Book Review: B.P.R.D. Omnibus Vol. 5 by M. Mignola et al.

B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 5 story by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Guy Davis, Tyler Crook, and Duncan Fegredo, colors by Dave Stewart, and letters by Clem Robins

The start of the Hell on Earth saga begins with this volume.

New World--With the U.N. takeover of the B.P.R.D., the agents are running thin. Global coverage is hard to maintain as problems break out all over. Abe gets a lead on where Ben Daimio is, which leads into a backwoods encounter with a disheartening resolution. If that wasn't bad enough, the agents at the Bureau are starting to get on each others' nerves. Johan suspects Panya of personal intrigues. Devon suspect Abe of being the next creature of the apocalypse. It's an unhappy start to the new storyline.

Seattle--Seattle is wiped out by a big demon, though this story is just a conversation between a B.P.R.D. agent and a local cop. They discuss whether this new war can be won or not and what they should do about it. It's a nice bit of human interest and all too brief.

Gods--Survivors from the Houston volcano are following a teen-age girl named Fenix. She has some sort of precognitive ability that's enabled her and people following her to avoid disaster. As the B.P.R.D. catches up to their group, a lot of bad things happen. Kate tries to force Abe and Devon to patch up their differences, though both are very reluctant to move on. In the field, they still are very cool to each other, until Abe gets shot up at one of the monster hunts.

Monsters--Liz Sherman has settled in a trailer park where she hopes to live a quiet life. The locals don't make that possible when they start dabbling in the occult, forcing Liz back toward her "secret agent" life, though she's a long way from the B.P.R.D. Meanwhile, Abe's condition gets worse, as does the world-wide supernatural disasters. While it's nice to know what's happening with Liz, it's not happy news.

Russia--Kate goes to meet with the Russian equivalent of the B.P.R.D., an agency named the SSS or Special Sciences Service. Following the typical Russian stereotype, they are both secretive and invasive. They know a lot more about the B.P.R.D. than they initially admit too and have plans that they do not reveal until the very last moment. Their manipulativeness pays off in some unexpected ways, making for an intriguing story.

An Unmarked Grave--Kate goes to England to follow up on clues to where Hellboy might have wound up. She finds out very little, other than that impending sense of doom is only getting worse and worse. This was quite a downer, even with its very brief page count.

The book ends with a sketchbook of ideas and visual drafts of the various characters and creatures.

Overall, the plot and tone are too bleak to be fun to read. While the characters keep fighting the good fight, the hope of success, either short-term or long-term, has dwindled so much. Having read the ending of the Abe Sapien storyline, I know the bad place they will wind up and just don't have the heart to keep watching the trainwreck.

Mildly recommended, though I probably won't read more of this storyline.

Book Review: B.P.R.D. Omnibus Vol. 4 by M. Mignola et al.

B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 4 written by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Guy Davis, art by Dave Stewart and Clem Robins

More adventures with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense!

1. The Warning--Abe has been trying to find Ben Daimio though bigger issues pull him away. Liz Sherman gets kidnapped by the mysterious stranger that has been haunting her, causing a lot of problems for the Bureau and for the world at large. The whole team heads to Germany where they make some very unhappy discoveries. The plague of frogs is not quite over as new players start stirring up trouble and the bleak fate of the world (i.e. the victory of the frogs) looms again. The story is a little choppy and seems more like a transition from one narrative to another, larger narrative. This is one of those plots that need to be read in context to understand what is going on.

2. The Black Goddess--The team pulls out all the stops to rescue Liz from Memnan Saa/Martin Gilfryd, a sorcerer who has been alive since the 1860s. He fought with Lobster Johnson, so Kate interviews the last member of Johnson's gang as Johann and Abe search through Johnson's old headquarters for clues. Their information leads them to a snowy Asian mountain where Memnan Saa is preparing for the war to come. The story ends with a narrative cliffhanger as an old character is reintroduced.

