Hellboy: Mignola's Genius for Simplification

In this video, I go over what can Hellboy teach us about simplification in comics, and how Mike Mignola, its creator, found the recipe to boiling down visuals to their bare essential.
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Directed & edited by Pierrick Colinet
French translation by Arnaud Kikoo
Musics by Mike Franklin, «Dark delusion »
Logo by Tom Muller

[@loneangler9063]

I love Mignola's art, his minimalism and angler shapes are briliant!

[@coledeaver6538]

I love the mythology that Mignola includes in his stories. The world feels so large!

[@mariod1547]

9:37 "Ah, that word. Focus. Yeah, with you're accent. I wouldn't use it that much" All seriousness I love your voice and accent. Just couldn't resist quoting from that movie. Great video ❤

[@KyberQ]

Wow, I was just re-reading Hellboy last night, too. This was an excellent breakdown, I can definitely see a strong Mignola influence in your work.

[@ElsaCharretierChannel]

Definitely! I'm always thriving for more simplicity, more efficiency in the line work.

[@ValouriumGaming]

I would love to see you cover something from John Paul Leon.

[@Art.Magick]

Excellent breakdown of his technique. Something else I've noticed about his simplification (apologies if you already mentioned this) is that he almost never uses curved lines. It's almost the opposite approach of traditional Art Nouveau artists, though he still shares many similarities with them.

[@NoVACorpsGaming]

He’s a genius, a real master of drawing your gaze where HE wants it. Amazing vid :)

[@TonyTylerDraws]

Thumbs up even before I watch. These case studies really could be a Masterclass. I've been making webcomics on and off for 20 years, and *every* video I learn something. Edit: Oh! Could you analyze the Appleseed Knife Fight

[@inksawakening]

This is very interesting, I'm always impressed by mignola's ability to give the impression of perspective or volume in his personal way. Now I understand why, thank you for this analysis !

[@talbotter632]

German expressionism meets Jack Kirby. - Alan Moore on Mike Mignola's style.

[@BiXXVI]

For me, Mike Mignola is a pure genius of our time. We can learn so much by reading his stories ... Thank you for this brilliant video !

[@AromaticAsthmatic]

Oh my! It would be a SUPERB treat to see you analyze Becky Cloonan's Demeter!!

[@ChristopherMervJones]

It's great to see actual formal analysis of comics! It's one of those things I have no clue about and resources like this are great to better understand the medium.

[@zappasmoustache23]

Excellent and very important point at the end. ‘Give yourself some slack’. You’re not Mike Mignola or Jim Lee or whoever, you’re you, do you and trust in the process when it feels like you’re not progressing. One of the reasons Mike became popular is because his art stands out from everything else on the shelves.

[@samankucher5117]

very interesting technic .

[@austinsideburns]

Life long doodler here... I've been slowly practicing scenes for my 1st ever mini comic attempt, i usually fill up a page for my random brain spillages and just let it all blur together, but for story telling i need another method to cover up my lack of draftsman ship, i have an ok sense of compsition ir at least i like to ballence a page for mmy own satisfaction. I have gone down a mike mignola rabbit hole to get inspiration. I didnt realise why until i watched this video. It's his simplification that i was drawn to. thanks for making this it's extreamly helpful and inspiring!

[@borjadetorres7747]

Mignola is pure expressionism.

[@MikeThomasFaria]

Elsa, many thanks for this. I'm 68 and I've decided to return to drawing comics after 40 years away. I'm taking classes and as my drawings evolve, I'm finding my way into abstraction bold design. Naturallement, Mignola is someone whose work I admire. Your lesson here is invaluable. I admire your work as well, and look forward to learning more from you. (Forgive me mashing up French and English in that last sentence. J'adore la langue, et parfois je me souviens d'un peu de français)

[@jackylee_jack]

How have I just discovered ur channel now?! I love ur breakdowns and analysis and how serious you treat comic books as an art form. Subscribed!

[@sneekopotamus]

Excellent as always. I'd love to see you examine Larry Stroman, especially his start on X-Factor, #71. Completely unique style for the time.

[@KazModah]

Its interesting too how few colors each panel have compared to a regular comic these have. I was reading 'the storm' and there's' some panels who have color but feels so much like a black and white comic book.

[@dallinfeatherstone]

Hey! I have a question/ request. I'm currently creating my own comic, which is essentially a crime/comedy book, and I am totally stuck lol. Could you please breakdown something comedic in nature, (e.g. Nick Spencer's The Fix) and try to explain what does, and what does not work for effectively expressing a "funny moment"? This can obviously be applied to dialogue as well. Anyway, I just know that a lot of people, including myself, don't really grasp this concept- nor it's execution- so it would be amazing if you'd be able to touch on this at some point in the future. Thank you so much! I love, LOVE your videos and have learned much more from you than I ever did in any art class. Please keep it up!! :)

[@julianxamo7835]

Amazing video, I'd love to see you analyze a story from Hellboy in Hell, which is more recent and shows the evolution in Mignola's style, it's even more simplistic and "bare bones" in these stories, while still being amazing

[@gregorywatine8522]

J'adore Mike Mignola et je me souviendrais toujours de la découverte de Hellboy. Pendant plus d'un moins tous mes dessins se sont retrouvé... "Mignolesque". Cette Vidéo est super ! La petite musique est géniale, collant parfaitement au sujet tout en donnant une ambiance d'enquête. "Quels secrets cachent les comics Hellboy ?!" L'intelligence de ses découpages me fascine et réussir à l'expliquer si vite et de manière si claire est tout aussi impressionnant. Merci une fois de plus !

