This article explores the functions of the preternatural-themed images, how they are related to each other and in which general contexts of culture they are located. By doing so, it focuses especially on the works of Mike Mignola.
Mike Mignola is one of the most prominent writers and graphic artists in contemporary comics with a comprehensive œuvre particularly in the adventure/fantasy horror genre. In series such as Hellboy, on which the author will focus this article, he fuses the superhero tradition in mainstream comics with a large variety of narratives about the preternatural, combining elements of folk tales, mythologies, Christian figures of thought and last but not least the tentacle-armed Ancient Ones of H.P. Lovecraft.
Eventually, the story arcs and series are connected in the frame of a cosmological meta-plot. His protagonists are heroes in contact with the preternatural: some of them are preternatural beings themselves, while some are humans who gained knowledge about the preternatural and learned to deal with its dangers. Mignola’s narrative universe is not a very safe place, it is threatened by primordial powers. Types of the preternatural employed in these stories range from magical effects to cosmology, from transcendent spheres to metaphysics, and the artistic means of depicting the preternatural in its various shapes include stylistics of light literature and B-grade movies as well as pictorial language from classical cinema and modern avant-garde graphics. Moreover, the diachronical and synchronical contextualization of Mignola’s narratives pointing out the story elements discussed here go beyond their entertainment values and touch on basic cultural notions such as freedom of will, forms of sociality and ideas about the general character of the world.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Narrative Settings and Pop-Cultural Environment
3 Types of the Preternatural in Hellboy and Lobster Johnson
3.1 Fusing Christian Semiotics and the Superhero Tradition
3.1.1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”
3.1.2 Liminal Characteristics and the Preternatural
3.2 Retrofuturist Combinations of Secret History and Modern Age Mysticism
3.3 Paranormal Phenomena and Abilities
4 Framing Mythologies in a Cosmological Meta-Plot
4.1 Inter-textual Reconciliation of Mythologies
4.2 Biblical Aniconism in the Hellboy Narratives’ Worldview
5 Depicting the Multitude of the Preternatural in a Transmodernist Approach
6 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This work explores how Mike Mignola utilizes imagery of the preternatural within his comic series to create a unique narrative universe that reflects and comments on cultural "social imaginaries." It investigates the semiotic functions of these motifs, their connection to mass culture traditions, and the underlying worldview presented in works like Hellboy and Lobster Johnson.
- The synthesis of religious, mythological, and folk-tale motifs within contemporary comics.
- The narrative function of preternatural elements in superhero and pulp-fiction-inspired storytelling.
- The intersection of "secret history" myths, occultism, and modern pop culture media.
- The application of a "transmodernist" analytical framework to interpret complex narrative blends.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Fusing Christian Semiotics and the Superhero Tradition
Introducing the preternatural in comics and pulp magazines opened up a new variety of fiction characters, their abilities and story lines, which would now adhere to mythological, religious and folklore semiotics. Before Mignola started his own series, he had already penciled the 1991 Fafhrd comic adaptation (Chaykin et al. 2007), and such fantasy adventures would become a major influence on his works as a writer. Mignola takes up motifs from pulp fiction and mystery comics concerning story setting, narration and characters. His adventure/horror plots resemble pulp fiction as they consciously build upon naïve and absurd settings and novelette-like, unheard-of events. Their characters stand between the superhero and the (paranormal) detective type, and the narration ideally goes through a number of weird and dramatic thrill scenes, quickly pushing the course of events towards an exciting finale. Hellboy, for example, shares some characteristics with superheroes, but clearly differs in others. He is of tremendous physical strength and stamina, but as a demon, he would rather be an antagonist than a protagonist. Devilish, demonic creatures usually played the role of the heroes’ opponents in fantasy stories such as those in the Solomon Kane series (cf. Howard et al. 2009). How this semiotics of a potentially frightening preternatural was re-encoded so that Hellboy could become a sympathetic figure is the subject of the following paragraphs.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the author Mike Mignola and establishes the research focus on how preternatural images are situated within cultural contexts and Mignola's narrative universe.
2 Narrative Settings and Pop-Cultural Environment: This section examines the tradition of superhero and pulp fiction stories, providing the necessary context for Mignola's specific adoption of religious and mythological motifs.
