BPRD Vampire #1

Written by Mike Mignola, Gabriel Bá, and Fábio Moon
Art by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon

I was very excited to hear that the twins would be returning to monthly comics for a little while, and to the BPRD universe in particular.  I'm a huge fan of Bá and Moon's work, and am often disappointed in how rare their output has been since the wrap of their phenomenal Vertigo series Daytripper.

Vampire is a new stand-alone BPRD mini-series that follows up on the 1940s stories, the most recent of which was set in 1948.  The twins drew the 1947 story (which is what drew me into the Mignola-verse), and this tale now returns to the ideas laid out in it.  Anders was the central figure of that story, and in it, he had a pair of vampires imprisoned in his soul (or something like that - it's not all that clear).  We saw in 1948 that his behaviour has become erratic.

As this new series opens, he takes a leave from the BPRD to try to find the places where Hecate-worshiping vampires congregate, although it's not all that clear what he plans on doing when he gets there.  At the same time, we see that some of the vampires are restoring themselves to full health in order to get ready for something.

That's really all that happens in this issue, which is incredibly slight story-wise.  It is, however, a gorgeous comic as the twins have only gotten better with time.  I see that they are sharing the co-writing credit with Mike Mignola, but I don't feel a whole lot of their influence on the story, at least not yet.  Still, this is one of the nicest looking books on the stands.

BPRD Hell on Earth: The Transformation of JH O'Donnell

Written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie
Art by Max Fiumara

The character of Dr. O'Donnell has been lurking around the pages of BPRD for a very long time now - he's the wild-haired stooped over old guy who usually shows up making pronouncements of doom.  Very little has been told about him, and so he's been given his own one-shot as part of Mike Mignola's plans to push his Mignola-verse as close to the point of market saturation as is possible for a group of titles with one common writer.

O'Donnell's story is told as a flashback to a time in the late 80s when Professor Bruttenholm sent O'Donnell and Hellboy to investigate the library of a recently deceased necromancer.  Hellboy ended up getting into a fight with some kind of monster (I love how the narrator dismisses this part of the story so casually, since it does happen in every single Hellboy story), while O'Donnell ended up deep beneath the house, part of a ritual that involved just about every famous dead occultist you can think of, changing him forever.

The art for this issue is provided by Max Fiumara, an artist who has caught my eye on his Four Eyes series with Joe Kelly, and also impressed me with some issues of Amazing Spider-Man.  His odd figures look right at home in the BPRD world, and Dave Stewart's colours burnish his art perfectly.

There really has been too many BPRD-related comics coming out lately, but when they're all this good, it's hard to complain...

BPRD Hell on Earth: The Devil's Engine #1

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Tyler Crook

The Mike Mignola brand has been practically flooding the market lately, with at least three mini-series going at any one time.  As Hellboy, Mignola's central (although not best) book is on hiatus for a while, he's been running two concurrent BPRD series for the last few months.

This may be bad for my financial situation, but it has been good in that it has allowed Mignola and his co-writers (John Arcudi seems to work on the 'main' book, while Scott Allie writes the more peripheral one) the chance to examine different aspects of the post-Apocalyptic 'Hell on Earth', and spotlight characters that don't often get much screen time.

This new three-parter, 'The Devil's Engine' is focused on Andrew Devon, the BPRD agent who has been most critical of the organization, and who more or less betrayed Abe Sapien a while back.  Devon's been sent to recover the girl Fenix, who we first saw a little while ago leading a ragtag band of 20-somethings across America based on her poorly explained predictions or feelings about the future.

In this issue, Fenix and Devon plan on boarding a train to take them to Colorado, although that goes against Fenix's sense of danger.  There is also a scene involving the Zinco Corporation, where dastardly things are afoot. 

Not a whole lot happens in this issue, but it's nice to see Tyler Crook, who has drawn a couple BPRD mini-series, back drawing again.  He was originally announced as Guy Davis's replacement on this title, but I guess that was before the powers that be decided to expand the line, necessitating a rotating stable of artists.  He's very good, as is this comic.

