“Witchfinder: The Reign of Darkness” is a story that’s lived in Mike Mignola’s head since at least 2008—the story of Jack the Ripper. Now readers finally get to find out what really happened to Sir Edward Grey in 1888 and 1889. For readers that’ve been waiting for over a decade for this story, this is going to be a gratifying read.
Written by Mike Mignola and Chris RobersonCover by Christopher Mitten
Illustrated by Christopher Mitten
Colored by Michelle Madsen
Lettered by Clem RobinsSir Edward Grey takes on London’s most famous serial killer! But he’s the only one who thinks Jack the Ripper’s murders have an occult purpose. When Scotland Yard turns its back on him, Grey finds an ally in American occult adventurer Sarah Jewell. But the forces allied against their investigation are more powerful than either one of them imagines!
Right away this is a different kind of “Witchfinder” story. In the past, the stories take place over a relatively short period of time. Sir Edward Grey quickly gets a lead and runs with it. However, the Jack the Ripper story spans late 1888 to February 1889, when Sir Edward left Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s service. Roberson tackles this by setting the story in February 1889 with Sir Edward explaining the case. This isn’t entirely new—we’ve had Sir Edward tell stories through journal entries before, so there’s some familiarity to this structure, but because there’s another agent in the story, the mysterious person interviewing Sir Edward, the narration is less formal than usual. Sir Edward being Sir Edward, there’s still going to be a certain amount of his haughty attitude in the mix, but this story format makes the comic feels far less rigid than usual.
This also comes from Christopher Mitten’s art too. Mitten’s Grey rarely scowls, an expression that was very much a staple of Ben Stenbeck’s, Tyler Crook’s, and D’Israeli’s versions of Sir Edward. While the character is as driven and myopic as he ever was, there’s a sense that since we last saw him in 1884, he’s loosened up a bit. Perhaps this is the effect of being around Simon Bruttenholm and Honora Grant, though I’m more inclined to think it’s the influence of the more down-to-earth Miss Goad.
‘The Reign of Darkness’ isn’t the first time Mitten has drawn Sir Edward. He previously drew him in a flashback sequence in “Rise of the Black Flame” and in the short story ‘The Great Blizzard,’ however both appearances were later in Sir Edward’s career during the 1890s and 1900s at a time when he’s working with people that he respects and with people that challenge him, like Sarah Jewell. The way Mitten tackles Sir Edward isn’t a flaw exactly, but at least in this first issue, we’re not getting a strong sense of where this change has come from yet, and considering it is so significant, I’m hoping future issues explore this. After all, four years have passed and this is such a notable break in characterization.
At the moment, this change seems mostly driven by the art. It’s not hard to imagine many of these scenes playing out the same way but with a scowl instead. This is where the rotating artists approach to “Witchfinder” can dilute a story. The body language of Sir Edward changes so drastically from story to story that there’s no way to portray subtle shifts in character, which limits the story characterization to broad strokes.
As for the writing, Chris Roberson never seems more at home than when he’s writing Sir Edward Grey. There’s no grinding of gears here; Roberson gets “Witchfinder” and it’s a smooth ride. That’s not to say he’s coasting either. Roberson’s run on “Witchfinder” is notable in that each miniseries expands the world of the character, and given that the Jack the Ripper case is one that leaves Sir Edward forever changed, I’m eager to see what Roberson has in store for us. So far, it’s interesting to see how Sir Edward takes failure. After all, by the time this story begins he’s already been on the case for a few months, and it seems his ego’s a little bruised, even if he isn’t willing to admit it.
Continued belowI especially enjoyed seeing how his relationship with Miss Goad has progressed. While he’s still not quite treating her as his equal, he’s certainly treating her far better than everyone else. Miss Goad has gained Sir Edward’s respect, even if his consideration is still lacking. There’s that sense that when Miss Goad disagrees with Sir Edward, she’d likely hold her tongue to save herself the trouble of dealing with his condescension. We’ve seen who Sir Edward becomes; we know he eventually learns humility and the way this is set up, it appears Sir Edward is going to get his first harsh lesson.
All that heavy stuff aside for a moment, I love that Roberson gets the comedy of “Witchfinder” too. It’s a crucial aspect of the series, and Roberson never forgets that, and in fact he weaves it in with so many other pieces that the story simply flows through the comedy, and at points even lets it take the narrative wheel. Without comedy, Sir Edward’s attitude could get overbearing, but Roberson keeps ‘The Reign of Darkness’ from being, well, too dark.
‘The Reign of Darkness’ also sees colorist Michelle Madsen returning. After such a striking visual departure in ‘The Gates of Heaven,’ Madsen settles back into color palettes more familiar to her work in ‘City of the Dead.’ Even with a new artist on the title, Madsen grounds the art so that we feel like we’re back in the world of “Witchfinder” we know. She’s been working in the Hellboy Universe for a while now, and she’s gotten better at finding a color language that’s consistent with Dave Stewart’s foundation. If you look at this issue alongside Stewart’s work in “Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon,” you can see how closely she’s been paying attention.
I don’t want to mistake consistency for imitation though. Madsen isn’t simply trying to copy Stewart, but rather she’s paying attention to his established color language and using it, but using it in a way that is uniquely hers. For example, there’s a moment when someone is feeling green from looking at a grisly murder scene, and Madsen colored the entire panel with sickly greens. The way she does this will look familiar to Stewart’s work, but the ideas she’s expressing and the sense of playfulness there are pure Madsen.
“Witchfinder: The Reign of Darkness” #1 has the burden of a pretty substantial time jump to deal with at the outset, and yet the creative team finds the story’s legs fast. We get into the mystery straight away, there’s momentum right from the first page. Ah, “Witchfinder,” I’ve missed you!
Final verdict: 8 – Everything appears to be in place for what could be Sir Edward Grey’s most defining story to date.