3. King of Fear--Kate and Johann work to resolve the Lobster Johnson situation as Abe and the rest of the crew work wind up fighting the titular King of Fear, who turns out to be The Black Flame. The Black Flame has been living underground for years and is working with the frog people and the Hyperboreans to get ready for the next step in evolution, something the rest of the world, and certainly the B.P.R.D., probably doesn't want to happen. The story is exciting with a lot going on and many portents of doom. Having read most of the stuff that comes after, it's both disheartening and impressive to see how early a lot of plans were laid. I enjoyed the development of the characters, especially some minor ones like Devon (a regular human B.P.R.D. agent).

These stories mark the transition from the Plague of Frogs storyline to the Hell on Earth saga. The personal stories of Liz and Abe are the most interesting, though both of them are moving to darker futures. 

Mildly recommended--you have to be a fan of the series to get what's going on.

Book Review: B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 3 by M. Mignola et al.

B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 3 stories by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi; art by Guy Davis, and Dave Stewart; letters by Clem Robins

Another series of stories featuring the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, the place where Hellboy grew up and worked for years (though he is no longer with them in these stories). These tales naturally come after Volume 1 and Volume 2.

The Universal Machine--With the plague of frogs under control, the team assesses the damage. The biggest loss is the death of Roger the Homunculus, though Johann thinks he is not permanently dead. Kate Corrigan goes in search of an ancient tome that might have some way to bring Roger back, though the small, east European town she travels to has a lot more trouble than she bargained for. Meanwhile, back at HQ, Ben Daimio tells how he came back from the dead, a harrowing tale from the jungles of South America. The other staff tell horror tales from their past too. The overall story has a lot of character development for everyone with an unhappy ending for Roger.

The Garden of Souls--Abe gets another clue to the shrouded history of Everett Langdon Caul, his previous identity. He receives a strange message with a map to an Indonesian island. He and Daimio go there but find little in the city. Then Abe is approached by a little girl who gives him information about a secret island where Caul's former associates are waiting for his return. Abe takes an old boat provided, leaving Daimio in the dark about where he's gone. Daimio does some investigating on his end (because there's a bigger conspiracy taking place) as Abe sees the scientific horrors and ambitions of his old occult buddies. The story does a good job maintaining excitement and intrigue as the plot moves forward. A new recurring character is introduced, expanding an already rich cast. Abe's past is also very interesting, making the world of the B.P.R.D. larger and richer.

Killing Ground--Part of the transfer from Connecticut to Colorado for the B.P.R.D. headquarters is moving a prisoner. In a previous story, they had captured a Wendigo, a Canadian creature that takes the soul of its latest victim as its own. The soul has some control for a while but eventually the monster completely takes over. That's happened with this creature. Daimio has a weird fascination with the creature, so when it breaks out and starts killing, he has a lot of trouble (as does the rest of the Bureau). It's another melancholic tale that provides a lot of interesting moments and yet another sad ending, this time for Daimio.

The stories are becoming more personal, fleshing out the characters that have been introduced to the story. The developments with Abe Sapien, Kate Corrigan, and Ben Daimio are the most interesting. These volumes are a bit more pessimistic than the Hellboy stories. Hellboy struggles to overcome his fate of bringing about the end of the world. The B.P.R.D. struggles too but there seems to be less hope of success. The gore is very strong in this series, so it is definitely not for little kids.

Recommended.

Book Review: B.P.R.D. Omnibus Vol. 2 by M. Mignola et al.

B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 2 stories by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi; art by Mike Mignola, Guy Davis, and others; letters by Clem Robins

Another series of stories featuring the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, the place where Hellboy grew up and worked for years (though he is no longer with them in these stories). These naturally come after Volume 1.

The Dead--The B.P.R.D. headquarters moves from Connecticut to Colorado, partly as a cost-saving measure, partly because the plague of supernatural frogs is moving west across the United States. Director Manning hires a new guy named Benjamin Daimo to run the team while Kate Corrigan and Abe Sapien are on a different assignment. The Colorado facility is an old scientific research center built just after World War II. Unfortunately there's a lot of stuff that goes bump in the night in the several sub-basements. Meanwhile, Kate and Abe research Everett Caul, who is the person Abe was before something happened to change him into a fish man. Abe has no memories of that time. After consulting with a Connecticut librarian, they go to a seaside house that Caul built. Caul moved there and married, though his widow committed suicide soon after Caul's disappearance. Abe visits the abandoned house on a dark and stormy night. He meets the wife's spirit and has to struggle with what to do.

The parallel stories are both interesting since they delve into different histories and different personal dynamics. Liz Sherman and the others have a hard time accepting Daimo, who is a former soldier and very much a shoot-first-ask-question-later guy, along with his dismissive attitude toward Roger the Homunculus. I enjoyed both stories very much. Guy Davis's art is distinct from Mignola's style and became the standard for the B.P.R.D. stories. It's less dark and spooky but still creepy.

War on Frogs--Five separate stories of fighting with the frog monsters highlight different situations and different characters. Roger is getting overly influenced by Daimo, turning into a soldier of fortune. Abe has decided to forego field work which spooks out the regular B.P.R.D. agents. Johann has his own problems dealing with the ghosts of frogs who were killed just after being changed from humans. 

The stories provide no real forward movement for the main storyline, just a bunch of creepy character moments for everyone involved.

The Black Flame--Zinco Corporation's head Mr. Pope is a fan of Nazi Germany, but only the occult extremism. He has a secret office with memorabilia and records from World War II. His research references various occult allies like the Crimson Lotus. Pope is interesting in becoming the new Black Flame, a Nazi occult warrior. Zinco's R&D department has captured some frogs for experiments, like making them speak in English. Meanwhile, the B.P.R.D. has its hands full assaulting various nests of frogmen across the U.S. Roger is gung-ho at fighting while Abe sticks to paperwork at headquarters. Liz is slowly turning into a living weapon, only interested in roasting the frogs. When the Black Flame tries to claim the frogs as his own followers, they merge into an even greater and more horrible monster. 

Here's the forward motion missing earlier. Things move at a relatively quick pace. A lot of people's lives are changed and the big finale leaves a lot of damage on the Earth and in the B.P.R.D. roster. It's an exciting finale...at least I hope it's the end for the war on frogs.

Epilogue--A story told from the perspective of a B.P.R.D. recruit who tries to befriend Liz. Ashley Strode is her name. She has a hard time dealing with Liz's off-putting attitude after the events of the Black Flame storyline. It's interesting and melancholic.

The book ends with some sketches and commentary from the artists. The stories are fascinating and the character arcs are interesting. I enjoy the B.P.R.D. characters a lot and they get their due here.

Recommended.

Book Review: Abe Sapien Vol. 9 by M. Mignola et al.

Abe Sapien Volume 9: Lost Lives and Other Stories written by Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, and John Arcudi, art by Michael Avon Oeming, Juan Ferreyra, Kevin Nowlan, Alise Gluskova, Santiago Caruso, Mark Nelson, and Dave Stewart

Another volume of stories about Abe Sapien, an agent for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense! Here's a story-by-story rundown...

The Land of the Dead--Abe Sapien goes to investigate some lost divers in Mexico. They discovered a cave that mirrors the myths of the Mayan afterlife. The cave is partially flooded. Four divers went down but only one came back. Abe swims down and finds some abominable creatures to fight. The story is an interesting blend of mythology and horror. It suits Abe's skills as a "fish man" but still has the dark and foreboding underworld. The art is from Mignola and has his signature dark and eerie style.

Witchcraft & Demonology--Abe Sapien is wrapping up a night briefing Professor Bruttenholm at his apartment. As the Professor goes to bed, Abe comes across a tome written by Gustav Strobl called Witchcraft and Demonology. Bruttenholm dismisses Strobl and his work as fake, though the B.P.R.D. did confiscate all the copies printed in the 1950s. When Bruttenholm leaves, another person shows up and tells Strobl's story, that he was a Satanist in the 1800s who was reincarnated in World War I, when he wrote the book to pay back Satan for returning him to life. The story gets weirder and more disturbing as it goes along. This was a little too seriously occultish for me to enjoy.

The Ogopogo--A dead body on a Canadian lake draws Hellboy and Abe to investigate. The lake is famous since it's the home of Ogopogo, a sea serpent that the old natives used to worship and make non-human sacrifices to. The locals are happy to make a little money off tourists. A dead body is not so great for business, much less if the monster of the lake is guilty. Not all the locals are happy for the outside interference. The story is an interesting "monster of the week" yarn.