BPRD Hell on Earth - The Pickens County Horror #2

Written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie
Art by Jason Latour

I'm a couple weeks late in reading this comic (thanks Diamond!), but it was well worth it, as these short little BPRD mini-series that the people in the Mike Mignola department of Dark Horse are putting out so many of these days are really quite excellent.

Everyone loves a big epic, sweeping story, but we sometimes forget that a focused, taut little mini-series can be just as, if not more, rewarding.  With the Pickens County Horror, Mignola and co-writer Scott Allie have crafted a terrific little look at the types of missions undertaken by the agents of the BPRD who aren't Abe Sapien, Johann Kraus or Liz Sherman, but that are regular people involved in some deeply weird crap.

This issue concludes the story of just what some American vampires (no relation to Scott Snyder's Vertigo characters) have been up to in rural South Carolina.  Mignola has rarely shown vampires in his Hellboy-verse (which is not in the same continuity as his Baltimore stories), but whenever they've appeared, there have been hints at a larger plot to literally seed the world with vampires, preparing for a particular date when they would all awaken.

In this story, Agents Vaughn and Peters have taken refuge in a shack covered in crosses, and lived in by an old man who is there to study vampires.  Peters is quite ill, and we learn that whatever the strange fog is that has descended on the town every night, it's had a hand in changing Peters into something else.

This issue is mostly filled with action, and Jason Latour has done a terrific job of filling the scenes with some creepy images.  The creatures that come out of the fog are kind of like jellyfish-people, which he makes work, and his establishing shots are great.

When I first saw that Dark Horse was planning on flooding the shelves with BPRD mini-series this year, I was annoyed (for the same reasons I don't like Marvel's double-shipping of their titles), but I do really like the way they are using these short series to examine different aspects of the 'Hell on Earth' status quo in this series.  So long as they keep giving us new situations like this, with such terrific art, I'm going to be buying whatever they come out with.

BPRD Hell on Earth - The Pickens County Horror

Written by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie
Art by Jason Latour

The side of me that prefers my comics to be monthly, and not double- or triple-shipped in a month is annoyed that the Mike Mignola machine is pumping out so much product these days in the wake of Hellboy's removal from the schedule, but the true comics fan in me is happy to be getting a second BPRD mini-series, interwoven with the other one that is currently running (The Long Death).

The thing about the BPRD that makes such a publishing frequency work, as compared to superhero comics, is that since the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is such a large organization, there is always space for new stories within it (as opposed to stories that star Wolverine, who never sleeps or even has time to go to the bathroom).  This two-part mini-series features two agents, Vaughn and Peters, who have probably been knocking around this title for some time in the background, but whom I don't really remember.  The story does a good job of bringing us up to speed where they are concerned though, and there's a cool little Hellboy cameo to boot.

The Bureau is stretched pretty thin since things started going crazy worldwide, and so two agents are all that can be sent when a town in South Carolina calls in reporting strange fog in the mountains, and the disappearances of locals.  It seems that there is a family of vampires living in the hills, although just what they're doing is not all that clear.  Late in the book we are introduced to a vampire researcher (who strangely goes unnamed), who is in the area looking for connections between these local vamps and a creature who first came to America to help quell the Revolution in the 1700s.  Vampires have only rarely been used in the Mignola-verse, so it's interesting to see where this story is going to go.

This arc is being drawn by Jason Latour, who is an interesting addition to the ranks of BPRD artists.  He has a very clean look to his art, and is terrific at capturing the weirdness of backwoods Carolina.  I'm glad that this is a short mini-series, but I am definitely enjoying it.

BPRD Hell on Earth - The Long Death #2

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by James Harren

The Long Death, the latest mini-series featuring the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, has been terrific.  Writers Mignola and Arcudi have taken a pause from the global weirdness that the various members of this book have been dealing with over the past two years or so (since they added 'Hell on Earth' to the title) to feature one of the more interesting cast members, Johann Kraus.

Last issue had Johann lead a team into the woods of British Columbia to look for some missing hikers and park rangers.  Johann promptly ditched them, and they were attacked by a creature that is familiar to long-term readers of the book.  This issue picks up with Johann sitting at the bedside of new character Agent Giarocco, explaining why he was absent when she was attacked.  As it turns out, Johann is up there hunting for Captain Daimio, who used to work with him before turning into a jaguar-god creature, and slaughtering a number of BPRD personnel, and killing the clone body that Johann was inhabiting.

