10 Eerie Mike Mignola Comics You Need to Read

Posted on September 16, 2025

by Eric S

Sometimes, comic book artists develop a style that visually fits right in with their contemporaries (see: the Marvel "house style" of the 1970s). Other times, an artist completely stands out from everyone else and is able to cultivate an aesthetic that is immediately recognizable as their own. Such is the case with Mike Mignola, who turns 65 this week. While to the casual fan, Mignola's claim to fame is that he created Hellboy, which inspired several successful films (and a couple not-so-great ones, if we're being honest). Of course, that alone would be enough for him to go down as a legend of the comic book medium.

However, it's impossible to overstate how weird and influential Mignola is as an artist. Starting as an inker for Marvel in 1983, he would quickly move on to penciling books like The Incredible Hulk and Alpha Flight, eventually working for DC as well (his Cosmic Odyssey book is a particular standout from this period). Mignola's work was blocky, strange, and totally unlike anything showing up in either Marvel or DC comics at the time. You could see bits of Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, and German Expressionism in his work, but you could also tell he was inspired by old science fiction and monster movies more than superhero comics.

In 1994, he first published the comic that perfectly complemented his style and allowed him to indulge in all his artistic eccentricities: Hellboy. The universe of Hellboy was gothic, yet at the same time otherworldly, where everything was worn down and cast in shadow—a place where monsters belonged and even humans embodied an off-kilter eeriness. While today he doesn't do as much interior comic art, whenever his drawings do pop up, it's always cause for occasion (check out the sketches he did during the height of COVID—truly wild). So, celebrate one of comics' most iconic, original voices by checking out some of Mike Mignola's biggest and best books.