In the books section of the print edition of this week's Stranger, you'll find a short interview with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. In the books section of the online Stranger, you will find a very long, in-depth interview with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. I would prefer it if you read the long version. Here's one particularly fun answer:

Did the [Hellboy] world or the Hellboy character come first?

I guess Hellboy came first. I created Hellboy and thought, “That’s kind of funny, okay.” Then I threw him into the real world—but as that world got built, it was very much my version of the real world. I love old pulp magazine heroes—well, then, I need one of those guys to populate the world, to represent that kind of thing I like. I love Victorian literature, Victorian occult detectives, so I wanted them in that world. The world became entirely made up of all the stuff I like. In all the time I’ve done Hellboy, I think I’ve drawn maybe four cars. I don’t think I’ve ever drawn a bus. I’ve drawn an airplane maybe three or four times. Those things are all in the world, but I don’t have any interest in them. I know I’ve never drawn a shopping mall.

You can find the whole interview here.