Golden and Bergting really twist the knife in an issue that makes its leads suffer.
Written by Mike Mignola and Christopher GoldenCover by Ben Stenbeck
Illustrated by Peter Bergting
Colored by Michelle Madsen
Lettered by Clem RobinsThe allied armies battle their way through the Vatican on Coronation Day and lose lives along the way, but defeating the Red King will not be as simple as they suspected.
So close to the end of “Baltimore,” I’m not even going to try to talk around spoilers. You have been warned.
Those that tie their fate to Lord Baltimore condemn themselves. This was true in the illustrated prose novel and it’s been true in the comic series—we’ve seen this time and time again. However, the death in this issue, of Mr. Kidd, was so unlike the others we’ve seen before.
It was merciful.
Kidd doesn’t suffer, he isn’t brought to ruin before his eventual death, his corpse isn’t desecrated. Kidd is simply shot. He’s there one moment and then gone the next. He still died, but he was spared somewhat, and I cannot help but wonder if this is because Baltimore turned his back on him for two years. Is this what bought Kidd this mercy? Certainly it’s no mercy for Lord Baltimore, who has to leave his friend’s death unavenged. He cannot even retrieve his corpse.
Together Golden and Bergting do an excellent job here of showing what this death means to Lord Baltimore. Kidd cannot be allowed to die in vain, so Baltimore continues on his quest, picking up the scarlet uniform of the Red King’s soldiers… It’s a powerful image, a way of saying Kidd’s blood is on Baltimore’s hands.
While Kidd got off easy, Mr. Rose did not. Given all he done to aid Baltimore over the years, it’s little wonder he’s made to suffer as much as he has. The doctor, once a man of healing, has become a plague weapon against the red army. Rose’s suffering is an utter perversion of his being.
But, even with what’s going on with Dr. Rose, the whole sequence with the attack on the Vatican felt somewhat restrained. As written, it’s very dramatic, and Bergting’s panel composition suitably reflects this. Initially, I couldn’t figure out why, but on a second read I caught it. The colors in the sequence don’t externalize the character’s internal emotions. In terms of color, the dramatic moments are the actions and the fire, but the emotional moments—Dr. Rose unleashing his disease on the red army, and Judge Rigo learning the Red King isn’t there—are colored much the same as the other panels around them.
Color as punctuation for internal emotion is something Dave Stewart did all the time on his run on “Baltimore,” and it’s something I’d taken for granted as simply a part of the comic’s visual language.
This isn’t the first time I’ve had problems with Michelle Madsen’s coloring on the series. In the previous issue, I spoke about the lack of contrast between interior and exterior panels in the final scene. And again in this issue the problem with contrast remains.
Just prior to the Vatican attack, there’s a panel in which Judge Rigo notices Dr. Rose is on the plane with them. The problem was, I didn’t immediately notice Dr. Rose. Even though Bergting went to the trouble of framing him with the curtains, Rose blends into the background. If you shift the artwork to grayscale, the problem becomes obvious immediately.
Below: Panel desaturated
The narrow range of contrast in this image is startling. There’s barely even any separation between background and foreground elements. Given the tremendous work Stewart has done on the series, I must admit I’m rather saddened to see the final arc of “Baltimore” presented so flatly. Madsen’s colors are a murky imitation of what the series’ colors once were. Looking through the issue, it’s not hard to find key moments when Bergting has composed a dramatic panel, but its impact is muted by its colors.
Continued belowAfter the Vatican attack, there’s a scene with Baltimore, Sofia, and Harish driving before being stopped by the Red King’s cultists. Some of these cultists are with Baltimore and turn on the others. What I like about this scene is the way it evolves the dynamic between the three leads. Up until now, we’ve been led to believe that Sofia had Lord Baltimore’s confidence, and yet it seems even she is not aware of Lord Baltimore’s full plans.
Both Sofia and Harish have given up, and it’s an ugly thing to see them wear. The pain of Kidd’s death only serves to further drive the two further apart. Baltimore, however, seems calm, almost unnervingly casual. I’m not sure if this is the intended reading or not, but my interpretation of this scene is that he knows he’s been forged into something beyond a man, made into a weapon against the Red King, and he simply trusts that the process is complete and he is what he needs to be.
Given how calm Baltimore is and how little he’s told his companions, it’s pretty clear he always knew the trap that lay ahead for Rigo and the other Inquisitors, but he sent them anyway, knowing the Red King would need to think his trap would succeed. I’m very curious to see how this plays out in the final issue. The character of Judge Rigo must’ve been reintroduced for a reason, but so far he’s seemingly just been along for the ride. Surely he must serve some purpose before the end.
Wow. The end. Next issue truly is the last. I can’t imagine how this is going to wrap up in a mere twenty-two pages.
Final verdict: 7. I would have given this issue a higher grade, but the colors held it back.
