Imogen of the Wyrding Way #1 Review
Writers: Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden
Artist: Peter Bergting
Colours: Michelle Madsen
Letters: Clem Robins
As Lady Baltimore reaches it’s penultimate issue released alongside it we get Imogen of the Wyrding Way, a one-shot featuring the titular Imogen, who promises to be an important player in the Outerverse going forward. Rather than giving readers an origin story for this intriguing character Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden use this as an opportunity to flesh the character out some more, and to delve deeper into the Outerverse.
Baltimore introduced readers to this world, going a long way to set this new universe up and lay the groundwork for the story, but his was a focused story. The Red King has been defeated for years, and there is still a lot about this universe that readers don’t know about. While this issue doesn’t fill all the blanks in it goes a long way to showing readers some of the creatures still lurking in the dark, all the while letting us learn more about Imogen and her associates. It’s clear that she has a layered and chequered history, and readers expecting to learn a little more about that will be disappointed. For fans of the Outerverse in general though there is plenty to love here.
Throughout the main Lady Baltimore series there have been so many characters and the story has been propelled along at such a pace that not much time has been spent on the enigmatic Imogen. While this issue doesn’t fill many of the blanks in it does give readers a good feel for the character while leaving them with more questions than before. Who are her associates that she hunts down creatures of the night with? What does it mean to be a Wyrding witch? These are just some of the questions which readers will come away with after this issue, but it’s an excellent excuse to spend more time in the Outerverse, as well as learn a little more about an important player in the ongoing story. We have all sorts of monsters in the issue, vampires make a brief interlude but the real star of the comic are trolls, who, while clearly dangerous, manage to walk the line between good or bad. Mignola and Golden are no strangers to playing around with readers expectations, revealing a monster to actually be a hero is something they’ve explored plenty in the past, and this issue plays on that leaving readers unsure of the trolls motivations or allegiances. It works well.
Peter Bergting and Michelle Madsen make a fantastic team on the art duties. Both of them have plenty of experience within the world of the Outerverse, and their experience shows here. The Wyrding magic looks fantastic, magical symbols glowing in the air around their targets. Bergting has drawn vampires previously within the universe, and they still look great. The trolls on the other hand really stand out, hulking monstrosities with loads of little details to give them plenty of personality, which look fantastic on the page. Madsen’s colours are, as previously mentioned, stunning and a staple part of the Outerverse. The way she colours the magic in this issue is really special though, and somehow she manages to capture something of that magic on the page with her colours, with a really stunning effect.
An excellent addition to the world of the Outerverse, which is growing at an incredible rate. Like Hellboy's Mignolaverse, Mignola is crafting another universe with as much talent and love as before, and this is a universe which is almost guaranteed to stand the test of time like it’s older brother, and keep readers coming back time after time. Don’t sleep on this series, pick it up, along with Lady Baltimore, and explore the Outerverse now in its infancy.
Artist: Peter Bergting
Colours: Michelle Madsen
Letters: Clem Robins
As Lady Baltimore reaches it’s penultimate issue released alongside it we get Imogen of the Wyrding Way, a one-shot featuring the titular Imogen, who promises to be an important player in the Outerverse going forward. Rather than giving readers an origin story for this intriguing character Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden use this as an opportunity to flesh the character out some more, and to delve deeper into the Outerverse.
Baltimore introduced readers to this world, going a long way to set this new universe up and lay the groundwork for the story, but his was a focused story. The Red King has been defeated for years, and there is still a lot about this universe that readers don’t know about. While this issue doesn’t fill all the blanks in it goes a long way to showing readers some of the creatures still lurking in the dark, all the while letting us learn more about Imogen and her associates. It’s clear that she has a layered and chequered history, and readers expecting to learn a little more about that will be disappointed. For fans of the Outerverse in general though there is plenty to love here.
Throughout the main Lady Baltimore series there have been so many characters and the story has been propelled along at such a pace that not much time has been spent on the enigmatic Imogen. While this issue doesn’t fill many of the blanks in it does give readers a good feel for the character while leaving them with more questions than before. Who are her associates that she hunts down creatures of the night with? What does it mean to be a Wyrding witch? These are just some of the questions which readers will come away with after this issue, but it’s an excellent excuse to spend more time in the Outerverse, as well as learn a little more about an important player in the ongoing story. We have all sorts of monsters in the issue, vampires make a brief interlude but the real star of the comic are trolls, who, while clearly dangerous, manage to walk the line between good or bad. Mignola and Golden are no strangers to playing around with readers expectations, revealing a monster to actually be a hero is something they’ve explored plenty in the past, and this issue plays on that leaving readers unsure of the trolls motivations or allegiances. It works well.
Peter Bergting and Michelle Madsen make a fantastic team on the art duties. Both of them have plenty of experience within the world of the Outerverse, and their experience shows here. The Wyrding magic looks fantastic, magical symbols glowing in the air around their targets. Bergting has drawn vampires previously within the universe, and they still look great. The trolls on the other hand really stand out, hulking monstrosities with loads of little details to give them plenty of personality, which look fantastic on the page. Madsen’s colours are, as previously mentioned, stunning and a staple part of the Outerverse. The way she colours the magic in this issue is really special though, and somehow she manages to capture something of that magic on the page with her colours, with a really stunning effect.
An excellent addition to the world of the Outerverse, which is growing at an incredible rate. Like Hellboy's Mignolaverse, Mignola is crafting another universe with as much talent and love as before, and this is a universe which is almost guaranteed to stand the test of time like it’s older brother, and keep readers coming back time after time. Don’t sleep on this series, pick it up, along with Lady Baltimore, and explore the Outerverse now in its infancy.
A Look Inside
