Baltimore:The Plague Ships

[gdeo]

#4 is out tomorrow!!!

[gdeo]

man ,what a great issue....it's the novel come to life!

[ChristopherGolden]

Thanks amigo. THE PLAGUE SHIPS has been an interesting balance, trying to make sure that we could tell a brand new BALTIMORE story while still including enough of his past so that readers unfamiliar with the novel would understand what he's been through, and what the stakes are. Thanks to Ben and Dave, I think most people are more than happy to have the backstory in there. It looks amazing.

And now we move forward with PLAGUE SHIPS #5, the FCBD story ("A Passing Stranger") and THE CURSE BELLS, which is already under way.

It's such a pleasure to work on this book. I can't wait to read the whole thing as a collection, start to finish, and see what wonderful things Stenbeck and Stewart have wrought.

[Kees_L]

THE PLAGUE SHIPS has been an interesting balance, trying to make sure that we could tell a brand new BALTIMORE story while still including enough of his past so that readers unfamiliar with the novel would understand what he's been through, and what the stakes are. Thanks to Ben and Dave, I think most people are more than happy to have the backstory in there. It looks amazing.

I'd think so too sir - likely thanks to all the makers of (all) Lord Baltimore.

And now we move forward with PLAGUE SHIPS #5, the FCBD story ("A Passing Stranger") and THE CURSE BELLS, which is already under way.

It's such a pleasure to work on this book. I can't wait to read the whole thing as a collection, start to finish, and see what wonderful things Stenbeck and Stewart have wrought.

Will there be a glossy online video documentary on mr Christopher Golden anytime soon - like with featuring the actual writing desk or workplace plus with some trademark tricks or working ethics revealed (like as done with mr Mike Mignola)? I reckon' that would be something...

[Ben Charles]

This was my favorite issue to date. Having never read the novel it was enjoyable to learn more of Lord Baltimore's past. Stenbeck and Stewart knocked this issue out of the park.

[Middenway]

Ben Stenbeck is doing an amazing job with this series. I'm glad he's sticking around for A Passing Stranger and The Curse Bells, but I'm gonna go that step further and say I hope he is THE Baltimore artist, drawing every mini-series and every short. It's great to have the one artist the entire run so that when you start a new book you get into that familiar groove straight away, especially with continuing stories. When there's a change of artist, there's always a one or two issue adjustment phase, like adjusting to a different accent, and you miss the story nuances in the process.

Plus Ben Stenbeck is just pure awesome.

[Gary_B]

Ben Stenbeck is doing an amazing job with this series. I'm glad he's sticking around for A Passing Stranger and The Curse Bells, but I'm gonna go that step further and say I hope he is THE Baltimore artist, drawing every mini-series and every short. It's great to have the one artist the entire run so that when you start a new book you get into that familiar groove straight away, especially with continuing stories. When there's a change of artist, there's always a one or two issue adjustment phase, like adjusting to a different accent, and you miss the story nuances in the process.

Plus Ben Stenbeck is just pure awesome.

I understand where you are coming from, and I think Ben Stenbeck is perfect for Baltimore. Much like Guy Davis being perfect for BPRD. It has been wonderful having Guy Davis drawing that comic and providing continuity for the last six years! But I have also enjoyed reading one shots and side stories that were illustrated by other artists. Mike Mignola has picked some great artists with a wide range of styles to work with and I have learned to just trust his instincts and look forward to seeing every new interpretation.

But having said that, I supported myself as a visual artist for over twenty years and if opportunities present themselves to Stenbek or any of my other fave artists that pull them in another direction I say more power to them.

[Kees_L]

Ben Stenbeck is doing an amazing job with this series. I'm glad he's sticking around for A Passing Stranger and The Curse Bells, but I'm gonna go that step further and say I hope he is THE Baltimore artist, drawing every mini-series and every short. It's great to have the one artist the entire run so that when you start a new book you get into that familiar groove straight away, especially with continuing stories. When there's a change of artist, there's always a one or two issue adjustment phase, like adjusting to a different accent, and you miss the story nuances in the process.

