Frankenstein Underground by Mike Mignola

So much of the stuff that we do is determined by having work for certain artists, and Ben Stenbeck had been doing the Baltimore book and he kind of felt like, ‘Y’know…I’ve done this for a long time.’ He was looking for something different. Mike Mignola: You know, I’m trying to remember why. Paste: I read the first two issues of Frankenstein Underground and my first question is: why? Why Frankenstein’s Monster? I know you had introduced him a couple years ago in the Hellboy: House of the Living Dead graphic novel, but why Frankenstein’s Monster? Why this character? And why now? Mignola was nice enough to discuss the series, its origins and future, as well as what his plans for the rest of the Mignolaverse are. The character was first introduced into the Mignolaverse in 2011’s Hellboy: House of the Living Dead original graphic novel, and now Mignola and artist Ben Stenbeck are giving him the floor for his first five-issue mini-series. This March, Frankenstein’s Monster gets his. The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (the organization Hellboy works for) was the first, but individuals like the pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, the fish-man Abe Sapien, the disembodied spirit Johann Krauss and more eventually got their time in the spotlight. Initially following the solo adventures of Hellboy, a demon summoned to earth by a Nazi occultist, the series quickly expanded its foundation to encompass the whole of earth and other planes of existence other characters and groups branched off into their own titles. The shared universe the big, red paranormal investigator exists within continues to grow larger and larger each month, and the Mignolaverse line comprises a significant chunk of Dark Horse’s publishing slate.

Through sheer force of quality, the Hellboy character has become one of publisher Dark Horse’s most recognizable characters, and his popularity has grown with feature film adaptations, animated films and action figures. Brick by brick, mini-series by mini-series, the cartoonist has written, co-written, drawn and provided covers for over 100 interlocking issues.

For the last 20 years, Mike Mignola has been building an empire.

Frankenstein Underground by Mike Mignola