Title: Baltimore Omnibus.
Volume: 1.
Writer(s): Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden.
Artist(s): Ben Stenbeck.
Colourist(s): Dave Stewart.
Letterer(s): Clem Robins.
Publisher: Dark Horse Books.
Format: Hardcover.
Release Date: October 22nd 2019.
Pages: 568.
Genre(s): Comics, Fantasy, Horror.
ISBN13: 9781506712468.
My Overall Rating: ★★★★☆.
Have you ever taken the time to sit down and reflect on folklores and mythologies, and how they always hold some kind of mythic sense and wisdom? Amongst the strange creatures and the eerie atmospheres, there’s an underlying layer of supernaturalism that keeps you tethered into its realm, craving for more of the bizarre as you get sucked into the unusual world. Some writers simply have the imagination to think them through, while others have the penmanship to bring them to life. As rare as they come, a harmonious unified vision of these two kinds of people is what the world needs more of.
Known for the creation of Hellboy, Mike Mignola is the mastermind behind one of the greatest vampire hunters of all time, known as Lord Henry Baltimore. Originally created by him in 2007 for an illustrated novel, called Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, Christopher Golden ended up being the one to pen it to life. Together they then conceived a comic book series based on that novel that has gone down as one of the most beautiful joint efforts in the business.
What is Baltimore Omnibus Vol. 1 about? Following a devastating plague that ends World War I, Europe faces a surge of vampires that have overtaken the cold nights and have blindly taken innocent lives whenever they can. Driven by a deadly desire for vengeance, the determined soldier Lord Henry Baltimore is searching the European lands for a vampire that has ruined his life, even if it means battling hordes of monsters while recklessly putting his life on the line. This omnibus edition collects half of the comic book series—four out of the eight volumes that have been released in the past—that is The Plague Ships, The Curse Bells, A Passing Stranger and Other Stories, as well as Chapel of Bones.
Within this omnibus, each story arc is structured so that each chapter allowed subtle world-building and character development with the vampire hunter, while also exploring other points of view, from citizens to enemies, giving the reader an idea of everyone’s motives and their uncontrollable destiny that is often felt like a legend in the making. While Lord Henry Baltimore travels by sea or land, and is frequently stopped by countless distractions within different towns where evil has come to corrupt the land and its people, he’s also hunted down by others who only see the darkness growing within him and wishes to relay God’s righteousness and rid the world of such evil by themselves. As you progress through this series, you come to see that the vampire hunter isn’t only seeing red, craving for vengeance, but is simply sacrificing himself for the greater good while allowing his desire for vengeance to be his driving force.
Ben Stenbeck’s artwork, reminiscent of that which can be found within the Hellboy franchise, allowed this comic book series to embrace a unique vision that works wonderfully with Mike Mignola’s and Christopher Golden’s story. Sparingly utilizing action-oriented sequences with zero dialogues to capture the goriness of Lord Henry Baltimore’s cause was also played out quite perfectly throughout this omnibus. Although his penciling isn’t intended to convey disgust in its purest form within readers, it does portray the unnatural and horrifying context and setting in which the story takes place, making the reader grasp the bleak reality in which Lord Henry Baltimore lives in. To further capture this impression, Dave Stewart’s colouring helps immensely in giving the story a dark tone that illustrates the gloomy world and its dreadful abominations.
Baltimore Omnibus Vol. 1 is a bewitching collection of stories following a vampire hunter’s quest fueled by vengeance in a world plagued with rot and death.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy for review!
Roars and Echoes 
This sounds so good! Right up my alley!
Fantastic review as always, Lashaan.
(Truth be told, I eat up your words, so I would read anything you recommend!)
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Thank you so much for reading, Scarlett! And your kind words really means the world to me! Makes me want to write more everyday! 😁
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Interesting.
What is it about vampires that has caught the imagination of humanity and turned them into a staple of our minds? While I’m not a fan of Buffy-style, Spike/Angel variety of vampire, the original Dracula really calls to me.
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I really have no idea what they grown on us. Maybe subconsciously we find ourselves attached to their predicament, their loneliness, their fear of daylight and society. Maybe we like how they talk too! 😂 I just know that killing them always seemed pretty cool hahah
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I’m intrigued! I may just have to see if I can find a copy!
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I’m glad to hear that, Nancy! I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 😁
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Fantastic review Lashaan!
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Thank you so much, Nicki! 😁
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I am here for this. Adding it to my TBR right now.
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I am glad to hear it has piqued your curiosity! If you’ve tried and enjoyed Hellboy stuff, this will be definitely good to you too!
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Sounds intriguing. What kept you from giving it max stars?
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Well, there are parts within the omnibus where the quality wavered, and where the story didn’t move an inch forward yet took almost 50 pages to tell a story. The 3rd volume of the four in here is also a collection of short stories which were not all perfect. I gave it 4 stars for its overall impression on me and how it managed to build an “identity” for this series. Hopefully the 2nd and final omnibus will contain just as good or better stories now.
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Well once more you thought me something Lashaan as I had never heard of Lord Henry Baltimore before! The colors here are dark or muted I guess fitting the theme of war and hunting vampires!
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Hahaha I’m glad to help you discover these, Sophie! That way, when they do a movie based on him, you’ll know about him! 😂 And yes, the colours really fit with the world and premise!
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I’m with Nancy on this one! I’m just not a big enough fan of the comic art style to get into it hardcore but I love the sound of this one. I love that his vengeance drives him but isn’t his motivation. It sounds believable to me. 😀
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It’s a particular style that you definitely get used to once you try stories by Mike Mignola for sure. It’s through the Hellboy series that I learned to appreciate it, for example, since I was a bit skeptical of the style throughout the first volumes. Baltimore does have some issues along the line, especially some arcs where the story doesn’t exactly progress but you learn more about the world.
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You made me realize that I’ve never read anything about vampires! I love the artwork here, it really sets the mood to something dark! Great review, Lashaan 😊💕
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I can’t say that I’ve read many vampire stories either. There aren’t that many en fait. 😮 But yes, the artwork is cool! Thanks, Caroline! ❤
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Thank you for writing this amazing review, you made me get the book.
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I am really excited to hear that! I hope you enjoy this when you get around to it. Thank you for reading! 😀
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