Baltimore Omnibus, Vol. 2

Baltimore #5-8

by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Peter Bergting

Lord Baltimore's quest for vengeance against the Red King escalates in the second half of the Baltimore saga!

Finally armed with the identity of the being responsible for the vampire plague, Baltimore and his band of allies take on the evil around them with a new fervor. Enemies old and new, desperate battles, and strange horror await the reader as they follow Baltimore toward his ultimate destiny.

From writers Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden, with art by Ben Stenbeck (Hellboy, Koshchei the Deathless) and Peter Bergting (Joe Golem: Occult Detective, The Untamed) comes the culmination of the Baltimore series, published for the first time in an omnibus format.

Collects Baltimore hardcover volumes 5-8, with a new bonus story with art by Ben Stenbeck!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Fantasy, War

576 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2020

About the author

Mike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.

In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.

In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.

Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.

Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

With these volumes, Lord Baltimore's focus shifts away from vampires to the Red King. As with most everything Mignola, there ultimately needs to be some elder god returning to earth type plot. And that's fine, because it works great. Baltimore assembles a team of people who have been affected by the supernatural to take care of the supernatural. They fight a lot of badass witches and cults trying to bring back the Red King. Reading this through as all one story, each new story begins with a big time jump. The lack of transitions is jarring. It's like starting over each time and having to wait to see what happened in between stories if you ever find out at all.

I did learn from the introduction that Baltimore and Joe Golem actually take place in the same universe. Mignola and Golden are calling it the Outerverse. I never would have guessed the two are connected.

There is a new story at the end called Monstrous drawn by Ben Stenbeck. It's Lord Baltimore vs. King Kong. It was an odd pairing, but a fun enough little story. As with all of Dark Horse's omnibuses, there are a ton of extras. Over 100 pages of sketches, thumbnails and commentary.

Reviews of each volume can be found below.
Baltimore, Vol. 5: The Apostle and the Witch of Harju ★★★★★
Baltimore, Vol. 6: The Cult of the Red King ★★★★
Baltimore, Vol. 7: Empty Graves ★★★
Baltimore, Vol. 8: The Red Kingdom ★★★★

Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was SUCH a letdown after the flawless first omnibus. They should have quit while they were ahead. Rushed and sloppy, with so many plot holes and unexplained happenings. A worthwhile read, as are all things Mignola, but it could have been so much better.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series has its ups and downs but consumed in Omnibus format it delivers plenty of thrills. Mignola and Golden have created fascinating and dark lore, and memorable characters driven by vengeance. Highly recommended.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so on to the concluding part second part of the series of Lord Baltimore and his hunt for vengeance. Ironically now with the second half in hand there is the danger of spoilers but I can say two things.

The first is that the fight has now gone beyond that of the first book - both in scope and cast upping the stakes considerably.

The second is that Mike Mignola certainly has no fear in ending a story - yes there will be the one off specials and the event celebrations but when it comes to the finish Mr Mignola is a brave man and knows when a story has run its course. How and what happens - well that is for you to find out

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Baltimore focused on Vampires and revenge,  and it was wonderfull. Pulpy action and a easy read. This second and last one focuses more on Witches and elder gods. Its again enjoyable, but not as good as the first. Dont get me wrong,  this isn't a bad book, not at all, the first part gave me huge League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vibes, and its still an  straightforward book that keeps momentum at ant time. But just a little bit less classy then i expected  from Mignola. Still cant wait for more though.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I didn't enjoy this volume quite as much as volume one, but it was still good. The scale of the story got much bigger here and things built to a climax with worldwide consequences.

This is a very underrated series and I will recommend it to any horror comic fan.

[Yaroslav Chernovol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Що ж ось і підійшов кінець другого омнібусу Балтимора. Це була весела і довга подорож. Сподобалось як все закрутилось, масштаб і Міньйола б не був собою, якби не притягнув в цей світ якогось древнього бога.


Після попереднього огляду залишилось ще три історії:


В історії «Культ Багрового короля» команда Балтимора розділяється на дві команди. Одна їде в Одесу на пошуки зачіпок про культ, друга направляється в Санкт-Петербург на пошуки кривавої відьми. Так. На жаль русня тут ще жива. Загалом історія середня. 


