The Amazing Screw-On
Head and Other Curious Objects (2010) collects Mike Mignola’s eponymous
Eisner-winning one-shot and a number of short stories, including “The Magician
and the Snake,” which he co-authored with his daughter Katie, then seven years
old. In the title story, President Lincoln enlists Screw-On Head to thwart the
plans of the nefarious Emperor Zombie.
In many ways, Screw-On
Head is very typical Mignola: great quirky characters, fantastically
atmospheric art, and light and minimalist plotting and stories. There are some
obvious similarities between numerous Hellboy
stories and Screw-On Head, although
the latter is decidedly campier. It’s also extremely amusing, and it’s
remarkable how effectively Mignola juxtaposes his dark gothic imagery with
silly dialogue.
Mignola states in the notes that “There are no untold Screw-On
Head stories,” and he’s absolutely right – he does everything he needs to do with
the characters, scenarios, and genre in this single comic. In broad strokes, he
accomplishes quite a bit, and better this than running the ideas into the
ground.
(A note: I picked up this book after seeing the 2006
animated Amazing Screw-On Head pilot,
which I found very funny. Good as this book is, and in spite of everything I’ve
just written, I think I like it better as a cartoon, what with the fleshed-out
backstories and the campiness and the comic delivery.)
The other stories in this volume are only peripherally
related, if at all, to Screw-On Head.
The heartwarming (and Eisner-winning) “The Magician and the Snake” is popular
with fans, but my favorite of the rest of the stories is “The Prisoner of Mars,”
which shares the title story’s manically tongue-in-cheek tone. The others are
enjoyable, if light on storytelling punch.
Fair warning: this book is 104 pages, but a large chunk of
that (close to 20%, maybe) is sketches and pinups. It’s an extraordinarily quick
read.
Short as it is, with great atmosphere and entertaining
stories, The Amazing Screw-On Head and
Other Curious Objects is another solid offering from Mignola.
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