BPRD: The Dead Remembered #2

Written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie
Art by Karl Moline and Andy Owens

One of the things I've appreciated the most about the Mignola-verse of comics (BPRD, Hellboy, and a few other titles) is the way that Mignola and company regularly dig into the character's pasts, and tell stories set throughout the twentieth century.  This series is centred around Liz Sherman, who hasn't been seen in the contemporary stories for a while.

In this three-issue series, Liz is fourteen, and still coming to grips with her abilities.  She's traveled with Professor Bruttenholm to help an old friend deal with a haunting, and it's her first experience in the field.  She's not a proper member of the Bureau yet - it's really just supposed to be a bit of an excursion.  The thing is, she's had the most concrete encounter with the ghost - the spirit of a woman who had been accused of witchcraft back in the Salem days.

Now Liz, and the local boy she's met, want to conduct their own investigation.  The ghost story is pretty standard stuff, but it's basically just a vehicle to delve into Liz's character.  The problem is that the sudden confession of how she killed her parents feels a little awkwardly crammed into the book, like the entire series exists just for this scene, but it doesn't flow well.

So, while this is not the best BPRD comic I've read, it's not awful.  I am curious to see how it ends, but I'm also pleased that said ending is coming soon.  Mostly, because I want to see what's going to happen to Abe after the end of the last mini.