Reviews

Baltimore Omnibus Volume 1 by Mike Mignola, Peter Bergting, Christopher Golden, Michelle Madsen, Ben Stenbeck

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somethingsnappy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

zare_i's review against another edition

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5.0

This was unexpectedly good surprise. Very like Solomon Kane our protagonist Lord Baltimore is a haunted man. Due to the blind luck Baltimore survives in WW1 trenches in France (in parallel universe where WW1 carnage is stopped because of mysterious plague) and becomes a witness to nightmarish event. Haunted by it he travels back home but soon comes to realize that he can not go back to normal life.

We encounter him as a wandering warrior hunting his nemesis across Europe. Wielding a saber and harpoon he mercilessly slays any creature on his way. He is not there to help others but to punish the one who brought him misery and destroyed his life. This single mindedness will cause everyone else to see him as an Angel of Death, man behind whom bodies drop left and right - and not just of the vile creatures that are waking throughout the land. Pushed by the suffering of the people he is forced t0 help them although every such action he sees as a diversion that slows him on his way of vengeance. All stories are horror stories and people die, authors managed to capture the sheer desperation and fear as people are confronted by various monsters and shapeshifters and just try to survive. Atmosphere is very much like end-of-days in last Hellboy story arc but much more nuanced and effective.

Characters are just excellent, from the granddaughter of the old witch to haunted Inquisitor who is true to that saying "Kill them all and let the Heavens sort them out, if they are innocent they will go directly to Paradise". Story-wise this is one of the best Mignola-universe story arcs I read so far. Truly a gem.

Besides the main story-line omnibus contains several short stories that are of great quality, I found the short story "The Tank" especially interesting.

Art is top-notch, but this is something that is almost standard with all books coming from Hellboy authors.

Baltimore is very interesting hero and I got hooked. Recommended to all fans of sword-and-sorcery stories.

jonhutchings's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

latterature's review against another edition

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3.0

Delightfully grim and gothic, though Mignola's insistence on constantly delaying any sense of narrative catharsis wears thin; after an entire omnibus of brooding and ghoul-slaying, the titular Baltimore is still yet to achieve anything memorable.

manwithanagenda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Being able to read this as an omnibus makes all the difference. The story is immersive and there's a lot I would have missed if I had to wait between issues.

I'm not sure if I'll continue to the next volume, however, as the story does have a bit of 'Walking Dead' vibe where any progress has to be nullified almost immediately and we're back at square one. I like a story with a conclusion.