GVN Talking Comics Interview: ‘Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters’ Co-Directors Jim Demonakos and Kevin Hanna

In my 57 years on this humble planet, some things remain constant. My need for the things I do to be just so, (some would call it OCPD…I call it being me) and my love of drawing and comics. But one of the things that intrigues me more is watching the greats do what they do and learning how they came about doing it.

Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters

Well coming in 2021, that’s exactly what Co-Directors Jim Demonakos and Kevin Hanna are bringing to us in Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters. This is a behind the scenes documentary about Mike’s career and his most famous creation, Hellboy. Along with talking to the man himself, there are interviews with a virtual who’s who of talented creators who will talk about Mike and his work. In addition, there is a Kickstarter campaign that has been launched to finish this documentary and as of the time that I type this, it has already been fully funded. Good news for me and anyone else who loves Mike’s work and Hellboy. So with that in mind, we are proud to welcome Co-Directors Jim Demonakos and Kevin Hanna to GVN’s Talking Comics.

GVN: Thanks for giving us some time guys.

Jim and Kevin: Thanks for taking an interest.

Mike on Board

GVN: So what made you decide to do a documentary on Mike and was he onboard from the beginning or did you have to sell him in the idea?

Jim – Besides being an astounding artist and writer, Mike also created a unique universe on par with what Marvel did the 60s, and he did so by not compromising and doing things the way he wanted to. It’s unprecedented what he’s accomplished, and definitely worthy of being the subject of our documentary.

Kevin – He was open to it from the beginning. He’s not one to seek out attention, but we came to him with the idea of a respectful documentary that really focused on the comics and his creations, versus the movies and adaptations. With that, we were able to move ahead on it.

Making a List

GVN: This was great news for us. When you started the film in earnest, did you have a prepared list of people you wanted to interview for the film and did you have any apprehension that any of them might not agree to be interviewed?

Jim: Yes, we did start with a list, but honestly, we didn’t have any apprehension about any of them not agreeing to be interviewed. We knew the worse thing they could say was no, but with Mike officially giving the stamp of approval, we have been lucky that there have been very few people who declined to be part of the documentary.

Surprises?

GVN: So for the film, you have gathered an impressive list of genius comic creators, film directors and other fields. Did any of those you talked to (Mike included) surprise you in any way?

Kevin: There have been lots of little tidbits from each interview, but I think my favorite was from Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe, who took a lot of inspiration from Mignola in her worldbuilding for that series. Without Mike, we would not have Steven Universe as we know it.

Drawing Demos

GVN: Part of the really cool segments you are including are drawing demos. Besides Mike (which was a natural) how did you decide who would do a demo?

Jim: When we made the list of people we wanted to talk to, we agreed early on that if we talked to any artists, we would request that they also draw for us, as it’s always so fun to see artists creating. We asked all the artists that were part of the documentary so far if they would be comfortable to draw on camera, and luckily for us, they all agreed. It was a lot of fun filming them while they made these amazing pieces!

The Kickstarter

GVN: I know for Jim, this is not your first time using Kickstarter for a project (the aforementioned comic spinner). Have you been surprised at all in the response for the film? (I’m not). How did you decide what to offer the fans who participated and how much did Mike or some of the other artists participate in that discussion?

Jim: We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the response, we love the enthusiasm that has poured out from the fans and helped make the campaign such a success so far! As for the rewards, we ourselves are really active in backing Kickstarters and so we have a feel for what we would like to see as rewards. Part of that is simplicity, we didn’t want to have dozens of levels, so we decided to scale it down to make sure it was easy to become part of the campaign. We were very grateful that Mike agreed to do a few new pieces for the campaign which really made a huge difference.

What’s Next?

GVN: So when you are finished with Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters and it is as successful as I imagine it will be, do you have any plans to give the same kind of treatment to another iconic creator? I only wish these kinds of documentaries were prevalent in the days of Jack Kirby, John Buscema, or any of my favorites growing up.

Kevin: We have a bunch of ideas for other creators, and that is our goal, to keep making new documentaries about interesting creators. I know what you mean about documentaries in that era, they existed, but no one turned their lens to comic creators, we’d love if they had and could have followed some of these luminaries!

GVN: Thanks for sharing your insights with us on this exciting project. Before we go, do either of you have anything coming up, outside of your film, that you would like our followers to know about?

Kevin & Jim – You can follow us on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook to keep up with what’s next! @mignoladoc

You can check out the Kickstarter here .  And view a special trailer here. Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters is expected to be released in 2022.

 

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