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The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects
This special hardcover edition of The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Eisner Award-winning collections’ original publication, and includes an additional 40 pages of new material by Mike Mignola!
Emperor Zombie is trying to take over the world once again! The Amazing Screw-On Head has been enlisted by President Lincoln to stop the evil emperor, with the help of his faithful partner Mr. Groin and his trusty canine companion Mr. Dog. Screw-On Head will have to brave ancient tombs and defeat demons from a dimension inside a turnip, just one of the strange and mischievous tales in this beloved collection.
Featuring colors by the great Dave Stewart.
Emperor Zombie is trying to take over the world once again! The Amazing Screw-On Head has been enlisted by President Lincoln to stop the evil emperor, with the help of his faithful partner Mr. Groin and his trusty canine companion Mr. Dog. Screw-On Head will have to brave ancient tombs and defeat demons from a dimension inside a turnip, just one of the strange and mischievous tales in this beloved collection.
Featuring colors by the great Dave Stewart.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 26, 2022
4 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,881 books2,516 followersMike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 27, 2023
Beautiful little anthology. Pure Mignola. Give me more Axorr!!
March 7, 2023
Jeg havde for store forventninger til den her. Læste den efter at have læst Hellboy, og selvom artworket stadig imponere, så fandt jeg historierne kedelige, og tilmed loadet med en form for fald-på-halen humor som jeg ikke synes at have set i Mignolas værker før. Det brød jeg mig ikke om.
De lunkne tre stjerner er udelukkende givet for artworket.
De lunkne tre stjerner er udelukkende givet for artworket.
May 16, 2024
Really a great glimpse into what makes Mignola tick. An incredibly charming collection of hyper-specific, goofy little weirdo stories that really shine comedically as much as they do visually. Mignola is very much a one-of-a-kind comic creator and this is an excellent example of what makes him unique. Drawing all this dark, gothic stuff and still feeling utterly silly? I love it.
January 4, 2023
(Zero spoiler review) 3.75/5
I bought this one a few months ago, having no idea what it was about, but anything Mignola and in library edition format was always going to pique my curiosity. I went into this blind, and after a few pages, then a few more pages, I had even less of an idea what this was about then when I started. I must admit to not thinking too much of it in those early pages. Thinking I was getting a decent sized ongoing story, but soon realising that this was little more than a collection of small stories thrown together in hardcover to grab a few bucks. That famous cynicism soon dissipated as I discovered the majesty within these initially fairly simple stories. To go from laughing uproariously to feeling quite melancholic and wistful within a few short pages is no mean thing, but Mignola manages it here.
His art style, whilst instantly recognisable and fairly simple, is not only so appealing, but manages to encompass so many emotions within such a seemingly straightforward style. It was only the fairly generic Witch story that left me feeling a little ambivalent. The rest either had me laughing or left me feeling reflective at how a 5-page story about a wizard and a snake could be so powerful. So poignant. Mignola later remarks how his 7 year old daughter helped him with the story, and upon reading it, it bears all the hallmarks of a child innocence and perfectly imperfect creative mentality. No wonder it won the Eisner for best short story back way back when, when winning an Eisner actually meant something, and wasn't just a token handed out to whoever diversified / destroyed comics the most.
Whilst not perfect, this short and sweet little set of stories certainly grew on me as it went. If you asked me a few pages in if I would be remarking on how much I enjoyed them, I wouldn't have believed you. Sometimes it pays to stick it out. Not perfect, but definitely recommended. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
I bought this one a few months ago, having no idea what it was about, but anything Mignola and in library edition format was always going to pique my curiosity. I went into this blind, and after a few pages, then a few more pages, I had even less of an idea what this was about then when I started. I must admit to not thinking too much of it in those early pages. Thinking I was getting a decent sized ongoing story, but soon realising that this was little more than a collection of small stories thrown together in hardcover to grab a few bucks. That famous cynicism soon dissipated as I discovered the majesty within these initially fairly simple stories. To go from laughing uproariously to feeling quite melancholic and wistful within a few short pages is no mean thing, but Mignola manages it here.
His art style, whilst instantly recognisable and fairly simple, is not only so appealing, but manages to encompass so many emotions within such a seemingly straightforward style. It was only the fairly generic Witch story that left me feeling a little ambivalent. The rest either had me laughing or left me feeling reflective at how a 5-page story about a wizard and a snake could be so powerful. So poignant. Mignola later remarks how his 7 year old daughter helped him with the story, and upon reading it, it bears all the hallmarks of a child innocence and perfectly imperfect creative mentality. No wonder it won the Eisner for best short story back way back when, when winning an Eisner actually meant something, and wasn't just a token handed out to whoever diversified / destroyed comics the most.
