Additional Images:
Oliff Version
Digital Version
Artwork Details
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DescriptionHow often do you see Hellboy, Batman, and a host of other characters all rendered together by this artist?This Wondercon Program cover was formerly colored by artist Steve Oliff. In 2021, I had the pigment removed but not before reaching out to artist Mike Mignola who provided me with a fuller picture of the story surrounding this piece. Were Oliff's finishes a planned collaboration between the two of them or something added later? Mike confirmed to me that the coloring was indeed done for the 1996 Wondercon show but specified it wasn't a collaboration. Before the show in April, Mike agreed to let Wondercon auction off the art. It had been digitally colored for the program but organizers wanted the original colored too so they commissioned Oliff to do it. Mike was never told and didn't see the finished art until someone showed it to him at the con. Suffice it to say, he wasn't pleased. He felt the effort didn't reflect the quality of the published work. Mike's disappointment was instrumental in my decision to restore the piece to its original uncolored state. My appreciation goes out to restorer Robert Dennis for his painstaking work and for performing what amounts to a miracle. Also, my thanks to Mike Mignola for his feedback and for unintentionally using the type of stable inks that by design hold firm during a removal process. This is an early rendition of Mike's Hellboy, along with Batman, Spirit, Concrete, and characters from Bone. This cover appeared a few months prior to the publication of Wake the Devil. My thanks to Marcus Wai for a scan of the digital version! Social/Sharing |
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Comments on this Artwork
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Marcus Wai 
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 7/6/2021
I think I still have the program Hans. It might be signed by Mignola though. I'd have to get the marker signature removed first. I'll still scan it for you though.
Hans Kosenkranius
Member Since 2004
1 - Posted on 7/6/2021
Marcus Wai wrote:
I think I still have the program Hans. It might be signed by Mignola though. I'd have to get the marker signature removed first. I'll still scan it for you though.
That would be great Marcus. Mike said it's ok to leave his signature on it. ;)
Peter Sullivan
Member Since 2006
1 - Posted on 7/6/2021
Marcus Wai wrote:
I think I still have the program Hans. It might be signed by Mignola though. I'd have to get the marker signature removed first. I'll still scan it for you though.
Lol. Brilliant.
E DLS
Member Since 2005
1 - Posted on 7/6/2021
I think this is the first time I've heard of anyone UNcolor a piece. Gutsy move, but brilliant at the same time. Nothing against Oliff, but this really looks great in b&w. Glad the art stood up to the process, but I'm sure no one was more relieved than you. WonderCon did some great covers for their program books while they were still here in Oakland. I remember Jim Warden making it a point of bidding on all of them when he was still coming out for the show. At one point he had quite a few good ones. You certainly got one of the top covers from that period. Congrats buddy!
Hans Kosenkranius
Member Since 2004
1 - Posted on 7/6/2021
E DLS wrote:
I think this is the first time I've heard of anyone UNcolor a piece. Gutsy move, but brilliant at the same time. Nothing against Oliff, but this really looks great in b&w. Glad the art stood up to the process, but I'm sure no one was more relieved than you. WonderCon did some great covers for their program books while they were still here in Oakland. I remember Jim Warden making it a point of bidding on all of them when he was still coming out for the show. At one point he had quite a few good ones. You certainly got one of the top covers from that period. Congrats buddy!
Thanks Eric! I'm told it was none other than Jim Warden who came away with this one in the 1996 auction.
Peter Sullivan
Member Since 2006
Posted on 7/6/2021
E DLS wrote:
I think this is the first time I've heard of anyone UNcolor a piece. Gutsy move, but brilliant at the same time. Nothing against Oliff, but this really looks great in b&w. Glad the art stood up to the process, but I'm sure no one was more relieved than you. WonderCon did some great covers for their program books while they were still here in Oakland. I remember Jim Warden making it a point of bidding on all of them when he was still coming out for the show. At one point he had quite a few good ones. You certainly got one of the top covers from that period. Congrats buddy!
