Baltimore: The Red Kingdom #2

I'm enjoying this, but I'm waiting for something"anything"to happen. This book's grade may improve when the series is completed, but on it's own it didn't really do much for me. Read Full Review

An issue covering this much backstory and set-up could've easily fallen short, but Golden and Bergting always find the necessary drama and the right mysteries to tease to keep the energy up. Plus it was the sort of issue that was fun to think about afterward. Read Full Review

CelebrityButts

Mar 10, 2017

Gah, this is disappointing basically. The first issue of this final run was ok, but as I said in my previous review, it's trying to cover A LOT of ground and it's stretching itself thinly. This issue is much worse, for pretty much the same reasons. I LOVE baltimore, the dude is a legend, however he just seems like a project manager in this incarnation. The usual tropes of the series have revolved around his wandering either alone or with a terrified sidekick into various creepy gothic scenarios. In this issue he's more like an uninspiring facilities manager trying to get his people ready for the 'final showdown'. It's just him in a house with people coming and going, and the odd tantrum thrown by a inquisitor. I think this series woul d have actually been better if Baltimore had died and then his various team members have to try and fight off the Red King in his memory. At the end of the day, this is a final chapter that's trying to be a massive war to end all wars scenario. But Baltimore was never really about that, it was a revenge of one dude against a vampire and then a scourge that had spread throughout the world, but it always had momentum and always seemed depserate. I feel like the series has become swollen and lost its original strengths. This issue was about as exciting as a water cooler bubbling in an office. I am just holding out for lots of violence in the next scene because god knows i think this second issue was the comics equivalent of Elvis forgetting his words in Vegas. And don't get me started on the idea that there's moles in the enemy fleet, where the hell did they cook that idea up! The cover art for the first issue was so inspiring, the red king clasping the world. Instead, we're seeing lots of people chit chatting and nothing scary or gothic or exciting whatsoever. more