3 Types of the Preternatural in Hellboy and Lobster Johnson: The chapter categorizes various manifestations of the preternatural, analyzing how they are fused with superhero tropes, pulp fiction history, and paranormal abilities.
3.1 Fusing Christian Semiotics and the Superhero Tradition: This section details how Mignola uses Christian semiotics as a starting point for Hellboy’s character, re-encoding demonic origins into a sympathetic, heroic figure.
3.1.1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”: An analysis of the theological and philosophical tension between determinism and free will within the Hellboy story arcs.
3.1.2 Liminal Characteristics and the Preternatural: This part explores the "liminal" nature of Mignola's characters, comparing them to barbarian archetypes and discussing the social implications of such "borderline" figures.
3.2 Retrofuturist Combinations of Secret History and Modern Age Mysticism: A study of the Lobster Johnson series, focusing on how Mignola blends 1930s pulp aesthetics with "secret history" conspiracy theories.
3.3 Paranormal Phenomena and Abilities: This chapter discusses how paranormal elements are used to create Gothic atmosphere and shock effects, while also examining the ontological divide between the empirical world and the spiritual.
4 Framing Mythologies in a Cosmological Meta-Plot: This section investigates how disparate myths from around the world are reconciled into an overarching cosmological framework.
4.1 Inter-textual Reconciliation of Mythologies: An examination of how intertextuality—linking Mignola's works to authors like H.P. Lovecraft—builds a consistent meta-plot across different series.
4.2 Biblical Aniconism in the Hellboy Narratives’ Worldview: This chapter analyzes the narrative's theological outlook, noting the absence of a depicted Biblical God as a form of "aniconism" within the story’s cosmology.
5 Depicting the Multitude of the Preternatural in a Transmodernist Approach: The author proposes a "transmodernist" framework to describe Mignola's blending of premodern, modern, and avant-garde art and narrative styles.
6 Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the findings, arguing that Mignola’s work creates a "pluralistic universe" that reflects the complex, contingent nature of the modern human condition.
Keywords
comics, popular culture, mysticism, mythology, metaphysics, transmodernism, Hellboy, Lobster Johnson, preternatural, semiotics, pulp fiction, social imaginaries, free will, secret history, intertextuality
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this publication?
The work analyzes the narrative universe of comic creator Mike Mignola, specifically focusing on how he uses the "preternatural" to address cultural themes and social imaginaries.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The primary themes include the intersection of mythology and religion, the adaptation of pulp fiction tropes, the critique of secret history ideologies, and the visual representation of the paranormal.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to understand how Mignola constructs a "universalistic neo-mythology" and how he employs preternatural images to comment on basic human notions like freedom of will and social relations.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The publication uses an intersectional narrative approach and draws upon transmodernist theory to analyze how various semiotic fields (comics, literature, film) are blended within the narratives.
What is covered in the main section?
The main section dissects the categorization of preternatural types, the role of Christian semiotics, the use of retro-futurism in Lobster Johnson, and the creation of a cosmological meta-plot across different comic series.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include comics, popular culture, preternatural, mythology, metaphysics, transmodernism, and semiotics.
How does Mignola redefine the "superhero" archetype in Hellboy?
Mignola redefines the hero by giving Hellboy a demonic origin—traditionally an antagonist role—and forcing him to act out of solidarity with humans, thereby turning the character into a sympathetic "outsider."
What role does "irony" play in the Lobster Johnson series?
Irony is used to satirize "secret history" and far-right esoteric conspiracy theories by blending them with absurd, low-budget pulp fiction clichés, effectively stripping these myths of their perceived mystical importance.
Why does the author classify the narrative approach as "transmodernist"?
It is classified as transmodernist because Mignola does not attempt a total break with tradition (like postmodernism), but instead integrates premodern myths and modern storytelling structures to provide a non-exclusive, pluralistic view of the world.
- Citar trabajo
- Dr. Jan Leichsenring (Autor), 2013, The Preternatural in the Works of Mike Mignola. Semiotic Frames, Literary Functions and Pop Cultural Context, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/984126