Subconscious--Abe writes a letter to Hellboy after Hellboy gives him advice to try to fit in with the other B.P.R.D. agents. Abe struggles with changing himself to suit others or being more honest about himself or finding some other place where it will be easier to fit in. The story is short and poignant.

Lost Lives--Abe is having a hard time after finding out he was a Civil War scientist named Everett Langdon Caul who was transformed into a fish man and stored in the basement of a Washington, D.C., hospital. He's doing the research part of the Bureau's mission. Field agents Roger the Homunculus and Agent Vaughn try to talk him into going back into the field. Abe is becoming more detached from other people, which is not a good thing as the story shows. It ends with a good bit of creepy horror but does not resolve Abe's situation.

Icthyo Sapien--The more monstrous version of Abe reflects on his previous life as Caul, leading to a story from Caul's adventures in England with the Oannes Club. The club is something of an ocean cult and is looking for pre-human ancestors, leading to a specimen not unlike the current Abe. It's a weird story that doesn't so much fill in holes of Abe's past as it gives more atmosphere and shows Caul's growing obsession with subterranean creatures.

This set of stories is interesting, but mostly for Hellboy/B.P.R.D. fans. Abe is an interesting character with a very different story arc from Hellboy.

Recommended for Hellboy fans.

Book Review: Abe Sapien Dark and Terrible Volume 1 by M. Mignola et al.

Abe Sapien Dark and Terrible Volume 1 story by Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, and John Arcudi, art by Sebastian Fiumara and Max Fiumara, colors by Dave Stewart, and letters by Clem Robins

Abe Sapien has woken from his coma in the middle of the B.P. R.D. Hell on Earth storyline. He's less human-looking than before and has left the Bureau. The United States (and indeed, the rest of the world) has turned into an apocalyptic landscape. Abe wanders around trying to understand more about himself and his role in what's going on, if any. He goes to the Salton Sea where a water-themed elder god arose and to Rosario, Texas, where he took the bullet that put him in the coma. Meanwhile, Gustav Strobl is also wandering the United States looking for answers about Abe's role, though he clear has sinister motives and is upset that he does not have the mystical control that he once had before. He only takes up a quarter of the narrative, most of the focus is on Abe.

The story is very bleak. Abe has given up on the Bureau and the bigger mission of saving the world. He does help people along the way. But the aid is fairly minimal and some people are beyond help. Abe is not very successful in finding information though he is starting to remember his life as Langdon Caul. Caul lived during the American Civil War and transformed into Abe when he found some underwater relic. I found the stories hard to read (this volume is about 400 pages) with the ongoing dismal tone and the lack of progress on any front.

Not recommended.

Book Review: Crimson Lotus by J. Arcudi et al.

Crimson Lotus story by John Arcudi, art by Mindy Lee, Colors by Michelle Madsen, and letters by Clem Robins

Crimson Lotus is a Lobster Johnson villain (so before Hellboy's time). Her story begins during the Russo-Japanese War when an ancient artifact (pre-historic, maybe even pre-earth) is found in Manchuria. Her family suffers greatly. Thirty years later, a pair of Japanese spies in occupied China search for the artifact. Crimson Lotus, along with her army of little, creepy monkeys, is also searching for the artifact. Magic and monkeys are a bad combination, especially with the Lotus bent on revenge!

The story moves along at a good pace after the various elements are put together (the opening is fairly convoluted). The action is fun though as an origin story it does not have a lot going for it. Crimson Lotus gets her origin in the first ten or fifteen pages then it's just a fun supernatural spy action story where the focus is on the spies, not on Crimson Lotus. I enjoyed reading this but probably won't read it again.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Sir Edward Grey Witchfinder Omnibus Vol. 1 by M. Mignola et al.

