Some time back I did a review of a pair of hardback graphic novels from Dark Horse Comics by Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell. As a big Hellboy fan, I was interested in this series about a pair of vampire hunters that is separate from the Hellboy universe. I had hoped for additional volumes, and we recently got one: Falconspeare.
The first book is Mr. Higgins Comes Home (2017), which was written by Mignola with art by Johnson-Cadwell. It introduces us to Professor Johannes Meinhardt and his assistant Mr. Knox as they fight vampires and werewolves in Eastern Europe in the 1700s.
Next was Our Encounters With Evil (2019), which this time is written and drawn by Johnson-Cadwell, though Mignola does the cover. In this volume, the Professor and Mr. Knox are joined by Ms. Mary Van Sloan.
Now in Falconspeare, the trio is back, this time joined by James Falconspeare. This volume is again written and drawn by Johnson-Cadwell, with a Mignola cover. The introduction takes us 15 years prior, as the four are fighting against a vampire. Clearly this is some time in the past as Mr. Knox still has some hair and the Professor doesn’t have as impressive a mustache.
Now we come to the “present day,” where the trio of the Professor, Mr. Knox, and Ms. Van Sloan are working together when they all receive mysterious envelopes from Falconspeare with no message. They have not seen their friend in 10 years. They track the letters back to a certain town on the Black Sea and head there. At the town, they hear talk of a vampire referred to as “The Biter,” which apparently dwells in the sewers.
Finally, they are able to track down their friend through a mysterious contact who literally falls apart when they are taken to Falconspeare. He then tells his tale.
In the lands to the north of the present town, Falconspeare had taken care of a werewolf. In a local village, villagers tell of horrible things happening in the area. People going missing, their bodies found horribly mutilated. Clearly this is the result of a vampire! Falconspeare is on the hunt, and tracks it all back to the manor of a certain baron. He must be the vampire! But when he breaks in, he finds not a vampire, but a degenerate nobleman. He can’t kill him. He goes to the authorities, but they do nothing, as he is under the protection of a rich and powerful relative.
Falconspeare then makes the ultimate sacrifice, finding and making use of “The Biter.” He brought his friends together to tell what he did, and bring the story to a conclusion.
This is anothe great volume. Johnson-Cadwell’s expressive artstyle isn’t what I prefer, but it works here. There wasn’t as much dark humor as the prior volumes, but the pathos of the story made up for it. Again, I could see this be made into a Hammer vampire movies. I hope we get another, though it seems like it’s about two years or so in between each one.
If you like old-style vampire hunter stories, check all of these out. You can preview some of the pages at Dark Horse’s website.
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