We've seen before that Johann often works his own agenda.  This leads to another run-in with Daimio that is visually stunning, as Johann uses his ability to animate dead bodies quite creatively.  I don't want to spoil the scene, but I strongly suggest that people flip through this comic on the stands if you haven't already bought it.  New artist James Harren is a very strong addition to the Mignola-verse of comics, and I hope to see him continue to work with these characters for some time to come.

BPRD Hell on Earth: The Long Death #1

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by James Harren

This start to the latest BPRD mini-series felt, in many ways, like a return to form for the series, which has been consistently good, but perhaps floundering for a while (since Abe Sapien got shot, I'd say). 

The issue opens on a strange scene shared by Johann Kraus and Captain Daimio, which is quickly revealed to be a dream.  That is significant, since Johann, who is a ghost, hasn't had a dream since he died and began living in a containment suit.  He believes that the dream is indicative of the normalizing effect of his new suit, which he got in the Russia arc.  Panya sees it more literally, but before they can explore it further, Johann is dispatched to lead a mission.

It's great to see Panya in the book again.  She's an ancient mummy from Egypt who is somehow still alive, if rather brittle.  She's been a favourite character of mine since she debuted in the series, and we haven't seen much of her of late.  I'm not sure that she can be trusted, and some of the scenes in this issue help that along.

Johann's mission is in the same area of British Columbia where Abe encountered Captain Daimio a while back, and like Abe did on that mission, Johann ditches his troops to search for his former colleague.  The troops don't do so well though, as a creature attacks their bivouac.

There are two things I found especially enjoyable about this issue.  The first is the introduction of Agent Giarocco, who takes charge after Johann's disappearance.  Apparently, she's been around the margins of this title for some time, but in just a few pages, Mignola and Arcudi flesh her out into a pretty likeable character.  The second thing I liked most about this comic was the art.  James Harren had worked on the Abe Sapien mini-series of a few months ago, and it was good, but this issue looks much, much better.  I was enjoying Tyler Crook's work on this title, and hope to see him again, but for now, I'm very happy with Harren.  Also, I love this cover by Duncan Fegredo.

BPRD Hell on Earth - Russia #2

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Tyler Crook

Putting Dave Johnson on covers for this title and the Abe Sapien mini-series was really a very good idea.  I've missed his cover work since he stopped working on Unknown Soldier a while ago; there is just about no one better at covers than him in the business.

This Russia arc is really pretty cool.  It's always a good idea to explore counterparts of characters in other nations, and it's a comics tradition to have those counterparts be Russian, so even though the Cold War is long over, this concept works here.

As it turns out, the Russian BPRD, called the SSS, is run by a monster, Iosif, who we last saw in the Abe Sapien Abyssal Plain mini-series (which I know I read, but can't really remember at the moment).  We learn why he needs the Bureau's help, which is pretty specific to Johann's talent set.  Johann's been acting very weird for a while now, so it's good to see him returning to his usual function.  I would have liked for there to have been at least one scene devoted to what's going on with Abe though.

Crook's art is continuing to impress me.  There is a full-page spread where Johann meets the person at the centre of this mission, which is very nice looking.  The person in chains looks like he could have been drawn by Bá or Moon, which is the highest praise possible from me these days.

BPRD Hell on Earth: Russia #1

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Tyler Crook

After spending a little too long focusing over the last two BPRD mini-series on Liz Sherman, it's nice to return to the core cast of characters in this book, as Johann and Kate head off to Russia to meet with the Russian counterparts to the BPRD.

Now, this is always something that I liked about comics growing up as a kid - every organization or team has a Russian counterpart.  It's always led to some pretty derivative characters, but some great stories (of course, as of right now the only example I can think of is the Soviet Super-Soldiers, but I know there are more - help!).

Since changing the name of this comic to incorporate the Hell on Earth concept, I've enjoyed seeing just how messed up things have become around the world.  As Corrigan and Johann travel to their meeting in Moscow, they are suddenly attacked by a man who has undergone a strange conversion into a scabrous, hunchbacked creature.  What makes this scene work so well is the utter indifference of all the Russians, for whom we assume this is a common event.