Sir Edward Grey Witchfinder Omnibus Volume 1 written by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Kim Newman, Maura McHugh, and Scott Allie, art by Ben Stenbeck, John Severin, Tyler Crook, and Patric Reynolds

In an interesting expansion of his Hellboy universe, Mike Mignola creates a Victorian-era supernatural investigator named Sir Edward Grey. Grey deals with a lot of problems and monsters similar to what Hellboy faces over a hundred years later. Grey is much more scholarly and reserved than Hellboy, giving him a different approach. Six stories fill this volume...

Murderous Intent--Three English witches want to kill Queen Victoria in 1879. Edward Grey has been appointed by Her Majesty to investigate occult occurrences, so it's his job to stop them. The story is very short and explains why he's called "Witchfinder." The art by Mignola is his classic style which I enjoy a lot.

In the Service of Angels--Investigating some truly bizarre deaths, Sir Edward comes in contact with some of the Mignolaverse mythology. An expedition in Egypt uncovered a subterranean passageway that might lead to Hyperborea, the ancient lost civilization that lived inside of the Earth. The members of the expedition have been dying off, the last few in London. They brought some strange bones back with them. The bones belonged to some demon-type being that has been hunting them on their return to England. The Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra (a weird pseudo-religious, pseudo-scientific cult) is also interested in the bones and wants Edward to hand them over. The plot is a slow-burn horror that reveals more of the bleak truth as it moves along. The art is gray and dismal, following the tone of the story and the environment of late 1800s England.

Lost and Gone Forever--Grey pursues a fellow Englishman to Utah in 1880. The trail disappears in a small town that's lost its Christian church and any sense of morals. Grey is pulled out of town by Morg, who has another bigger problem to deal with. A lot of local natives are following a young white woman who claims to be in touch with their gods and is using them for some unexplained purpose. Their investigation turns up some weird details. The sinister character of the story is well matched with a washed-out color palate. The art is more focused on the horror than the Old West, making the area more bleak and desolate, like the situation for the characters.

Beware the Ape--Back in London, Grey is called in to to confront Jerome Bagsby, a gentleman who, while at his club, beat another man for an archeological treasure. Bagsby denies responsibility and puts the blame on an ape in his home. Being weird fiction, this explanation turns out to be true as Grey confronts the beast. The story is very short but does the job.

The Mysteries of Unland--The town of Hallam has been reclaimed from English swamplands by industrialist Sir Horace Poole. He is trying to get approval for his health elixir made from the local waters. One of the queen's men has died mysteriously while inspecting the elixir-works to see if it meets royal approval (which would certainly boost sales). Grey is sent, though he thinks it is a common enough case. Poole is ill, so Grey is led around by underlings, including the local constable who does not seem very competent. Grey is ready to leave when his hotel room is attacked by giant eels who tell him to go back to London. Since the case does seem to have a supernatural element, Grey stays. The story moves methodically, building up the revelations and the horror as it goes. The art isn't as good as the other stories but the creepy eel people are very creepy.

The Burial of Katharine Baker--A short story about Henry Hood, a "witchfinder" from the 17th century. Katharine Baker was accused of witchcraft after ever other family's crops failed except hers. Also, she visits her boyfriend in a graveyard...the boyfriend who died several month ago! When Henry Hood hangs her, her family comes to give her a good burial. Another group shows up claiming to be her family, causing a lot of consternation and a chance for Hood to show off his skills. The story was interesting but very short.

Overall, I found the stories entertaining. Grey is an interesting character but sometimes he seems like he's more "along for the ride" than figuring things out on his own. The horror has a good variety and the different locations are used creatively.

Recommended--highly for Hellboy/Mignola fans.

Book Review: Lobster Johnson Vol. 6 by M. Mignola et al.

Lobster Johnson Volume 6: A Chain Forged in Life stories by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi with art by Troy Nixey, Peter Snejbjerg, Toni Fejzula, Stephen Gree, and Ben Stenbeck

Five one-shot stories in one volume!

A Chain Forged in Life--An inebriated donation-collecting Santa is found in a snowy rural area of New Jersey. The cops that find him get quite a story. The sodden Santa was collecting toy gifts from patrons at one of New York City's department stories. His shift ended when the store closed, which is also the time a trio of robbers burst out with the Christmas Eve sales money. Lobster Johnson appears out of nowhere and tries to stop the thieves. They kidnap the Santa and hightail it to Jersey with the loot and the hostage. Even with all that effort, the Lobster is still after them. The story is exciting and focused on the Santa character (he's narrating, so it makes sense). It follows in the Christmas-action-story tradition of Die Hard and works quite well.

