Book Review: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1957 by M. Mignola et al.

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1957 stories by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Laurence Campbell, Stephen Green, Shawn Martinbrough, Alison Sampson, Mike Norton, and Mike Mignola

Another set of random adventures from the old days of the B.P.R.D.

Family Ties--Hellboy and field agent Sue hunt down a paperback copy of Gustav Strobl's "Witchcraft and Demonology," an authentic text of occult practices. This particular copy is in a Dayton, Ohio, suburb, where a family is suffering from one of the members being possessed. That particular demon causes a lot of trouble. The telling has creepy atmosphere and a build-up that pays off well.

Forgotten Lives--Professor Bruttenholm and Hellboy set out to investigate a haunted graveyard. This particular cemetery has mass graves for the indigent, so finding the right unsettled spirit is much tougher. They wind up at an auction of personal effects from the indigent, which indirectly solves the problem. The story is charming in its way. There's an old security guy who is completely unphased by ghosts since he's seen 'em all already, unlike the newer interment crew. I liked this one a lot.

Falling Sky--Hellboy and cryptozoologist Woody Farrier go on a field assignment to investigate a flying saucer sighting that has resulted in a monster in the woods. Woody has been work for a few years with the Bureau and is dissatisfied, since any weird creature they find has been either a hoax or a demon-crossed regular animal, not an actual new species. Hellboy tries to cheer him up but that is not Hellboy's core competency. They discover the UFO is just a downed weather balloon. The locals are still fearful of something in the woods, so the investigation continues with a mixed-blessing ending. This story is a nice character study, mostly of Woody, but a bit of Hellboy too.

Fearful Symmetry--Hellboy visits an old college friend of Bruttenholm's in India. He teams up with Ginny Payne who had been something like a summer intern for the Bureau seven years earlier. They investigate some animal attacks in a remote village, probably a were-tiger but people aren't sure. It's another monster-of-the-week story for Hellboy.

From Below--Hellboy, Bruttenholm, and Agent Archie go to investigate a noisy, abandoned saw mill in Oregon. The spot has had sporadic sightings or, more precisely, sounds of the supernatural. Archie had investigated seven years ago and came up with nothing. This time, they discover a trap door leading to a basement full of arcane equipment and a symbol of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra. So something bad is down there. It's another fun venture that uses Archie's background well.

Happy New Year, Ava Galluci--Hellboy attends a New Year's Eve seance where a shyster medium, the titular Ava Galluci, is guest of honor. The locals want to summon a discredited ancestor with the usual unhappy results. This is a quick story that hits the typical Hellboy horror vibe, with art by Mignola as well as the story.

This collection is a lot of fun, with Forgotten Lives being the standout.

Recommended, highly for Hellboy fans.