В історії "пусті могили" ми більш детально знайомимося з командою лорда Генрі Балтимора. Кожен розказує свою історію боротьби з нечистю. І всі вони розуміють що вони "ходячі мерці". Отут вже та історія цікава. І малюнок хороший. 


Третя історія "Червоне королівство" трохи закидає нас у майбутнє. Пройшло декілька років. Багровий король був викликаний в цей світ. Армії зла і повстанців стикнулись на полі бою. Генрі Балтимор пропав (насправді ні, але сюжетно так). Війна масштабна. Повстанці вирішують організувати одну останню атаку. Все або нічого. Балтимор розкриває, що весь цей час він був під прикриттям для втілення свого плану. Загалом історія шикарна. 


Малюнок Берґтінґа шикарний. Кольори Мішель Медсен шикарні. Особливо сподобався контраст між червоною армією короля та силою смерті (зелений). 


Загалом мені буде сподобалось вся серія Балтимору. Позаяк і кожна довга серія вона має свої вади, злети та падіння. Але я закохався в малюнок Берґтінґа. Розумію що історія доволі пряма. Але чомусь дуже зайшло. Особлива подяка видавництву Мальопус, бо саме завдяки йому я свого часу й захотів більше зануритись у цей світ. Шкода звісно що поки продовження українською певно не буде. 

[Christmas Viking · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first omnibus felt almost intimate as we closely follow the lonesome, laconic Lord Baltimore on his quest for vengeance. This one however, becomes a much broader journey, more epic in scale, with higher stakes, a large cast of characters, and a lot more moving parts.

While still amazing and highly enjoyable, it was a semi-difficult transition (for me) into this omnibus - and for whatever reason they don't really attempt to ease you into it either, between the initial time jump and being introduced to Baltimore's team, you are just thrown in the midst of it. This isn't too jarring, you find your bearings relatively quickly, but the real adjustment for me came with the art.

There was a lack of clarity in a couple of the initial chapters that left me wondering if they accidentally left a few panels out or if my pages somehow stuck together. Some of the moments just needed to breathe a bit more to better convey what was happening. Never once did I feel anything even near that in the first book, everything was so pristine and wondrously clear. I think I read that this one had a different artist, which would make sense.

Overall, I think a few of the chapters could of used a bit more fleshing out and the ending felt a little rushed, but despite all of these qualms it remains an incredible experience, filled with creativity, great storytelling, and memorable art. I really enjoyed this and would be lying if I said I didn't want more!

[Bret Praxmarer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. One of the best horror comics I have ever read. Lord Baltimore is an awesome hero willing to sacrifice everything to win.

Christopher Golden is a master story teller.

[Nickviola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man is this good. I used to go back and forth between Hellboy or BPRD being my favorite, but now this is my favorite Mignola book (for story, format-wise the library editions of Hellboy are the best). Super consistent artwork, great villians with good arcs, great use of leaving gap years between stories if you watch the dates that leave you wondering how things changed or why this person ended up with this group. Sometimes its shaded in later, sometimes not, which I love. The stakes are huge, Baltimore himself is a great character who could easily be one dimensional but is nuanced. Like Hellboy, sometimes alone, sometimes not, but well written in both situations. This was just really good, and very cinematic (not in a "this should be a movie" -although the fact that they remade Hellboy instead of doing this is bananas) in a sprawling settings mixed with claustophobic settings, always intentionally laid out in interesting ways. Beautiful art. I'd say I reread 10% of my books, usually after a few years, but if I dont re-read this within a year or two I'd be surprised.

