, I like the Hellboy-verse stuff drawn by Guy Davis even more.
ReplyDeleteMignola has a better sense of design, and is a kick-ass storyteller, but...I don't know...I just love the detail in Davis's work. Also, I think Mignola's writing is better when he works with John Arcudi. Arcudi seems to rein in Mignola's weirdness a little...in a good way, that is.
Hellboy is one of the greatest comics ever. BPRD is, for my money, the best book on the stands today. I had the same experience with Guy Davis that a lot of you had with Mignola-- hated his work on Sandman Mystery Theatre, but when I picked up "Dark Waters" I was amazed, and every one of his issues since just blows me away. Especially "The Black Flame" sequence-- pure, unadulterated RADNESS. And good call, Justin Blum-- John Arcudi deserves a shout-out for his spot-on scripting in collaboration with Mignola. A day I sit down to read the latest issue of BPRD (Or Hellboy)is a good day indeed.
ReplyDeleteI also had a musical "radness revelation" with the mighty Judas Priest. Never thought much about them, but one day the switch got thrown and the Call For The Priest rang out with metal fury!!! The funny thing is, this happened in my mid-30s. My poor wife is appalled.
So we're all in agreement that Mignola is teh awesomest, but what's double plus awesome is The Amazing Screw-On Head, the greatest single comic book ever created by humans.
ReplyDeleteThe reason it's awesome is because it's concentrated "draw the things you like and come up with a story to tie it all together" in its purest form. It's like someone was finally able to make a direct link from his brain to the page without anything being lost in translation.
I was at a comic book convention getting a couple of my Hellboy books signed by Mignola and I managed to stammer out, "I think Amazing Screw-On Head is the best comic book ever." He thought about it for a second and agreed with me, saying it turned out exactly the way he wanted it to be. And it wasn't arrogant or boastful, more like, "well would you look at that, it actually worked!" The dude has got the Genius.
The Amazing Screw-On Head is also now an animated cartoon at SciFi's website. Go watch it. It's nifty.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same boat (it's getting full) in terms of disliking Mignola's stuff on Hulk and Alpha Flight (at some point the creative staffs on the 2 books swapped with Byrne going over to do the Hulk). I loved the Alpha Flight cover where Wolverine was fighting on a hill against a bunch of samurai(?). I couldn't believe it was the same penciler in the inside of the comic. At that point I realized it was the inker (can't remember who it was) that made his art look like crap. Gotham by Gaslight sealed the deal for me.
ReplyDeleteWhat got me to see the Mignola Light of Awesomeness was, of all things, his adaptation of the Fritz Leiber Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser miniseries he did for Epic, back around 1991 or so. I don't like sword-n-sorcery, but deezam, that comic blew my brain up so badly they were picking up gooey gray fragments off the walls of my apartment for weeks.
ReplyDeleteI got to ask him a question at SPX two years ago, and it was rad. I asked about that cool-ass pacing he uses in Hellboy, where it's "panel of Hellboy seeing something creepy, panel of dialogue, random panel of a frog, panel of dialogue." Where'd that random panel come from? Turns out that Mignola had an idea of how he wanted panels to lay out on the page, and it sometimes left gaps. Rather than have black space, he threw in a random panel of, say, a frog or a statue. Later on he noticed how it enhanced mood, and planned 'em.
The radness of his work is vast and terrifying.
Mignola is the reason I like comics!
ReplyDeleteHey, where did the Mignola Aquaman go?
ReplyDeleteNice. What I've heard of Led Zepplin (Viking Kittens; Immigrant song) was awesome. I suppose (since the artwork was complete and total radness and awesomeness) that Mignola's, apparently, very good at what he does.
ReplyDeleteI think I lucked out by first reading Mignola on Hellboy itself and not seeing any of his other stuff. I didn't have any prejudices like "That's the dude who can't draw Batman very well" - I got my first impression from the story to which his art is best suited.
ReplyDeleteLet me join in saying Mignola=Awesome!
ReplyDeletemax power, you owe me eye-bleach for looking at that cover. What the hell is with all those pouches? Was there a sale?
You say the inside is Mignola, though? Hmmmm....
Pretty worthwhile data, lots of thanks for your post.
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