By Lisa Gullickson – Warwick Johnson-Cadwell’s Falconspeare taps into our enduring literary fascination with the Victorian Era. The book opens with three skilled monster hunters - Mr. Knox, Mr. Falconspeare, and Ms. Van Sloan - bursting into the private chamber of a bloodthirsty vampire, engaging in fisticuffs, and ending in gruesome, bloody triumph, all while wearing a combined total of 16 layers of clothing. We don’t tie an ascot to go to church, and here is James Falconspeare tussling with the undead with one tucked neatly into his waistcoat while Mary Van Sloan dashes to sanctify the tomb in a floor-length skirt that probably weighs 15 pounds, not counting the petticoat and crinoline. This is more than fashion trumping utilitarianism. It is propriety prioritized over everything else. Not unlike Ms. Van Sloan’s corset, the rigid morality of the Victorians gave their lives a compressed definition that separated them from that which was bodily and beastly.

The mystery of Falconspeare begins when three of the cadre receive enigmatic correspondence from their now estranged colleague, Mr. James Falconspeare. Presuming trouble, they begin to follow the clues to discover Mr. Falconspeare’s true intentions. Those of us who have been following this series, which started with Mike Mignola and Johnson-Cadwell’s initial collaboration, Mr. Higgins Comes Home, know that Professor Meinhardt and his comrades are no strangers to the demoniacal but what Falconspeare has been toiling with may very well be their most diabolical foe yet.

What makes the Professor Meinhardt occult mysteries so engaging is that they are less about the slaying and more about the detective work. Don’t get me wrong, they do offer gory satisfaction, but only after letting you steep in that rich, antiquated Victorian atmosphere. It is clear why Mike Mignola offered Johnson-Cadwell an ornate, cobwebbed corner of the Mignolaverse.

His cartooning style is reminiscent of early Mignola, down to the slumped, triangular shoulders and short parallel lines indicating all manner of textures. There is a flat intricacy to it, which initially seems quite simple, but soon you find yourself lost in the shadows of a landscape or the corners of a room. Like Meinhardt, you are studying and looking for clues. How can something come across as so angular when there is not a straight line to be found?

This series expresses a fluency and understanding of the Victorian Era, which is deeper than aesthetic. The rise of industrialization hoisted so many out of poverty into a much more idle and paranoid middle class. They clung to principles of etiquette and privacy with a superstitious fervor. Warwick Johnson-Cadwell’s Falconspeare is a deflection from the first two volumes - Mr. Higgins Comes Home and Our Encounters with Evil - which embrace the more mystical and enchanting villains of Victorian horror. Falconspeare boldly foregoes the more fantastical to vanquish the darkness of the human heart, making this his most Victorian tale yet.

Graphic Novel Review: Falconspeare

Falconspeare
Story, Art and Color: Warwick Johnson-Cadwell
Characters: Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell
Letterer: Clem Robins
Cover: Mike Mignola with Dave Stewart
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $17.99
Jump into an eerie Victorian-style mystery with an off-kilter, charming twist in the next knockout collaboration from Mike Mignola and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell! Monster hunters extraordinaire Professor Meinhardt, Mr. Knox, and Ms. Van Sloan have teamed up to slay spooks and investigate the uncanny before, but now they'll tackle a question that's haunted them for years: What happened to their friend and vampire slayer extraordinaire, James Falconspeare?
Rendered in Johnson-Cadwell's signature loose, expressive style, and with gorgeous cover from Mignola and colorist Dave Stewart, this hardcover will be a treat for fans of Mr. Higgins Comes Homeand Our Encounters with Evil as well as folks new to the world Johnson-Cadwell and Mignola have created.
Publication Date: January 12th, 2022
Read It Here: Falconspeare via Amazon, or Falconspeare via comiXology

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Lisa Gullickson is one half of the couple on the Comic Book Couples Counseling podcast, and, yes, the a capella version of the 90s X-men theme is all her. Her Love Language is Words of Affirmation which she accepts @sidewalksiren on twitter.