Michael Mignola

Michael Mignola (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book 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, 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. 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 in November 1981. In 1982 he graduated from the California College of the Arts with a BFA in Illustration. 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 and World of Krypton limited series. With writer Jim Starlin, Mignola produced the Cosmic Odyssey miniseries in 1988. Mignola drew covers for several Batman stories, including "Batman: A Death in the Family" and "Dark Knight, Dark City". Writer Brian Augustyn and Mignola crafted the Gotham by Gaslight one-shot in 1989. 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: "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." 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." 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. 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. Through the early 1990s Mignola worked on covers and backup features for various DC and Marvel Comics. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 an agent for the allied forces in World war II. Koshchei the Deathless: Hellboy and Koshchei sit in a pub in Hell and chat. The Outerverse 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".