Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, art by Christopher Mitten, and colors by Dave Stewart
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.
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