Mike Mignola is rightly hailed as a grasp of mythology. Whereas most well-known for his creation of Hellboy, most of his unique works have concerned unbelievable realms, horrific creatures, and tall tales. All of this performs into his newest work, Bowling With Corpses and Different Unusual Tales From Lands Unknown.

Within the afterward for this quantity, Mignola describes one thing of his course of as a author and the way he fully ignored it this time round. “Begin with a personality,” Mignola advises, and “the world will develop up round them.” This time, Mignola began with a picture from an Italian folktale he learn – a younger boy bowling with the undead – after which constructed the story round that concept.

Quickly Mignola discovered himself constructing a world round that story. The world itself impressed characters, monsters, and gods. All of the issues a wholesome new fantasy world must thrive. Throw in a line from Hellboy… “We movement now into Lands Unknown” and Mignola had a mythos. Regardless of that tip of the hat, nonetheless, there isn’t a connection between the Hellboy universe and this new setting.

Mignola acknowledges lots of his inspirations within the afterward. Many of the tales, as with the aforementioned folktale, got here from his taking a picture from an older story then shifting in sudden instructions. “Justice Denied,” as an example, contains a vampire with lengthy fingernails from Japanese delusion, who will get its nails caught in a tree. Mignola modifications the tree to a door, wonders who the door belongs to, and strikes off from there. Equally, “The Soldier and the King” attracts inspiration from the Darby O’Gill tales of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh. On this story, nonetheless, the titular soldier befriends the king of a much more savage race of little folks.

The result’s a group of twisted tales in a world a number of steps faraway from the Shrek motion pictures. There are snarky speaking animals performing as a Greek refrain, however little in the best way of comedian reduction. These are extra like the unique Grimm’s Fairy Tales, meant to supply cautionary classes with a heaping serving to of horror.

The primary story, Bowling With Corpses, units the tone for what follows completely. It twists the traditional story of a younger man leaving house to hunt his fortune. This leads him to bowl with some threatening corpses, successful a prize that appears lower than useful. He faces the usual evil wizards with the hope of successful half a kingdom and a princess’s hand in marriage, however the story Mignola tells is something however standardized.

All these tales are accompanied by Mignola’s trademark paintings. Stylized and shadowy, Mignola has an aesthetic all his personal, as distinctive as his prose. Visually, there may be a lot that’s acquainted about this unknown land, but extra that’s alien. The completed artwork is effectively accomplished by the contribution of Mignola’s frequent collaborators, colorist Dave Stewart and letterer Clem Robins. Whereas their work right here is unlikely to win over those that choose extra conventional artwork types, I believe it’s a excellent visualization of Mignola’s tales.

Darkish Horse Comics charges the quantity as applicable for readers 14 and up. I take into account that to be a good evaluation. Certainly, 14 is the proper age to understand the subversive nature of those comics. The delicate ought to keep away from this guide, nonetheless, as there’s a copious quantity of bloodshed. There may be additionally a spattering of nonsexual nudity right here and there – one naked breast on a pirate queen and a unadorned undead corpse. There may be little definition to those moments, nonetheless, and nothing sexual or erotic about them.

Bowling With Corpses and Different Unusual Tales From Lands Unknown
By Mike Mignola
Darkish Horse, 2025
ISBN: 9781506745886

Firm Age Ranking: 14+

NFNT Age Advice: Grownup (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)