Whilst not perfect, this short and sweet little set of stories certainly grew on me as it went. If you asked me a few pages in if I would be remarking on how much I enjoyed them, I wouldn't have believed you. Sometimes it pays to stick it out. Not perfect, but definitely recommended. 3.75/5
OmniBen.
August 17, 2023
Loved it to death my second read-through. I think Hellboy Library Edition Vol. 2 tops it as the perfect comic anthology, but, wow.
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It's the best comic anthology I can think of, done by one of the best comic-makers ever.
I just wish there was more.
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It's the best comic anthology I can think of, done by one of the best comic-makers ever.
I just wish there was more.
April 15, 2023
So this is the hell of the Hellboy universe? It's strangely pleasant which sort of fits I think. Logic only causes problems on earth. I would totally buy a screw on head toy. I'd even 3d print one if I could
October 14, 2022
An absolute hoot.
February 14, 2023
First time reading this in forever. Some of my favorite Mignola art. I actually like the short stories more.
January 20, 2024
An impressive collection of Mike Mignola's standalone work but like most anthologies what's present often leaves a lot to be desired.
Screw-On Head is disappointingly aimless and just doesn't have enough time to devote to details outside of Mignola's normally intriguing heavily shadowed art style. The titular Head has no personality, Emperor Zombie has no presence, and the funniest bit is the running gag with the unnamed-vampire-lady (respectfully named Patience in the unproduced show) responding to every scenario by transforming into a bat and fleeing. Great art aside, it's a well drawn series of action shots with dialog that amounts to "I'll get you villain" "zounds, foiled again!"
The magician and the Snake, co-written by Mignola's then-seven year old daughter, stands out as the best of the bunch being short, sweet, and focused with an original-to-this-collection short stinger at the end of the book that calls back to the story of the loyal snake and his departed master. Abu Gung is an adaption of Jack and the Beanstalk with some nice gothic depictions but The Witch and Her Soul just completely lacks substance. The Prisoner of Mars is like a run-on sentence taking War of the Worlds into an out of body experience with the Martians that abruptly ends.
New to this collection is Axxor, Slayer of Demons, an unfinished story presented in black and white with cleaned up inks and no script. A short afterword by Mignola details what the story would have been if finished but not even he has any idea how he would've ended it. The final section of the book contains covers and sketches reprinted from previous collections with more notes dedicated to the fact that a lot of this material was unscripted and off-the-cuff and yeah, it shows.
I've always had a problem with Dark Horse's "library edition" printings because for as good as the color reproductions and hardcover is, the actual paper quality is terrible. Clean, dry hands leave permanent fingerprint smudges on black pages (which are thankfully few and far between unlike the Hellboy books). On several pages I noticed ink smears where one page rubbed off on the other. This is endemic to all of Dark Horse's library edition books and I really wish they would go for a matte texture instead of this glossy finish.
The Amazing Screw-On Head is meant for hardcore fans of Mignola's work. I appreciate these stories are deeply personal but as a collection meant to be shared it's generally unappealing. In the foreword Mignola mentions he's taken aback when people say they're familiar with the character through the pitched pilot and to be honest that's where it was at its best with A-list voice talent and animation that captures the pages seamlessly. RIP to what could've been.
Screw-On Head is disappointingly aimless and just doesn't have enough time to devote to details outside of Mignola's normally intriguing heavily shadowed art style. The titular Head has no personality, Emperor Zombie has no presence, and the funniest bit is the running gag with the unnamed-vampire-lady (respectfully named Patience in the unproduced show) responding to every scenario by transforming into a bat and fleeing. Great art aside, it's a well drawn series of action shots with dialog that amounts to "I'll get you villain" "zounds, foiled again!"
The magician and the Snake, co-written by Mignola's then-seven year old daughter, stands out as the best of the bunch being short, sweet, and focused with an original-to-this-collection short stinger at the end of the book that calls back to the story of the loyal snake and his departed master. Abu Gung is an adaption of Jack and the Beanstalk with some nice gothic depictions but The Witch and Her Soul just completely lacks substance. The Prisoner of Mars is like a run-on sentence taking War of the Worlds into an out of body experience with the Martians that abruptly ends.
New to this collection is Axxor, Slayer of Demons, an unfinished story presented in black and white with cleaned up inks and no script. A short afterword by Mignola details what the story would have been if finished but not even he has any idea how he would've ended it. The final section of the book contains covers and sketches reprinted from previous collections with more notes dedicated to the fact that a lot of this material was unscripted and off-the-cuff and yeah, it shows.
I've always had a problem with Dark Horse's "library edition" printings because for as good as the color reproductions and hardcover is, the actual paper quality is terrible. Clean, dry hands leave permanent fingerprint smudges on black pages (which are thankfully few and far between unlike the Hellboy books). On several pages I noticed ink smears where one page rubbed off on the other. This is endemic to all of Dark Horse's library edition books and I really wish they would go for a matte texture instead of this glossy finish.
