Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Illustrated by John SeverinIn the hellish frontiers of the American Wild West, nineteenth–century occult investigator Edward Grey hunts down a fiendish member of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra. What he finds is a town harboring bloodthirsty criminals and terrible supernatural horrors!
* EC Comics legend John Severin (Two–Fisted Tales) rejoins the Hellboy line after his stellar debut in B.P.R.D.: War of Frogs!
* Horror comes to the Wild West!
Sir Edward Grey, the witchfinder returns this week in another “from the pages of Hellboy” gem. If you’re a fan of Hellboy/BPRD and you’re not reading this series, you are missing out.
Find out what I thought after the jump.
If you missed it, the first Witchfinder mini-series was an outstanding one, combining elements of mystery, detective work, action, and the occult into something that is like a Victorian Hellboy (minus some of the bravado). This issue finds the previous mini’s protagonist – Sir Edward Grey – off to the wild wild west, as he’s in hot pursuit of a member of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra (the same group he confronted in the last mini).
This issue sets Grey up as a fish out of water, but at the same time, it also gives him time to stretch his legs as a badass of more overt tendencies. Throwing Grey into a straight up bar brawl was a move from Mignola and Arcudi that quickly reminds readers that this guy is not just a dainty Britishman. He’s an occult detective who also can spar with the best of them.
One of my favorite things that Mignola and Arcudi are capable of doing as a writer is lacing each and every page with a overwhelming feel of dread and foreboding. From the very get go, you can tell something is not right in this ‘burg (well…more not right than usual), and the development of the story is executed perfectly to send chills up your spine.
By the time we get to the end of the book, there’s a glorious turn featuring something big and scary that I find just delicious.
The artist is EC comics legend John Severin – not someone I’m super familiar with, but someone whose work I quite enjoyed here. Whether its the gritty barroom scenes or the mysterious happenings in the church, Severin layers these scenes with an organic feel and sharp, thoughtful storytelling. I very much enjoyed his art, and thought he was a perfect fit for the book.
Witchfinder is a surprising delight, and something that will be missed by a lot of readers. They shouldn’t, as you need no knowledge of previous series or any continuity going in. You just need an open mind and an appreciation of comic books at their finest.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy
