Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #5

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by John Severin

Three Mignola books in one week is quite a treat, although it probably would make more business sense were Dark Horse to stagger them so that Mignola fans would have a reason to go to the comic store each week.

Anyway, this second Witchfinder series ends very well, as Grey and his new friend Morg confront Eris, along with her army of zombies.  Stuff gets explained, and Grey finishes his mission.  What interested me most about this book was the way in which the final page explains the impact this mission had on Grey's entire career.

The highpoint of this series for me was John Severin's art.  He truly is a master of the craft, and at his advanced age, is as good an artist as he ever was.  I'm not sure how long we're going to have to wait before we see Sir Edward Grey again, but I hope it's not too long.

Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #4

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by John Severin

There's been an ebb and flow to this series.  It started off very well, but dipped a little in the middle, almost as if Mignola and Arcudi were struggling to make sure that the book would last a full five issues.

This month's installment doesn't suffer from those problems much, as it has Grey and his new friend Kaler make their way to a mine that showed up in Grey's dreams, which they figure will be significant to their mission, which appears to be taking out a white woman named Eris, who has has led a group of Native Americans to a white man, who has been possessed by an Aboriginal spirit.  Got all that?  There's also the return of all the townsfolk that had disappeared in a church a ways back, except they have returned as zombies.  As I try to summarize what's been going on in this series, I realize how odd it all sounds, although the story telling has been very clear and easy to follow as I've been reading it.

Of course, with comics legend John Severin on the artwork, that's easily understood.  He does another terrific job in this issue, both with the chaotic action scenes and with the more pastoral images that are being recounted by the Aboriginal spirit.  I love the casual way in which he depicts Kaler brushing off a zombie hand that has a grip on his arm.  I look forward to reading the end of this series next month.

Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #3

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by John Severin

Often, with comics in the exact middle of their run or arc, it's difficult to find much to say about them in a review.  It's much easier at the start of a new series, as there is always plenty to talk about.  When a run finishes, it's always tempting to look back over the finished piece in its entirety.  But, when you're in the middle of the story, there's not always much to talk about.

That seems to be the case with this issue of Witchfinder.  I am enjoying the book a great deal (definitely more than I did the first volume), and I am absolutely adoring the art of John Severin.  There's just not much of note that happens in this issue, except for a few things that serve to advance the plot.

Grey and his new friend deal with the undead creature that attacked them before, and are later attacked by a strange dog-creature.  They are slowly getting to know one another better, although there is a lot of mystery still surrounding Morgan.  Also, the man that Grey has come to America to find finally turns up, in a strange scene involving a local Aboriginal tribe.  It's good stuff.

Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: Lost and Gone Forever #2

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by John Severin

It's impossible to read this comic and not marvel at the artwork of John Severin.  Sure, he's always been a great artist, but to read this comic and realize that he's still drawing like this at the age of eighty-nine is astounding.

This volume of Witchfinder has been very different from the first.  It has Sir Grey tramping around the American Southwest looking for someone, and he's fallen in with a friendly man who seems only too happy to help him (although we as yet know next to nothing about this man, except that he helps take care of another man who is mentally challenged).

This issue has a witch ministering to an Aboriginal group, and a strange figure taking pot shots at Grey on the prairie.  Most interesting though are the scenes where Grey talks about hunting down a werewolf at the age of twelve.  Grey has often felt like a cipher in his own comics, so it's good that we're getting the chance to learn a little bit more about him and his background.  He's still a difficult character to get a solid hold on, which can be frustrating, but also makes the comic interesting.

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.

The Hellboy Project: Sir Edward Grey Witchfinder Vol. 1: In the Service of Angels

Written by Mike Mignola with Scott Allie
Art by Ben Stenbeck with Patric Reynolds

I really enjoyed this unusual entry into the Hellboy mythos.  Mignola has made some small use of the character of Sir Edward Grey, a paranormal detective who worked for the crown in Victorian England, having him appear in previous Hellboy stories, but this is the first time he's been given the stage all to himself, and it's a remarkable debut.

Grey, who hates being called 'Witchfinder', is sent to investigate some mysterious deaths of men whose bodies are being found without any blood.  While a vampire is an obvious choice, Grey soon discovers that these men were all involved in an expedition to an ancient Hyperborean city, and that they brought back with them the skeleton of a creature (the kind we've seen before in the Hollow Earth volume of BPRD).

To combat the spirit of this creature, Grey ends up working with some very interesting characters.  There is The Captain, who seems to be a leader in London's underworld, and Mary, a medium whose brother works as her spiritual pimp.  We also get a brief appearance by Martin Gilfryd, who goes on to great prominence in the BPRD series.  Of course, working in the shadows are the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra, another organization of note in the Mignola-verse.

This book is tightly plotted and intense, although most of the credit for its success lies with Ben Stenbeck's terrific artwork.  His vision of Victorian England is gritty and detailed, and I enjoyed his designs for some of the more fantastical elements of the story.  If you've not read any of Mignola's books, this volume stands alone quite well, and can be used to gain an appreciation of the work he has been doing.