The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects [Hardcover]

After a three-year break, I am slowly getting back into the works of Mike Mignola. This break was brought about by my overdosing on BPRD, as well as Mignola's abandoning art chores on his books in order to focus solely on writing. No offense to the guy: I like his writing, but it's his art that made me such a fan. Luckily, there is a new collection of pure Mignola material on the shelf: THE AMAZING SCREW-ON HEAD & OTHER CURIOUS OBJECTS. The title of this collection couldn't be more appropriate, as it contains odd bits published in one-shots or anthologies, some reworked or new pieces, some pin-ups, and sketch pages. As you can guess from the title and cover image, this material couldn't fit anywhere else but this book, and Mignola actually ties it all together with some common elements.

"The Amazing Screw-On Head" - With a variety of mechanical bodies to choose from, Screw-On Head works in the service of President Abraham Lincoln to keep the United States safe from the forces of evil, be they zombies, vampires, mad scientists, or demons. Throw in a heavy dose of steampunk and a plot for world domination and you have a story that contains every element that makes a Mignola story a Mignola story, even poking fun at his writing and art styles. So what the heck IS Screw-On Head? A robot? A golem? A cyborg? This burning question is "almost" addressed in a whacked-out conclusion that sets the tone for the rest of the book. Hey, this story won an Eisner award, so it must be good, right? Good enough to have inspired a one-shot cartoon that altered and expanded upon it.

"Abu Gung & The Beanstalk" - A different take on Jack & The Beanstalk, this is an early childhood adventure of the warrior-king mentioned in Screw-On Head. It has been reworked from its original version.

"The Wizard & The Snake" - Written in collaboration with his 7 year old daughter, this endearing fable won Mignola yet another Eisner.

"The Witch & Her Soul" - Created for this collection, this is an odd Brothers Grimm type of story, starring two wooden puppets who get the short end of their creator's deal with the devil.

"The Prisoner of Mars" - A new story, and my favorite of the collection. More typical Mignola craziness, but with aliens.

"In the Chapel of Curious Objects" - Not so much a story as a collection of images that serve to unify the book. The title and the images brought to mind the works of the writer Steven Millhauser.

Please be aware that this collection is only 104 pages; however, as it's a hardcover, you'll pay the same price as a standard Hellboy trade. You may finish this book rather quickly, but the material is so good that it easily lends itself to multiple reads. Mike, this is a collection of pure gems - let's see more!

Mignola's quick wit and sense of humor is on perfect display here-- while there is a fair amount of comedy it's handled in a way that doesn't overpower the menace of Emperor Zombie. Originally produced as an idea for an action figure line, the Amazing Screw On Head is a great addition to the collection of anyone who enjoy's Mike's work on Hellboy. Screw On Head is a combination of JJ Arms (remember him), Hercule Poirot and the Wild Wild West.

Screw On Head is a secret agent of the 1860s called to action by a moving portrait of President Lincoln. It's only a shame that there was only this one Screw On adventure. The other stories collected in this nice inexpensive hardcover include some really great offbeat stories.

A lot of fun and highly recommended for fans of Mignola's Hellboy, as well as for those who might want to see what makes Mignola's work so endearing.

As much as I love Mike Mignola's continuing series and longer story arcs that he does for B.P.R.D.and Hellboy, it is really in the short story that he shines. Mignola is the undisputed master of the comic book short story. This is only fitting as his influences tend to come from the old pulp and horror writers - Poe, Lovecraft, Howard, etc. - who wrote in short story form as well.

So even though "The Amazing Screw-on Head and Other Curious Objects" is wholly unconnected to those characters that made Mignola famous, it is some of his best work. This is pure Mignola, one could say; stories written and drawn for his own amusement as much as anything else. This is Mignola playing, letting his ideas pour unfiltered onto the page without worrying about marketability. And the results are fantastic.

Of the six stories here, most are original to this collection. "The Amazing Screw-on Head" appeared before in a one-shot comic, and "The Magician and the Snake" previously appeared in the Dark Horse anthology "Happy Endings." The Indian legend "Abu Gung and the Beanstalk" first appeared in the Dark Horse anthology "Scatterbrain," but it has been entirely re-drawn for this collection (wisely giving the Devil a very snazzy parasol) and expanded from five pages to nine. The other three stories, "The Witch and Her Soul," "The Prisoner of Mars" and "In the Chapel of Curious Objects," are printed for the first time here.

Both "Screw-on Head" and "The Magician and the Snake" are 2003 Eisner winners. "Screw-on Head" is essentially Mignola's idea for a goofy toy line involving a bizarre hero whose threaded neck can screw into a variety of action bodies. Commanded by a portrait of Abraham Lincoln and battling Emperor Zombie, the nonsense of Screw-on Head is given weight and seriousness by Mignola's heavy lines and Victorian setting. "The Magician and the Snake" is Mignola's collaboration with his 7-year old daughter, and is a touching portrait of friendship. I had heard about this story, but never read it in its original publication so I was looking forward to reading it. I wasn't disappointed. And yes, Mike, she is right. The floppy-hat magician works much better than a Victorian stage magician.

Even unconnected, Mignola does a good job of keeping some links in the story. The monkey with a crown at the end of "Screw-on Head" turns up again in "The Magician and the Snake," and the Solid Objects reappear at the end of "In the Chapel of Curious Objects," along with a certain skull and some spooky puppets. The last story is admittedly little more than a framing device, but adds a nice little piece of closure to the book.

I think "The Amazing Screw-on Head and Other Curious Objects," with its odd assortment of Emperor Zombie, Doctor Snap, Hankel and Manx, Abu Gung and various incarnations of the Devil, can best be summed up by a line in the book that Mignola could have said about his own creations:

"I don't expect much from those guys, but I made some evil puppets and that's a good day's work for me."

Indeed.

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