The writing team of Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden jump right into the action with this new series. It’s World War II with witches (both good and bad). The British Allies have a special item, and they need to get it to safety before they’re all wiped out.

This all takes place in the Outerverse, where Mignola and Golden’s other collaborations, Joe Golem and Lady Baltimore, take place. Like Hellboy, these landscapes mix the fantastic and mythological with real events and places.

Maybe it’s because we’re so steeped in World War 2 stories as a culture that they didn’t feel the need to give a lot of exposition, and they’re correct. The understanding of the situation is immediate. We feel the overpowering threat, the near-impossible odds the soldiers are up against. It’s a harrowing situation, and a thrilling one.

Peter Bergting’s art captures the circumstances perfectly, and with Michelle Madsen’s colors, the environments and atmospheres seep through the pours of the page. This is an aesthetically pleasing book, but the look and feel also fit into the universe. You get the sense that Joe Golem could step out at any second, and, well, there he is making a brief appearance!

A lot happens within the action of this first issue, and what it gives us is another exquisite, otherworldly protagonist in Cojacura who kills witches with her purple blade. They also find a refreshing way to show the evil and terror of the Third Reich.

Mignola and Golden work really well together; their like minds have given us some really great storytelling the last few years. As they continue with their work in the Outerverse, I’ll continue to follow!

Creative Team: Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden (story), Peter Bergting (artist), Michelle Madsen (colors), Clem Robbins (letters), Katii O’Brien (editor), Jenny Blenk (assistant editor), Patrick Satterfield (designer), Ann Gray (digital art technician)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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