Bowling with corpses and other strange stories from places unknown
Writer/Artist: Mike Mignola
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Writer: Clem Robbins
Publisher: dark horse comics
It’s only January, and we’re already experiencing what some (myself included) are calling a massive comic book publishing event—a whole new world charted by folklore-inspired stories. Mike Mignola. That’s what we get for this week’s release of a brilliantly titled book Bowling with corpses and other strange stories from places unknown, Mignola joins his frequent collaborator, colorist, on a new project Dave Stewart and engraver Clem Robbins.
As a huge fan of Hellraiser, I couldn’t be more excited about Mignola’s new work. And, I’m happy to report, I absolutely loved it. As Mignola wrote later in his life, the entire project was essentially born out of an Italian folktale he read about a child bowling with a dead body. From that moment on, he knew he wanted to adapt it eventually. Then, after telling people he was “semi-retired,” he hit upon a whim and ended up building a whole new world for the story to take place, and that’s what we get now.
The structure of the book basically tells the story of the making of Mignola. it’s known Bowling with corpses… and other strange stories from places unknownand the story of the big tent is obvious Bowling with corpses. This is the first page of the book, and in fact, by the third page, our kids are bowling with corpses. It took us two pages of set-up to get there, and one feels like the creators would have done corpse bowling faster if they could have. As the title suggests, this is a strange and terrifying story and the most powerful in the book, a great way to open up the world and deliver the perfect title quickly.
Not only is it excellent, it feels like a fresh take from one of the great living cartoonists. The main character is quirky and fun in a very different way than Hellboy and his friends are quirky and fun. Sure, he has the same accessory-related weapons as Hellboy, but that’s where any (admittedly loose) comparisons stop.
The book is overall less grounded in any identifiable reality or history than any of Mignola’s past works, and feels more fantastical, if not allegorical. It feels like after a career adapting folklore into real-world stories, Mignola has internalized the characteristics of world folklore so thoroughly that he can’t help but forge from everything he’s learned. A whole new tradition and mythology of its own. There are familiar folklore patterns, but they’re all presented in new ways.
For someone who calls himself semi-retired, Mignola’s artwork is as interesting as ever in this book. In fact, there are several places – especially in the closing story of World Tour, unknown land – and he delivers a surprising amount of fantasy flourishes in what might be some of the funniest comic art of the year.
At the end of the day, this book is not a 100 page story that reads quickly but feels very obscure when you’re done and think about what you’ve read. bowling with corpses This is an amazing book that needs to be read multiple times, maybe once you put it down. Threaded throughout are talking animals, constant displays of arrogance, and other unifying creative choices, but ultimately, bowling with corpses It feels like an introduction to a larger new project from one of comics’ true legends. It’s a very exciting start to the comics year.
Bowling with Corpses and Other Weird Stories from Places Unknown is now available
Read more Comments from Beats!
