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Hellboy: Artbooks
Hellboy: The Art of Hellboy
The Art of Hellboy softcover is a lower-priced, paperback version of the stunning limited edition hardcover Dark Horse released in the Spring of 2003. Featuring art never seen before the publication of the hardcover, unused and unfinished covers, and drawing upon ten years of sketchbooks, The Art of Hellboy provides the ultimate inside look at Mignola’s design, storytelling, and color work. Page after page of rarely seen art reveals the labor involved in creating one of comics’ most acclaimed books.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
11 people are currently reading
442 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,863 books2,530 followersMike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 5, 2021
Of course if you intend to read this book you’re already a Mignola fan. And you won’t be disappointed. Roughs, Sketches, covers, you name it, it’s in there.
I’ve just revised my rating one star down (4 instead of 5) because now that I think of it I would have appreciated a bit more text. That’s personal but I really do appreciate art books going a bit further than pure art and including reflexions on what’s printed and interviews too. Here it’s lacking. But the art itself is of course beautiful, so go ahead, make your day!
I’ve just revised my rating one star down (4 instead of 5) because now that I think of it I would have appreciated a bit more text. That’s personal but I really do appreciate art books going a bit further than pure art and including reflexions on what’s printed and interviews too. Here it’s lacking. But the art itself is of course beautiful, so go ahead, make your day!
March 9, 2021
Ik vond deze nog net iets mooier dan het vorige Hellboy artbook dat ik las. Deze is iets uitgebreider, heeft korte omschrijvingen bij d prenten zodat je ze eventueel kunt opzoeken en albums en het leukste is dat er ook meer complete pagina's en zelfs een aantal complete korte strips in staan. Genieten voor de liefhebber en leerzaam voor de stripmaker in de dop.
October 31, 2024
Thank you Gaya!
January 22, 2022
This book is fantastic and a wonderful time! The illustrations are original and incredibly delightful; Mike Mignola is an amazing artist and comic creator, and this is a wonder insight into his craft.
The book is great, it has good information and insights into the creation of Hellboy. Really awesome stuff!
The book is great, it has good information and insights into the creation of Hellboy. Really awesome stuff!
March 14, 2017
Un libro de todo fan de Hellboy debería tener en su colección. Punto.
Queda demostrada la maestría de Mignola para resolver algunas situaciones.
Queda demostrada la maestría de Mignola para resolver algunas situaciones.
March 3, 2023
A lot of artists can get away with borrowing from Jim Lee, for example, but if someone tried to copy Mignola, my sense is that it wouldn't fly because Mignola is too distinctive. Editor Scott Allie suggests that Mignola's style is set apart by its foreground/ background contrast and deep shadow. I agree. I also like the raw, primal shapes that one tends to see in the artwork.
Allie also mentions Mignola's early run in X-Factor, which I looked up. Somehow, it doesn't surprise me that people didn't embrace these comics. Maybe it's more the case that the X-Men universe can't accommodate Mignola's style (though some of his X-Men cover art looks great, imho). In this sense, the Hellboy comics create the perfect conceptual space for Mignola. They're not really part of any larger universe, so they can be weird and hard boiled in their own comics dimension.
I've never read a Hellboy story and thought "this plot and dialogue are great." But it's fantastic just to look at the page, and this volume collates a lot of that art, separate from the stories.
Allie also mentions Mignola's early run in X-Factor, which I looked up. Somehow, it doesn't surprise me that people didn't embrace these comics. Maybe it's more the case that the X-Men universe can't accommodate Mignola's style (though some of his X-Men cover art looks great, imho). In this sense, the Hellboy comics create the perfect conceptual space for Mignola. They're not really part of any larger universe, so they can be weird and hard boiled in their own comics dimension.
I've never read a Hellboy story and thought "this plot and dialogue are great." But it's fantastic just to look at the page, and this volume collates a lot of that art, separate from the stories.
January 23, 2023
Technically 6 stars, but I have to subtract one for them talking about these custom thumbnails Mignola makes in the introduction but never showing them.
Great insight into Mignola's work from the introduction:
“Every image that [Mignola] draws is primarily made up of two places, foreground and background. If the object in the front of the picture is drawn white, the background will be black; and vice versa. […] if it’s not black and white, you can still think of it as black and white, and this will make the image bolder.”
