Ignored Independents - The Amazing Screw-On Head
- Written by Outhouse Staff on Wednesday, November 08 2006 and posted in Reviews
The Amazing Screw-On Head
Written and Illustrated by Mike Mignola
Dark Horse Comics, 2002
Review by L’Indépendant
The Amazing Screw-On Head first came to my attention earlier this year as the Sci-Fi Channel had the first episode free on its web site for people to rate – a clever way of marketing and of measuring demand. The episode featured the voices of Paul Giamatti (Sideways, Howard Stern’s Private Parts), David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) and Molly Shannon (SNL). Sadly, I don’t believe the show was picked up.
I saw the comic today among the new releases and instantly picked it up. It’s darkly comical and campy, with the same sort of laugh out loud humor found in childrens shows, only in a slightly darker manner.
The story – Abe Lincoln alerts Screw-On Head to the theft of the Kalakistan Fragment, a document that’s not been translated yet, but is said to hold the location of a melon-sized jewel that allowed Gung the Magnificent to conquer the world in 9632 B.C. Emperor Zombie is on his way to the Aswam Valley – the worst place on Earth to recover the jewel, and Screw-On Head and Mr. Groin, his assistant, are in pursuit.
Screw-On Head is a haphazard hero, and most of his successes are due to hilarious accidents. Emperor Zombie is a really a sardonic criminal genius with a support staff that only adds to the humor in the issue.
Mignola’s art suits the story really well. It’s simple, but at the same time conveys enough details to assist his story well. His colors add to the setting (1860s) and tone of the book, and his use of shadowing helps give the book a feel like a graphic and comical Poe short story. I’d love to see more Screw-On Head comics.
Talk about this here.
Posted originally: 2006-11-08 01:59:34