Mike Mignola Biography
Summary
"Mike Joseph Mignola" (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book artist and writer, famous for creating the comic book series "Hellboy" for Dark Horse Comics. He has also worked for animation projects such as "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, "The Amazing Screw-On Head".
Career
Mignola was born in Berkeley, California. He began his career in 1980 by illustrating spots in the "Comic Reader". 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; Dominic Fortune, "the Spirit", and "Doc Savage" in November 1981.
In 1983 he accepted an inking spot at "Marvel Comics" working on "Daredevil" and "Power Man & Iron Fist" for Marvel Comics, and later worked on titles such as 'The Incredible Hulk', "Alpha Flight" and the "Rocket Raccoon" limited-series.
After some initial work for DC Comics, such as 1987's "Phantom Stranger" and "The World of Krypton", Mignola began to attract greater notice at DC. 1988 featured several high-profile assignments, including covers for "Batman: A Death in the Family" and pencilling "Cosmic Odyssey", a galaxy-spanning 4-issue mini-epic featuring an ensemble cast of DC heroes, and "Gotham by Gaslight", in which a Victorian version of Batman faces Jack the Ripper. The success of that 52-page one-shot inspired DC to launch the 'Elseworlds' concept.
Mignola drew covers for several Batman storylines, including "A Death in the Family" and "Dark Knight Dark City".
Through the early 1990s, Mignola worked on covers and backup features for various DC and Marvel comics. Mignola did the art on "Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure" for Marvel, and, with Howard Chaykin and P. Craig Russell, he worked on "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser" and "Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution" for DC. He also illustrated the comics adaptation for "Bram Stoker's Dracula" for Topps Comics, having assisted with design and storyboarding for the Francis Ford Coppola film.
Hellboy
Previously, Mignola had always worked on characters and properties owned by others. He deviated from that practice in 1994, when Mignola's first "Hellboy" story, "The Seed of Destruction", was published by Dark Horse Comics. "Hellboy" draws heavily on Mignola's own interests - folklore, B-movies, ghost stories, monsters and pulp stories - and the series about a paranormal investigator from Hell, the eponymous Hellboy, soon proved to be a popular and critical success with its abstract artwork and H. P. Lovecraft-style horror. It has since been the endeavour Mignola has been most closely connected with, and he has kept up a steady stream of "Hellboy" stories and merchandise.
Prior to "Hellboy", Mignola was not experienced in writing his own stories, and thus, at Mignola's request, the first series was scripted by John Byrne. However, the next "Hellboy" story, "Wolves of St. August", was scripted by Mignola, who also wrote the majority of the subsequent "Hellboy" tales, though other writers and artists have also worked on the character since. All major story arcs were drawn by Mike Mignola himself, but in 2007 artist Duncan Fegredo took over drawing duties with Mignola remaining on as the writer and cover artist. He also writes the popular spin-off BPRD with John Arcudi; it is drawn by Guy Davis with Mignola as the cover artist. With all of his various commitments, Mignola has had less opportunity to write and draw Hellboy, so the release of the 2008 one-shot 'In the Chapel of Moloch' was the first Hellboy comic he had provided the script and art for since 'The Island' in 2005.
According to Mignola, much of Hellboy's personality was based on his father.
Style
Mignola is particularly noted for his highly distinctive style, which was once called 'German expressionism meets Jack Kirby' by Alan Moore, in an introduction to a collection of Mignola's Hellboy works.
While Mignola has heavily influenced a new generation of comics artists since he began working on Hellboy, he was something of an odd man out in the superhero comics industry in the beginning of his career. Mignola's imagery stood in stark contrast to the style of his contemporaries. Where others would draw muscular men and slim, well-endowed women, Mignola's characters were usually bulky and rough-looking, and more often than not defined by large shadowed areas rather than fine details. Mignola often takes the same approach to architecture, particularly in "Hellboy", in which he often sets the scenes in slowly dilapidating Victorian and Gothic surroundings. He also commonly draws machines that feature steampunk imagery.
Film and television
Mignola designed the "Batman: The Animated Series" version of Mr Freeze at Bruce Timm's request. He also produced several character and location designs used in "Batman Beyond".
