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Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer(s): Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden
Artist: Ben Stenbeck
Cover: Mike Mignola

“The Plague Ships pt 1”: Beginning several months after WW I in plague ridden France, we are tossed in the middle of a hunt. Lord Baltimore is chasing and killing a group of vampires hoping to at least take one alive so he can retrieve the information he needs. The chase leads to a church rooftop, where their getaway zeppelin is tied and waiting, and just when it looks like they are going to escape, a bolt of lightening strikes, frying the rope and blowing up their transportation.

After being knocked unconscious by the explosion, Baltimore ends up in the care of an old woman who claims to be a witch, and her young and attractive granddaughter. He tells them a bit of his story, and this is when we are informed of Baltimore’s target, which is a vampire named Haigus, missing his right eye and sporting a very long scar on his face. The granddaughter tells Baltimore that she has seen Haigus, however a ship sailed away in the night two days prior, and it is believed the vampire was aboard. As he begins to leave with this new information, the granddaughter begs that he take her with him. However, as soon as he steps outside of the home, he is met by a mob of townspeople and knocked out by the butt end of a harpoon. Looks like until they decide if he’s a “devil” or not, he’s staying in the jail until he can be seen by the judge, but the granddaughter has other plans.

Now, I have not read Mignola’s Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire, so Lord Baltimore and his story were entirely new to me. Baltimore: The Plague Ships seems to be a continuation, and I will admit that I probably would have enjoyed it more had I a little background information in the beginning, or even at the end of the book with a quick character synopsis. Instead, I had to do some searching myself to acquire the information that helped flesh some things out for me.

Other than that, I do think that Mignola and Golden did a fine job with this issue, as it sets up an entirely different story and direction for the character of Baltimore. Stenbeck’s artwork kept the mood of the story, which was greatly assisted by Dave Stewart’s coloring. They kept it dark and dreary, and any chance he got to make the red stand out in the issue he definitely took it.

If you are one of the people who have read the previous Baltimore book, you’ll most likely enjoy this five issue mini series a lot better than a new reader who just happened to pick this issue up. Though that shouldn’t deter anyone interested too much, because it’s filled with a decent amount of vampire action and a pissed off hero who is bent on getting some good old fashioned payback!

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