Lands Unknown
Here’s a newsflash that isn’t really news to anyone: Mike Mignola is a veritable fountain of ideas that inevitably find their way into great comics. The wellspring he draws from can be from old folktales, or worlds that he creates in his own mind. In the case of this Dark Horse anthology, ‘Bowling with Corpses & Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown,’ it is a little bit of both. Ten tales that intertwine with narratives of creation, challenges, rewards and consequences. Each told in the unique vision that is Mike Mignola and, in a Universe, co-created by frequent collaborator Ben Stenbeck.
Combining Folklore with Original Creation
Starting with the title tale, based on an Italian folklore about a kid who bowled with corpses. How typical of Mike to adapt that tale. Narrated as only a duck can do. But he didn’t stop there. He used that one story and expanded an entire universe from it. Taking from Japanese folktales and other sources and enriching it with his own unique storytelling. Along the way, discussing the rules of creation and how important the choices one makes can affect their lives and the lives of others. All the while exploring guilt and innocence, good and evil and many ways it can manifest itself. Contrasting the worlds of God and Men.
Stories Inside of Stories
The structure of these tales enriches the previous one and sometimes even features a story inside a story. Such an example is “Justice Denied,” as a challenge is offered to man in place of an offering for the fable he just shared. Another clever way for Mignola to use the aforementioned Japanese folktale to good effect. While expanding it into another chapter of murder, theft and perhaps justice. Great stuff and just the start for this new “Lands Unknown” world, which is being co-created by Mignola and his long-time collaborator Ben Stenbeck.
Dark Horse Comics ‘Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown‘ by Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart is available now from great book and comic stores everywhere.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
