Wednesday, August 11, 2010

BPRD: Hell on Earth - New World #1

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Guy Davis

It's been a few weeks since I finished reading through the entire back catalogue of BPRD and Hellboy comics, and I am finding it kind of exciting to be able to read these in 'real time', although it's also frustrating, because as soon as this issue finished, I wanted to read the next one.

This comic is the first with the new, permanent BPRD: Hell on Earth title, as the Bureau adjusts to the new, post War of the Frogs status quo.  The Bureau now operates under the aegis of the UN, and with that comes any number of bureaucrats and paper work, at a time when the world has changed significantly.

This issue doesn't dwell much on how the main characters are dealing with all of these changes, but it does set up hints as to where these characters are headed.  Kate is working too hard and trying to hold everything together, while Johann seems to be flaking out again.  Abe has become distant and takes off on a mission of his own, while Devon becomes increasingly suspicious, and maybe a little paranoid.

This is a great start to a new direction for this book, and while it might not be terribly easy for a new reader to jump on at this point, it's worth checking out where this book is headed.  Even if you don't understand everything, you'll get to see further proof of Guy Davis's genius.

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