Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • A Bubble Of Thoughtfulness

      Zack Davisson
      November 14, 2008
      Columns, Fool Britannia
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Collecting Profile: Black Widow

      Zack Davisson
      December 14, 2019
      Big Two, Collectibles, Marvel Comics, Miscellaneous Comic Book Content
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • FIRST LOOK: I MOVED TO LOS ANGELES TO WORK IN ANIMATION

      Zack Davisson
      October 20, 2018
      Boom! Studios, News, Press Release
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 3.5

      Review: SparrowHawk #1 Begins Slow, Then Finds Its Flow

      Zack Davisson
      October 10, 2018
      Boom! Studios, Reviews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • 2.3

      Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

      Daniel Gehen
      February 16, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Jim Beard: 14 Miles Outta Gotham City

      Zack Davisson
      October 27, 2010
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Frank Miller's Ronin Pt. 3: Simple and Totally Preposterous

      Zack Davisson
      July 22, 2016
      Classic Comics, Classic Comics Cavalcade
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "Years of Future Past" #3

      Zack Davisson
      July 9, 2015
      Previews
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade: 'Grave Business' by Graham Ingels

      Zack Davisson
      September 25, 2015
      Books, Classic Comics, Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past
  • Collecting Profile: Blue Beetle
  • Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia
  • Collecting Profile: Kraven the Hunter
  • Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good
  • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Reviews

Baltimore: The Plague Ships

Zack Davisson
December 21, 2011
Reviews

Many of us who read the prose novel Baltimore were wondering what Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden were going to do with the character. It was obvious that there was more story to tell, but what format would those stories take? A series of novels? Short stories? Or would Mignola and Golden take the character to the medium that Mignola knew so well. 

With The Plague Ships we got our answer. Taking the novel as a launching point — but not slavishly so — Baltimore: The Plague Ships further develops the that the Right Honourable the Lord Henry Richard Baltimore, 13th Baron Baltimore, of Boscastle in County Durham and his rivalry against the vampire Haigus. Baltimore is no longer quite the Steadfast Tin Soldier of the novel, but more of a grim, harpoon-slinging action hero doing battle with zeppelin-flying Kaiser vampires. 

The story gives you everything you need to know about Baltimore including his back story, so you don't need to have read the book to enjoy the comic. The series starts with Baltimore landing on a vampire-haunted village, cleaning up the town in classic action-hero style, Then sailing off on a cursed ship to fight mushroom-people and steam punk diving suits on a haunted isle.

This first volume in the Baltimore series has its flaws. The story is a jumble. Mike Mignola has been on record for years in wanting to incorporate some William Hope Hodgins (The Ghost Pirates) influence into his stories as well as a fungus-themed villain. The Hellboy: Library Editions have featured his sketches on this a few times. He finally got the chance to do so, but it just doesn't flow.

Overall, I think there are too many ideas cannibalized from other series and packed into this story. Along with the island and the fungus monsters, he reused the Victorian steampunk diving suits from Abe Sapien which looked cool there but just don't work as well in Baltimore's Gothic style. All of the bit parts are good enough individually, but stitching together the various elements, along with Baltimore's origin story, leads to a less-than-great reading experience.

The art is also uneven. Ben Stenbeck doesn't really have a grip on Baltimore as a character and while there are little flashes of brilliance here and there on a whole the art never rises to an amazing level. Stenbeck's backgrounds and scenery are incredible, but he just doesn't have the same fluency with figures. The King of Colors Dave Stewart does only his usual level of brilliance, which means that even on his worst day he puts every other colorist to shame.

The good news is, everything gets better. Amazingly better. I have read the follow-up series, Baltimore: The Curse Bells, which is a phenomenal piece of comic art and one of the best horror comics I have ever read. So pick up and read Baltimore: The Plague Ships if for no other reason than as preparation for a comic that is going to shiver your bones, churl your stomach, and blow your mind a little. 

 


 

Zack Davisson is a freelance writer and life-long comics fan. He owned a comic shop in Seattle during the '90s, during which time he had the glorious (and unpaid) gig as pop-culture expert for NPR. He has lived in three countries, has degrees in Fine Art and Japanese Studies, and has been a contributing writer to magazines like Japanzine and Kansai Time-Out. He currently lives in Seattle, WA with his wife Miyuki. You can catch more of Zack’s reviews on his blog Japan Reviewed or read his translations of Japanese ghost stories on Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai.

, Dave StewartBen StenbeckChristopher GoldenClem RobinsDark HorseMike MignolaZack Davisson

Share On:
Tweet
Killing Pickman
Star Wars: The Old Republic Preview

About The Author

Zack Davisson

Related Posts

  • Dark Horse Presents: THE ART OF ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA

    Ashley Hurst
    May 30, 2020
  • Top 10 Comic Universes Outside the Big Two

    Daniel Gehen
    May 1, 2020

Latest Reviews

  • 3.0

    Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

    Daniel Gehen
    February 22, 2021
  • 4.5

    Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

    Daniel Gehen
    February 19, 2021
  • 2.3

    Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

    Daniel Gehen
    February 16, 2021
  • 4.3

    Review: RADIANT BLACK #1 Shines Brightly

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2021
  • 2.7

    Review: DEEP BEYOND #1 Can’t Commit to a Premise

    Daniel Gehen
    February 4, 2021
  • 2.0

    VINDICATION Falls Short of its Lofty Goals (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    February 1, 2021
  • 4.5

    DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    January 22, 2021
  • Review: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist

    Daniel Gehen
    December 14, 2020
  • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

    Daniel Gehen
    December 3, 2020
  • 4.5

    TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 Lives Up to the Hype (Review)

    Daniel Gehen
    October 29, 2020
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders