The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England
Longtime readers will know that I’ve become choosy about what Mignolaverse stories I pick up these days. With the majority of them coming out in $25 hardcovers with slim page counts, it feels like a dicier proposition to pick up every one that comes out in the hopes that it’ll deliver the kind of winning weirdness this fictional universe has regularly delivered in the past. That said, when it was announced that this miniseries would be Ben Stenbeck’s last contribution to the Mignolaverse (for a good long while, at least) I knew that I had to pick up the collected edition. Even if it was only collecting a three-issue miniseries.
When we last saw Edward Grey, former Witchfinder to the Queen of England, he had left Hell and was welcomed in Avalon by its queen, Alice. While peace was upon this last kingdom on Earth, she had but one request for him: To be her gardener should the other serpent rear its head. That time has come as Morgan Le Fey has sent the vengeful creature of the fay known as Grugach to fight for dominion of that realm. In exchange for being empowered as he once was, Grugach has promised his queen the kingdom she deserves and he aims to deliver.
With the main story of the Mignolaverse having concluded in the pages of “B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know” some years ago, we’ve been getting a series of epilogues following up on the final fates of everyone as well as the world itself. That Mike Mignola himself would get around to showing us what happened to Ed Grey felt like it was an eventuality given the character’s prominence in this fictional universe. Still, I was wondering how much juice could be squeezed from detailing his fate at this point.
A satisfying amount, I must admit. That’s because this miniseries, in spite of its short length, wound up surprising me and upending my expectations at multiple points. The first of which being that this isn’t actually Ed Grey’s story. It’s Grugach’s. This poor bastard has challenged Hellboy on multiple occasions and has come out the worse for it every single time. It has led him to be a bitter, miserable creature who sees putting Morgan on the throne as his last hope to do something right in this life. Meanwhile, Ed Grey is gearing up for One Last Battle and we all know how those tend to turn out for beloved supporting characters who finally get the spotlight at the end.
While I’d like to say more, it’s for the best that anyone who’s invested in these characters find out what happens to them for themselves. It’s at times tragic and sad, yet ends in a way that feels right for all of the parties involved. There’s also a density to the storytelling here as Mignola wants the reader to really take in and understand the weight of these characters’ histories and everything that has brought them to this point. Granted, anyone not familiar with them is going to be utterly lost, but what are you even doing here if you’ve got no strong feelings for the Witchfinder and Grugach?
Stenbeck kills it here, as we all knew he would. While he initially came off as the best practitioner of Mignola’s style, he’s been able to evolve it into something that feels more textured but without losing any of its evocative creepiness or outright strangeness. It’s great seeing him recreate memorable scenes from previous comics, but even better to see him depict the epic battle between Ed Grey and Grugach. It may start off as a swordfight between magically-empowered individuals, but literally grows in stature and figurative dramatic effect as the weight of the battle becomes apparent. If this is the last we’re seeing of Stenbeck in the Mignolaverse, then he’s going out on a very high note.
Which brings us to the fact that his final story is a three-issue miniseries in a $25 hardcover. On the face of it, this is something that feels price gouge-y in a way that I tend to expect more from Marvel or DC. That said, Dark Horse has also been putting a lot of stuff in premium hardcovers lately and that has made me go “Not in that price and format” to more than one collection I may have been interested in. I should also say that I wish the publisher would have put the second volume of “Joy Operations” in hardcover for its exorbitant $25 softcover price because then I could’ve skipped it and saved myself the disappointment.
As for “Serpent in the Garden,” I had already made the decision to pick this up in hardcover because if this was meant to be Stenbeck’s last contribution to the Mignolaverse then I wanted it preserved in that format. Fortunately for me, this wound up being an excellent story that absolutely does justice to the characters involved. If I am going to be gouged this way for a hardcover collection of a three-issue miniseries, then this is how good they need to be in order to not make me feel bad about it.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
Perhaps sensing that fans like me would grumble at paying a premium for this story, Mignola provided seventeen pages of new story and art exclusive for this volume. They tell two stories: The first being about the two men who got in a balloon in the pages of “Koschechi in Hell” and were never seen again. The second being about the slow closing down of Hell. At least, I think that’s what it’s about. It’s hard to really feel involved with either story as they’re made up of the kind of indigestible weirdness that Mignola tends to throw up a lot in his short stories. Still, his art – especially in the first story’s phantasmagoric extremes – is very much on point and who’s really going to complain about seeing more of it here.
So yeah, I appreciated the gesture from Mignola to pad out this volume with some extras that fans of him and his universe would like. It’s good that these stories come off as extra added value on top of the already excellent title story as it’s doubtful they’d stand up to scrutiny if they needed to deliver on their own. If you’re like me, then you probably already own this. However, if you’re also like me and wondering whether this $25 collection of a three issue miniseries (with extras) is worth it, then let me tell you that it is.