Tyler Crook, the new artist, is continuing to impress me.  He draws Johann much like Guy Davis did - as an actual bag of gas, with wobbly arms that bend wherever it is convenient, instead of at an ectoplasmic elbow.  I'm liking this new arc a great deal, and look forward to seeing where it heads.

BPRD Hell on Earth - Monsters #2

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Tyler Crook

Tyler Crook is a good addition to this title.  He's keeping so many of the elements that Guy Davis introduced to the title that worked, but is also putting his own spin on things.  This issue continues to focus on Liz Sherman, who finds herself stuck in a trailer park full of creepy trailer trash Satanist frog worshipers.  Crook has a knack for drawing trailer trash, I have to say.

It's been a while now since we saw the main BPRD cast, so I was appreciative of the few pages tucked in here featuring Corrigan, Abe, and that UN guy whose name I don't remember.  It feel like this book is going to be getting back on track after it's Liz Sherman-centred hiatus, and I'm pretty happy about that.

This is consistently one of the best comics on the stand.  Next month it looks like the team is going to Russia, which should work for Crook, as he is the artist for the Petrograd graphic novel that looks so good.

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.

BPRD: The Dead Remembered #3

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

This series, which has examined Liz Sherman's first mission for the BPRD, ends very well in this issue.  Earlier, I found that things felt a little forced at times, but with this last chapter, Mignola and Allie really find their groove, and give us a very good story.

Liz has accompanied Professor Bruttenholm on a mission to Massachusetts to aid an old friend who believes his house is haunted by a victim of the witch trial days.  As it turns out, it's actually the woods that hold the spirit, and Liz and a young local boy are the ones that discover that.

There's a very cool scene where the ghost forces Liz to relive her own experiences, and the art keeps shifting from what is happening to Liz in the present to what happened to the accused witch in the past.  It works very effectively.

I did enjoy getting reacquainted with Liz's character, and look forward to her return to current continuity with the next issue; it's been a long time since we've seen her in BPRD.

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.

BPRD: The Dead Remembered #1

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

As much as I want to see what is going to happen after the end of the last BPRD Hell on Earth arc, I like that Mignola and company are revisiting some of the earlier days of the Bureau, in a manner we've become completely accustomed to with Hellboy.  This three-issue arc is focused on Liz Sherman, the pyrokine who has been around since the earliest days of Hellboy.

This story is set two years after Liz killed her family when her abilities first manifested, and has come to live with the Bureau.  Hellboy convinces Professor Bruttenholm (how nice to see them in this comic again) to take Liz with him on a ghost-hunting trip to Massachusetts.  She's dripping with attitude, but is also working pretty hard to disguise her interest in what's going on.  It's been a while since we've seen the adult Liz, so I have to wonder if this arc should be seen as a hint that she will be returning soon.

BPRD Hell on Earth - Gods #3

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Guy Davis

There are a couple of things that have happened in this issue of BPRD that I'm not sure how I feel about.  To discuss one would spoil the ending of the comic, so I'm not going to do that, beyond complaining about how it's going to be a few months before we find out what happens to a favourite character, as the next mini-series is going to spotlight Liz Sherman.

The other thing, that I know I don't like, is that Guy Davis is leaving this title with this issue.  Davis's art was part of the draw for me to become immersed in the Hellboy/BPRD universe last year, and I'm really going to miss his portrayal of these characters.  At the same time, I'm always excited to see how new artists interpret established settings and characters, so hopefully it will all turn out for the good.

As for the actual content of this comic that I will discuss, it's really quite good.  Abe and his BPRD team catch up with the Bedouin group they've been tracking, as they hunt for the mysterious young woman named Fenix.  Finding them involves dealing with some giant, bizarre monsters, and some surprising stuff happens in the end.  Mignola and Arcudi make good use of the rivalry between Abe and Devon, which is clearly not as resolved as the last issue led us to believe.  The silent scene with Devon and Fenix is a perfect example of why I'm going to miss Guy Davis on this book.

