FIRST LOOK: Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar's Remedy

Above: The cover for Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar's Remedy #1 by Ben Stenbeck. Copyright Dark Horse Comics/Mike Mignola 2012.

Dark Horse Comics have recently announced that Lord Henry Baltimore will be returning for a new 2 issue mini-series in May, with Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar's Remedy. This will be the third installment in the series of adventures for the monster hunter, following on from highly successful previous Baltimore volumes: The Plague Ships and The Curse Bells, written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden with art by Ben Stenbeck.

I caught up with local artist Ben Stenbeck for a brief chat on what to expect from the series, and an exclusive preview of his interior artwork!

Above: An interior page from Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar's Remedy #1 by Ben Stenbeck. Copyright Dark Horse Comics/Mike Mignola 2012.

AK: Been your third arc on Baltimore, are you finding yourself in a comfortable drawing 'groove' with the character?

BS: Little bit. Its very slow for me. But yeah I think issue #1 has 1 or 2 panels of Baltimore that I'm happy with, that I think I've got the character working. Which I haven't really had with the past books, Its a bit like every time I draw him, I'm trying to figure out how to draw him. But I think I'm getting there.

AK: With the new arc only 2 issues long, will this be a more compressed action-oriented story than the suspense building pace of the previous arcs?

BS: Yes. Chris said something along the lines of it being 'Blissful Madness'.  Its a weird, fun story. I think The Curse Bells was the darkest thing we've done so far, it gets really nasty in some places and Dr Leskovars Remedy is like a bit of relief, its a lot of fun (when I say fun, I mean: Monsters and Gore. Well..Monster Gore which is the most fun type of gore).

AK: Each installment of the Baltimore series has contained its share of gruesomely great creatures for Lord Baltimore to cut his way through (and the Mignola cover image does promises some giant ape action!), any other hints of what kind of creepy images or creatures we can expect to see this time around? 

Above: Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar's Remedy #1, alternate cover by Mike Mignola featuring King Kong. Copyright Dark Horse Comics/Mike Mignola 2012.

BS: That King Kong cover is part of Mike's 'Year of Monsters'. This year he's doing 12 alternate covers that have nothing to do with the comic they are on the cover of. Its a chance for him to do some cool images of his favourite monsters along side his characters. That King Kong and Baltimore cover is my favourite so far, but sadly I don't get to draw King Kong. But yes, this series has monsters. Lots of monsters.

AK: I heard that you contributed some ideas and suggestions early on for this story. What were some of the things you wanted to explore and add to the series through your artwork?

BS: Well that's hard to answer with out spoiling the series. But a long time ago I mentioned to Mike that I wanted to do a certain type of character. And I had this idea for a setting, this environment that I wanted to draw. Its just a cool weird thing that i thought would look interesting. And there's something else but it kind of turned into the last half of the 2nd issue, so You'll have to wait.

AK: Is Baltimore your sole focus for the foreseeable future or do you have any other projects coming up?

BS: There is a 2 part story I was meant to be doing with a 'Hellboy-verse' character. But things get changed, I'm not sure whats happening with that now. I've got a series of my own that I'm planning to try and squeeze in in 2015. Something I've had bouncing around in my head for almost 20 years. But that's a long way off, so for now its all Baltimore. I just got the script this morning for the next oneshot. I haven't finished reading it yet, I got distracted by answering this email. Better get back to work. Sorry for all  the vague answers! 

All will be revealed when Baltimore: Dr. Leskovar's Remedy #1 hits shelves in May, so pre-order your copy now! For more info on Ben Stenbeck's artwork and comics, you can visit his website HERE.

-AK!

Preview: Ben Stenbeck on 'Baltimore: The Plague Ships'

If you're sick of the limp-wrested lovelorn vampires of Twilight and The Vampire Diaries, then this new Hellboy spin-off series written by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden and illustrated by local artist Ben Stenbeck is for you!

Here's the solicitation lowdown for Baltimore: The Plague Ships:

Months after a devastating plague ends World War I, Europe is suddenly flooded with deadly vampires. Lord Henry Baltimore, a soldier determined to wipe out the monsters, is on the hunt for the creature responsible for this chaos and his own personal tragedy. What he uncovers is a terror as horrific and frightening as any he's seen on the battlefield.

