Interview — Ben Stenbeck Talks ‘The Serpent In The Garden: Ed Grey And The Last Battle For England’
by Anton Kromoff
Welcome to the table,
In times of worry and uncertainty, when I seek an anchor to ground myself in the turbulent waters of this thing we call life, I find myself, in a manner not like some cartoonish Victorian librarian, quietly scanning my vast collection of bookshelves to select a distraction from the current events and existential dread.
While there are a multitude of offerings waiting to be read in their entirety, over the last 25 years or so, I more often than not find myself returning to the beautifully haunted landscape of folklore, historical fiction, and occult mystery crafted by Mike Mignola and a collection of truly talented collaborators. These works have served as an emotional anchor to ease a troubled mind, soothe an anxious heart, and ignite imagination and creativity as I have navigated fear, love, gief, joy, heartbreak, and sorrow, amongst the other litany of emotional states one may find themselves in. For more than half of my life I have sunk into the pages of these strange stories and delighted in the webwork of secret histories and occult mysteries that they provide.
I currently have cause to recall a passage from one such story in this brilliant sequential landscape that reads as follows…
“On March 11. 1879. Edward Grey, late of West Sussex but recently appointed Her Majesty’s London agent for the investigation of “occult matters,” was knighted “For special services in the protection of crown and country.” And, while the exact nature of his “services” would never be revealed to the public, rumors would circulate. And the man would acquire the unofficial ( and unwanted ) title Witchfinder.”
This passage, taken from a story in MySpace Dark Horse Presents #16 titled Murderous Intent, has always felt like the beginning of the Edward Grey Witchfinder stories. That is not to say he was not a part of the unfolding webwork of lore well before that story, and that he is not still a very important player in the lore moving forward, but in that tail in particular it felt like Edward Grey came out of the shadows and was established as a main character who we would be learning about more and more as the unfolding end times of the Hellboy universe played out across the sequential page.
The reason Witchfinder Edward Grey is so front-of-mind is because Dark Horse Comics has just released The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England#1. This three-issue miniseries brings together the talented team of Mignola and Ben Stenbeck and takes place after the events of B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know and Koshchei in Hell. The Serpent in the Garden will follow Edward Grey after he’s summoned away from Hell by Alice, queen of the last standing realm on Earth, to help defend England from King Arthur’s half-sister Morgan Le Fay and her fearsome champion.
I had the opportunity to sit down (virtually) to talk with Stenbeck about this upcoming entry into the ever-expanding mythology of the Hellboy Universe.
Anton: Hello Ben, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down with me. Your work has been a fixture in the Hellboy Universe for years and forms a good portion of the visual language and landscape of this modern epic. How did you first find yourself working on the adventures of the every man occultist turned wizards turned timeless defender of England?
Ben: That was a lot of good luck I think. The first comic series I ever drew was this goofball zombie thing, and Mike saw that and decided to give me a one shot to try. So I did The Ectoplasmic Man, telling the origin of Johann Kraus. From that Mike decided to let me draw the first Witchfinder book. From memory the book had already been announced before they asked me to do it because I remember hearing about it and looking forward to reading it.
Anton: With Edward coming out of what seemed to be eternal retirement to defend Avalon against an incoming threat this feels in many ways like a bit of a “one last ride” kind of story. How did you approach the art for the miniseries knowing it may be the Witchfinder’s final chapter?
Ben: Slowly. I think I’m getting a lot slower which is frustrating, other than that my approach hasn’t changed. But yes, one last ride is pretty accurate. And of course Dave Stewart on colours always elevates the art so much.
Anton: I adore the majority of characters in the mythos that makes up the Hellboy Universe, Edward Grey has been a favorite for years with many single issues and collected volumes featuring him filling my shelves. With you having worked on this character for so long, what do you think makes Edward such a compelling character in a landscape where there are so many memorable personalities?