[Damian Mxyzptlk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh my, what a disappointing finale to an otherwise good story. It feels rushed as if a 5 chapter story was crammed into 4 chapters and I can't help but (again) think that single issue format is to blame. IMO the last chapter should be twice as long, giving the authors a chance to take their time with the final battle. As it is, it was very anticlimactic. So many volumes of build-up and it's all over in some three or four pages, which includes the final conflict and the resolution. Was it cancelled and they had to wrap it up sooner than they wanted? It seems like such a wasted opportunity :(

[Stuart Collie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last book should have been 3 issues longer at least. Just really compressed and rushed which was a shame because the concept was strong

[Madhurabharatula Pranav Rohit Kasinath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baltimore Omnibus Vol 2 picks up a where the first book left off. Haigus is dead and Baltimore is now on a personal crusade to prevent the return of The Red King. Golden and Mignola make several improvements to the story at this point - the most effective one being the fleshed out characters of Baltimore and his companions. We are introduced to Sofia Valk in the first issue and later issues further flesh out his companions - Rigo, Harish and Kidd .

However , there isn’t enough space to really get to know these characters and for the most part Baltimore seems to follow the same beats as Mignola’s Hellboy stories just with Baltimore in Hellboy’s place. The final conflict is a ridiculously condensed version of the conflict in BPRD and is worse off for the rapid pace. There is no space given for an event of this magnitude to breathe- the action suddenly and without warning transforming from an intimate personal revenge story to a world war. The scope gives you immediate whiplash.

This is bad writing and I assume Golden was working with the constraints of time - a larger canvas might not have allowed him to tell the story he wanted so he might have had to sacrifice some plot points. However there are other problems - considering the premium at which his panels were being constructed in hindsight. Why waste panels on members of the team randomly falling in love when there is no build up or impact planned ? Why waste panels on showing a mysterious change to a character ( which only allows the character to wreak havoc on large groups of enemies in the final sequence - a deus ex machina) without giving us what causes the change ?

The best character in the second omnibus Rigo has an entire comic devoted to him but still feels underdeveloped and some segments have ridiculous pacing ( Empty Graves) a segment which is essentially quiet and introspective and less event heavy for three issues that suddenly becomes event heavy for the final issue. Again - tonal whiplash.

It’s also important to understand that this series asks us several important questions without giving adequate thematic payoff’s - Baltimore is often compared to the monsters he fights , there is collateral damage in the fight against the red king with no lasting psychological effect on a majority of the characters ( except Rigo). Golden then effectively exiles Rigo so that our characters don’t have to face the uncomfortable truth and converts Baltimore into an underground spy who suddenly uses tactics he never did before - a man who rushes into a situation sword first shifting to espionage.

Baltimore’s second omnibus is full of excellent and interesting ideas. I love Bergting’s art and Madsen’s colours - but most of these ideas are abortive, half formed and are delivered before they can achieve any form of thematic richness. It feels unsatisfactory after having journeyed so far with Baltimore and being given the promise of so much character work for it to be done so poorly. My bar for Mignola is very very high but the outerverse seems to be a less evolved version of the Hellboy universe with the same elder gods. I think I’ll give it a rest until it shows promise of evolving into something a little different.

[rowan]

Why I read it: In for a penny, in for a pound.

Thoughts: With Baltimore's revenge done in volume 1, it was harder for me to get invested and stay invested in volume 2, even though the stakes were upped in a way that was consistent with the world-building that was done in the previous story arc and entirely predicted/foreshadowed by it. Still, I stayed for the characters. I was curious about what would happen to Baltimore if he did manage to cast the Red King back, and what would happen to the world if he didn't. I liked Sofia and Harish from the first, Childress grew on me to the point I was sad to lose him, Rigo's choices were understandable, and Dr Rose turned out to be...really cool, though I don't know if I just missed how he became what he was at the end, or whether it happened off-page, in the 5ish-year timeskip between Empty Graves and The Red Kingdom.

The art style also felt different for this volume, but in a good way -- not that vol 1 was different in a bad way, more that vol 2 feels surprisingly different and is still very appealing; the characters seem more expressive, which is always good. I think, based on the introduction and the notes at the end, that Mike Mignola was less hands-on with this volume, though the team still ran things by him and asked him to put his own spin on their concepts (very cool to see in the sketchbook section at the end of the volume), but I think that's the explanation for the general style differences.