The Forgotten Man--Some pretty massive plot holes ruin an otherwise interesting story of homeless people disappearing in 1935 New York City. The Lobster is drawn in when no one else (the cops or the papers) will help the indigent who face danger from the sewers and a fake preacher. The action is also standard and less interesting than it could be.

The Glass Mantis--The cops and the Lobster are tipped off about a hit happening at an art museum. Someone is supposed to kill a visiting Turkish artist who has made many beautiful glass sculptures for a visiting exhibit. The best is a glass mantis; a lot of other ones are much lesser works. The assassin turns out to be a Turkish woman who shouts "Imposter!" as she shoots. The cops have dressed up one of their own as the artist, but wearing a bulletproof vest and beard keeps him alive. The woman surrenders and escapes from the cops. When the Lobster catches up with her, she tells the story of what's really going on. The mystery of the story works really well along with the action. This is my favorite in this collection.

Garden of Bones--Lobster Johnson investigates a graveyard (the titular garden of bones) with his assistant Harry, hunting down a cop-killer who has an M.O. very similar to mob enforcer Big Benny Jeunot. The only problem is Benny is supposed to be six feet under and voodoo magic doesn't work on consecrated ground. They do have a run-in with Benny, leading to a small cult of Fimbakonu, which is not voodoo. The cult follows all the voodoo rules, leading Harry to save the day at the end. It's a fun story but pretty short.

Mangekyo--The Lobster and his crew stop a prison break set up for a German spy. A bunch of monkeys in kabuki masks tried to dynamite the prison wall. The crew follows the monkeys back into the forest where they confront the Crimson Lotus, a Japanese magic-weaving woman who lays traps for them, some psychological or mystical. The story is a lot of fun.

Recommended.

Book Review: Lobster Johnson Vol. 5 by M. Mignola et al.

Lobster Johnson Volume 5: Metal Monsters of Midtown and The Pirate's Ghost written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Tonci Zonjic and Dave Stewart

In the first half of this book, Lobster Johnson is up against the titular "Metal Monsters of Midtown." Three robots attack a bank but don't steal anything. The police can't even put a dent in them; the Lobster is only slightly more successful with a grenade launcher. His real success comes as he and his associates investigate three missing Zinco Corp. employees. All three were working in Jersey on armored battle suits but they have not been to work in a while. The main engineer's wife provides enough information to turn the tide of battle. The story has the classic pulp adventure feel, like the old 1930s and 1940s serial adventures at the movies.

The second half is "The Pirate's Ghost." Crime boss Wald wants the Lobster dead and has hired the criminal schemer Isog, a Peter-Lorre-style henchman if ever there was one. Isog has an elaborate plan to lure the Lobster out of the city by kidnapping Cindy, a report who is the girlfriend of Harry, one of the Lobster's henchmen. Things are moving along but Wald is going crazy, seeing a pirate compadre (i.e. the titular ghost) who gives him all sorts of bad advice. The story drifts around a bit in an unsatisfying way. The real heart of story is the relationship between Harry and the reporter. She has an offer to move to Chicago to advance her career but Harry feels obligated to stay in New York to help the Lobster. 

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Hellboy Universe: The Secret Histories by M. Mignola et al.

Hellboy Universe: The Secret Histories written by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Chris Roberson; art by Christopher Mitten, Jason LaTour, Laurence Campbell, and Paul Grist; colors by Dave Stewart and Bill Crabtree

This hardback volume contains several storylines that were previously published as individual comics and later as graphic novels. They are set in the Hellboy universe but deal with side characters. Most are new to me.

Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon--I had read this before, and even reviewed it on a previous post. What I wrote last time still holds: 

The mad monk Rasputin (who made such a mess of the Russian royal family's life in the lead-up to the 1917 Revolution) is back from the dead and joins forces with the Nazis so he can get resources for his projects. He's promised the Nazis to help in their war effort, but they are only a means to his own ends. In this story, Rasputin seeks to raise one of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra, an occult group very active during the Victorian era but brought to heal by Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder, around the turn of the twentieth century. The Brotherhood was devoted to the Ogdru Jahad, the Lovecraftian elder gods of the Hellboy universe. Rasputin wants to return the Ogdru Jahad to our dimension. That would be a catastrophe. Luckily Trevor Bruttenholm is working for British Military Intelligence and he puts together various intercepted messages that puts him on Rasputin's trail. Can he figure things out and stop Rasputin in time?

The story is very well plotted. Various elements from different Hellboy stories (including side stories like those of Edward Grey or of the Black Flame) are united without it feeling forced. Enough background is given that new readers won't be lost. The story isn't all exposition, either. There are plenty of moments of horror and action as the two sides find out more about each other and come into conflict.

Recommended.

Sledgehammer 44--The Allies have developed a special suit of armor to fight against the Nazis. On its test run in Normandy, the suit gets damaged in a battle with what seems like the German equivalent. The German is eliminated but the Allied support team, a band of five soldiers, have to take the armor and its pilot back to friendly territory in a wheelbarrow. Pretty soon they are being pursued by other Nazis so escape is not certain. 

The steampunk start of the story quickly morphs into a supernatural mystery as one of the Allies finds out more about the armor as he and the armor-pilot share a near-death experience. The armor tries not to look like Iron-Man Mark I but it's hard not to see similarities. The suit uses "Vril energy" for power, which lets in the supernatural element. The story is interesting but not outstanding.

Mildly recommended.

Sledgehammer 44: Lightning Warfare--The armor's pilot is very uncooperative and uncommunicative as the war proceeds. The armor's handlers (including Trevor Bruttenholm) convince him to go and save a pilot from an experimental airplane that has been captured by the Nazis. When Sledgehammer is brought to the front he has to confront another Nazi menace--the Black Flame! The story is interesting but not as compelling as it could be.

Mildly recommended.

The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed--Remember those aliens that showed up in Seed of Destruction and Conqueror Worm? Their unexplained cameos 30 years ago are finally explained in this story. An alien (the titular "Visitor") is sent to Earth to kill Hellboy when he is summoned in December 1944. The alien sees something in the boy, his innocence and his ability to choose his own path, i.e. his humanity. Instead of assassinating, the alien says he will observe Hellboy from a distance to see how he develops. If he does become a danger to humanity, the Visitor will kill him. Hellboy grows more and more human, more and more good. Meanwhile, the Visitor has married a human woman and develops a whole new side of himself as he keeps an eye on Hellboy. The parallel stories help to reinforce each other as well as connect the two cameos in a meaningful and satisfying way.

Recommended.

God Rest Ye Merry--Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. crew take on a sidewalk Santa who has become possessed by a magical amulet. The Visitor happens to be nearby and tips of Professor Bruttenholm about the amulet, getting Hellboy to solve the problem with his wits more than his Right Hand of Doom. It's an entertaining little story.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Dark Horse Freebies

Dark Horse Comics has made a bunch of comics free to read during the pandemic lockdowns (it's still the spring/summer 2020 lockdown as I write). As with most mixed sets, it's a mixed bag. And since it's now late in the lockdown, fewer titles are available.

Lobster Johnson: Garden of Bones story by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Stephen Green, and Geof Shaw, and colors by Dave Stewart

1930s pulp hero Lobster Johnson investigates a graveyard (the titular garden of bones) with his assistant Harry, hunting down a cop-killer who has an M.O. very similar to mob enforcer Big Benny Jeunot. The only problem is Benny is supposed to be six feet under and voodoo magic doesn't work on consecrated ground. They do have a run-in with Benny, leading to a small cult of Fimbakonu, which is not voodoo. The cult follows all the voodoo rules, leading Harry to save the day at the end. It's a fun story but pretty short. It's no longer available for free--sorry for the delay!

