Witchfinder (2009), Omnibus Volume 1

December 6, 2019

Sir Edward Grey investigates supernatural occurrences at the behest of Queen Victoria in this omnibus edition of three previously released adventures. Creator Mignola and illustrator Stenbeck (both, Baltimore: Omnibus, Vol. 1) present the moodily unsettling "In the Service of Angels," in which an inquiry into the deaths of several explorers recently returned from an expedition to discover a legendary lost city finds Sir Grey caught up in a conspiracy involving creatures from the center of the earth, a beautiful woman who channels an ethereal spirit, and a dangerous cult. In "Lost and Gone Forever, " Mignola joins coauthor Arcudi (B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth. Vol. 5) for a story set in Utah in 1880, as Sir Grey's faith in God and the English Crown is put to the test in a ripping yarn perfectly suited to legendary artist Severin (EC Archives: Weird Fantasy. Vol. 4). Finally, Sir Grey probes a murder linked to a small English town famed for producing a miracle elixir in the horrific "The Mysteries of Unland" from writers Kim Newman (Anno Dracula 1999: Daikaiju) and Maura McHugh (We Are the Martians: The Legacy of Nigel Kneale) and illustrator Tyler Crook (The Stone King). VERDICT Riveting mysteries and thrilling action combine in stories with ongoing ramifications for the larger Hellboy universe. A solid purchase.--Tom Batten, Grafton, VA

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