Baltimore : The Play

Hot on the trail of Haigus, the vicious vampire who slaughtered Lord Henry Baltimore’s family, it leads him to Verona, Italy where the plague has wiped out most of the inhabitants. As the medical facilities abandon the city, a citizen informs Lord Baltimore that two weeks ago a man named Haigus, who seemed more creature than man, arrived to the city and was involved in a popular play with Edgar Allan Poe like influences.

The Team

Written by Mike Mignola (The Amazing Screw-On Head & Other Curious Objects, Witchfinder Vol. 2 : Lost & Gone Forever) & Christopher Golden (Baltimore Vol. 1 : The Plague Ships HC, Joe Golem & The Drowning City). Illustrated by Ben Stenbeck (Witchfinder : In The Service of Angels, Baltimore Vol. 2 : The Curse Bells HC) & coloured by Dave Stewart. Published by Dark Horse Comics.

The Pros & Cons

The theatre is alive (well sort of) and well my friends, as Haigus (sounds like the Scottish delicacy) finances a Faust-like play with romantic interest in the leading lady which spirals into a love triangle that doesn’t end well for the other guy. This week at Dark Horse you get not one, but two comics about Edgar Allan Poe and his dark poetry (see the review for The Conqueror Worm right here). Although passages from The Conqueror Worm are recited, this comic is more about Poe the man. I won’t go into details, but I’ll give you a hint… it’s like a character from Futurama. Like all Baltimore stories, this is a gloomy & dark tale that strangely enough, is barely about Lord Baltimore himself, but more about his nemesis Haigus and his desire to turn human beings into his twisted kind.

Written by the usual suspects, that brought us all the previous Baltimore adventures, but offers a look at the other side of the coin and into the undead schemes of a truly evil character. Like Guy Davis to B.P.R.D., illustrator Ben Stenbeck has truly put his stamp on this series and I hope will make his home here for many more Baltimore adventures to come.

The Outcome

Although it wasn’t the best Baltimore story, it was a fun one shot filled with chills & spills and with the help of the plague, some good old fashioned despair.