The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects

by Mike Mignola (with Katie Mignola)

In the last two years, I've gone from being someone who was generally skeptical of Mike Mignola's stories (I always liked his art) to a die-hard fan, and this collection of shorter pieces satisfies a craving for some of Mignola's more odd-ball sensibilities.

The main story, which is a regular comic's length, features a robotic head who fights magical threats in Victorian America (if such a thing really existed).  We have Abraham Lincoln on a view screen, servants like Mister Groin, and evil figures like Emperor Zombie.  The plot is much like a Hellboy short, but everything feels new and strange in this tale.

The rest of the book is made up of shorter pieces, including one, 'The Snake and the Magician' that Mignola wrote with the assistance of his seven-year old daughter.  It's a cute tale of magic and inter-species affection.  The other tales include a re-drawn 'Abut Gung and the Beanstalk', and the fantastic 'The Prisoner of Mars'.

This book would be the perfect way to introduce a new reader to Mignola's comics, before turning them on to Hellboy and BPRD.