Entirely separate to the Hellboy Universe, the Outerverse still centres around the occult but features a world that’s been so greatly impacted by it that it diverges quite heavily from our own. Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden created two illustrated novels – ‘Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire’ and ‘Joe Golem and the Drowning City’ – released in 2007 and 2012, respectively, but went on to turn them into comic book. It eventually became clear that the two stories were set in the same world, but at different time periods, and so he Outerverse was born.
While Lord Henry Baltimore’s story is the driving force for the Outerverse, Joe Golem, Cojacaru the Skinner, Lady Baltimore and the other characters Mignola and Golden added to this world keep it alive. There aren’t as many Outerverse titles out there, at the time of writing this, but Baltimore is by far the most consistent saga.
Must Reads: Story arcs in bold in the Core List or marked with a ✔ in the Full Reading Order are must-read stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a look.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue, so you don’t need to read the other four.
Chronology: Every appearance of Outerverse characters from this period is included in chronological order, laying out their timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
Won’t Back Down: I haven’t included the Lady Baltimore story ‘Liberté’ from the Won’t Back Down anthology [16/28] as I don’t have a copy and I’m not sure when it takes place; if anyone has a copy and the details, let me know! – Dave
Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the core reading order without story descriptions, page-by-page breakdowns – just the stories:
- Baltimore: The Widow and the Tank #1
- Baltimore: The Plague Ships #1-5
- Free Comic Book Day: Baltimore/Criminal Macabre #1 [1/2]
- Baltimore: The Curse Bells #1-5
- Baltimore: The Play #1
- Baltimore: Dr Leskovar’s Remedy #1-2
- Baltimore: The Inquisitor #1
- Baltimore: The Infernal Train #1-3
- Baltimore: Chapel of Bones #1-2
- Baltimore: The Witch of Harju #1-3
- Baltimore: The Wolf and the Apostle #1-2
- Baltimore: The Cult of the Red King #1-5
- Baltimore: Empty Graves #1-5
- Baltimore: The Red Kingdom #1-5
- Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens #1-5
- The Golem Walks Among Us! #1-2
- Cojacaru the Skinner #1-2
- Imogen of the Wyrding Way #1
- Lady Baltimore: The Dream of Ikelos #1
- Lady Baltimore: The Daughters of Medusa #1-2
- Joe Golem: Occult Detective #1-5
- Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Outer Dark #1-3
- Joe Golem: Occult Detective – Flesh and Blood #1-2
- Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Drowning City #1-5
- Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Conjurors #1-5
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Widow and the Tank #1[1/2] (2013) Jun, 1916: In Lincolnshire, Lord Henry Baltimore investigates the rumours that Lieutenant Albert Yeardsley is dead. |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Widow and the Tank #1[1/2] (2013) Jul, 1916: After arriving in France, Baltimore has to decide between killing a vampire or joining forces with him to combat a swarm of demonic creatures. |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Plague Ships #1-5 (2010) Aug, 1916: His search for the vampire Haigus he encountered on the battlefield in the Great War brings Lord Baltimore to Villefranche on the coast of France where he encounters more vampires, witches and the undead, and learns Judge André Duvic of the Inquisition is hunting him. 1st appearances: Lord Henry Baltimore, Judge André Duvic, Vanessa Kalderas |
| ✔ | Free Comic Book Day: Baltimore/Criminal Macabre #1[1/2] (2011) Oct, 1916: Baltimore ventures into the town of Tulingart in Germany which is overrun with gigantic spiders. |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Curse Bells #1-5 (2011) Oct, 2016: Baltimore follows Haigus’ trail of carnage to Lucerne, Switzerland, where he meets journalist Simon R Hodge and discovers twisted rituals taking place in the monastery. 1st appearances: Madame Helena Blavatsky, Simon R Hodge |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Play #1 (2012) Jan, 1917: A twisted theatrical performance attracts Haigus’ attention. |
