Lost and Gone Forever (Witchfinder) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

This second Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder collection (After Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels) is just an incredible comic. In the afterword writer John Arcudi says it took him years to put this series together, and I believe it because it has a maturity and depth of vision that you don't find in something spontaneous. That vision is combined with stunning and patient art, of a level of quality that has all but disappeared in modern comics. This is a series that takes its time. And rewards heavily.

Taking its name from the old Cowboy ballad "Darling Clementine," the series "Lost of Gone Forever" takes the British Victorian occult detective Sir Edward Grey, Royal Witchfinder to the Queen, and sticks him in the middle of the American Old West, complete with buckskinned sidekick and Indian magic. If this sounds in any way cheesy or forced, believe me it is not. Much more than a simple fish-out-of-water story, Sir Edward Grey's sojourn in the American Wild West forces him to tackle a fundamental question: how can a Christian do battle with supernatural forces, and still retain his faith?

There are two conflicts in this series. The first is the physical battle between the supernatural witch-child Eris with her legions of the living dead against the human duo of Grey and his companion Morgan Kaler, the aforementioned buckskin-wearing cowboy. In this fight, the winner is never in question. Eris can launch wave after wave of undead armies will little worry, while Grey and Kaler can only respond by putting lead bullets in bodies that no longer feel pain.

The second battle is waged on a spiritual plane. The oil-and-water of Indian Shamanism mixed with Western Christianity causes an imbalance in Eris' chief ally. She resurrected the spirit of the Indian shaman Kaipa and put it in the body of a dead Christian priest. So now Kaipa is both of these faiths, and yet neither. He has tremendous power, but no moral guide on how best to use it. Meanwhile Grey, a devout Christian, refuses to acknowledge Eris and Kaipa's power source, convinced that Eris is nothing more than just another witch to be taken down.

And then there is Kaler, who adds one of the most interesting themes. Kaler is a hard-edged cynic who believes in nothing, which ends up being his greatest strength. Eris is a goddess who needs people to believe in her. Eris can hurt him, but not conquer him. Because he does not believe in her.

I loved how Mignola and Arcudi explored these themes. It makes Sir Edward Grey a much richer character than someone like Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane, who uses his Christian faith as a blunt weapon and is unshakeable in his conviction no matter how many African gods he encounters. When I read the first Witchfinder series I thought that Sir Edward Grey was going to be fun, but a one-note character. "Lost and Gone Forever" shows that Mignola and Arcudi are developing him beyond his origins.

The art in "Lost and Gone Forever" is stunning. John Severin is an artist from the golden age of EC comics, and his draftsmanship is astounding. This kind of fine art-inspired line work has all but disappeared from modern comics, which are more focused on style than just good drawing. Dave Stewart's perfect coloring brings out every fine line and gives them depth and feeling. With his zombies and horror elements, Severin seems to have a bit of Richard Corbin in him, although give the eras when they began it is probably more correct to say that Corbin as a bit of John Severin in him.

Severin's prairie scenes are also particularly impressive. In one shot, Grey finds himself in the Indian Happy Hunting Ground, and as he surveys the idyllic landscape he is awestruck and can only say, "Blessed M'Lord, it's so beautiful." I cannot help but agree.

Sir Edward Grey is on the trail of a Lord Glaren which leads him to the old West, Utah, where the trail ends. But the small town he winds up in has come under hard times. Their church burned down with the churchfolk inside and some say Satan himself came to take the congregation to Hell. Grey finds himself caught in a web cast by an evil witch who is bringing the dead back and manipulating the native American's mythology to suit her purpose. Witches, zombies, stone dogs, and living gods - say howdy to Witchfinder Book 2.

Mike Mignola and John Arcudi team up to script an excellent second volume from their Witchfinder series with Sir Edward Grey as the consummate hunter of witches, par excellence. They're joined by John Severin whose artwork is well suited to the dry deserts of Utah and who does a fine job of depicting the various supernatural entities Grey and his friends meet along the way. The landscapes he draws are superb and he does a fine job of re-creating the ramshackle wooden towns of this time too.

A great character in the form of Kaler is introduced in the book and serves as an invaluable aid to Grey as he finds adapting from the misty streets of London to the dusty trail of the American countryside, difficult. Kaler is an American version of Grey, though without the direction of Grey's service to the Crown and his own personal demons of his departed wife. His inclusion and development as a well-rounded character is what gives the book extra kick, especially for this reader.

"Lost and Gone Forever" is a more action packed story than the first volume but no less brilliant a book. Fans of Mignola and spooky comics will love it.

The first thing that attracted me to this tale is the artist, who recently passed away, leaving an indelible legacy behind. As far as I can tell this was his last finished tale. If that is the case I'm happy he ended on a high note.
Horror or weird Westerns are a tough gig. The reason is that even though there were a lot of spooky things in the old west the genre has been dominated by train robbers, horse thieves, hangings, westward odysseys, Indian wars, quick drawing lawmen and bush whacking bad men. These elements are stirring and personally appealing, where the creepy stuff is not found in them. The creeps ended with a bullet hole or a noose. They're very mortal dangers.
What's different about the paranormal creeps is the range and here they are in full display both mortal and weird. Another cliche' not to be found is the out-of-his-league foreigner. Sir Edward is as tough as those denizens in the old west and despite his sophistication and off balance temperament to local color he gets his land legs back instead of being a stuffy, doddering, comedic straight man. What sets this tale apart from other western horror tales is the fact that it has a fine but quirky tapestry that is woven with the new, the ancient and the very evil into it's weirdness. It's not balanced because if it was it would be easier to anticipate each revelation and wrap up too neatly. I will give away that at its heart there is a redemptive quality that's moving but not sappy. What surprised me were all the stops that were pulled from ancient lore to were creatures and even the undead and still this felt like it never went over the top. There was the heart at the core of the tale, and Sir Edward, once again, is gaining knowledge from the adventure but also leaving unsatisfied for the effort.
For the sake of further reading I'm glad he's unsatisfied. Sorry for not presenting any spoilers.