The Witcher Sampler by a large variety of artists

The Witcher started out in written form but exploded in popularity thanks to the video games and last year's Netflix television series. This collection of stories has Geralt of Rivia meeting various people. One man is all alone, except for his dead wife. The Witcher stays with him for a few days, developing a poignant connection that might save the man from more than supernatural problems. The second story is frustratingly incomplete (perhaps a marketing tool) where Geralt winds up on a ship bound for a mysterious rescue. The story ends as they board the ship. The final section has excerpts from "The World of the Witcher," a sort of encyclopedia of Witcher facts and figures.

I enjoyed the humor and action, though not enough to seek out the comics. Maybe if the library has them...

Choke Gasp! A Selection of Handpicked EC Comics Stories by many artists

EC Comics specialized in horror and the macabre. The TV show Tales from the Crypt was based on the EC comic of the same name. These stories include the tale of a former concentration camp commander who fled to America but whose past finally catches up with him (and rightly so). The next tale is of a butcher during World War II who started selling the good meat on the black market and, at first, sold horse meat to the regular customers. He rather quickly worked his way down the quality scale in order to make a buck. His substitutions finally catch up with him (and rightly so). The third story is about a WWII colonel whose son is a lieutenant under his command. Worse, the son is a coward. The colonel sends his son on a mission with some horrible results. The final tale is a blatant commentary on the stupidity and injustice of racism set in the far future on a planet where gold robots and blue robots live in different parts of town. The story was surprisingly relevant to today.

I found this interesting but not enough to make me search out other EC Comics.

Book Review: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1952 by Mike Mignola et al.

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1952 story by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, art by Alex Maleev, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Clem Robins

After twenty-one years in print, we finally get the story of Hellboy's first mission with the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense! Hellboy came onto the Earth in 1944 when summoned by a bunch of Nazis who were desperate for some way to win the war. Eight years later, Hellboy is fully grown and is cooling his heels on an Army base where the B.P.R.D. is stationed. Professor Bruttenholm, head of the organization and foster-father to Hellboy, sends four agents to Brazil to investigate strange murders in a small, remote village. He wants Hellboy to go along. The agents have various reactions from excitement to trepidation. Will they just have to babysit him? Things turn out to be a lot more dangerous and complicated, making an exciting story.

The art is grittier and more subdued Mignola's work high contrast work. The story is interesting with some nice twists and foreshadowing of things to come both in this story and in other Hellboy stories.

This is definitely worth reading for Hellboy fans!

I read this in individual issues but the trade paperback is coming in August!

Book Review: Abe Sapien: The Devil Does Not Jest and Other Stories by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi

Abe Sapien: The Devil Does Not Jest and Other Stories by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi

One of the popular secondary characters in the Hellboy universe is Abe Sapien, a fish man who resembles the Creature from the Black Lagoon. He's been a regular partner with Hellboy in many adventures and also has had some solo adventures investigating paranormal happenings. This collection has three of the fish man's outings.

The first story is The Lost Boy. Two boys fell underneath the ice of a Vermont lake. Only one came back out. The lake is subsequently haunted by the boy's spirit. Abe Sapien is called in to investigate. The tale is melancholic and horrific with an action-packed ending.

The next story is The Abyssal Plain, about a sunken Soviet submarine that contains a magical artifact. Abe Sapien is sent again since he is able to swim to the depths without taking all the scuba gear someone else would need. The back story of the sub is slowly revealed, including a glimpse into the Soviet version of the B.P.R.D.

The final story is The Devil Does Not Jest, about a long-missing professor of demonology, Gaver Van Laer. His grandson provides a new lead which leads to a house full of madness and horror. This tale has the most action (i.e. the most blood and mayhem), though it also delivers some creepy horror.

Overall, the book is interesting but does not have the humor that Hellboy stories have. Abe is more introspective, more of a tough-guy who will brute force his way through a difficult problem. The stories are interesting but not as entertaining as Hellboy tales.

The book does have some concept art and alternate covers in the back. Mignola does not provide any background on the stories, though that's because Arcudi did most of the writing. Reading the background gives more richness to the story.

Parent advisory: The book does contain a lot of gore, including some bloated sea zombie action. There's a very dubious history to the submarine's artifact, part of a supposed battle between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor in the middle ages.