Masters of Horror - Pt. 2, Mike Mignola

Well of course you figure that if you're going to have a column on horror that Mike Mignola would figure somewhere in there. Most famous for being the creator of Hellboy/BPRD, and unlike other writers, still plays an active role in the film-making. An interesting item of note: he was the original designer of Mr. Freeze in the Batman Animated series. Although he seems to be a fairly normal type of guy, his knowledge of demonology, old folktales, myths and legends puts him up there in the high levels of nerd-dom with Gary Gygax, but not quite J.R.R. Tolkien-levels of nerd-godhead. To qualify, you must memorize the entire tome of The Lesser Key of Solomon. Something I'm still working on. Anyways, not disparaging the Hellboy stories (which I love) but he's at his best when he gets all Victorian on us, mixing in cults, Lovecraftian Old Gods and Utilitarianism. I guess he figures Jeremy Bentham to be as evil as Cthulu himself.

SIR EDWARD GREY, WITCHFINDER IN THE SERVICE OF THE ANGELS: This is actually set in the same universe as Hellboy and the BPRD, but about one and a half centuries previous, at the height of the Victorian period. There is some character crossover, not least is Sir Edward Grey himself, who is a Thomas Carnacki/Johann Kraus-type of psychic, spirit-seeing crusading demon-hunter. Officially sanctioned by the Queen but still no less feared or despised by God-fearing Christians, he confronts the same type of baddies as Hellboy would do but without the resources of the BPRD, modern technology and in an environment setting MEANT for demons, ghosts and evil doers. The city streets of an industrializing Jack The Ripper London is itself an evil character and since you know everyone dies anyways due to time, you know that any and all characters are potential corpses waiting to happen.

JENNY FINN, DOOM MESSIAH: Yeah now THERE'S a cheerful title, innit? Drawn by Troy Nixey, this is a horror story through and through. Inspired by Lovecraft, London is beset by a disease that is infecting its inhabitants with some truly gross-looking skin conditions. Not eczema or acne of course, but rather tubes, fins, extra eyes, gills and claws type of hideous-ness. There is no heroic character here, just victims and bystanders of a fate for which there is no reason or understanding. This grotesque story is not watered-down by the near caricature black and white artistry and is on par with some of H.P. Lovecraft's most compelling and disturbing stories.