If there is one creator that I have fully enjoyed for the better part of 20 years it’s Mike Mignola. My first exposure to him was with the brilliant Gotham By Gaslight (1989). It’s considered to be the first Elseworlds from DC Comics and it still sets the standard for those types of What If? tales. But it’s his Hellboy that has really had the most impact with me. Looking back on it now, I really have not blogged or podcasted about Mignola much. But I have given praise to Dark Horse for publishing the exquisite Hellboy Library Editions (the fourth volume is due out later this year), and just a few weeks ago Dark Horse released the BPRD: Plague of Frogs HC(review coming soon).
But there is another gem to be added to your bookshelf, The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects HC. The comics collected here are done in the same style that we have come to expect with the Hellboy universe, but they are not affiliated with it in any way. You may recall the 2002 comic one-shot of the same name and the 22 minute animated adaptation that aired on the Sci-Fi network in 2006. The character of Screw-On Head is an undercover operative for President Abraham Lincoln and must stop the evil Emperor Zombie and his loyal evil doers, Madam and Dr. Snap. Sure the plot is thin, but it’s a fun romp into the very funny and sometimes twisted mind of Mignola.
Dark Horse has not only republished the original here, but they have added in a few smaller works and Mignola himself created two stories just for this collection. Six stories in total, they all fit together like an oddball puzzle and even if you’re not sure if the pieces fit, you can take a step back to see the larger picture. Plus Mignola does not leave us hanging, he personally supplies short Story Notes as a guide and an 11-page Sketchbook with a little more commentary.
Now then, if I have peaked your interest or if you already own the book, a must have addition is the DVD of the animated short. It does differ ever so slightly, but it expands the title comic by giving more background on the characters, especially Madam. The extras here include a running Commentary from the Director and the Writer/Producer, a Story Board Comparison, a Making Of featurette and liner notes from Mignola.
Book and movie packaged together, they compliment each other very well and I highly recommend you do so. I really hope Mignola revisits Screw-On Head someday, there are so many more curious objects to unearth.
The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects HC
By Mike Mignola
$17.99, 104 pages, Dark Horse Comics, 2010
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