In 2004, two years after the $800 million-plus worldwide gross of Spider-Man confirmed the viability of all things comic book-related, director Guillermo del Toro brought Mike Mignola’s Hellboy to the big screen, starring Ron Perlman as a gruff, reluctant, occult crime-fighter who just happens to be a giant, red harbinger of the apocalypse. A fantastically imagined mid-size commercial hit, the movie was the lead punch in a one-two combo — the other being 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth, which racked up six Oscar nominations, including one for Best Foreign Language Film — that landed del Toro the plum assignment of following in Peter Jackson’s footsteps with an adaptation of The Hobbit. In advance of the release of Hellboy II: The Golden Army, del Toro talks about his surprisingly personal connection to the franchise, striking the right balance in practical effects work and CGI, and the difference between climbing Mount Everest and driving on the freeway. For the full read, from New York Magazine‘s Vulture, click here.