The month of monsters, ghosts, and goblins have finally arrived, and Mike Mignola, acclaimed creator of Hellboy, is making the most of it with some help from Dark Horse Comics. A new Hellboy romp, a horrifiying short story, and a documentary all make this a packed month for the creator's fans.
The outstanding Hellboy in Love, featuring the hero's first meeting with the archaelogist adventurer Anastacia from co-writer Christopher Golden, artist Matt Smith, and colorist Chris O'Halloran. And last but not least, the arrival of the Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters documentary from Jim Demonakos and Kevin Konrad Hanna. The comics promise occult adventure for anyone able to reach their nearest physical (or digital) comic shop, while the documentary makes its own debut round at LA's Million Dollar Theater, followed by its showing at The Portland Film Festival later in October.
Needless to say, there was much to ask Mignola when Screen Rant got the chance to discuss his newest releases. Those looking to hear more from the comic creator should stay tuned to his appearance alongside the Drawing Monsters filmmakers at Pasadena's Lightbox Expo, but for now we welcome readers to enjoy a preview of both Hellboy in Love and Leonide the Vampyr from Mignola directlly.
SR: Just in time for Halloween, you’re delivering Leonide the Vampyr: Miracle at The Crow’s Head, a ‘spooky story to tell your friends’ if there ever was one. Is it true that this all came from one picture of a vampire girl by Rachele Aragno?
Mike Mignola: It’s true. Just seeing a couple sketches of that little girl were enough to start the ball rolling. I don’t even think Rachele and I really discussed the girl—at least not very much. I just kind of knew who she was right away.
SR: Leonide may take the title, but it’s ‘Old Sandroni’ who is going to have readers hungry for this story’s next chapter. How did this character get added into the story?
Mike Mignola: That guy—he just popped up fully formed when I came up with that first story. The whole thing came together very fast. He’s not a complicated character. He’s not supposed to be. Originally the story was going to be all silent, and the only dialogue would be his ranting and raving in Latin. Well, that didn’t really work, but he’s just there to try to stop the little girl from doing what she does. He isn’t really meant to have a backstory, but once I started to add dialogue he did get slightly more complicated—especially at the end of our second story.
SR: With a title like Hellboy in Love, fans know they are in for a treat. Did this new series arise purely to remind comic readers that Hellboy is more of a heart-throb than he’s usually given credit for?
Mike Mignola: No. Chris created the Anastasia character in the first Hellboy story he wrote, and we came up with the idea that HB had traveled around with her, his first real girlfriend, for a year or so. So for years now I’ve known there was this chunk of time we would deal with eventually. It was just a matter of Chris and I finding the right time to do it and figuring out the perfect artist for the job. And Matt Smith IS the perfect artist for this. Sometimes you just have to wait.
SR: Christopher Golden is on record as saying Hellboy’s relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Anastasia Bransfield, is a big reason for you seeing his novels as canon. Would you care to confirm?
MM: It’s true. I loved the idea of Hellboy having a girlfriend and leaving the Bureau and just trying to have a relationship.
SR: What is it about their relationship that struck such a chord, that it’s now earned not just some time in the spotlight, but a five-issue series giving readers the full story?
MM: Well, relationships are a big deal—and a relationship between a regular human and a big red demon guy… There is a lot of ground to cover there. A lot.
SR:Once comic fans pick up their copies of Leonide and Hellboy in Love, do you have any other must-reads you would recommend they pick up for their Halloween reading?
MM: For really great creepy horror—Lip Hook and The Man Who Laughs, or really anything by David Hine and Mark Stafford. For the best werewolf comic ever—Moonshine by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso. For just over-the-top insane monster action—James Harren’s Ultra Mega and Geof Darrow’s Shaolin Cowboy. For real-world horror—Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done? by Harold Schechter and Eric Powell. Or—like comfort food—I might go back to the stuff I loved so much way back when. The Marvel Frankenstein and Man-Thing comics drawn by Mike Ploog and Tomb Of Dracula (still my all-time favorite long-running horror comic) by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan.
Leonide The Vampyre: Miracle at The Crow's Head is available now. Hellboy in Love #1 will be published by Dark Horse Comics on October 12, in time for Halloween. For those looking to see the documentary for themselves, Los Angeles’ Secret Movie Club hosts the first public screening of Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters at the Million Dollar Theater on Saturday, October 15, including live onstage interview with Mike Mignola and filmmakers Jim Demonakos and Kevin Konrad Hanna, and Secret Movie Club founder Craig Hammill. The filmmakers host a for the documentary at this year's LightBox Expo on Sunday, October 16. The Portland Film Festival will also present a screening of the film on Saturday, October 22.
