The Magician and the Snake
| Writer | Mike Mignola, Katie Mignola |
|---|---|
| Art | Mike Mignola |
| Colorist | Dave Stewart |
| Editor | Scott Allie |
| Published by | Dark Horse Maverick: Happy Endings |
| Publication date | September 2002 |
| Collected edition | The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects |
| Collected in | Hellboy – Volume 4: Hellboy in Hell |
The Magician and the Snake is an Eisner award winning collaboration between Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola, and his, at the time, seven-year-old daughter, Katie Mignola.
Publication History
This short story was originally published in the pages of Dark Horse Maverick: Happy Endings in September 2002. The comic was later collected in The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects published by Dark Horse in September 2010. It was again collected in the Hellboy in Hell library edition, and the Hellboy – Volume 4: Hellboy in Hell omnibus edition.
Synopsis
The Magician reveals to his best friend, the Snake, that he overextended himself by making three geometric shapes, the Solid Objects, disappear in order to be named "The Greatest Magician in the World" by a monkey king. However, he has not made the Solid Objects disappear permanently, and when they return the Magician will die. The Magician and the Snake spend their last years together enjoying themselves. Ultimately, the Solid Objects return and the Magician passes. He is mourned by his friend, the Snake.
Story within a Story
Per Mike Mignola, The Magician and the Snake exists as a fairy tale within the Hellboy Universe.[1]
Meaning of the Solid Objects
The meaning of the Solid Objects is deliberately left ambiguous and open to interpretation. However, in an interview with Le Commis des Comics, Mignola did elaborate on what the Solid Objects mean to him:
The Magician had made these shapes disappear and everyone said,‘You’re a great magician.’It’s like people saying to me,‘You’re a great artist.’Well, I don’t feel that I am a great artist. I feel like I get credit for being better than I am. So that’s the feeling that went into that. And the shapes coming back, it was sort of like somebody saying,‘Y’know, you’re really not that good.’Again, it’s a very complicated emotional thing, which is why those shapes are very important, because to me they’re something very personal about my own creative… thing.[2]
Connections to the Hellboy Universe
Solid Objects
The Solid Objects that the Magician makes disappear show up in both Hellboy in Hell and B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know.
Statue
A statue of the Magician, the Snake, and the Solid Objects is the final image of The Magician and the Snake. The same statue is seen in Hellboy in Hell.
The Snake
The Snake shows up in Hellboy in Hell #5 and B.P.R.D.The Devil You Know: Pandemonium #1.
Connections to Other Mignola Works
In addition to connecting to books within the Hellboy Universe, The Magician and the Snake also connects to two other stories collected in The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects.
The Prisoner of Mars
How Doctor Snap Murdered Professor Cyclops and What Came of It or The Prisoner of Mars features an inn named "The Magician and the Snake" whose sign incorporates images of the Magican, the Snake, and the Solid Objects. The final image of the comic also features the Snake.
In the Chapel of Curious Objects
In the Chapel of Curious Objects features a miniature version of the statue seen at the end of The Magician and the Snake. The miniature statue is revealed to contain the Solid Objects.
Awards
- 2003 "Best Short Story" Eisner Award
References
External Links
- Dark Horse Mavericks: Happy Endings product page on DarkHorse.com
- The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects product page on DarkHorse.com
- Read The Magician and the Snake on io9.com
1https://twitter.com/artofmmignola/status/1006527381354369024 ↑