I did read issue #2, and it was pretty good. We finally got to see Baltimore face-to-face with Judge Duvic. This month’s issue resolves most of the mystery surrounding the train, but opens up a whole new can of worms with some more information about the Red King and a hint as to why Baltimore is so good at killing monsters. Issue #3 is of course the last issue of the Infernal Train, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing much more of Signora Fulcanelli and her furnace, but there’s an interesting development with Judge Duvic toward the end of this issue. I don’t want to say anything more detailed, but this particular twist has been foreshadowed for a few issues now.
Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden‘s story and dialogue are as great as they’ve always been in this series, the highlights of course being Baltimore’s lines as he fights off the undead, as well as the descriptions of the ancient vampires and the Red King. Added to the exposition from last month’s issue, the big picture behind the vampire plague is really starting to develop, and it’s pretty cool.
Ben Stenbeck gets to draw bloody action scenes and explosions in this issue, and Dave Stewart is left with the choice of several shades of red in the Red King sequence (and of course all the blood and gore). In particular, the gruesome scene in the last few pages of the comic really stands out, and throughout the issue Stenbeck’s art is very efficient, showing a lot of action in just a few panels.
When Baltimore began, I was worried that it might end up being too similar to Hellboy or BPRD, or that it might end up like Lobster Johnson – full of cool action, but without much substance (I liked the Iron Prometheus, but the newer issues don’t seem as interesting). Thankfully, Baltimore is shaping up to be one of my favorite recent comics. Sure, it has some similarities to Hellboy, but Baltimore has carved out its own niche, with a unique setting and characters that are more interesting than you might expect at first.
Baltimore – the Infernal Train #3 is definitely worth the cover price of $3.50, and I highly recommend it to anyone reading this series. If you’re new to Baltimore, you should probably start from the beginning; a lot has happened up to this point in the story, and a few plot points won’t make as much sense without earlier events. Besides, the first issue is back for a while at a low price. If you like that, you’ll probably like the rest of the series.
Danilo Culibrk, aka Augustus, is a staff writer for the Red Shirt Crew. He’ll never rest until he tracks down the ancient vampire that cursed him with insomnia. You can follow him on the wings of giant bats on Twitter at @Augustusing.
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