If I had to pick, I'd say The Witch of Harju was my favourite story from this omnibus. The story itself was a great starter for Baltimore: Part 2, but it also had a black cat show up at Sofia's house when she's preparing her husband's body for burial. She chases the cat around the room with a broom, whacks it once but good, it lands skitteringly on all fours, hisses at Sofia, scampers to the window and turns around to just say: "Bitch." before it skedaddles into the night. It made me snort-laugh when I saw it in the comic. Empty Graves also has a bunch of really cool moments -- each of the stories in the omnibus has a lot of really cool moments, to be frank, and a lot of distinct and interesting-looking character/creature designs. I do wish there were more vampires though, or some enemy as persistent and annoying as Haigus, to keep my interest up.

My last comment is that I think offing as many characters as they did over the course of the story was probably a good choice. I was bummed when they carked it, but that's a good sign. You want readers to go "Oh no, why them" when a character bites the dust, and considering what Baltimore & Crew were going up against, it would have been gratingly unrealistic if there were no casualties.

And the ending was good.

Would I read more from this author: Yes.

Would I recommend it: Yes.

Would I reread it: Yes.

[C. Chambers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painfully disappointing. After the incredible run that the first omni encompassed I was hoping for more of the same, but, unfortunately, something changed. I don't know what happened behind the scenes between vol 4+5, but the volumes collected here are so different it's bad.

First off, after the amazing run of art provided in the last book i completely understand Ben Stenbeck's need for a break. But the artist replacing him in this book pales in comparison. Our monsters look increasingly generic, our protagonist appears frantic or in pain most of the time, and the anatomy presented reminded me of Lemire more than Mignola.

Secondly, Baltimore pulled a "BPRD" and made the volumes collected here a team up. Now, BPRD did this well after Hellboy retreated into his own book by giving a completely different tone, antagonist, setting; everything. Here, they just slap a couple new faces into the book and expect us to care. Where Baltimore had a very personal and self-directed journey in the first book, now the team is just... Searching? For a Red God? And somer way of theoretically killing an immortal being to provide a better version of the world they are in? I don't know, it all seems so disconnected.

Third, where the first collection had an interesting introduction to each new setting and monster with an ever-tightening web of inquisition and demonic forces, here we have a handful of unconnected stories. It appears as if the writing team is attempting to tie up some loose ends and flesh out the world; but when coupled with the problems noted above I simply do not care. How am I supposed to care about the strife of the characters when you decide to wait to give each a proper introduction on page 300? The emotional weight is completely lost.

Side note: why are characters deciding to sacrifice themselves for no reason? In 'The Cult of the Red King' one of the only interesting characters gives up his 'death mask' so that the team could bring a literal CORPSE back to the ship? The guy was dead anyways! Why would he do that?

Anyways, very disappointed from Mignola and co. I'm a huge fan of his work and the Outerverse he has created but DAMN this was bad. My recommendation would be to accept the end of Omni 1 as a fitting conclusion, and just Wikipedia the true ending.

2/5 stars.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this collection even though it has a few things going against it. But the good far outweighs the bad. Now many reviewers complained that the artist change kind of ruined things and I disagree. Ben Stenbeck was the original artist and his work is amazing. His lines and style remind me of Richard Corben. But the new artist, Peter Bergting, is still really great. His biggest sin is that he seems to be figuring out what his style should look like, so it kind of changes in subtle ways every few pages. But it's a much more raw style and it still works really well with this type of story.

My second gripe is that there are some flaws in a couple of the stories. The "Empty Graves" story does have a lot of character building. But it does this at the expense of momentum. I really feel like the writer could have done a lot of this in between the action in the rest of the story. Also in "the Cult of the Red King", the writer makes the poor decision of telling two stories at the same time. I found it confusing, because there are a lot of characters between the two narratives and I felt like I needed to keep a score sheet to keep up between the two. The sad thing is: individually each of these stories is really good.

Now I guess the question is: after all of my gripes, why do I still like is so much? There is still some really great story and monsters and great art to make up for all it's shortcomings. I wish there were more stories coming up in the future, but this feels like an ending. I might be wrong. But so much more could be written based on the rich world that has been created.

[MechaComicReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Baltimore has killed the vampire responsible for murdering his entire family. However, his crusade is not over as the ancient, powerful, and evil Red King prepares to come back into the world and take it as his own. Baltimore works doggedly to kill all sorts of evil in the world and prevent the Red King’s return, and this time he has allies.

I’m really impressed with how well the omnibuses were split between Baltimore. They really show the two dualities of the series. The first omnibus was all about Lord Baltimore seeking revenge while on his own, and the second is Baltimore teaming up with a variety of partners each with their own personal pursuits. Because this is a Mignola book, Baltimore seems the opposite of the Hellboy series where Baltimore goes from a lone character to a team book. What I do appreciate is that Mignola and Golden were able to make the transition effortlessly while also giving Baltimore’s team a variety of ethos and pathos.

And you really do fall in love with some of the characters. However, as those around him constantly stress, people who follow Baltimore are doomed to die as his tools rather than as his friends. It’s an interesting character quirk and something that truly works. Also, Bergting and Stenbeck’s art with colors by the master, Dave Stewart, and Michelle Madsen is fantastic. Clem Robbins is a hero with the lettering, as well. Overall, the trajectory of Baltimore and the entire series is one of the most focused series in Mignola’s oeuvre.

[Nate Ru$$ell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4 leech demons attached to your beloved wife out of 5

I thought this first entry, Vol. 1, was really awesome, and overall stronger than this one. However, this one has a cool cast of characters, more diversity in demons and baddies, and does conclude Lord Baltimore's struggle against the cosmic emperor of evil, or whatever he/it is.

I feel like the plot and story get a bit rushed and formulaic towards the end, which is a damn shame. I think I would have appreciated a slower burn, with more episodic stories along the way of this larger, overarching quest, but it all felt like it came on too fast and a bit too convenient for my taste. Some characters that had a bit of backstory and build up don't end up getting the payoff that they probably deserved, as well.

That all being said, the world that Mignola and co. built is still so cool. Post WW1 Europe/Africa plunged into a gothic steampunk hellscape filled with witches, wraiths, demons, vampires, and fanatical cultists, is such a *chef's kiss* tasty aesthetic that I didn't know I needed! The artwork is fantastic, the plot and character potential are all there, brimming and wanting to pour off of the page, but doesn't always quite get there, unfortunately.

Overall, very enjoyable.

[Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second omnibus concludes the story of Baltimore, tortured soul dragged into war against vampires and aeon old evil by sheer accident. Story begins with Baltimore fighting onslaught of undead in Estonia only to lose his friends to monsters. As story progresses we witness how every loss strikes very hard to the heart and soul of Lord Baltimore. And when he finally tracks down the mysterious Red Witch everything seems to be on the brink of total destruction.

I wont go any further but Evil seems to have an upper hand up to the very end. But even victory of forces of Good can be seen as Pyrrhic victory to a degree because death toll is just too big. All the story arcs click in just wonderfully and characters, their fears and doubts, evolve together with the story. People doubt themselves but find the strength to do what is required - humanity will always persevere.

Art is, as it is always the case with Mike Mignola's universe, excellent. Although artists did switch [from the first omnibus] atmosphere and visual identity of graphic novel remained unchanged.

Highly recommended to all fans of horror fantasy and Mike Mignola's highly imaginative universe.

[Sebastian Lauterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Baltimore assembles his Avengers, so cool!

This is a very different from Book compared to Vol. 1. Whereas he was a loner before, set to complete his revenge, he is now assembling allies in his fight against the Red King, just so he is allowed to die.

We get backstories on most of his cast and many of them die throughout the story, so you can really feel the stakes in this book. Characters from the previous volume are introduced again and the character development is strong here.

While the vampires and evil hordes were much more subtle and hidden in the shadows before, they are not hidden at all and fully in the open. The red army looks glorious.

The book is allowed to have an ending, although it does feel a bit rushed.

The artwork is great, I still dislike the covers though.

All in all, this is a fun read and for me a stronger entry than Vol. 1 was, albeit it still has some of it's issues (invincible main character).

