Written by: Mike Mignola
Art by: Mike Mignola
Colours by: Dave Stewart
Letters by: Clem Robins
Cover by: Mike Mignola
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
Mignola’s Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown is unique and offers the creation of an entirely new universe to long-time fans and new readers alike.
There are eight tales in this anthology of sorts. These stories are set in the Lands Unknown Universe – which is a shared universe between Mignola and long-time co-creator Ben Stenbeck (while all of the stories in this book are by Mignola alone, Stenbeck will likely add his own stories to the universe in the future).
The world building is realized and developed from creation myths all of its own. There’s a range of stories that take place in the strange new universe teeming with kobolds, corpses, and even the Queen of Cats. The Lands Unknown are a place where Faustian deals and haunted houses, along with cursed ill-gotten gains, are commonplace, and so is bowling with the undead.
The book opens with an orphan boy named Yeb, who sets upon the world one day to seek his fortune. Three corpses stop him and tell him to bowl three games for a fortune or die trying. He wins, and they give him a magical corpse arm. He uses it to kill half a dozen warlocks and a would-be vampire bride. And that’s just the beginning!
Each story kind of braces you for the next story, and Mignola leaves the best for last. Some of these tales, like “Immortality is Dust” and “Justice Denied,” have an obvious moral, and others, like “Una and the Devil,” leave you to ponder about their meaning long after you’ve finished reading.
This book is raw and visceral without being cynical. Mignola’s work builds tension and drama while moving each story forward at an energetic and engaging pace that doesn’t rely on meticulous detail – but, rather, keeps things moving with lively gestural drawings that preserve the energy of the moment and speak to the immediacy of feeling. His use of negative space also drives the story forward by creating thoughtful page compositions.
This anthology has clear panel-to-panel storytelling along with engaging page-to-page composition. Coordination and use of color to help drive the drama and match the tone of the story. Colorist Dave Stewart chooses a muted color palette that reflects the mood of the book, and he knows where and when to emphasize things with an extra pop of color, particularly in “Immortality is Dust.” I suspect that Mignola and Stewart worked closely together to create a distinct, strange, and eerie mood and feel. The heavy use of negative space and the limited palette makes it easy for letterer Clem Robins to do his job. Robin’s lettering flows with the pages; he understands Mignola’s composition and works with it rather than against it, allowing for uncluttered pages and great pacing.
If you were already a Mignola fan, you’re in for a treat, and if you’re new, there’s something in this anthology that will either raise the hairs on the back of your neck or put a smile on your face. Or both.
Overall: 8/10

K.L.Murphy has BA in English, writes and reviews comics, and habitually pets cats. Comics are all unique and each one represents an enormous amount of thought and effort. Murphy reviews comics based on a variety of factors, but focuses on the artwork, storytelling, and pacing.