[@ElsaCharretierChannel]

Merci ! Idem pour moi ! L’épisode que j’étais en train de dessiner a de sérieuses influences Mignola :)

[@manolis905]

You are literally the coolest person ever

[@thomasschmidt7649]

Just found your channel because of my love of Mike's work on Hellboy. I am a comic book fan and graphic designer of 25 years, his work to me is the perfect combination of both disciplines. Your content and presentation are fantastic, thank you.

[@NextIssuePodcast]

OMG that was such an interesting breakdown! Mignola rally knows when less is more! Thank you for the excellent video! looking forward to the next one!

[@HellboyBr11]

i love his style, i wanted to do something close to him, but not a copy, but because he inspires me and his style matches my feeling

[@zionleach3001]

I want to know how he wrote hellboy comics for so long. How did he keep them from getting repetitive? Was it because he took brakes and wrote other things?

[@matsokol8802]

Cool Vid. Mignola Has a 'vocabulary' of Silohettes and shapes he uses for his characters and tweaks them to fit the situations. Alot of his shots of character are the same camera angle. He also uses Golden Ratio in his line and to balance silohettes and shapes in character drawings and backgrounds. A Master of the Jigsaw! He is a true master of his medium.✌

[@JeanSeb_]

Absolument passionnant.

[@markmclawhorn9592]

Cosmic Odyssey is my favorite Justice League comic ever. Game changer for what comics could be for me.

[@TheWrightDesign1]

Great video! Another genius of simplification is Alex Toth. I would love to see you talk about his work at some point. :)

[@manuelchiacchiaretta6851]

Great Master, great popularizer

[@samycovo3170]

waouh, un analyse impressionnante. 😯

[@nuahs6881]

Would love to see you do later day Frank Miller as an example of minimalism

[@oscarrodrigo1846]

This was amazing! Another interesting story to see is the previous one where Mignola masterfully creates an icon for the Hellboy, the white flowers, with few pages and words.

[@CreativeSteve69]

I've been enjoying these case study series a lot Elsa. Keep em coming. :)

[@matthew_thefallen]

Wow, this video is super! Been a Mignola art style fan since i found a Hellboy comic around 2007/2008! Great channel too!

[@scotthaselwoodstudentofcom5715]

I really really love and look forward to every single one of these videos.

[@thelonekangaroo6150]

Working on a piece in Mignola's style and this breakdown just cleared a lot of headaches. What a great, in-depth, and well-explained look at his composition, thanks so much for making this!!

[@cristirevs2]

awesome video and great analysis of Mignola's pages.Thank you!

[@Oddernod]

Awesome breakdown - love the idea that the changing the contrast on a page between details and silhouette is the equivalent to a rack focus in a film. Taking SO MANY NOTES 🙏

[@Mikeobdraws]

This was so inspiring! Thank you Elsa!

[@alfredobores9023]

this is great! Would like to see some Chriss Samnee and Tonci Zonjic analysis! both of them are great simplifying too!

[@brunodomingosazevedo]

Great as always

[@rlblackink]

This is such a fantastic job Very impressed with the composition of this video. Great lighting and presentation. Amazing job.

[@peterlinfield]

Fantastic video and analysis. Mignola's artwork is so distinct and beautiful. I really appreciate you breaking it down!

[@benortiz7727]

Absolutely fantastic analysis. Thanks for creating this series!

[@sol7967]

Awesome analysis. Ty!

[@EdwardInSpiteOfMe]

C'est génial comme toujours !

[@ewertonmurilo4958]

Great video!

[@spiderspyy]

Found my way here through the Hellboy Subreddit and share your love of Mignolas art, it was a wholesome and nice experience to follow how you broke down the panels.

[@HundredAcres]

Thank you for your great breakdown in simple terms. It really helped me understand the content that you were going over. I had to subscribe just to see what else other videos you make :)

[@housebased7]

This is such an educational and professional channel in both content and video quality, I expect this channel to grow exponentially in the near future Thank you for making these videos!

[@RandySiplon]

Thank you for this. I've been trying to go more minimalist with my approach, but end up over detailing things in the rendering. I have however simplified my panel and page layouts and this helped me immensely how you broke down composition like that.

[@wizardofarts1276]

Your video and analysis is very beautiful and well put together. I can't wait to watch more!

[@alexandrebelinge8996]

great video, I really enjoy it !