Above: A page from Baltimore: The Plague Ships, art by Ben Stenbeck. Copyright Mike Mignola/Dark Horse Comics 2010.

It's a five issue miniseries, the first issue of which is in stores now! You can check out a preview of Ben's interior art for the series HERE. If you like what you see, Ben's previous collaboration with Mignola: Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels is also currently available in trade paperback.

To find out more about Ben's amazing artwork, you can revisit my exclusive studio tour I conducted with Ben last year, and don't forget to drop by his website HERE.

-AK!

Events this Week: Monsters & Tattoos

Above: Director Guillermo Del Toro has a close encounter of the devic kind in 'Pan's Labyrinth'.

Two events that might be of interest to comics aficionados this week: the first is 'An Evening with Guillermo Del Toro', to be held this Wednesday the 11th of November at the Paramount Theatre in Wellington.

Guillermo Del Toro has generously donated his time for this Q&A evening as a fundraiser for Wellington producer Bonnie Slater and director Sam Kelly’s first feature film, 'One for the Road'. Described as New Zealand’s first musical drama, it follows the fortunes of a struggling, small town band.

"We're thrilled to have Guillermo's support," Slater says. "He has not done any event of this kind in New Zealand and it’s a coup to have attracted him to headline our fundraiser and help promote our cause. "I would have asked Guillermo to help make the film, but I know he's overworked with projects abroad and, of course, that little low-budget film he's shooting here soon called The Hobbit!"

"I've been pretty busy with various projects," Del Toro acknowledges, "but talent lies in your choices. And I believe in Bonnie so I’m happy to help her where I can."

Born and raised in Mexico, Guillermo Del Toro is one of film's most active imaginations, best known for creating some of the most visually arresting fantasy films of the decade. He adapted Mike Mignola's 'Hellboy' comic series for the screen and was nominated for an Academy Award for 'Pan's Labyrinth'. And unlike most Hollywood flights of fancy, Del Toro's dark fantasy worlds are usually grounded by the realities and horrors of the human condition.

It's no coincidence his films are populated by some of the most unique creatures to grace the screen, as monsters have always been something of an obsession of his. "(I'm) in love with monsters. My fascination with them is almost anthropological... I study them, I dissect them in many of my movies: I want to know how they work, what the inside of them looks like, (and) what their sociology is."

Monsters are just one of his many obsessions, along with insects, clockwork, archeology, pulp magazines and of coarse...comics! And he's no tourist; based in Los Angeles, he owns two homes: one for his family, and one to house his various sprawling collections, including his comic-books. You can even hear him give a stirring Jack Kirby appreciation on the director's commentary for 'Hellboy'.

So if you're in Wellington this Wednesday with a spare $45 for a ticket, this is bound to be an interesting and engaging evening! The event will be hosted by director Jonathan King ('Under the Mountain', 'Black Sheep'), with special guests Richard Taylor (of Weta Workshop) and Robert Sarkies ('Scarfies', 'Out of the Blue'). For tickets you can contact the Paramount PH: 04 3844080. For more information check out the Wellington Events page here.

The second event of interest takes place later this week in Auckland, The Tattooed Heart presents: 'Love Hurts!', an exhibition in tribute of tattoo art.

It features artwork by: Adam Craft, Liesje, Tom McMillan, Hamish McLougham, Misery, Deus, Kelly Thompson, Sarah Larnach, Ben Stenbeck, Karl Wills, Chris Sheehan, Steph Lusted, Seth Wood and Sarah Florence.

And as regular readers of this blog know: any opportunity to see artwork by cartoonists Ben Stenbeck ('Hellboy' and 'Witchfinder') and Karl Wills ('Jessica of the Schoolyard') is a treat. The exhibition runs from the 12-26th of November at the Tattooed Heart, 202 K' Road.

Oh, and to round out the week, the monthly Auckland Comic Book Club is meeting this Friday from 6pm in the Whare Wananga, 2nd Floor of the Central Library. This month will be an informal chat about comics, Armageddon and any other sequential story telling concerns.

-AK! (still busy working on that Dylan Horrocks article!)