W
hether it’s vampires, zombies or pestilence, infection rules the land in Baltimore: The Plague Ships. The story began in
2007, when writer Christopher Golden collaborated with Hellboy creator Mike
Mignola on Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire (RM#70), an illustrated novel chronicling the exploits of World War I veteran Captain Lord Henry Baltimore and his battles with the evil vampire Haigus amidst a Europe that’s been completely ravaged by a mysterious plague. Now, Dark Horse Comics has reunited Golden and Mignola – and added artist Ben Stenbeck – for Baltimore: The Plague Ships, a five-issue comic book series that serves as both a continuation of the novel and an introductory adventure. “Mike and I had always discussed doing comics tied to the novel,” says Golden. “There’s
this enormous span of time in Baltimore’s life when we know he’s out hunting for Haigus and encountering the darkest evils that are manifesting themselves all across Europe, and the potential to tell stories from that era was always there.” Though the focus of The Plague Ships is Baltimore’s continuing quest for Haigus – the
vampire responsible for the death and desecration of his family, as well as the amputation of his left leg – the new story finds our hero joined by a young French girl seeking to escape her plague-ravaged village. Together they are accidentally marooned on a deserted island, which is surrounded by derelict submarines and sunken schooners – remnants of the Great War. Baltimore quickly realizes that the crews of those vessels are not quite resting in peace. Golden and Mignola were conscious that comic readers may not have read the novel,
and were intent on providing a new tale. “Mike and I never considered a straight adaptation of the novel,” explains Golden. “It ex-
ists in an easily accessible form with tons of his illustrations already. The two things are so closely related that it would have felt pointless to me. Though, of course, in The Plague Ships, we did adapt certain sections of the novel so that readers who hadn’t read the original story could get a fundamental understanding of Baltimore’s history.” The majority of those sections relate to Baltimore’s early encounters with Haigus, includ-
ing their first meeting on a battlefield in World War I France. It is here that a wounded Bal- timore witnesses his entire platoon being feasted upon by a horde of giant bat-like creatures. In defense, the Captain scars Haigus with his bayonet. In retaliation, the vampire not only destroys Baltimore’s family, but also unleashes a plague upon Europe, a deadly sickness that quickly spreads throughout the continent, killing some and transforming others. The plague not only provides the creators with an imaginative take on vampirism – many
who die from the disease become bloodsuckers – but also gives the book a powerful and unsettling backdrop. The images of desolate towns and their infected populace strike a far stronger chord than the fiercest of vampire bats. “Plague is vivid and disturbing to modern audiences because we think we can’t imagine
that kind of catastrophic illness, where society just stops functioning, waits out the results and hopes enough of civilization will remain alive to continue,” Golden muses. “And yet that’s the underlying fear every time there’s a bird flu or something. All too often in fiction we talk about the end of the world as we know it, but we don’t seriously consider what that means. In Baltimore, that’s exactly what’s happened, and is happening.” Adding further fuel to the book’s oppressive vision is the fact that the plague is highly
unpredictable. While it kills some and transforms others into vampires, it also has a nasty habit of turning a select few into mindless zombie-like creatures. Ultimately, is Baltimore a vampire or zombie story? “As we continue and readers see more and more of what this world is, they’ll realize
that the story isn’t about vampires or zombies but about evil, and the weight of unearned damnation,” says Golden. “Baltimore’s hunting Haigus, but there are a lot of other kinds of evil, other supernatural creatures, coming out of the shadows now.” Golden reveals Dark Horse will also be giving away a flipbook featuring another Baltimore
story called “A Passing Stranger” for Free Comic Book Day (May 7), and is scheduled to re- lease the second miniseries, The Curse Bells, later this year. All five issues of Baltimore: The Plague Ships are on sale now.
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