"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. Recently, "Hellboy" has been made into two direct-to-video animated films, "Sword of Storms" and "Blood and Iron" in 2007.
Prior to that, 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.
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.
Bibliography
Comics
"Rocket Raccoon" (script by Bill Mantlo, 4-issue limited-series, Marvel Comics, 1985)
"The Chronicles of Corum" #1-6 (artist, with Mike Baron and Mark Shainblum, First Comics, 1987)
"Cosmic Odyssey" (artist, with writer Jim Starlin and artist Carlos Garzon, 1988, DC Comics, TPB, 226 pages, Titan Books, ISBN 1840237155, DC Comics ISBN 1563890518)
"Batman":
*"Gotham by Gaslight" (pencils, with writer Brian Augustyn, and with inks by P. Craig Russell, DC Comics Elseworlds, Trade Paperback, 48 pages, 1989, Titan, ISBN 1-85286-265-3, DC, ISBN 0-930289-67-6)
*"The Doom That Came to Gotham" (writer, 3-issue mini-series, DC Comics Elseworlds, 2000)
"Hellboy":
*"Seed of Destruction" (TPB collects "Seed of Destruction" #1-4, 1994, Titan, 2002 ISBN 1-84023-537-3, Dark Horse, 2004, ISBN 1-59307-094-2)
*"Wake the Devil" (TPB collects "Wake the Devil" #1-5, 1996, Titan, 2002, ISBN 1-84023-540-3, Dark Horse, 1997 ISBN 1-56971-226-3, 2004 ISBN 1-59307-095-0)
*"The Chained Coffin and Others" (TPB collects "The Wolves of St. August", 1995, "The Corpse and the Iron Shoes", 1996, "Almost Colossus", "Dark Horse Presents" 100 #2, and "Christmas Special", Titan, 2002, ISBN 1-84023-538-1, Dark Horse, 1998 ISBN 1-56971-349-9, 2004, ISBN 1-59307-091-8)
*"The Right Hand of Doom" (TPB collects "Dark Horse Presents" #151, "DHP Annuals" 1998 & 1999, "Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead", Gary Gianni's "The Monstermen", and "Hellboy: Box Full of Evil" #1-2, Titan, 2002, ISBN 1-84023-539-X, Dark Horse, 2004, ISBN 1-59307-093-4)
*"Conqueror Worm" (TPB collects "Conqueror Worm" #1-4, 2002, Titan, ISBN 1-84023-541-1, Dark Horse, ISBN 1-56971-699-4)
*"Strange Places" (TPB collects "The Third Wish" #1-2, 2002 and "The Island" #1-2, 2005, Dark Horse, April 2006, ISBN 1-59307-475-1)
*"The Troll Witch and Others" (TPB collects stories from "The Dark Horse Book of..." "The Dead", "Witchcraft", "Hauntings", and "Monsters" as well as "Hellboy: Makoma", 144 pages, Dark Horse, October 2007, ISBN 1-59307-860-9)
* "Darkness Calls" (with Duncan Fegredo, 6-issue mini-series, 2007, TPB, June 2008, ISBN 1-59307-896-X)
"ZombieWorld: Champion of the Worms" (writer, with art by Pat McEown, 3-issue mini-series, 1997, Dark Horse Comics, TPB, 80 pages, 1998, ISBN 1-56971-334-0, 2005, ISBN 1-59307-407-7)
"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 1934506141)
"Ironwolf: Fires of the Revolution" (art, with writers Howard Chaykin and John Francis Moore, and artist P. Craig Russell, 104 pages, 2000, Titan Books, ISBN 1563890658, DC Comics, ISBN 1563890658)
"B.P.R.D.":
*"Hollow Earth and Other Stories" (TPB collects "Hollow Earth" #1-3, 2002, "Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead": "Abe Sapien versus Science" and "Lobster Johnson: Killer Inside My Skull", 2003, Titan ISBN 1-84023-582-9, Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-862-8)
*"The Soul of Venice and Other Stories" (TPB collects "The Soul of Venice", "Dark Waters", "Night Train" and "There's Something Under My Bed", 2004, Titan ISBN 1-84023-931-X, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-132-9)
