Book Review: Baltimore Vol. 2: The Curse Bells by Mike Mignola et al.

Baltimore Volume 2: The Curse Bells written by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden and art by Ben Stenbeck

Lord Baltimore's world is a fairly bleak one. Just as World War I broke out, a vampire plague ravaged Europe. One vampire in particular, Haigus, ravaged Baltimore's family after Baltimore cut his eye out on the French battlefields. The war stopped and Baltimore began hunting Haigus to get revenge.

Haigus knows Baltimore is on the trail and sets a trap for him. Baltimore is smart enough and tough enough to not be captured. The same cannot be said for Haigus, who is kidnapped by a madman bent on respawning a witch to do his bidding. Baltimore finds him in a convent that has fallen to the plague (yes, that means vampire nuns!). The madman promises the nuns a cure if he can get the witch reborn with their help.

Meanwhile, a psychotic Inquisitor is chasing after Baltimore. He's a border-line parody of religious fanaticism, torturing people in order to "purify" their souls. And to get information on Baltimore. I found his character annoying. He seems inserted just to make Baltimore look more complicated and nuanced than he really is. Maybe he'll be more than a caricature in later stories. Otherwise, the book is enjoyable as a horror comic.