The second installment of this Baltimore series continues the bloodbath as demon-powered zombies refuse to stop pulling limbs off of innocent peasants. Is it good?
Baltimore: The Witch of Harju #2 (Dark Horse Comics)
I’m not as fond of this current run with Lord Baltimore just because zombies have been a bit overused of late. Granted, these are merely animated bodies that are vessels for something much darker, but that’s essentially what a zombie is anyway. This issue packs a heavy dose of carnage, which allows artist Paul Bergting to paint some panels red against the otherwise dull scenes of the small town of Harju. We also get our first encounter with witch of Harju which only lasts a page, but hopefully the next issue will include more because she’s illustrated really well.
While Baltimore isn’t my favorite series, it’s usually a pretty dependable one. It reminds me a lot of Johnny Quest (If any of you remember that show) with its paranormal adventures, compact and formulaic structure, and its range of shock value. This run hasn’t thrown anything at you that’ll surprise you. The witch backstory and small creepy town are pretty generic and will be lost with the other Salem-esque tales that have been generated over time. The only thing you’ll remember in a few months is a handful of cool scenes where the witch transforms to a raven and a zombie is lit on fire, as seen below:
Is It Good?
You get a simple origin story for the witch and get to see a couple of demons pop out of zombie chests like the scene from Alien. Other than that it’s a pretty forgettable issue.
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