Plus Ben Stenbeck is just pure awesome.

I feel that Stenbeck is awesome too.

But I foremostly feel that what is uniquely wonderful, will be the recruitment of creative forces, as done by mr Mike Mignola and Dark Horse combined.

I feel there will be many factors helping (or potentially ailing) such a process.
If quality and enthousiasm should be the norm then artists should be elected from a broader pool, rather than be appointed based on prior efforts, with likely sticking with them no matter what.
Even if visual continuity or consistency will be *a nice thing* for comics, quality and work enthousiasm will be more if not most important (I feel).

In the Mignola/DH comics I feel readers are getting constistency, likely in the best possible way.
Both in a running-title way as through special thrilling one-shots or mini's.
By great artists of now, plus the grandmasters pinnacly, plus even young talent.

(a side thought:
I feel that titles such as Hellboy or Witchfinder or Baltimore feel particularly dependent on mood and graphicality and well... particularness really.
Where evt. should not only look right but feel right and sound right and smell right, with some stuff remaining mysterious appropriately or weirdly unclear even.
Maybe titles like Baltimore / RE Howard's Solomon Kane depend on particulareness even more than Witchfinder or Hellboy or Sherlock Holmes. Like as if Solomon Kane would only astutely become visible amid enough evil present needing retribution. Whereas Sherlock Holmes or Hellboy in their appearances would be having stuff become particular already.
Like Indiana Jones, being not a random archeology professor with a hat and a whip, but rather the only possible one.
Solomon Kane seems less concrete or less easily identifiable than that: not his signature hat or cloak or rapier or flint-lock or atrocious hairdo makes him him, only his quaint sense for pious retribution does.
Not to say that Lord Baltimore doesn't seem concrete. But it does seem that Baltimore his appearance seems less easily identifiable than even Hellboy in appearance. Which is perfectly great, since simplicity or ease doesn't necessarily make for better concerning the weird and wonderous.

Which feels very appropriate when considering the coolness of what makes weird weird or the wonderful wonderful.
Like how diversity can be nice when it comes to art. Particularness too. I feel I like particular art for particular reasons. So if particular stuff can be made in particular ways, by a diverse range of particular people, then that seems only very gratifying to me. Particularly gratifying :)) .

[Neil Hill]

Ben Stenbeck is doing an amazing job with this series. I'm glad he's sticking around for A Passing Stranger and The Curse Bells, but I'm gonna go that step further and say I hope he is THE Baltimore artist, drawing every mini-series and every short. It's great to have the one artist the entire run so that when you start a new book you get into that familiar groove straight away, especially with continuing stories. When there's a change of artist, there's always a one or two issue adjustment phase, like adjusting to a different accent, and you miss the story nuances in the process.

Plus Ben Stenbeck is just pure awesome.

I'll go a step further and say...fourthed (behind Gary and Kees )!!

[pimpernel]

It's great to have the one artist the entire run so that when you start a new book you get into that familiar groove straight away, especially with continuing stories.

I agree totally.

And on that note, if Guy isn't doing the next Lobster Johnson can we get Jason Armstrong back please? He was perfect for that character, and hopefully enough time has passed that the scheduling conflict or whatever that made him unavailable in the first place is no longer an issue?

[Middenway]

Preview for #5 is up.

[brentmcd]

And on that note, if Guy isn't doing the next Lobster Johnson can we get Jason Armstrong back please?

I'll second that vote for Jason Armstrong -- his art is a great fit for LoJo's pulp-style adventures

[Middenway]

Also, here's a new article from Newsarama.

[Gary_B]

Great interview with Christopher Golden! I'm looking forward to further epic and grim developments.

[Jackson Brody]

Third for Jason Armstrong!