4 out of 5

I never read the Baltimore book.  I was excited for a non-HB Mignola book to hit the stands, and Stenbeck’s blocky, Cameron Stewart-esque art is a perfect compliment to the Mignola style, so I expected to be entertained, even if I was playing catch up with the story… although I’ve been playing catch up on HB / BPRD for years, so that would be nothing new as well.  And I was entertained, as well as pleased that there didn’t seem to be any ideological lag between book and comic, though I still can’t say whether the comics are a prequel or what.  All I CAN tell you is that Balty had his family offed by a baddy vampire – Haigus – and now he’s on the hunt for that vamp, with each arc generally presenting some roadblock that causes a detour.  In ‘Plague Ships,’ it’s townsfolk who considers him as evil as the monsters he’d just chased from their town, locking him up when he was close to his prey.  Thankfully, the young daughter of a witch helps Balt escape, as long as he promises to take her away from the boring ol’ town.  Unthankfully, their escape ship crashes and then they’re on an island with a whole bunch of crazies that need stabbin’.

Along the way – for the majority of the mini, actually – Mignola and Golden fill us in on Balty’s background as he relates his history to his travelmate.  It’s a bit forced for someone as stoic as Baltimore, but it vibes with Golden’s somewhat melodramatic style and the overwrought mood of the art, so it flies.  However, because we don’t really get to where we’re going (dealing with the subtitle of the mini) until about the fourth issue, the series has a bit of an aside feeling to it, like it doesn’t really kick into gear until the end.  But once it does hit that mark, you’re wrapped up in it – even if things are proceeding a bit non-sensibly, having just jumped into the world cold – and it definitely bumps the star rating up to its current mark.

Stenbeck’s art was already proven by this point, but seeing where it would eventually go, the first mini-series is honestly very simplistic looking, and a bit lacking in its framing and action on occasion.  It was impressive at the time, but it’s cool seeing the progress Ben has made.