Step Right Up – Mike Mignola’s Circus of Bones Unleashes a Stunning Carnival of Darkness

Scott Dunbier’s Act 4 Publishing is teaming with Skybound and Image Comics to release Circus of Bones: The Art of Mike Mignola, the official hardcover companion to Mignola’s upcoming gallery exhibition in New York City. And let’s keep it real: when Mike Mignola opens the doors to his imagination, you walk in even when every shadow looks like it might bite you.

The 144-page hardcover will showcase more than 145 pieces of original artwork, including 53 brand-new watercolor paintings created specifically for the exhibition. The collection also features more than 60 published covers and interior pages alongside over 30 new pencil-and-ink drawings, with every image scanned directly from the original artwork. That means fans will get as close as possible to Mignola’s hand, texture and unmistakable use of darkness without security escorting them out of the gallery.

“I’m very excited about this book especially the color pieces,” said Mignola. “All of these are new, done entirely for this show, and represent what I think is some of the best work I’ve done.”

That is a serious statement from the creator of Hellboy, The Amazing Screw-On Head and the sprawling supernatural universe fans lovingly call the Mignolaverse. Since beginning his professional career in 1982, Mignola has developed one of the most recognizable visual languages in comics: heavy shadows, sharp silhouettes, ancient architecture, folklore and enough negative space to make the darkness feel alive.

The new watercolor work appears ready to push that signature style into fresh territory. Scott Dunbier, who has watched Mignola’s art evolve across four decades, described the pieces as “extraordinary” and said the artist has reached another level.

Circus of Bones also continues Act 4 Publishing and Skybound’s growing Artist’s Edition partnership. Upcoming projects include The Amazing Spider-Man by Steve Ditko Artist’s Edition, George Pérez’s The New Teen Titans Artist’s Edition, Doctor Strange by Paul Smith Artist’s Edition, Jason Pearson’s Body Bags Artist’s Edition, DC Silver Age Covers and Stories Artist’s Edition and Beta Ray Bill by Daniel Warren Johnson Artist’s Edition.

Details regarding the New York exhibition will be announced by the Philippe Labaune Gallery. The hardcover edition of Circus of Bones: The Art of Mike Mignola carries a suggested retail price of $49.99 and will arrive in comic shops and bookstores on Wednesday, November 25, 2026.

For longtime Mignola fans, this is not merely another art book to slide onto an overcrowded shelf. It is a front-row seat to a master still experimenting, still evolving and apparently still finding new ways to make skeletons, monsters and haunted shadows look absolutely gorgeous.

Yeah, the circus is coming to town—and this big top is built out of bones.