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Mike Mignola

Started by Koa,

22 posts in this topic

Koa

Koa

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Posted

I'm gonna push my luck and start another art conversation. I think it's a safe bet to say Mike Mignola is one of the 5 most influential artists in comics last 25 years. In my opinion he's one of the most important. How does one go from being a C level artist in terms of popularity who did a handful of special projects and fill in issues in the 80's and early 90's to one of the most important artists the past 25 years?

 

So, how do you feel about Mignola's work?

 

How do you regard his current art valuations?

 

Which era of Mignola art do you think is the best or your favorite?

 

Personally Mike is one of my favorite artists and has been since his death in the family covers for Batman but he was hard to get into because he did random cover assignments and fill in issues plus expensive direct market special projects. His style was great but went completely against the rgain of what was popular pretty much all the way through the mid 90's when he suddenly became all the rage. Looking at his body of work it's clear the direction he was going was so against superhero type early on i wonder how he even got his foot in the door. I like everything he did after the Dr. Strange graphic novel although my favorite period is from the covers he was doing in 1987 through Hellboy:The Corpse. Recently hellboy in hell I feel rivals that work.

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chromium

chromium

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I have no real interest in Modern art, I adore SA/BA Marvel and the EC artists...but Mike Mignola is my one exception.

 

I consider Hellboy the one great comic character that was conceived during the last 20 years. No other comic character has been able to get the success and recognition he's had. He's not yet up there with Spider-man & Batman, but he is the only new character out of the modern age of comics (1990 till now) that has broken through in popular culture.

 

For me personally, the first time I read Hellboy I was blown away by the art/style...which never happens to me, I'm much more story-driven than art-driven, but on a few occasions the art(ist) blows me away...only happened with Kirby, Wood, Gene Day & Mignola.

 

Who knows, in 30 years Mignola could be considered as the most important artist since the SA/BA age.

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J.Sid

J.Sid

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Similar to Eastman/Laird doing Turtles stuff or Jeff Smith doing Bone drawings....

 

People are rabid about Mike's Hellboy work, but there is limited interest in other things he draws.

 

 

 

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Koa

Koa

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People are rabid about Mike's Hellboy work, but there is limited interest in other things he draws.

 

 

 

I'm surprised his late 1980's stuff doesn't garner more interest today. from an aesthetic standpoint I really like it much more. Wonder if he'd stayed on at DC and Marvel if he'd ever gained any real acclaim.

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Koa

Koa

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I have no real interest in Modern art, I adore SA/BA Marvel and the EC artists...but Mike Mignola is my one exception.

 

I consider Hellboy the one great comic character that was conceived during the last 20 years. No other comic character has been able to get the success and recognition he's had. He's not yet up there with Spider-man & Batman, but he is the only new character out of the modern age of comics (1990 till now) that has broken through in popular culture.

 

For me personally, the first time I read Hellboy I was blown away by the art/style...which never happens to me, I'm much more story-driven than art-driven, but on a few occasions the art(ist) blows me away...only happened with Kirby, Wood, Gene Day & Mignola.

 

Who knows, in 30 years Mignola could be considered as the most important artist since the SA/BA age.

 

He may be right now. Mike Mignola and Bill Sienkiewicz have really been the most influential visual artists in comics over the past 15 years yet both were really b and c level artists in terms of popularity and assignments (exception of his work with Miller in bill's case) during their tenures at the big two. Mike was still doing random fill in's a year or two before hellboy yet. When he joined legend at dark horse I remember people scratching their heads. Frank miller, john byrne, Arthur Adams and who??? Now he's probably one of the 5 most influential artists of the past 25 years.

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J.Sid

J.Sid

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...actually, probably the most influential artist since Neal Adams is Alex Ross.

 

Love him or hate him, "Marvels" changed everything. His work elevated the standards for what is considered 'great' comic art throughout the industry.

 

Today, every publisher knows the value in putting effort into the color work. Visual effects and lighting (whether via painting or via computer) are now as important as anatomy and page design.

 

 

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Bird

Bird

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I was a big fan of the random work he did in the early 80s. I've never seen much Hellboy stuff, so it means very little to me.

 

Here is a random one I got on ebay a while back -

mignoladocpinupscan.jpg

 

Mike didn't even remember drawing it when I asked him about it a few years ago.

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Koa

Koa

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...actually, probably the most influential artist since Neal Adams is Alex Ross.

 

Love him or hate him, "Marvels" changed everything. His work elevated the standards for what is considered 'great' comic art throughout the industry.

 

Today, every publisher knows the value in putting effort into the color work. Visual effects and lighting (whether via painting or via computer) are now as important as anatomy and page design.

 

I'm pretty sure The advancement in coloring was due to Image comics early days. Steve oliff, brian haberlin, Dan Kemp Joe Chido and so fourth.

 

Alex influence seems to be in the way he handles characters, the reverence for the material and the nostalgia more than in drawing or painting.

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Koa

Koa

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I'd say Sienkiewicz and Art Adams were the most influential two. Mignola's certainly up there.

 

Art Adams was a really popular artist from the get go. Didn't see too many Sienkiewicz and Mignola style artists around until the 2000's and now they are everywhere.

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Jeffro.

Jeffro.

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People are rabid about Mike's Hellboy work, but there is limited interest in other things he draws.

 

 

 

I'm surprised his late 1980's stuff doesn't garner more interest today. from an aesthetic standpoint I really like it much more. Wonder if he'd stayed on at DC and Marvel if he'd ever gained any real acclaim.

 

I love his pre-Hellboy work. Just great stuff

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Bird

Bird

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The Doom/Dr Strange GN is my favorite by Mignola.

 

I love it as well. This and the Into Shamballa GN painted by Dan Green cemented my lifelong love of all things Doc. I am fortunate to own art from both, and hope to get some more if anyone has any!

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chromium

chromium

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The Doom/Dr Strange GN is my favorite by Mignola.

 

Very hard to get a page from this book, I tried for over a decade to pry them away from their owners :D

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