Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is starting a brand new universe that will be of interest to horror fans, particularly those who enjoy a little bit of folklore with their horror. Beginning in December, Mignola is launching the Lands Unknown universe, which he created with his frequent collaborator Ben Stenbeck. It all kicks off when Dark Horse Comics publishes Bowling With Corpses and Other Strange Tales From Lands Unknown, an anthology of folklore-inspired fantasy stories.
The book is written and illustrated by Mignola, colored by Dave Stewart and lettered by Clem Robins. You can get a glimpse at the cover art below. The book will be the first publication from Curious Objects, Mignola’s new imprint at Dark Horse. The 112-page hardcover anthology will set the stage for more stories in the Lands Unknown universe down the line. Stenbeck will be writing and drawing other, unannounced comics set within the universe. The synopsis for Bowling with Corpses reads as follows:
“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.”
Mignola, for his part, has been staying busy. Aside from creating a new comic book imprint, he’s also got a new Hellboy movie coming our way soon. Titled Hellboy: The Crooked Man, Mignola was directly involved in the production of the R-rated take on his famed comic book creation. No word yet on when that one is coming but it is expected to arrive sometime this year. Mignola had this to say about his latest endeavor:
“It all started with an Italian Folktale about a boy who goes bowling with corpses. 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.”
“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,” Stenbeck added. “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 arrives in bookstores on December 3 and in comic shops on December 4.