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A brooding loner with a mysterious past does battle across the world with ancient creatures of folklore and mythology, slowing coming to understand his central role in a much larger battle." If that synopsis sounds familiar, it's because Mignola did the exact same thing with Hellboy, and like Hellboy, Baltimore as a series is better in conception than execution, falling into a stale and predictable pattern that fails to produce an impactful conclusion. Design and artwork are as glorious as ever, but by the end of this lengthy omnibus the reader will be desperate for something more than ghouls being slaughtered by a humorless, lifeless hero.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of the comic book series Baltimore. Lord Baltimore has established himself as the one man on Earth who can stand against the Red King, father of all of the nightmare creatures that now inhabit our world. Baltimore has lost none of his ruthlessness, however, he realises he cannot kill the Red King alone. This volume concludes Baltimore's mission one way or another - with the world wreathed in red flame or a world shaken and ruined with a small ray of hope to begin rebuilding it.

Plot: I still enjoyed this volume of Baltimore, however, I felt that the plot was a little weaker than this first. Partly, I felt that the plot was a little rushed and that Baltimore's story could have been told for a little longer without it going on for too long. I did like the group that Baltimore had around him, again I feel like a little more time spent with them would have been amazing, but they all had a horrific story behind why they had joined the team. I did feel that the horror was a little lacking in this one, I wasn't as freaked out in this volume as in the first but still a great series worth investing in. Great for horror, vampire and Hellboy fans!
Art: Perfect. That's all I need to say.
Rating: 3/5 stars

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series: Baltimore #5-8
Rating: 3 stars - I liked it

Lord Baltimore is still alive and fighting monsters. This time he is fighting witches who are trying to bring back a monster. It was a violent battle with a lot of friends lost for Baltimore. While I enjoyed this series overall, I feel like some of the chapters in this collection were slightly boring. I just wasn’t as interested in connecting with the other members of his team considering they keep dying.

You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great mike mignola story- of course it is going to be compared to Hellboy and it’s good but Hellboy is legendary. If you are only going to read one Mignolaverse project read that one.

This story is a revenge tale, Baltimore is hunting vampires and comes across a bunch of creepy monsters: I have read this collection a few times and always enjoy it- it has all the creepy churches and dark alleys you could want!

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always harder to nail the landing than to set up a great story. I still like this volume, especially with Baltimore's posse involved, just not quite as much as the first half. Definitely worth reading to see how it ends - didn't end the way I would have expected given what a character said earlier in the series, but it did end.

I was a little confused about what happened to Dr. Rose, or how it happened at least. I feel like that wasn't made clear, even upon re-reading.

[Etain · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VERY mixed bag.
This omnibus feels like it's just sort of fumbling around for the majority of it's pages. Pulling focus in random directions and leaving tons of important events off panel but that ending was fantastic so it did pay off.
It has the opposite of problem of most series where it knows exactly how it wants to end but doesn't really know how to properly build up to it. This could have been a masterpiece. It's a damn shame.

[Jason Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I am happy to have a resolution to Baltimore’s story, which ended on a cliffhanger in the novel. There were some really interesting ideas here, and I loved the epic nature of the story, but there were some plot threads left dangling and the actual denouement was fairly abrupt and anticlimactic. Yet, overall, still a solid read. But, this makes me not want to commit to reading Mignola’s Hellboy series, beyond what I already have.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this significantly less than the first half, mostly because it became extremely focused on getting to a finale and lost some of the pleasure of roaming around the world fighting monsters. I also didn't think the ending was very satisfying. Still, worth a read, particularly if you enjoyed the first volume.

[Corey Florucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mignola's best work so far, though I haven't finished Hellboy yet.

Baltimore is a power house and the art/lore is amazing.

5/5 hogs still in the 2nd half of the series. Execution, art, writing, world all perfect. Could not have been better.

[Cyborg]

It's hard to say anything bad about these comics. The writing, art, coloring and pacing are all great. It's a serious horror comic but somehow the seriousness isn't off putting or ill-placed like in some other comics. The whole series is great.