The Amazing Screw-On Head is meant for hardcore fans of Mignola's work. I appreciate these stories are deeply personal but as a collection meant to be shared it's generally unappealing. In the foreword Mignola mentions he's taken aback when people say they're familiar with the character through the pitched pilot and to be honest that's where it was at its best with A-list voice talent and animation that captures the pages seamlessly. RIP to what could've been.
March 20, 2025
The amazing screw-on head and other curious objects, a compilation of short stories all slightly linked via a shared universe, with small Easter eggs linking them together nicely, this is “the most mignola, mignola book” where he wrote it for himself.
This book is beautifully crafted, oversized, thick pages, quality printing, very well written by Mike Mignola, plus his daughter Katie on one story; Dave Stewart’s colours are his usual style of absolutely incredible and unmatched. Mignola’s artwork is beautiful as usual, his simplistic line work, obscure angles and dilapidated buildings are his signature, he does it well as ever.
This book contains an unfinished story, sketchbook, supplemental artwork, foreword and afterword and is the premium of premium when it comes to quality.
If you are a Hellboy, Mignola or horror fan, give it a read. The short stories in here I’d say they are unmissable. An absolute pleasure from cover to cover.
This book is beautifully crafted, oversized, thick pages, quality printing, very well written by Mike Mignola, plus his daughter Katie on one story; Dave Stewart’s colours are his usual style of absolutely incredible and unmatched. Mignola’s artwork is beautiful as usual, his simplistic line work, obscure angles and dilapidated buildings are his signature, he does it well as ever.
This book contains an unfinished story, sketchbook, supplemental artwork, foreword and afterword and is the premium of premium when it comes to quality.
If you are a Hellboy, Mignola or horror fan, give it a read. The short stories in here I’d say they are unmissable. An absolute pleasure from cover to cover.
October 5, 2024
This is a very likable book! True, there's an excess of small-scale Victorian portraiture—a piece of schtick that keeps getting expanded upon with each embiggened reissue—but all the stories are good reads, and the artwork keeps getting better as it goes. The variety of what you get, all by Mignola's own hand, is wonderful. ‘The Magician and the Snake’ was also featured in the library edition of Hellboy in Hell, but I enjoyed re-reading it here in more humble, supportive environs, where it begins to co-inhabit a mythology defined by these loosely interrelated stories; in fact, Mignola's intro suggests this book would make an appropriate companion to H in H, as both are efforts by the author to be more himself in drawing what he loves.
In addition to the extra stash of Victorian portraits, this edition includes Axorr, Slayer of Demons, an inspired piece of sword & sorcery nonsense (w/flying octopus) that somehow never reached the dialog stage—just B&W line art, no text and no color. That's what I mean about variety, a taste of something a little different to enliven the palate; not quite an Artisan Edition in its presentation, but close. (Readers are not invited to, but could, in theory, attempt to script or color this unpublished effort—that's right, kids, it's an unofficial Mike Mignola Try-Out Book!) It certainly doesn't hurt that this book's distinctive hardcover format (8.25" x 12.25") matches others like Hellboy: The First 20 Years. It's a winner, in my opinion.
BTW, I agree with another reviewer that there were ink smudges in the title story—and even a nasty scratch on a key splash page. (And my copy arrived shrink-wrapped and unopened, in pristine condition.) Fortunately, it didn't affect the balance of the material.
In addition to the extra stash of Victorian portraits, this edition includes Axorr, Slayer of Demons, an inspired piece of sword & sorcery nonsense (w/flying octopus) that somehow never reached the dialog stage—just B&W line art, no text and no color. That's what I mean about variety, a taste of something a little different to enliven the palate; not quite an Artisan Edition in its presentation, but close. (Readers are not invited to, but could, in theory, attempt to script or color this unpublished effort—that's right, kids, it's an unofficial Mike Mignola Try-Out Book!) It certainly doesn't hurt that this book's distinctive hardcover format (8.25" x 12.25") matches others like Hellboy: The First 20 Years. It's a winner, in my opinion.
BTW, I agree with another reviewer that there were ink smudges in the title story—and even a nasty scratch on a key splash page. (And my copy arrived shrink-wrapped and unopened, in pristine condition.) Fortunately, it didn't affect the balance of the material.
July 29, 2023
Un arte magnífico para historias inacabadas o poco deslumbrantes, aunque su particular uso del surrealismo es sobresaliente en apuestas como El mago y la serpiente (basado en una idea de la hija de Mignola, de siete años) y El asombroso Cabeza de Tornillo, que da nombre a este volumen.
February 23, 2025
A iconografia consistente do álbum é um dos pontos altos, além do Mignola desenfreado. Roteiros gostosos que demonstram a maestria do autor sobre ritmo.
August 11, 2025
I love Mignola's work, and this was a fun quick read
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews