Mike Mignola

On this day in 1994, the World's Greatest Paranormal Investigator took the stage in his own solo series for the first time in the pages of the Hellboy: Seed of Destruction mini-series. When this story about a big red guy, a fish man, and a woman with a fire in her eyes investigating a spooky old house with a frog problem first launched, few readers could have guessed that it would lead to a host of titles, one of the most beautifully fleshed out universes in comics, and a story that spans the history of the world, from its creation to its destruction to its re-creation once again. a cycle of life and death. But writer, artist, and creator Mike Mignola knew. Even looking back on this first issue over twenty years later, you can see that the pieces were there from day one.

Here's the problem with living in a place called "The Drowning City." Actually, strike that --- you can probably guess most, if not all of the problems with living there just from the name. Like, say, the fact that the city itself is drowning, which means that there are a whole lot of citizens who are also being dropped into a watery grave. But, on the bright side, I imagine that means there are a whole lot of cheap apartments you can check out if you bring your own SCUBA equipment. Really, though, there's a much bigger problem facing Joe Golem in the pages of Joe Golem #5, the last issue of the miniseries from Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden and Patric Reynolds that ties into their illustrated novel: Zombies. Lots and lots of waterlogged zombies that are dead set (ha) on taking out the living. Check out a preview!

Since 2013, the Abe Sapien solo series has been relating the adventures of its titular hero in his time since going AWOL from the BPRD in order to investigate his own connection to the apocalypse of the Ogru Hem and the world that's coming. Periodically throughout the series, guest artists have been invited to depict select stories from Abe's past, shedding light on various events of the present. Last week's Abe Sapien #30 is one such issue. It marks the comics debut of Argentinian gallery artist Santiago Caruso, who brings the perfect tone to the page, with much of the art resembling the medieval woodcuts that so often portrayed the kinds of witches and devils that inhabit this story. We've picked through the story's many allusions and references to help guide you to a better appreciation of Caruso's spotlight issue.

What a week! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to sit back and read some comics. The weekend is finally here, and the world can relax and rest once more --- but the comics industry has been busy too, and the last seven days have seen a flurry of comics-based news and announcements fly past at high speed. ComicsAlliance has got your back; when it comes to comics, we never slow down, so here’s a look back and just what’s been going on. New comics, new stories, new hirings, new podcasts, new art being made --- it’s all part of the ComicsAlliance Weekender!

Since 2012, Hellboy has been making his way through the afterlife, but next year, it looks like his time in Hell is coming to an end. In an interview at Vulture, Mike Mignola revealed that Hellboy In Hell, the latest chapter of the ongoing narrative chronicling the life (and death) of the BPRD's most celebrated agent, will end at #10, and that he has no immediate plans for another comics project thereafter.

As the end of the year approaches, the harbinger of mankind's doom makes his appearance. He is no pale rider; he's clad in crimson instead. There is no horse to signal his arrival, but he brings with him a stone appendage cast in red. He's also really adorable. After announcing the Baby Hellboy figure at San Diego Comic-Con this past summer, Mondo's finally opened up pre-orders for the pancake-loving bringer of our extinction. Created in conjunction with Mike Mignola, Baby Hellboy is the first sixth-scale figure Mondo hopes to release within the Hellboy universe, but more importantly, it's the first time the itty-bitty version of the monster hunter has been brought to life.

It probably shouldn't come as a surprise given the kind of problems that they usually deal with, but as the BPRD barrels towards the conclusion of John Arcudi's eleven-year run on the title --- coming to an end in a mere nine issues --- Dark Horse's favorite paranormal investigators are having a pretty rough time. The Black Flame, the latest incarnation of an ancient evil, is tearing through New York City, and he's got Liz Sherman and Johann Kraus on the ropes. Or, in Johann's case, at the bottom of the Hudson River, which is not really where you want to be if you're a gaseous spirit in a robot body, and exactly where we pick up in the pages of BPRD: Hell on Earth #138. Check out a preview below to find out if, like so many problems in the Hellboy universe, this is also one that can be solved by punching!

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from our years on the Internet, it’s that there’s no aspect of comics that can’t be broken down and quantified in a single definitive list, preferably in amounts of five or ten. And since there’s no more definitive authority than ComicsAlliance, we’re taking it upon ourselves to compile Top Five lists of everything you could ever want to know about comics. The Halloween season is upon us, and even though any time is always a good time to think about Dracula, this is probably an especially good time, so today we’re going to be talking about comics’ best Draculas!

Everyone loves comic book trivia, but with 75 years of superhero comics behind us right now, there’s always some new obscure fact to learn. That’s why ComicsAlliance is going deep into the minutiae of your favorite characters in our continuing video series. You think you know comics? Well, here’s a few things you might not know! With Halloween rapidly approaching, we are continuing our exploration of comics' spookier side, and this week we're taking a look at the world's greatest paranormal investigator, Mike Mignola's Hellboy! Find out which real life human served as the inspiration for the big red monster-punching muppet, what other hero starred in the secret proto-Hellboy story, and how a simple one-off goof sketch grew into an internationally known franchise.

Today is Mike Mignola’s 55th birthday, and that’s the perfect excuse to look back at a comic and illustration career that spans back to the 1980s. There’s a reason Mignola’s art has not only captivated comic readers for years, but also attracted the attention of Hollywood, where his designs and aesthetics have been applied to both animation and live action. Mignola’s style is deceptively simple, but there is a beautiful elegance in that simplicity, even when manifests in the ugliness of some demon or nightmare creature. There is a mastery in every line and scratch he puts on a skull or statue or monster.