Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #1

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by John Severin

In the letters column, it is mentioned that artist John Severin is 88 years old.  That blows me away, as his art is still so fresh and carefully rendered.  His work here looks terrific, and it definitely makes this book stand out.

With this series, Mignola and Arcudi return to the character of Edward Grey, about whom we still know very little.  It seems that Sir Grey has made his way to Reidlynne Utah, an older mining town (the story is set in 1880), on the trail of an Englishman named Lord Glaren.  Almost immediately upon setting foot in the town, Grey gets himself in trouble with the locals.

His questions at the tavern lead to a gunfight, followed by him being practically run out of town.  It is only the intervention of a mysterious stranger that gives him the chance to escape, and to learn the disturbing story of why the town's church is in ruins.  This issue opens like an issue of Jonah Hex, but quickly returns itself to familiar Mignola-verse grounds.  Even without the fantastic art, I'd be interested to see where this comic is going, but Severin's involvement guarantees that I'll be back for the rest of this run.  I do hope that we get to learn a few things about Grey this time out, as he feels like a total cipher to me, even after reading his first mini-series.