Ben: He’s so tragic. You know he has this awful fate waiting for him. On top of that every version of him is super cool, Victorian occult detective turned ghost wizard!
Anton: You have always had a way of visually crafting these deeply atmospheric locations within your panels. When the characters go into the deep wood you can almost smell the earth and moss, when they explore lost structures in the depths of hell you can feel the empty footfalls in the vast space of these seemingly trans-dimensional timeless rooms.
In all of Edward Grey’s travels past, present, and beyond, has there been a location or setting you could call your favorite to show him in?
Ben: Thanks! A lifetime ago I was working on storyboards for The Lord Of The Rings (back when it was going to be two films) and our office was right next to Alan Lee and John Howe. So I could just walk in and annoy them anytime I wanted. And in all my time on that job the biggest revelation I learned was using environments as a story telling device from those guys.
But dank musty Victorian streets are always fun. I never got to draw sir Edward in my favourite era of his which is the grizzled bearded heliopic brotherhood hunting era just before he died. I feel like there’s at least one book waiting to be made in that era. (That’s not a tease for anything. I’m just saying that would be cool)
Anton: I’m already preparing myself emotionally for this story. From the pages I have seen the book dives deep into story threads that twist and turn back to the first books and is bringing together some very important characters in seemingly inevitable ways. I don’t think everyone is going to make it out of this one.
Additionally, you have mentioned that this may be your last story in the Hellboy Universe for some time. It makes this all feel like a very powerful book. As an artist, how often do you reflect on being one of the crafters of a modern mythology that will ultimately go on to surprise, delight, and inspire the next generation, if not many more generations to come?
Ben: Ha! Thanks but, um I’ve never thought about it like that before. I guess Mike should get the credit for any lofty ideas like that. I’m ridiculously happy to have any hand in this stuff. And if something I do inspires someone on their way to becoming a comic artist then that makes me even more happy. But I don’t really spend a lot of time reflecting on these things. I’m too busy thinking about the next project.
Anton: You knocked it out of the park with Our Bones Dust, you have a long legacy within the Hellboy Universe that I return to on the regular to enjoy, I’m head over heels delighted by the direction The Serpent in the Garden is taking. I’m sure it will be yet another amazing adventure… not to sound greedy because I believe you have contributed so much to the comic world already, but the world seems a bit on fire at the moment and the distractions and delights yourself, Mike Mignola, Matt Smith, and the cabal of creatives who inspire me when the darkness feels overwhelming is going to be needed now more than ever. What can you talk about that you have coming next on the horizon? Ben: Thank you so much. Yeah I’m doing everything I can to keep the outside world on the outside. I’m fortunate enough to live in a country where our problems are pretty mild compared to everywhere else.
The next thing from me is going to be fairy tales. Pure distraction. Mike and I will both be focused on our Lands Unknown books for the foreseeable future. I start work on my first book in a few weeks.
Anton: I really truly thank you for taking the time out of working on things to talk to me. I’m confident that The Serpent in the Garden is going to be amazing. If you had to pick a moment or something from this miniseries that may entice those who may be on the fence about picking this particular story up, or give those long time fans something to look out for, what would that be?Ben: Thank you! That’s hard to answer without spoilers. But every issue has some huge epic moments that I think are worth the cover price. Thanks Anton, hope you enjoy the rest of the series!
You can find The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England #1 in local comic shops on November 27th. I truly believe, much like I reported to you about Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea, that this is going to be something special and lovers of fine art, epic stories, and the Hellboy universe are not going to want to miss out on this one.
Until next time, In the darker hours, when things feel overwhelming and earth shattering I find that the stories within the Hellboy Universe are a comfort. They speak to a world where there were things before, and even after a grand calamity, when all seems lost, there is still a world that will come after and in that world, that place after the enemies come and the horrors are unleashed, there are still those who are noble and true. They are stories, but stories are reflections of who we can be and how we can change the world for the better if we are only willing to try.
