Book Review: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Beast of Vargu and Others by M. Mignola et al.

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Beast of Vargu and Others stories by Mike Mignola with art by Duncan Fegredo, Christopher Mitten, Adam Hughes, and Ben Stenbeck

Some more adventures from Hellboy's past...

The Beast of Vargu--Hellboy goes to Romania and encounters the titular beast at Vargu Castle. A local gypsy woman also tells him his own adventure via a puppet show which is bizarrely tied to the defeat of the beast. The tale is weird but not particularly satisfying. The art by Duncan Fegredo is great and makes up for other failings.

Saturn Returns--In 1974, a remote New England woodland grove is home to dozens of corpses. People had been vanishing or "leaving town" for decades. The rock wall of the grove is covered with occult symbols, so Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. have been called in to help the investigation. The fresher corpses show their rib cages pulled out and their hearts missing. Meanwhile, Liz Sherman makes an escape from the Connecticut headquarters and runs into trouble. Hellboy is pulled off the investigation to help out Liz. The stories are loosely tied together. The supernatural investigation is more interesting than the teenage runaway plight.

Krampusnacht--Hellboy faces off against the Krampus, a legendary Christmas monster who is interested in punishing those on Santa's naughty list. They face off a couple of days before Christmas in a remote Austrian home. Mignola does a great job building up some character and mythology for the Krampus, with the typical spooky and violent ending. The story is a fun cross of "monster of the week" and "Christmas special."

Return of the Lambton Worm--Hellboy and the Professor investigate a medieval knight's grave. The knight claimed to have defeated a dragon that he accidentally summoned to his neighborhood. The tomb of the knight has a few surprises in store. It's a fun, very short story.

Recommended--an enjoyable collection!