The latest mini set in the past of the Mignolaverse wraps up, and packs a mighty wallop between the covers.
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Illustrated by Laurence CampbellA battle between the Black Flame and the iron soldier known as Sledgehammer heats up as the fight over a cutting-edge American warplane explodes in the sky!
David: Brian, it feels like this just started, but the latest action packed Sledgehammer ’44 mini has concluded, and Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Laurence Campbell bring the ruckus in this issue. What did you think of the final chapter of the latest Sledge story?
Brian: This was about as full-tilt action comic as a Mignola book can get and, frankly, I loved every panel of it. Seeing the Black Flame and Sledgehammer sock it out in the sky and on ground? Does it get any better than that?
David: Maybe if it was drawn by Laurence Campbell. OH WAIT. IT WAS. It was totally awesome, and it made a whole lot of sense that this last issue would be a slugfest, and it did not disappoint. I loved everything about the basically whole issue fight sequence, and you could feel the power coming off the page as Campbell delivered blow after blow. That they tied it into Redding maintaining his humanity and getting a last gasp of goodness out before his (real) demise made this the most heartbreaking robot death since The Iron Giant.
But is this the end of the Sledgehammer suit? I didn’t read the letters column afterwards, which normally hints at a book’s future, so I’m not sure if they mentioned it.
Brian: I did read the letters column, and there was no mention of future Sledgehammer adventures, but we know that the Vril energy has an important role in the Mignolaverse, so I’m sure we’ll see that brought back up at some point.
Let’s talk Laurence Campbell for a second. As you mentioned above, he’s a complete beast, and he really gives this issue his all. We also need to give respect to Dave Stewart, whose perfect, blinding coloring of the Vril energy made the book feel deadly while still looking gorgeous. Their work in this issue runs the gamut of tone and style – the aerial combat was just as stunning as the blasts of power, which were as bright as the last two pages were beautiful. As is often the case with Mignola books, the art on this is exceptionally great, going above and beyond the already lofty expectations I had set for it.
David: Yeah, Laurence thrilled us with his work in last year’s “Wasteland” arc in B.P.R.D., and this is certainly comparable to the work in that. I love the atmosphere he creates with shot angles and where he places the camera in general, and he’s just a brilliant storyteller that succeeds equally at big moments like the fight and smaller ones like the close of the issue. Stewart, as you mentioned, really elevates Campbell’s work, and the contrast between the Black Flame and the nighttime setting with the burst of Vril energy were spellbinding.
This is one damn fine looking book.
Let’s talk about the story in general, which as I said gave us the end to Redding’s story. How do you feel they did on giving him closure? I personally loved the emphasis on how Redding personally valued one soldier’s life more than a big ass boomerang plane that was a higher priority on their list.
Brian: I agree – those last two pages were really cool and, I have to say, very unexpected. If we ever see the afterlife in Mignola books, it is the spellbinding, twisted hell of “Hellboy in Hell,” not the etherial majesty that we saw here. This issue gave Redding the first real character moments since the end of the first “Sledgehammer” mini. No longer just a homunculus inside of this giant suit, we saw the man inside that suit step outside of the giant metallic suit and let himself show. I know that sounds corny, but this was some downright inspirational stuff.
Continued belowOne of my favorite pieces is how the Black Flame kept referring to him as “Turtle” – I doubt the Black Flame is a time-traveling Entourage fan (see what I did there?), but the name is an absolutely perfect one – a fragile man inside of a big, protective suit. It was just insulting enough, while being accurate, to really sting each time it appeared on the page. That was a great touch.
David: Yeah, it really was. That was the thing that this mini really succeeded in, outside of art. Infusing something that could be a monstrous, empty shell of power with true humanity, and never losing sight of who Redding was and what he wanted to be as the spirit that powered the suit. I actually liked this far more than the original mini, and I really hope more comes from Sledge.
Were there any other things of note you wanted to bring up? The Black Flame was awesome, but I’m not sure if there were any real notable moments of import that I picked up on as I was reading, in terms of an overarching sense, so if you had anything in that regard I’d be all ears!
Brian: The question I was left with, vis a vis the Black Flame, was exactly what happened to him when all the Vril energy leaked out of the Sledge suit? It is presumed that it “killed” him, but we both know that things aren’t so cut and dry when it comes to the Black Flame. I’m drawing a blank as to if this is the “last” time we see the Black Flame before being resurrected in “B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame” some sixty years later, but I would presume that this is what puts the Black Flame on the shelf for all that time, no?
David: Yeah, that’s the last time we saw him, but who knows. That’s the fun thing about the huge gap between the main story and this one. There are decades of unknown history for us to fill, and we have moments like the one in issue #1 (or was it issue #2?) where the origin of the photo of the Black Flame hanging out on the wing of a plane was revealed after us seeing it first in B.P.R.D. The Dead. He could appear 10 more times! I doubt it, but we really don’t know! It should be very interesting finding that out though.
Brian: Anything else noteworthy you want to discuss before grading?
David: Not really, besides that if Dark Horse is wondering if we want more, we do. Presuming it’s of equal quality, of course.
I’ll give this bad boy an 8.5. Rock ’em sock ’em stuff here that makes me want to read more with the character. Job well done by all. What do you give it?
Brian: 8.5 sounds right on the money.
And, to echo David’s point, yes we want more Sledgehammer. Just to have a little fun here, after the first, Jason Latour-penciled mini and now this Campbell-penciled mini, who would be your choice for a third series? Would you like to see one of the first two come back, or move on to a new guy or gal?
David: Given that the ideas behind both Sledge minis so far have been a good bit different, I’d like to see them rotate artists depending on the direction of the book. I have no idea what direction that would be or who the artist is, that’s for them to figure out, but I’d be in for that for sure. You?
Brian: I tend to agree – a rotating team of artists following the suit/Vril energy through time would be fun. Latour’s pencils gave a real classic, boots on the ground war-comic vibe, whereas Campbell’s played up the aerial/energy battles. So, depending where the suit shows up next, the artist should be able to showcase an entirely different circumstance. I’d love to see something set in the jungles of Vietnam, or in the harsh tundra during the Cold War, or various other spots of interest.
As for specific artists, one of my favorites who has Mignolaverse ties is Peter Snejbjerg – so I’ll throw my vote in his favor.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy
