Book Review: B.P.R.D. Omnibus Vol. 1 by M. Mignola et al.

B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 1 stories by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Geoff Johns, and others; art by Mike Mignola, Guy Davis, Cameron Stewart, and others; letters by Clem Robins, Michelle Madsen, and others

A 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).

The Hollow Earth--Liz Sherman has been gone from B.P.R.D. Headquarters for a couple of years. She wanted to learn to control her powers and wandered off to a snowy monastery. But now she's in trouble and has sent a pyschic distress signal to Abe Sapien. He rushes off to find her just as he and Roger the Homunculus are considering leaving the B.P.R.D. They are joined in the snowy search by Kate Corrigan and the Bureau's newest addition, Johann Krauss, a disembodied medium who travels in an old-fashioned diver's suit. They find the monastery in ruins with a weird passage into the middle of the Earth. The adventure is interesting and Mignola's art looks great.

Abe Sapien Vs Science--Roger the Homunculus is seemingly dead and all efforts by the B.P.R.D. scientists have failed to revive him. Well, maybe not all efforts. They plan to switch over to autopsy to learn more about how Roger was made but go for a cigarette break. Abe slips in and saves the day. It's a poignant little tale that I like a lot.

Drums of the Dead--A shipping line is plagued by sharks, which is not so bad. Their real problem is when their crews hear drums in the middle of the ocean. Invariably, one or more crew members start speaking in a strange language, attack the other crew members, and jump overboard. The B.P.R.D. is called and Abe Sapien comes with a new agent (a psychic) to investigate. The story has a good blend of horror and history, making it a very good read.

The Soul of Venice--The B.P.R.D. team is dispatched to Venice, where the pipes are exploding and the water is disgusting. The supernatural cause is not immediately obvious but does stem from the ancient Roman roots of the town (as in Roman gods). The story has some good twists though it is a fair standard adventure.

Dark Waters--A Massachusetts town that's not Salem (which is nearby) is draining the town square pond, only to discover three perfectly preserved women in shackles at the bottom. They are dead but their memory brings out the worst in a few of the town folk. The B.P.R.D. is called in and they help to resolve the situation through smarts and heart.

Night Train--Roger and Liz go to investigate a spooky train that has been terrorizing a neighborhood in the American South. The story starts with a Lobster Johnson adventure about a train wrecked by a Nazi in the American Southwest. Are the stories related? Obviously, though I found the ending tried to cram in too much stuff, making it feel rushed and choppy. They need some more pages of exposition and action!

There's Something Under My Bed--Kids are being abducted from a small town in the middle of the night after complaining about "a monster under the bed." The team comes in to investigate, though Abe Sapien, being a fish man, is not so enthusiastic about kids dealing with monsters. The story makes some good points about the difference between being a monster and acting monstrously. It's also a fun tale that resolves well for all.

Another Day at the Office--Abe and Johann investigate a zombie outbreak in an Eastern European city. As the title suggests, this story is a typical adventure for the gang. It's short and works well.

Plague of Frogs--A long, ongoing storyline starts here as the team discovers and then fights an outbreak of a fungus that turns humans in to frog-like humanoids. The story is creepy and delves into Abe Sapien's past, since he's got a bit of the amphibian in him too. Guy Davis is the artist and his style became the template for the B.P.R.D. stories. It looks a bit more like regular comic books (as opposed to the stark visuals from Mignola) and works well.

This is a very entertaining collection, providing a lot of different stories that show the characters and the world they live in. Even though there is plenty of references to previous storylines, they are easy to follow and help newcomers get up to speed.

Highly recommended.