Vampires are one of those monsters that everyone knows and everyone has written a story about. It’s amazing how many movies, novels, comics, etc there have been written about them. Famed comic writer Mike Mignola has taken influence from the legendary “Hammer Films” to write “Mr. Higgins Comes Home” with art by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell and it’s a treat.
Professor JT Meinhardt has come to a small village somewhere in Carpathia to defeat a vampire named Count Golga. He also asks for the aid of a Mr. Higgins who was turned into a werewolf by Count Golga and his wife was turned into a vampire.
Mignola has done a great job of tapping into the old monster movies by making this story fit perfectly with their style. Everything from taking place in Eastern Europe, to large Medieval castles and, taking motivation from “Hammer,†women with giant breasts. It’s as gory as the “Hammer†films, there still is some blood.
One thing that Mignola does bring into this style is excellent storytelling. Meinhardt is an interesting character in that he may be the typical Ph.D., but he does have some extra characterization. Higgins is the best character (he is the titular character after all.) The reader will feel his plight and want to see him get revenge. It does feel great when he does go all out werewolf and rampages.
Johnson-Cadwell also knows what he’s doing with art. This is as close as you can get to a comic adaptation of a “Hammer” film. Weird looking mains, scary as all hell vampires, an awesome looking castle and Satan are all here. Again, there is blood and some nudity, but not as out there excessive to the point of comedy like the “Hammer” films. There is blood, like one scene where we see Meinhardt stab a vampire and a geyser of blood comes out, but that’s still tame.
“Mr. Higgins Comes Home” is a “Hammer” film in the comic form written by a great comic writer despite some elements not being there. The story and art are still great and “Hammer” fans will enjoy it nonetheless.
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