ComicsDark Horse Comics30 years after he created Hellboy, Mike Mignola is creating a whole new folklore-inspired universeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ComicsDark Horse Comics30 years after he created Hellboy, Mike Mignola is creating a whole new folklore-inspired universeWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Dark Horse Comics)
Mike Mignola’s signature creation Hellboy hit the scene 30 years ago, in 1994. And now, in 2024, the beloved cartoonist is creating a whole new “shared universe” of comic stories alongside writer/artist Ben Stenbeck, a frequent contributor to Mignola’s BPRD Universe.
The new venture, dubbed ‘Curious Objects,’ will expand down the road with another title from Stenbeck. The first comic in the line, Bowling for Corpses, seems to take all the creepy-crawly, humorously ghoulish elements Mignola is known for in a specifically folklore-inspired direction, offering a preview of what the expanded line will be about.
(Image credit: Dark Horse Comics)
“In Bowling With Corpses and Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown, the stories are fantastical, odd and charming — from a search for the beating heart of a long-dead sorcerer, to a pirate girl who makes a deal with the devil, to the titular boy who wins a grim prize in a game with undead interlopers,” reads Dark Horse’s announcement.
Many Hellboy stories have incorporated elements of folklore into the BPRD Universe over the years, showing a modern, somewhat superhero-ized version of characters from myth and legend. But Curious Objects seems to go from the other angle, focusing more directly on the folkloric elements in what Dark Horse calls its “weird, wicked, and whimsical stories.”
“It all started with an Italian Folktale about a boy who goes bowling with corpses,” Mignola explains in a statement. “I fell in love with the story as soon as I discovered it but I wanted to play fast and loose when adapting it, so I created a whole new world.”
“Not TOO different than our world a few centuries ago, but with a lot more gods and monsters. Once I created that world new characters and stories just started pouring out of it. There is a whole lot to play with here and I expect to be at it for a very long time.”
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(Image credit: Dark Horse Comics)
Mignola has gone beyond Hellboy before, creating other properties both in comics and elsewhere, such as the so-called Outerverse Universe, which he created alongside novelist Christopher Golden, which has also included contributions from Curious Objects co-creator Ben Stenbeck.
“For a few years now Mike has been emailing me designs and pages and ideas and maps and lists of place names for this world, and his enthusiasm for this project is indomitable and infectious,” says Stenbeck. “So often my reaction to these emails is ‘That’s great Mike! But I still have two books to draw before I can even move on to this work!’ and then I find myself taking three days off to write a new story. Luckily Mike likes my stories. My first project is set far off in a distant corner of this world. That way I can’t bump into anything Mike is doing and make a mess. Spoiler…it will have monsters in it.”
Bowling With Corpses and Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown is a 112-page hardcover anthology, releasing on December 4.
Hellboy is one of thebest supernatural superheroesof all time.
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2
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3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3
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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
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Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”