[@batboy968]

This is such a great video!! Thanks

[@theqore43]

I love your videos!!! I learn a lot.. Mignola knows how to make everything simple, and still, add enough detail to make the reader pay attention to the panels

[@fakyorcru9799]

new favorite channel, thank you so much for such incredible work!

[@lastoreoandmilk4997]

First video on your channel I have watched, but loved your very detailed and insightful breakdown!!! Will be sure to check out more.

[@rec.artanddata]

Excellent lecture on composition! A lot of great ideas in this video

[@The42n8s1]

Great stuff. Thanks!

[@anam00090]

Beautiful breakdown. Glad to have found your channel! Mignola's shape language and composition paired with his incredible colorist really blew me away first time I read Hellboy. Silhouettes are always clear and precise, and I agree, perspective is not the key driver of his panels. His character design is very unique as well - the way he shapes them feels like they would look incredible sculpted - their asymmetry and angular design elements create so much visual interest

[@kyletwebster]

Another great video, Elsa.

[@chuckgibson3973]

Just stumbled upon your channel. Great analysis! Looking forward to exploring your other videos.

[@ZEBASS]

Kudos to you, because your language is really clear and easy to follow, and it shows that you're well informed on the subject. I can't say the same about 99% of KZbin's videos, so I was happily surprised!

[@mikebennewitz]

Really excellent!

I want more of those videos !

[@anitamann9217]

This might be the coolest thing I’ve seen in the art world so awesome

[@darioscomicschool1111]

Thank you so much for this REVIEW!

[@the_flushjackson]

Excellent video, thank you for breaking this down.

[@Fu_kTheZeitgeist]

Excellent analysis!

[@Aiodeus]

This is a damn good video! Definitely subscribing

[@BaptisteGavalda]

Your shirt is perfect for the subject ^^ The part on overlapping was really interesting, I will try to dig on the subject

[@JimmyReyesArt]

Great video, @Elsa Charretier. I have been wanting to simplify my art now to help speed up. I found this video very helpful.

[@stephennagy6344]

Very cool video, I enjoyed it.

[@JRHorsting]

Well done, Elsa.

[@JUANREVI]

Amazing video analysis of an amazing artist!! Request : Eduardo Risso and Alex Toth!

[@makekong]

Thank you for this, your earned another fan subscriber!

[@mensancollection1879]

Thanks for your simple and clear explanation. I have enjoyed your video and i will definitely apply to my comic creation steps.

[@rodampitrani904]

Excelent analisis!! Thanks!

[@marqosmarqos1201]

Well done analysis

[@julienneskouik1057]

Superbe ! Merci pour la leçon ❤

[@1stcome1stserved]

Please take the sound of the marker dragging on the paper! It gives me goose bumps and make shots shivers down my spine smh it's like hearing someone scratch a chalkboard 😨😅😭

[@pr.jimmywayne6627]

C'était encore une super vidéo ! Je prend des claques à chaque lecture de Mignola et je sais enfin pourquoi

[@kraneotube]

an exciting subject for any visual storyteller, developed and presented in a very clever and tasteful way. Incredible work from every point of view. Thank you very much!

[@stylecomicsvideos1393]

Merci pour cette vidéo encore une fois, passionnante ! Je n'avais pas analysé son usage des silhouettes noires sous cet angle de gestion du focus, c'est très bien vu ! Cela m'a donné envie de retourner sur ses planches pour voir effectivement comment il utilise cette technique.

[@MiguelSilva-kv7do]

This is great!

[@DreedMaster06]

Super analyse, merci pour les sous-titres français !

[@angelodcollazo]

Great job! This was awesome! I wish I had more time to study well crafted comic books, so the fact that you're providing a lesson here is much appreciated. I'm curious about Jack Kirby and how he was able to accomplish his style. If you can make a lesson about that, then that would be cool. Also maybe a lesson on lettering and colors would also be cool. Thank you so much for your hard work and research.

[@JuanMartinez-ku6hp]

I feel this videos are very very veery professional i'm really impressed with this

[@TheKidBoya]

I get a little bit scared everytime you put a pen near the comicbook, thank you for your work and for keeping the pen closed ! I would love to see a panel from Gibbons on Watchmen or from Sorrentino on Gideon Falls !

[@jawsquid]

This is great! Instantly subscribed!

[@jawsquid]

OH, also, your own work is remarkable too!

[@MadDogRyan]

Mignola’s use of pure black shadows really adds a lot of atmosphere I draw manga so it’s black and white and hate gray tones they take to much time so I studied his use of black

[@JonathanCaino]

Excelente!

[@mr.x6313]

I wonder if Mignola is even aware of what he's doing. or how good he is at it.

[@monsterama]

Nice!

[@olivierhenkinbrant7378]

Super chaîne et magnifique travail (tes dessins) j’adore ton style. La série sur l’analyse de planches est vraiment top 🤯. Dommage que tu ne soit plus active 😢 ou que tu n’organise pas de formation en ligne, je me serais inscrit directe! 🤭 en plus c’est bien réalisé 👏👏👏