If you’re a fan of Hellboy, there’s a new Kickstarter project that’s just funded that you should check out—Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters, a feature-length film that delves into how Mignola created his most famous character, Hellboy.
Mignola and Hellboy are synonymous. Debuting in 1993, the comics follow a demon who was rescued at the end of the Second World War and raised by a secretive governmental agency called the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) to fight against supernatural threats to the world.
Hellboy headlined a long-running comic series from Mignola, and helped spawn several associated comics, like B.P.R.D., and has been adapted into three films, two directed by Guillermo del Toro (which starred Ron Perlman), and another from Neil Marshall (starring David Harbour). There’s also been a handful of animated films, as well a some tie-in novels, a video game, and some table-top games.
The documentary project has already surpassed its funding goal of $58,000 (as of now, it’s raised more than $214,000), and describes itself as “the definitive story of one of the most influential and important comic book creators of all time.”
The documentary will feature interviews with Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, The Shape of Water), Victor LaValle (The Ballad of Black Tom), Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe), Neil Gaiman (American Gods), Adam Savage (Mythbusters), Doug Jones (Star Trek Discovery, Hellboy), and many others.
The documentary is currently in production and is being directed by Jim Demonakos (who co-founded Emerald City Comic Con) and Kevin Hanna (The Clockwork Girl). On the project page, the pair say that they’ve already collected more than 80 hours of documentary footage, and that the funds that they raise will help get additional footage, and hire an editor and sound designer to polish the film up. The project is expected to ship rewards to backers by April 2022, but with any crowdfunding endeavor, expect that date to be fluid.