Great insight into Mignola's work from the introduction:
“Every image that [Mignola] draws is primarily made up of two places, foreground and background. If the object in the front of the picture is drawn white, the background will be black; and vice versa. […] if it’s not black and white, you can still think of it as black and white, and this will make the image bolder.”
May 1, 2018
PL
Imponujący zbiór przepięknych rysunków i pomysłów autora jednego z najznamienitszego komiksu od Dark Horse Comics. Ogromna porcja inspiracji i informacji o powstaniu Hellboy’a.
EN
An impressive collection of beautiful drawings and ideas of the author of one of the finest comics from Dark Horse Comics. A huge portion of inspiration and information about Hellboy's uprising.
Imponujący zbiór przepięknych rysunków i pomysłów autora jednego z najznamienitszego komiksu od Dark Horse Comics. Ogromna porcja inspiracji i informacji o powstaniu Hellboy’a.
EN
An impressive collection of beautiful drawings and ideas of the author of one of the finest comics from Dark Horse Comics. A huge portion of inspiration and information about Hellboy's uprising.
January 6, 2019
Hezky artbook. Škoda, ze vyšel jiz před delší dobou. Chtělo by to druhy díl.
May 7, 2020
great artwork all in one book- would make great framed artwork!!
December 7, 2021
"No idea what palm of hand looks like... keep it in shadows or something. I've never had to show it - you shouldn't either."
I'm so happy they included this note in the book. :D
I'm so happy they included this note in the book. :D
November 15, 2022
such a fun collection!!!
December 7, 2018
This comics are very amazing!! :D
October 11, 2008
It's not often that you find an artist that whose work is a synthesis of past styles, and is somehow totally original at the same time. You can see echoes of legends like Jack Kirby and Wally Wood, but Mignola has taken the influences and made them his own.
It's even more amazing when an artist's style perfectly fits the atmosphere of his or her subject matter (Jim Steranko and Frank Frazetta come to mind). Mike Mignola manages to do both, and tells a ripping good yarn to boot.
It's even more amazing when an artist's style perfectly fits the atmosphere of his or her subject matter (Jim Steranko and Frank Frazetta come to mind). Mike Mignola manages to do both, and tells a ripping good yarn to boot.
December 18, 2012
I love Mignola's art, and this is a pretty good art book. I would have liked to see more sketchbook pages, though. Most of the art is simply pulled from the various Hellboy comics. A behind the scenes type art book would have been much better. I wanted more rough sketches of characters and settings, more images that had not been published before. As it is, it is a good art but it didn't really give me much more than I had before I picked it up.
April 8, 2012
I've always liked Mike Mignola's art and I was realy glad when I got my hands on the hardcover version of the book. The book however was not what I hoped it would be, lots of covers and only a few sketches. The book itself is great quality, very thick and heavy pages but like I says, not the content I was hoping for.
November 26, 2012
A biased review, for I'm a Mike Mignola fanboy. Creator of easily my favorite comic hero & series, Hellboy, Mignola's thick black tome of sketches, paintings, illustrations and notes is a treasure in my art-book collection.
October 14, 2014
Las mejores tapas, los mejores bocetos, las mejores páginas de prueba y hasta alguna que otra ilustracion inédita conforman este librote digno de un museo del horror.
Ideal para cualquier fan de Hellboy completista y pudiente.
Ideal para cualquier fan de Hellboy completista y pudiente.
May 18, 2007
A beautiful colleciton of Mignola's art over the years, including some never-before-seen pieces and the only Hellboy character sheet in existence. Also, in my case, it's excellent tattoo fodder.
August 31, 2007
again mignola arrrrt. where on earth can you possibly go wrong? ahhhh, black and white art, i wuv yoo!
December 11, 2009
High-contrast, volumetric fuck yeah on every page.
YOUR EYES WILL COME to enjoy this book.
YOUR EYES WILL COME to enjoy this book.
July 18, 2015
Добірка ескізів, альтернативних варіантів та улюблених сторінок Міньйоли.
December 28, 2014
Just wonderful stuff.
February 19, 2014
I could stare at Mike Mignola's art for days on end, so this was just about the perfect book for me. I wish there was a second volume.
May 14, 2015
Loved this. I can stare at Mignola art all day. Hellboy especially!
July 28, 2015
Beautiful artwork throughout.
Want to read
October 27, 2014Primer artbook de Hellboy. Edición española.
Read
November 15, 2017Its going to be intersting.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews