Need some help with Mike Mignola Interviews

[Septaryeth]

So...
basically I'm finally going to finish writing ALL STUFF ABOUT HELLBOY (well, almost all of them),
to recommend the comic series to a mandarin forum. (You won't believe how many GOOD western comic didn't get published here)
But I came to a stomp because I don't recall where I got some of my information from.
So if any of you know the links to the interview I'm talking about, it will be very much appreciated.
Or at least corrected me if I said something wrong haha.

There is one interview on Mike Mignola talking about how he came to have his comic book published.
I remember he talked about his days in DC and Marvel and how his Darkseid was rejected several times because he looks too much like a fridge.
But he said that he didn't complain because you have to work from the bottom up, to have others recognize your worth and your work,
so that they will let you do your own thing.
And finally he and some other friends have the courage to ask some editors (I think it was in a party?) to have their stuff published on Legend Comics,
where Frank Miller also has his comic published once. And that's when Hellboy takes off.

I thought it was very inspirational.

I think there is also one piece talking about him working on Disney's Atlantis,
and something about some animators are almost jealous of him because all the big shots listened to him during development.
They all have his works pinned up on the wall and have to study it. It kind of goes hand in hand with the "working from bottom up" so I thought would be nice to be added in.

[middenway]

Have you tried listening to podcasts? I find when the interview becomes more conversational, he tends to open up more.

[Kees_L]

Septaryeth, my advice to you would be to quote from the interviews accurately and directly instead of trying to paraphrase things.

For instance the "Legend" imprint was launched by Dark Horse as a special line or division of comics, after a group of creators such as Frank Miller, Arthur Adams, John Byrne, Geof Darrow and others - including Mike Mignola - had joined together to show their creator-owned comic-ideas to Dark Horse during San Diego Comic Con.
I don't know the year but presumably before SDCC 1993 ( because I've read that in 1993 SDCC hosted a special panel on introducing the Legend Imprint on which this'd be the link: http://www.westfieldcomics.com/blog/...rsary-hellboy/).

I believe Mike Mignola usually conveys how he felt lucky at the time that so many people he knew or had worked with were toying with the exact same idea of doing creator-owned stuff instead of work-for-hire, so he could basically 'tag along' on this similar vibe that was going around.

John Byrne had already been doing his Next Men since 1992 with Dark Horse, but under the Legend imprint as existing between 1994 to 1998, such titles premiered as Frank Miller's Sin City, Paul Chadwick his Concrete, Mike Allred's Madman, Mike Mignola's Hellboy, John Byrne's Danger Unlimited and Art Adams' Monkeyman & O'Brien.

On Atlantis I believe I've heard mr Mike describe he felt he had no real reaction towards being invited into a massive Disney studio where all the workers were exclusively busy onto studying Mignola art to the most minute detail. As if to say that was just such a weird experience to undergo.

Now I'm doing the same as you - I'm paraprasing which is pretty sketchy - because it's just better to turn people onto reading/viewing/hearing the interviews themselves, would be my opinion.
You can google and find pretty much all of those, or this website links to a number of the earlier ones:

http://www.completehellboy.com/interviews/

[Septaryeth]

Thanks Kees, the link and explanations are very useful! And thanks middenway for reminding me about the podcasts, I tend to forget about them.
I was pretty clear on what I was writing during March, when cbr was celebrating 20 years of Hellboy.
Somehow things just keep on popping up and now I'm trying to finish writing it before this year ends.

As for the interview I'll try to quote Mike Mignola directly, my only small concern is the forum is almost mandarin exclusive.
So I'll have to do some translation myself and try to stick as close to the original as possible.
Nonetheless I'll give them the link to the interview themselves so at least some people with English reading skills can read it.

Hopefully it'll get people know that there are other decent western comic other than DC and Marvel.
Even so the two still needed few hollywood blockbuster hits to just get the publisher slightly interested in getting western comic here.

--

I think I found the interviews from this forum during 20 years of Hellboy.
Did the reboot remove the thread? 'Cause I couldn't find any.
I think it was exact same thread that I talked about I was hoping more things will happen in Hellboy in Hell?

