Hellboy is a curious comic grounded by the almost private eye mentality of “I’m too old for this shit” from Hellboy himself. He’s just over it. This collection of Mike Mignola’s The Amazing Screw-on Head and Other Curious Objects is like reading Hellboy without Hellboy. These are the weird, curious things bouncing around in Mignola’s head, given room to breathe… and collected here. Let me tell you, it’s really fun to live in that head for a short time.

The collection begins with the titular character, The Amazing Screw-On Head, who happens to work for Abraham Lincoln. It’s sheer, beautiful absurdity from beginning to end. How he overcomes his adversaries is just a wonder. We’re also treated to incredible nonsense from all of the other stories. I guffawed often, and my smile never broke. There’s even an unfinished book that when Mignola describes what would have happened next, my only thought was “WTF?” in the best possible way. One story he wrote with his seven-year-old daughter, and it’s charming as hell. This entire collection can be called that. There’s a beautiful simplicity, a bit of untethered chaos within these pages. And I love it. It’s a sort of “let’s jump without the safety net mentality,” ’cause who gives a flying fig.

The art is as beautiful as anything Mignola has done, drawing a visual parallel at one point with the final pages of the Hellboy series; the magic is in the square, circle, and triangle—the groundwork for every artist. I love it. So very simple and so very profound. Dave Stewart’s colors are exquisite. He is Mike Mignola’s “other half,” having been with him since the beginning of Hellboy.

If you’re a fan of Mignola’s, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want this collection on your shelf. Give yourself a treat and buy it. And the design of the collection is just perfect and lovely to look at.

Creative Team: Mike Mignola (writer), Katie Mignola (writer for The Magician and the Snake), Mike Mignola (artist), Dave Stewart (colors), Clem Robins & Pat Brosseau (letters), Katti O’Brien (editor), Jenny Blenk (associate editor), Anastacia Ferry and Misha Gehr (assistant editors), Patrick Satterfield (collection design), Betsy Howitt (digital art technician), Scott Allie, Samantha Robertson, Daniel Chabon (original edition editors)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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