When are you going to get your Mignola cover, decolored? Try not to topple over in shock at the suggestion. Your one was done by Mike himself, gamely brushing away, tongue sticking out in concentration. It might be okay to make an exception.
Gerry Turnbull
Member Since 2005
Posted on 7/6/2021
Fantastic job. There is a nice image of the digital colour on page 68 of The Art of Hellboy
Peter Sullivan
Member Since 2006
Posted on 7/6/2021
Well, I have to congratulate you for your courage and getting a quality restorer to work on this. Theres sometimes an arguement that colour adds but in the case of Mike Mignola, it detracts. They look better in black and white.
Abraham Morales
Member Since 2007
Posted on 7/7/2021
Wow! what a story! Even when I consider Mr. Oliff's work beautiful I always thought coloring this piece wasn't a great idea. It's great that you had a professional removing the pigment and now this restored piece it's a tremendous work of art. Congrats!
Mark Levy
Member Since 2004
Posted on 7/7/2021
Mignola on Concrete and Bone as well - that is pretty amazing - thanks for restoring this to its B&W glory!
Matt Dicke
Member Since 2006
Posted on 7/7/2021
Wow this is amazing. While I do like Oliff's colors, he was not the right fit for this and you definitely made the right decision. Man that must have been a really nerveracking decision. Would love to see shome photos of the original now and how well it has held up.(hard to see fomr the scan you posted.) That said looks fantastic and is back to what Mike intended the art to be. Congrats it is a stunner.
kent mansley
Member Since 2015
1 - Posted on 7/7/2021
I love seeing Mignola's take on all these characters. Glad the art made it through the process in the way you were hoping for. Huge congrats!
Neil Hill
Member Since 2006
Posted on 7/9/2021
Obviously removing the color was the right way to go and thank GOD the b/w art survived that process! I'd never heard of 'decoloring' a piece where the colors/dyes/etc. are directly applied over the b/w art and are still able to removed. Fascinating story and thanks for sharing your insights. This is a fun piece and although I'm not overly fond of art where other characters are paired with HB, having Mike illustrate those characters brings the whole together nicely. Awesome artwork!
Hans Kosenkranius
Member Since 2004
Posted on 7/10/2021
Neil Hill wrote:
Obviously removing the color was the right way to go and thank GOD the b/w art survived that process! I'd never heard of 'decoloring' a piece where the colors/dyes/etc. are directly applied over the b/w art and are still able to removed. Fascinating story and thanks for sharing your insights. This is a fun piece and although I'm not overly fond of art where other characters are paired with HB, having Mike illustrate those characters brings the whole together nicely. Awesome artwork!
Thanks! The whole process hinged on whether Mignola had used a durable ink. Luckily, Mike's favorite is Higgins Black Magic which has some serious staying power. Also fortunate was that Oliff didn't use certain dyes but rather removable markers. Restorer Robert Dennis pre-tested the inks and colored areas before starting work.
Steven Dilworth
Member Since 2012
Posted on 6/21/2024
Hans Kosenkranius wrote:
Thanks! The whole process hinged on whether Mignola had used a durable ink. Luckily, Mike's favorite is Higgins Black Magic which has some serious staying power. Also fortunate was that Oliff didn't use certain dyes but rather removable markers. Restorer Robert Dennis pre-tested the inks and colored areas before starting work.
Higgins Black Magic was all I ever used. I never found an ink I liked better. The black and white original is fabulous, which holds true for all of Mike's work, and ya'll might think I'm crazy, but I really love the digitally colored version. I am NOT a digital coloring fan, but this piece really pops with those colors.
Steven Dilworth
Member Since 2012
Posted on 6/21/2024
P.S. - I am usually a fan of Steve's coloring, but in this case, it doesn't work for me. In this case, it screams amateur fanzine.
Sorry, Steve...
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