*"A Plague of Frogs" (TPB collects "A Plague of Frogs" #1-5, 2005, Titan ISBN 1-84023-931-X, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-288-0)
*"The Dead" (TPB collects "The Dead" #1-5, 2005, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-380-1)
*"The Black Flame" (TPB collects "The Black Flame" #1-6, July 2006, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-550-2)
*"The Universal Machine" (TPB collects "The Universal Machine" #1-5, January 2007, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-710-6)
"The Amazing Screw-On Head" (32 pages, one shot comic book, Dark Horse, 2002)
"Lobster Johnson: Iron Prometheus" (with Jason Armstrong, 2007, tpb, June 2008, ISBN 1593079753)
Novels
"Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire", with Christopher Golden (ISBN 0553804715)
Covers
"Action Comics Annual" #6 (DC)
"The Adventures Of Superman Annual" #6 (DC)
"Aliens versus Predator" #0 (Dark Horse)
"Alpha Flight" #33, 34 (Marvel)
"The American: Lost In America" #4 (Dark Horse)
"Aquaman" Vol. 2 (?) #6 (DC)
"Batgirl Special" #1 (DC)
"Batman Annual" #18 (DC)
"Batman/Judge Dredd: Vendetta In Gotham" #1 (DC)
"Conan" #236 (Marvel)
"Conan" #237 (Marvel)
"Dark Horse Comics" #2 (Dark Horse)
"Deadman" #3-5 (DC)
"Death Jr." Vol. 1 (Image)
"Fallen Angels" #6 (Marvel)
"The Frankenstein Dracula War" #1-3 (Topps)
"Incredible Hulk" #302, 304-306, 308, 309 (Marvel)
"Justice League Quarterly" #14 (DC)
"Kickers, Inc." #9, 12 (Marvel)
"Lobo: Unamerican Gladiators" #1-4 (DC)
"Man Of Steel Annual" #3 (DC)
"Marvel Comics Presents" #20 (Marvel)
"New Mutants" #54 (Marvel)
"New Mutants Annual" #7 (Marvel)
"Power Pack" #20 (Marvel)
"Quasar" #15 (Marvel)
"Showcase '94" #3 (DC)
"Silver Surfer" Vol. 3 #14 (Marvel)
"Solar Man Of The Atom" #24 (Valiant)
"The Spectre" #7-9 (DC)
"Starman" #42-45 (DC)
"Strange Tales" Vol. 2 #19 (Marvel)
"Strikeforce: Morituri" #21 (Marvel)
"Superman Annual" #6 (DC)
"X-Factor" #55, 70 (Marvel)
"X-Men Classic" #57-70 (Marvel)
"Zorro" #6 (Topps)
Awards
1995:
* Won 'Best Writer/Artist' Eisner Award, for "Hellboy: Seed of Destruction"
* Won 'Best Graphic Album: Reprint' Eisner Award, for "Hellboy: Seed of Destruction"
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"
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/Artst' Eagle Award
* Won 'Best Comics-Related Book' Eisner Award, for "The Art of Hellboy"
2006: Won 'Favourite Comics Writer/Artst' Eagle Award
2007:
* Won 'Roll of Honour' Eagle Award
* Won 'Favourite Colour Comicbook - American' Eagle Award, for "Hellboy: Darkness Calls"
References
(Mike Mignola biography) on Lambiek Comiclopedia
(Mike Mignola biography) on Encyclopedia of World Biography
('Devil in the Deep Blue Sea') , career synopsis by Fletch Adams, "Broken Frontier", June 23, 2005* "" (by , , 2002, second edition 2007, ISBN 1-893905-14-4)==External links==* (Official site) * (Review of Chaykin and Mignola's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser adaptation) at The Daily Cross Hatch, from May 17, 2007===Interviews===* (Mignola on Hellboy's Extended Universe) , , March 3, 2008* (NYCC: Hellboy Dominates 2008) , , April 19, 2008* (InnerViews: Hellboy, a Monster Success-Mike Mignola Interview) , , June 2008----
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Mike Mignola.
