Ripped from the pages of the popular Dark Horse comic, Hellboy is being positioned as one of next summers big comic book adaptations, hitting theaters April 2 (one month before the official start of the season ). Initial fan reaction has been positive due in large part to the significant involvement of the books creator, Mike Mignola.

I did three months of preproduction in L.A. before we started shooting, says Mignola. Then I went out and did some more preproduction in Prague. [Director Guillermo] del Toro works with a very small art department, so I was able to get in early with these guys and put my stamp on almost everything. I didnt design Hellboys gun, for example, but I was in the room with the guy who was designing Hellboys gun. I was standing over his shoulder going, Oh, what about this? Oh, what about that? Luckily, del Toro wants my stamp on this thing.

As such, the film -- which tells the story of a demon child who, raised by the American government, grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness -- is an unusually accurate adaptation.

Im very happy; its much more faithful to my work then I would have ever imagined, notes Mignola. Its a great parallel universe version of Hellboy and so much of what Guillermos come up with thats different from the comic is stuff I wish Id put in the comic. The relationship stuff between the characters is so great. The father/son relationship he did; the relationship with Hellboy and Liz [Ron Perlman and Selma Blair, pictured here], which was the farthest thing from my mind but it works beautifully.