I’d grown tired of vampire stories by the end of the 90’s or early 00’s. So much so that I started to avoid them, like a vampire might avoid the cross. I’d always liked the folklore and legends, but I came to think they were way too over-used and over-saturated in pop culture. Or maybe I just like the legend too much, sought it out, but had finally seen enough. Maybe both those reasons are true…
I’ve recently discovered a comic book that has revived my interest again, called Baltimore.
I really only bought this comic because Mike Mignola is involved with it and darkhorse.com had the series on sale. Mignola is one of my very favorite comic creators, with Hellboy, B.P.R.D, and so many other great comics being written and/or illustrated by him. Mignola created this with Christopher Golden, with art by Ben Stenbeck, and it was colored by Dave Stewart. So good! Still, even though I owned a lot of it, my general aversion to vampire stuff kept me from getting around to reading Baltimore for at least a year or two. Now that I have read most of what I own, I can say it is exceptional too!
The story begins with Lord Henry Baltimore fighting in the trenches of World War 1. He and his platoon are being cut down by German soldiers and left for dead. The carnage and blood bring out ancient vampires who begin to feed. Because he fights back and even wounds one of the vampires, Baltimore unknowingly declares war on those ancients, and they proceed to destroy his life after he has returned home. This war takes Baltimore all over Europe in search of the vampire who is responsible… and beyond him too…
Such a kick-ass comic, and perfect for this Halloween-ie season!
www.darkhorse.com | Baltimore
amazon.com | Baltimore