BPRD Hell on Earth - Gods #2

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Guy Davis

The first issue of Gods barely had any of the Bureau in it, except for the last page, as it instead introduced Fenix, a young girl leading a nomadic group of people across Texas, always steering them away from danger.

This issue shows us what put the Bureau on her tail, as the UN guy (I have no idea what his name is) debriefs the team on the growing number of these nomadic 'Bedouins' and makes a plan to track down Fenix for further study.  Their briefing gets interrupted by crazy old Professor O'Donnell, who has some ideas about how the current situation in the world is connected to the post-Hyperborean age, which has haunted the Mignola-verse for a while now.

Most interesting though is the scene where Abe Sapien and Agent Devon finally discuss Devon's suspicions of Abe.  I've been a huge fan of the character of Kate Corrigan, and like the way she handled this little problem that has been brewing for a while now.

It's nice to see Davis get a chance to cut loose on the art in the flashback sequence, although I would have liked to have seen some space given to Johann and Panya, as they're both up to something lately.

BPRD Hell on Earth - Gods #1

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Guy Davis

There is a lot about this new BPRD Hell on Earth mini that makes it different from the last few.  First, it's the second arc since the book's title was amended to include the 'Hell on Earth' tag, and the first three-issue mini-series I can think of (the comic is usually split into five-issue arcs).

Most importantly, this is the first time I can think of where almost the entire comic has nothing to do with the agents and members of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.  One of them shows up on the last page, but that's it.

Instead, this issue is focused on a teenage girl named Fenix, her boyfriend Jorge, and a ragtag group that are following them across Texas.  It seems that Fenix has some form or precognitive or psychic powers, and she has led her crew away from the different creatures and forms of weirdness that have been roaming across the country since the War of the Frogs ended.

This issue is the first that really takes the time to examine the extent of the damage and changes to the status quo since this title was revised.  Davis does a great job with these new characters, and the Dennis Calero cover is pretty nice.  This would be a decent place for someone to sample this title, if you've been thinking about trying it out.

BPRD Hell on Earth - New World #5

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Guy Davis

There's some pretty interesting stuff going on in BPRD these days, as this issue sheds some light on the origins of the strange creature that's been giving Abe and Daimyo such a hard time in BC, and in turn drops some hints as to what's going on the world over.

While the storyline involving this monster takes up most of this book, there are plenty of other interesting things going on at BPRD headquarters these days that deserve some discussion.  There continues to be more tension between Abe and Devon, who thinks that he's the 'anti-Christ', although the cause of that animosity showing up in this issue turns out to be someone else, who has been acting very strangely of late.

What's kept me interested in this book has always been the strong characters and their sometimes contentious relationships with each other.  Now that the world has been going through so many changes and new challenges, it seems that all of these relationships have been pushed to the limit, making this book ever more interesting.

BPRD Hell on Earth - New World #4

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Guy Davis

Four issues in to the new status quo, and things continue to be pretty interesting.  We get some idea of what has been making people in British Columbia disappear, while Johann and Panya continue to get weirder and weirder back at the home base.

Making the transition to reading this book on a monthly basis has caused me to reexamine it a little.  I love the group dynamics and sense that things could change at any moment, but I find that the chapters are shorter and quicker than I'd realized reading the book in trade.

I've never been a trade waiter by nature (too damn impatient), and while I like getting a more regular dose of this book, I do wish it would take a little more time to read each issue.

At the same time, in this one, Daimio goes wild, and Darryl makes a reappearance.  It's good stuff.

BPRD Hell on Earth - New World #3

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Guy Davis

As much as I've enjoyed BPRD in the past, I think I'm beginning to enjoy it even more since it's become "BPRD Hell on Earth".  This has always been a title where unpredictable things can happen, but I feel that they've really removed any sort of safety net now, and made the book even more random in terms of wanton destruction and the chance that characters won't survive.  For example, in this issue, a volcano suddenly appears and kills millions in Texas.

What makes this book so strong is the interactions between the characters.  I loved seeing Abe working with Daimyo again, as they deal with some kind of tentacle-y thing in BC, and the conversation between Kate, Johann, and the UN guy (does he have a name yet?) is priceless.  As the world starts falling apart all around them, this book is funnier than it ever was before.  I appreciate that.