by Jade Lindley
There are many brilliant comic book stories out there, written by so many wonderful writers accompanied by beautiful artistry and coloured with a multi-layered depth; it’s those elements that make Midnight Circus one of the most memorable stories I have read to date. The first time I read Midnight Circus, I was in so much awe; I couldn’t believe what I had just read. Mike Mignola has created a wonderful character with Hellboy, and while he is an intriguing character as an adult, seeing his vulnerability and curiosity as a child is just as entrancing to read; it’s one of the reasons this story stands out.
Midnight Circus is such an appealing story because of the fact that it mirrors childhood as well as incorporating the dark tale that is Pinocchio.
There are many brilliant comic book stories out there, written by so many wonderful writers accompanied by beautiful artistry and coloured with a multi-layered depth; it’s those elements that make Midnight Circus one of the most memorable stories I have read to date. The first time I read Midnight Circus, I was in so much awe; I couldn’t believe what I had just read. Mike Mignola has created a wonderful character with Hellboy, and while he is an intriguing character as an adult, seeing his vulnerability and curiosity as a child is just as entrancing to read; it’s one of the reasons this story stands out.
Midnight Circus is such an appealing story because of the fact that it mirrors childhood as well as incorporating the dark tale that is Pinocchio.
As a child there are times where you feel alone, you feel nobody wants you around, and while a child’s intuition can sometimes be spot on, they don’t always see the bigger picture. Hellboy decides to run away from the B.P.R.D, as he feels nobody really wants him around and he just feels pushed aside and alone. While running away he stumbles upon a unique and mystical circus that possesses a hellish quality. And with each panel we see Hellboy slowly piece together his flashback of reading Pinocchio for the first time and how it is symbolic to what is going on in his life at present. And it’s from that moment on that Hellboy begins to understand the real, deep and dark meanings behind the fairytale. Hellboy at first believes if he runs away no one will look for him, or even care that he is gone, but he doesn’t seem to realise just how vital he is, and how much emotion and heart he possesses alone. It isn’t until his emotions is given a harsh reality check that he realises it’s the circus he should be running from, not his home.
Midnight Circus is a very thought out story with a natural progression, nothing feels forced, rushed or stale. Even though Mignola melted the story of Pinocchio into his own creation, it felt like a unique and fresh spin on the fairytale, while keeping the core and darkness of the original story very much intact. An element that stood out for me was the development of Hellboy from the beginning of Midnight Circus right up until the end. During the first few pages it is clear how alone he feels, and with each moment that passes that he is at the circus, you can actually see and feel that Hellboy is realising what is really important, and part of his childhood naivety dies by the end of the story.
Midnight Circus is a very thought out story with a natural progression, nothing feels forced, rushed or stale. Even though Mignola melted the story of Pinocchio into his own creation, it felt like a unique and fresh spin on the fairytale, while keeping the core and darkness of the original story very much intact. An element that stood out for me was the development of Hellboy from the beginning of Midnight Circus right up until the end. During the first few pages it is clear how alone he feels, and with each moment that passes that he is at the circus, you can actually see and feel that Hellboy is realising what is really important, and part of his childhood naivety dies by the end of the story.
Duncan Fegredo’s art work is nothing short of stunning, it truly brings the story to life and makes it leap off the page and into your mind. Dave Stewarts colouring can only be described as exquisite as you fall deeper into his vat of alluring colour aura. With each time that I read Midnight Circus, I see things I didn’t notice the first few times, and I see more and more detail into the art work and colouring. I love the scenes from the circus because while they do have a ‘velvet’ quality to the colours, there is a ‘smokey’ layer on top which adds to the mysticism and it makes the panels come to life.
For most of my life I just read about superheroes fighting off a colourful list of rogues and trying to make a scummy, bleak city, just a little nicer to live in. And I will always love the good vs evil side of storytelling, but Mike Mignola’s Hellboy brought a character and an entire universe so unique and unlike anything before that it stands out to me and brings out more emotions in me than my favourite superheroes ever did. Mignola’s has a gift to make something so mystical and supernatural and put a human core to it so as readers we can relate. His stories and characters are not so outlandish it makes you read it and think “What the hell is this?”. He melts light and dark into his mixing pot of arcs, colours, artwork, emotions and characterisation and in doing so, you will feel something you haven’t before.
Being shown Midnight Circus for the first time five months ago, changed my life. You may think “So how the hell can a comic book change your life?”, well I will let you in on that. Midnight Circus expanded my mind and made me see comics as a whole, in a completely different light. It made me more aware of what was out there and my experience with comics has been the best I have had in the 22 years that I have been reading them. Mike Mignola is the only writer to really get into my head and heart and make me cry at the sheer depth and emotion of the character that is Hellboy. Mignola managed to open up my emotions and let my guard down with his honest writing and make me feel something I hadn’t ever experienced. And when feeling completely free reading Midnight Circus I thought to myself “This is what storytelling is really about”. Mignola has written Hellboy in a way that makes you work to understand his characters, it’s about piecing it all together, so by the end of a story arc you feel more fulfilled, if not accomplished that you took that time to understand everything that was on offer to you.
I will never forget the emotions that ran through me the night I was given Midnight Circus to read, so I could never thank Mike Mignola enough for creating something so unique, exceptional, and overall life-changing.
For most of my life I just read about superheroes fighting off a colourful list of rogues and trying to make a scummy, bleak city, just a little nicer to live in. And I will always love the good vs evil side of storytelling, but Mike Mignola’s Hellboy brought a character and an entire universe so unique and unlike anything before that it stands out to me and brings out more emotions in me than my favourite superheroes ever did. Mignola’s has a gift to make something so mystical and supernatural and put a human core to it so as readers we can relate. His stories and characters are not so outlandish it makes you read it and think “What the hell is this?”. He melts light and dark into his mixing pot of arcs, colours, artwork, emotions and characterisation and in doing so, you will feel something you haven’t before.
Being shown Midnight Circus for the first time five months ago, changed my life. You may think “So how the hell can a comic book change your life?”, well I will let you in on that. Midnight Circus expanded my mind and made me see comics as a whole, in a completely different light. It made me more aware of what was out there and my experience with comics has been the best I have had in the 22 years that I have been reading them. Mike Mignola is the only writer to really get into my head and heart and make me cry at the sheer depth and emotion of the character that is Hellboy. Mignola managed to open up my emotions and let my guard down with his honest writing and make me feel something I hadn’t ever experienced. And when feeling completely free reading Midnight Circus I thought to myself “This is what storytelling is really about”. Mignola has written Hellboy in a way that makes you work to understand his characters, it’s about piecing it all together, so by the end of a story arc you feel more fulfilled, if not accomplished that you took that time to understand everything that was on offer to you.
I will never forget the emotions that ran through me the night I was given Midnight Circus to read, so I could never thank Mike Mignola enough for creating something so unique, exceptional, and overall life-changing.
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