Bowling for Corpses

This book has the old power in it. 

Comics legend and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola returns to the pages and fills them with inky black legends and spooky folk tales from across the world.

As an artist Mignola’s work is so distinctive that once you see it, you recognize it on whatever and wherever he roams. Mignola plied his trade first in superhero comics co-creating the masterpieces Dr. Strange and Dr Doom Tragedy and Torment and Batman Gotham by Gaslight. 

He ultimately broke through at Dark Horse in 1994 by creating Hellboy, which as Mignola would tell you, was a vehicle for him to draw all the horror movie monsters, weird folklore creatures and other things he loved. 

Hellboy blossomed into a publishing empire and a collection of live-action and animated movies. Eventually, Mignola wrapped up his part of the Hellboy mythology and stopped drawing the title. He went into semi-retirement with his final Hellboy mini-series Hellboy in Hell in 2012. 

He returns to us with a new collection of stories, collected in the hardcover format, called Bowling for Corpses. The stories are set in a new fantasy realm that Mignola has dubbed Lands Unknown. It is as weird and wonderful as you could have ever hoped for.

One thing the movies never quite did, and maybe couldn’t do, was show off Mignola’s talent at short stories. Some of the best Hellboy stuff was just a few pages or an issue or two of some strange encounter Mignola’s heroes would have with evil or tragic mythological creatures. Someone could create a dang fine movie if they just took The Wolves of Saint August, The Baba Yaga, The Corpse and The Iron Shoes and stitched them together. 

Modern movies almost always demand a single narrative over the course of two hours but with Hellboy the fun is in quick hits and surprises.  

Bowling for Corpses is just this, weird beautiful short stories and hints at what is to come.

Hellboy has continued on with different artists doing stories during different points in his strange life and with various spinoffs. But as good and even great as those things can be it is special when Mignola puts his pen, inks and brushes to the drawing board.

If you are a fan, like me, then you probably already picked this up. But if not Bowling with Corpses is a great stand-alone collection of Mignola stories. A perfect little appetizer that could lead you to a whole world of amazing stories.

Also, rejoice! Mignola has already finished his second collection of Lands Unknown tales and is working on a third. 

Welcome back big Mike.