Artist Giuseppe Manunta
When artist Giuseppe Manunta first started his art training, he was preparing with a classical art education, initially focusing on Graphic Design. By the early 1990s, he began using his talents in the field of comic books. He worked for many different publishers and worked on such iconic characters as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.
Now, coming on August 27th, Giuseppe is partnering with Mike Mignola for Dark Horse’s “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Professor Harvey is Gone.” When Giuseppe had commented that he would love to work on a Hellboy Story, Mike Mignola was enthused about the possibility.
Mike Mignola
The only problem was that I had sort of (finally) run out of Hellboy stories. My head is so much in my new LANDS UNKNOWN series now that for a while I was really drawing a blank. Then I remembered a plot I had given to Chris Golden a while back. He wrote it up as a Hellboy story for Weird Tales magazine (THE CITY IN THE SEA—Weird Tales issue 367) but that was an unillustrated prose story and there were (I thought) some terrific visuals in that story so I thought Giuseppe would be a terrific artist to put those on paper. So I reworked that original story and idea and turned it over to Giuseppe to work his magic.”
On August 27th, fans everywhere will experience that magic. In anticipation of its release, we recently had the opportunity to speak with Giuseppe about his early artistic origins. We also discussed his work on the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes and his experience collaborating on Mignola’s Hellboy. We are excited to welcome the talented artist Giuseppe Manunta to GVN Talking Comics.
Creative Beginnings
GVN: Thank you, Giuseppe, for sharing just a bit of your time with us. Since this is our first opportunity to get to know you, let’s start with your creative beginnings. You had classical art training and focused on graphic design. When did you first take an interest in comics, and whose work inspired your desire to harness your talents in that pursuit?
Giuseppe: I think I was about 14 years old when I left the movie theater. I didn’t like the ending of the film I had just seen, so I decided to rewrite and draw the ending the way I wanted. From that moment on, I never stopped.
Diverse Projects
GVN: Your career has included work for a diverse range of publishers. From Penthouse Comics to Heavy Metal Magazine, and even for Disney. Did you actively pursue such different challenges for your talent, or was it simply a matter of taking the projects that were presented to you?
Giuseppe: It was my Italian publisher who sold the rights for the first two magazines. As for Disney, my dear friend Roberto Santillo proposed the High School Musical project to me and I was delighted to take it on.
Working on Sherlock Holmes
GVN: Amongst your books, you have had the opportunity to work on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic Sherlock Holmes. Did you have any trepidation about drawing the world’s most famous detective? (with apologies to Batman fans)
Giuseppe: I wasn’t afraid at all — quite the opposite, in fact. I was very enthusiastic. It gave me the opportunity to meet many intellectuals from the Holmesian Association, including Jacques Fortier, among others. It also gave me the opportunity to meet my current publisher, Blandine Lanoux from Feles Editions, with whom I have created my best graphic novels: “Le Dîner de Noël” “Hellé Nice” “une Table pour2”…
The Chance to Work with Mignola and Hellboy
GVN: Speaking of iconic in the comic world, you are collaborating with Mike Mignola on the Dark Horse one-shot “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Professor Harvey is Gone.” How did this opportunity come about, and were you excited to bring your talents to Mike’s Hellboy Universe?
Giuseppe: I was truly honoured and happy when I discovered that Mike loved my work. It was 2023. We started exchanging short messages, and then, on the occasion of Hellboy’s 30th anniversary, I asked Mike if I could write a Hellboy story. It wasn’t easy, but we succeeded in the end. I initially proposed my own script, but Mike wasn’t keen on it. He thought it wasn’t faithful enough to the comic book character, and that it was too similar to the film version. So, he proposed his own idea, and everything went smoothly.
The Work Process with Mignola
GVN: What form did this partnership take? Did you and Mike communicate frequently during the process, or did he send you a script and turn you and your talents loose?
Giuseppe: After he sent me the script, we were in frequent contact to clarify a few points, since my English isn’t very good. Once we had overcome that hurdle, I sent him a storyboard, which he used to correct a few scenes and offer some advice. Then, as I finished each page, I sent it to him and received nothing but wonderful compliments.
Other Possible Projects
GVN: Now that you have had the opportunity to lend your talents to the Mignolaverse, would you be open to doing so again if that possibility were presented? In addition, are there other “mainstream” comic characters that you would like to explore if given the chance?
Giuseppe: Without even thinking about it! If I had to think of two other characters from the superhero universe, I’d like to make an episode about Batman or Vampirella, why not? Who knows?
GVN: Thank you again, Giuseppe. Before we conclude, I would like to give you the opportunity to discuss this exciting project and any others you may have upcoming soon.
Giuseppe: This project gave me the opportunity to fulfill a dream in the drawer. I had the chance to meet Mike in person and collaborate with wonderful people like Katii O’Brien and Misha Gehr. I hope the adventure doesn’t end here! I’ve put forward some ideas to Dark Horse, so let’s see what happens. Thank you for the interview, and best regards to all the readers.
Be sure to check out Dark Horse’s Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Professor Harvey is Gone by Mike Mignola and Giuseppe Manunta when it hits stands on August 27th.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