| ✔ | Baltimore: Dr Leskovar’s Remedy #1-2 (2012) May, 1917: Baltimore lands in Bjelogoram, Croatia, where Dr Leskovar searches for a cure for vampirism, only to become something worse himself. |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Inquisitor #1 (2013) Oct, 1917: Duvic’s hunt for Baltimore leads to Austria-Hungary and a run-in with Simon R Hodge and Vanessa Kalderas. |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Infernal Train #1-3 (2013) Oct, 1917: As the plague of evil continues its spread across Europe, Baltimore leans of the existence of the Infernal Train in Budapest, Hungary, where he has a confrontation with Duvic, learns of the Red King’s plans for the Earth and clashes with Haigus. |
| ✔ | Baltimore: Chapel of Bones #1-2 (2014) Nov, 1919: Baltimore returns to London where three of his allies are lured into a trap by Haigus who admits even he fear the world the Red King will make; Baltimore’s connection to the rebirth of vampires is revealed, along with his biggest secret; five months later, Baltimore and his team work to prevent the Red King’s return. 1st appearances: Demetrius, Childress, Demetrius, Harish, Dr Rose |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Witch of Harju #1-3 (2014) Feb, 1920: Baltimore’s team reach Harju, Estonia, where they’re set upon by a witch who can raise the dead. 1st appearance: Sofia Valk |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Wolf and the Apostle #1-2 (2014) Mar, 1920: Lord Baltimore hears of the changes Duvic has gone through since their last encounter when he finds what’s left of the Inquisition in Yalta, Crimea. 1st appearance: Judge Joaquim Rigo |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Cult of the Red King #1-5 (2015) May-Jun, 1920: Baltimore’s team break up for separate missions in Carthage, Rome and St Petersberg, to find a way to stem the growth of the Cult of te Red King; one of the team falls prey to corruption and the Blood Red Witch returns. 1st appearance: Mr Kidd, Zoya |
| ✔ | Baltimore: Empty Graves #1-5 (2016) Jun, 1920: Baltimore’s team begin to wonder if they’re just pawns in his mission as the Blood Red Witch turns the fallen against him. |
| ✔ | Baltimore: The Red Kingdom #1-5 (2017) Jan-Apr, 1925: Baltimore initiatives his desperate final plan to prevent the coronation of the Red King which will have disastrous consequences for the entire world. |
| ✔ | Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens #1-5 (2021) May, 1938: Sofia Valk continues Henry Baltimore’s legacy as Lady Baltimore; as she faces a series of very familiar threats in Belgium and finds an ally in the Golem. 1st appearance: Imogen |
| The Golem Walks Among Us! #1-2 (2021) Jun, 1938: The Golem smells out a witch in Camogli, Italy, only to find a familiar foe. OCG Note: While this story takes place here chronologically, it’s better to read this after the complete Joe Golem saga. |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue Number, Synopsis & First Appearances | Crossover / Event |
| Cojacaru the Skinner #1-2 (2021) Sep, 1938: As a second World War begins, a cadre of witches prompts the desperate people of Wroclaw, Poland to resurrect Carina Cojacaru to fend them off. OCG Note: It’s better to read this after the complete Joe Golem saga. | ||
| Imogen of the Wyrding Way #1 (2021) Nov-Dec, 1938: Imogen uncovers a ring of trolls giving safe haven to refugees fleeing Demark. | ||
| ✔ | Lady Baltimore: The Dream of Ikelos #1 (2023) Jan, 1939: Lady Baltimore and Imogen are called upon when the Nazis hire an occultist to summon dark allies in Italy. | |
| ✔ | Lady Baltimore: The Daughters of Medusa #1-2 (2025) April, 1939: Lady Baltimore and her crew head to Paris to investigate a possible gorgon who’s turning spies to stone. | |
