BPRD Hell on Earth - Monsters #1

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Tyler Crook

I was among many fans who were disappointed to hear that Guy Davis was no longer going to be the artist for BPRD, a series he has drawn for many years.  His sense of design and aesthetics has had as much impact on the series as original creator Mike Mignola, and it must not have been easy to find a replacement for him.  There is a house look to the Mignola-verse comics, and not every artist would fit nicely into the style (which Davis did while being able to draw as he always has).

With this issue, we are introduced to Tyler Crook, the man who has some pretty big shoes to fill.  And I think he's done a fantastic job.  His art is in line with many of the other artists that work with Mignola.  His faces retain a hint of Guy Davis-ness, but he also stands as his own artist he's not just aping their styles.

The comic is focused on Liz Sherman, who we haven't seen in the present in quite some time.  It appears that she's been riding out the Apocalypse (or whatever it is that's been going on all over the world) in a trailer park, living with a pair of losers, and sleeping a lot.  The comic opens on her busting up a poker game, and kicking a big bruiser in the mouth.  She's clearly trying to keep a low profile, but as always, weirdness finds her.

We still don't know what's going on with the rest of the team (which is getting annoying, since the last we saw Abe he was suffering from some severe wounds), and I can't tell if she's going to be reunited with them during this arc or not.  This is a good debut issue for Crook, and in general, yet another excellent addition to the BPRD line.