Found the one I wanted! I used keywords like "Mike Mignola", "Darkseid", "Fridge"
http://www.sequentialtart.com/archiv.../mignola.shtml

--
My first experience with film was working directly with Francis Ford Coppola. That's pretty weird. When I was at Disney, I was going out to lunch with the producers and the directors, and we would discuss various things, and I would make suggestions, and they would put that into the movie. And yet, a guy would come to me and say, "You know, most of the people working on this picture never met that producer. That's why everybody hates you. That's why nobody's here to eat lunch with you. Producers are not eating lunch with you; you're eating by yourself because they don't want to talk to you, because you're some shmoe who [just] walks in. These guys are workin' here ten years in this business to get next to those guys, and you just walk in out of nowhere and you're with those guys. And they're listening to you." So it was weird.
--

The site however, seems a bit broken, and the interview was taken before Hellboy 1 movie was released (2004).
How do you guys find it? Is it solid enough?

[Kees_L]

As for the interview I'll try to quote Mike Mignola directly, my only small concern is the forum is almost mandarin exclusive.
So I'll have to do some translation myself and try to stick as close to the original as possible.
Nonetheless I'll give them the link to the interview themselves so at least some people with English reading skills can read it.

Sounds excellent! I really think linking the interviews would work best because then you could feel sure to never having caused to be looking wrong in anyone's eyes.

And I do understand the need for translation. Like my Mandarin would be quite virginal I'm afraid.
Then again I personally find it only the harder in my own Dutch language to not ever start implementing my own outlooks or wordings onto stuff.

Like if someone asks me to explain to them how come I like Hellboy more than this or that book by so and so - I may prefer to not be giving a straight answer.

For some things like (some) comics or movies or music from whatever culture or make, I think I ordinarily refrain from the advocating of it, especially towards close friends or people I meet. Like I might point to stuff but just so long as nobody would ever be going 'hey man, you said...!'

Whereas with food I'm usually the other way, like if it's within reach I'll tell anybody to leave it for me.

What 2 non-Western comics/manga would you be recommending me BTW? I'd be into Hayao Miyazaki plus I'd know some of Kazuo Koike/Goseki Kojima's Lone Wolf and Cub.

Found the one I wanted! I used keywords like "Mike Mignola", "Darkseid", "Fridge"
http://www.sequentialtart.com/archiv.../mignola.shtml

Yep, that's usually how I try and find things with Google.

The site however, seems a bit broken, and the interview was taken before Hellboy 1 movie was released (2004).
How do you guys find it? Is it solid enough?

Which site do you mean by "Is it solid enough"? The "Complete Hellboy Archive" site was made by a person who introduced themselves on here back before the reboot, but that has been a while.

Texts in full usually seem solid as long as they show up - in full -, even regardless of ads or pics, although there'll be lots of ways how come something or anything wouldn't be showing.

The on-site CBR Search Function is extremely and most notoriously unfunctional however. It doesn't know anything, not even why sticks wouldn't shake!

[Septaryeth]

Honestly I'm not sure what comic to recommend,
especially given most of my experience with manga are shonen(kids/teenager), many which I stopped reading a long time ago.
Luckily the two below weren't shonen.

Personally I love Mushishi, it's has a Japanese folklore flair to it, a lonesome protagonist travels around the world solving supernatural mysteries.
The direct translation of "mushi" is bug, but in the manga/anime, it's a spirit-like creature that is part of nature but unseen by normal people.
And mushishi are people with special talents that help others to live with mushi peacefully.
The underlying theme of conservation/nature/balance while is noticeable is also subtle.
I noticed the work from its anime, but I also read the manga and the style (the use of water/ink) is also very distinctive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztfXKEw55nY
Sorry but I can only find fan-made video about it.
Looking back now, I can't help it but to noticed the similarities between Ginko and Hellboy.

Ping Pong the animation is another one that I noticed recently. While many of my passion for it comes from my own love for the sport.
It's still an excellent piece of animation that avoid a lot of cliches from sport manga.
From what I heard the animation deviates a bit from the manga, but I don't mind the changed drawing-style,
in fact a lot of it flow fluently and the characters actually move like professional table tennis player.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgPGtZH0EjQ

[waamblem]

I remember he talked about his days in DC and Marvel and how his Darkseid was rejected several times because he looks too much like a fridge.

Knowing Mike, this design would have been way too good for Darkseid anyway. I would have like to see it.

[Jonny Cannon]

Hey,

Mike Mignola has done a couple of really informative interviews with John Siuntres on Word Balloon. Well worth listening to those episodes and that show in general.

Cheers,

Jonny