| Joe Golem: Occult Detective #1-5 (2015-2016) Sep-Oct, 1965: In the flooded New York (the Drowning City), troubled by strange dreams of a Golem, occult private detective Joe investigates mysteries for his friend, retired occult detective Simon Church; Joe looks into the existence of a creature who’s been kidnapping children; Joe discovers one of Simon’s old acquaintances is dabbling in the dark arts. 1st appearances: Joe/Golem, Simon Church, Lori Noonan | ||
| Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Outer Dark #1-3 (2017) Jul, 1967: The police turn to Joe and Simon for help when Dr Cocteau is given the opportunity to contact the Outer Dark. 1st appearance: Dr Cocteau | ||
| Joe Golem: Occult Detective – Flesh and Blood #1-2 (2017-2018) Jun, 1968: Joe is pulled into a strange case involving a possession; Simon Church continues to manipulate Joe to his own ends. | ||
| Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Drowning City #1-5 (2018-2018) Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Conjurors #1-5 (2019) Sep, 1975: Dr Cocteau initiates his final plan to contact the Outer Dark as Joe’s true past finally comes into light; the origin of Cojacaru the Skinner is revealed. 1stappearance: Carina Cojacaru, Molly McHugh | JOE GOLEM AND THE DROWNING CITY |
| Title, Issue Number, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| Baltimore Omnibus vol.2 [21/21] A new story called ‘Monstrous’ sees Lord Henry Baltimore battling a gigantic ape that probably sits outside the regular continuity. |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Balltimore Omnibus vol.1 | Baltimore: The Widow and the Tank #1 Baltimore: The Plague Ships #1-5 Free Comic Book Day: Baltimore/Criminal Macabre #1[1/2] Baltimore: The Curse Bells #1-5 Baltimore: The Play #1 Baltimore: Dr Leskovar’s Remedy #1-2 Baltimore: The Inquisitor #1 Baltimore: The Infernal Train #1-3 Baltimore: Chapel of Bones #1-2 |
| Balltimore Omnibus vol.2 | Baltimore: The Witch of Harju #1-3 Baltimore: The Wolf and the Apostle #1-2 Baltimore: The Cult of the Red King #1-5 Baltimore: Empty Graves #1-5 Baltimore: The Red Kingdom #1-5 |
| Baltimore vol.1: The Plague Ships | Baltimore: The Plague Ships #1-5 |
| Baltimorevol.2: The Curse Bells | Baltimore: The Curse Bells #1-5 |
| Baltimore vol.3: A Passing Stranger and Other Stories | Baltimore: The Widow and the Tank #1 Free Comic Book Day: Baltimore/Criminal Macabre #1[1/2] Baltimore: The Play #1 Baltimore: Dr Leskovar’s Remedy #1-2 Baltimore: The Inquisitor #1 |
| Baltimore vol.4: Chapel of Bones | Baltimore: The Infernal Train #1-3 Baltimore: Chapel of Bones #1-2 |
| Baltimore vol.5: The Apostle and the Witch of Harju | Baltimore: The Witch of Harju #1-3 Baltimore: The Wolf and the Apostle #1-2 |
| Baltimore vol.6: The Cult of the Red King | Baltimore: The Cult of the Red King #1-5 |
| Baltimore vol.7: Empty Graves | Baltimore: Empty Graves #1-5 |
| Baltimore vol.8: The Red Kingdom | Baltimore: The Red Kingdom #1-5 |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens | Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens #1-5 |
| Tales From The Outerverse | The Golem Walks Among Us! #1-2 Cojacaru the Skinner #1-2 Imogen of the Wyrding Way #1 |
| Joe Golem: Occult Detective Omnibus | Joe Golem: Occult Detective #1-5 Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Outer Dark #1-3 Joe Golem: Occult Detective – Flesh and Blood #1-2 Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Drowning City #1-5 Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Conjurors #1-5 |
| Joe Golem: Occult Detective vol.1 The Rat Catcher and the Sunken Dead | Joe Golem: Occult Detective #1-5 |
| Joe Golem: Occult Detective vol.2: The Outer Dark | Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Outer Dark #1-3 Joe Golem: Occult Detective – Flesh and Blood #1-2 |
| Joe Golem: Occult Detective vol.3: The Drowning City | Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Drowning City #1-5 |
| Joe Golem: Occult Detective vol.4: The Conjurors | Joe Golem: Occult Detective – The Conjurors #1-5 |
Reading Order ©OmniverseComicsGuide 2023
Leave a Reply