Lady Baltimore

Lord Henry Baltimore’s story ended, appropriately enough, with his death.  (Spoilers for a series that wrapped up five years ago.)  However, his monster-hunting, witch-killing legacy lives on thanks to his former comrade-in-arms Sofia Valk, who has assumed his last name and responsibilities.  She’s been living up to them these past thirteen years and with her own, magically-powered and otherwise, group of companions.  Things take a turn when she encounters Rigo, the Inquisitor turned follower of Baltimore from the previous series, while taking down a particularly powerful witch.  While Sofia doesn’t care much for the man himself, his news gives her pause.  New battlegrounds are emerging in 1938 as the world creeps closer to another war, and the spirit of Lord Baltimore has been seen wandering them.  Has the man come back from his eternal rest, or is it evidence of a far more sinister plot at hand?

After “Baltimore” wrapped up in a pretty conclusive fashion, I was wondering why co-writers Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden, with newcomer Bridgit Connell providing the art, felt the need to revisit this part of their Outerverse.  I’m still left wondering as, though this volume tells a self-contained story, the door is left open at the end for future stories with no definite plan in place.  “Lady Baltimore” is still a good read, however, mainly due to how it plays with your expectations.  Let’s just say that while I’m used to seeing the good guys behind the eightball on a regular basis in the Mignolaverse, there’s a lot more struggle between both sides here.  Connell also does good in delivering work that’s appropriately macabre when the situation calls for it, and generally pleasing all other times.  It all adds up to a miniseries that’s perfectly fine, and even a little better than what I was expecting, but not quite good enough to warrant the full-on “Baltimore” revival that its creators appear to be angling for here.