Baltimore vol. 4: Chapel of Bones

After reading this volume I am utterly convinced that Lord Henry Baltimore’s wallet also has the inscription “BAD MOTHERFUCKER” on it.

I mean, if his monster hunting exploits in the previous volumes didn’t establish this then there’s plenty more evidence here.  Going toe-to-toe with the mad Inquisitor Duvic.  Taking out vampires with a large-caliber handcannon.  Fighting more vampires on the roof of a speeding train at night in the rain.  Using his hatred to break a witch’s spell.  Baltimore does all of this in the course of his personal quest for vengeance against the vampire Haigus which comes to a climax in the second story within this volume.  Yet, for all of his courage and fearlessness, the title character remains a tragic figure as his quest for vengeance has damned him to becoming a pawn in a conflict much greater than himself.  Even with the odds stacked squarely against him, he remains observant of fighting with honor and playing by the rules even if they don’t favor him.  That he ultimately comes out ahead is just one more sign of his badassness.

There’s also something refreshing about this series in comparison to Mignola’s other works.  While the shared universe of “Hellboy,” “B.P.R.D.,” “Abe Sapien,” and others is an impressive achievement, it has also accumulated a certain amount of sprawl when you consider the history, casts, and continuity that one has to keep track of in order to get the most out of it.  In the case of “Baltimore,” Mignola and co-writer Christopher Golden have given us a more focused quest with everything revolving around our protagonist and his odyssey.  However, Baltimore’s final showdown with Haigus is somewhat anticlimactic since their battle is more of a transition point than a payoff for what has come before.  I will say that the new direction for the title character’s journey does sound very interesting and effectively builds on what has come before.  Throw in Ben Stenbeck’s beautifully atmospheric, yet clear and kinetic, artwork and I can’t imagine not following up on what this series has to offer in the future.