Baltimore: The Red Kingdom

[Shaggy]

The numbering was adjusted to include the FCBD one shot.

So the 2011 FCBD story (A Passing Stranger) is #36?

[topfueluhl]

So the 2011 FCBD story (A Passing Stranger) is #36?

I think "A Passing Stranger" is #6 and everything after that was incremented by 1.

[Kirby101]

#3 was another solid issue. As for the last page Ru Roh!

[Harry McTell]

Uhmmm...what just happened (end of issue #5)?

[TDG]

Hello all,

I kind of feel that a couple of more mini series and one shots would have been needed to build up the final confrontation a little.
Right now for me it feels that the conclusion was written to quickly.

[Kirby101]

Hello all,

I kind of feel that a couple of more mini series and one shots would have been needed to build up the final confrontation a little.
Right now for me it feels that the conclusion was written to quickly.

I agree, I am not disappointed in what happened, but it needed to be more epic. The final fight between Baltimore and the Red King was about ten panels, it needed a grander scale, maybe a full page splash. It felt almost anti-climatic after the build up of the last few issues.

[thwhtGuardian]

Hello all,

I kind of feel that a couple of more mini series and one shots would have been needed to build up the final confrontation a little.
Right now for me it feels that the conclusion was written to quickly.

Yeah, it either needed a few more issues or better yet be a novel like it began to give the ending this story deserved. All of the lovely characterization and build up of the last four volumes or so was just wasted in this big action set piece of a finale.

[TDG]

One of the things I would have liked to have seen addressed more is the other world or the world-between-worlds that the Red King got trapped in/exiled to and the creatures that occupy.
There were so many visually interesting things in the last mini series such as those floating jellyfish we never got more details about. I find that kind of a waste.
Even some of the early demon encounters got somewhat of a background.

[LobsterJohnson]

I finished the hardcover of this story last week. Spoilers to follow.


I liked some aspects of the ending, and disliked others. The final confrontation felt rather rushed, and not as epic as Baltimore's final battle with Haigus. That said, Baltimore's death was very well-done and very moving. I'm glad it ended with him finding some kind of peace after all the misery he's been through.

Reading this also inspired me to begin rereading the series from the start, including the novel, and man, it's such a great series.

[middenway]

One of the things I would have liked to have seen addressed more is the other world or the world-between-worlds that the Red King got trapped in/exiled to and the creatures that occupy.
There were so many visually interesting things in the last mini series such as those floating jellyfish we never got more details about. I find that kind of a waste.
Even some of the early demon encounters got somewhat of a background.

I'm pretty sure that'll be explored more in Joe Golem.

[LobsterJohnson]

And I'm all done with the reread. I did like this arc more this time around. I still think the final confrontation with the Red King was flawed, but the rest of the series was really good.

Looking back on the series as a whole, my favorite part was probably the original novel. It's right up there with Hellboy in Hell as one of the best Mignolaverse works ever in my mind.