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B.P.R.D.
B.P.R.D., Vol. 1: Hollow Earth & Other Stories
The Hollow Earth, by Mike Mignola, Chris Golden, Tom Sniegoski, and Ryan Sook, reveals the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense's struggle to save agent Liz Sherman, and their struggle to deal with life without Hellboy. That story is collected here with rare Hellboy related stories, long sought after by fans of the Mignola's hit comic, which is soon to be a major motion picture! Reprinted here for the first time are the first solo Abe Sapien comic, Drums of the Dead, by Brian McDonald and Derek Thompson, as well as the short stories "Abe Sapien versus Science" and "Lobster Johnson: Killer Inside My Skull." If these names mean nothing to you, you've been missing out on the greatest adventure saga comics has to offer. If you do know these names, then this is the collection you've been asking for.
120 pages, Paperback
First published January 26, 2003
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,779 books2,411 followersMike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
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December 29, 2013
B.P.R.D. is the spinoff series from Hellboy. (BPRD stands for Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense.)
Ordinarily, spinoffs aren't my thing. They tend to happen when a franchise of some sort is fabulously successful, and people start thinking things like, "Wouldn't it be nice if we cashed *two* huge checks every week instead of just one?"
But still, they're successful for a reason. When I got addicted to Buffy, eventually there came a point where there was no more Buffy to watch. (This was back in 2004 or so, when they were releasing the seasons on DVD about six months apart.)
So I wanted Buffy, but I couldn't get Buffy. So I watched Angel instead.
This is like what a heroin addict will do. When you can't get heroin, you'll grudgingly have some methadone instead, just to keep the shakes down.
(Don't think this is me saying I don't like BPRD. I do. I'm just making an extended comparison here.)
But sometimes a spinoff series flourishes in its own right. That happened with Angel, starting around season 3, it really dug in, and I think that season 5 of Angel was probably the best of season of *both* shows.
That's what also happens here. Hellboy is about.... well... Hellboy. He's the star of the show.
But over the course of the series, other interesting subplots and secondary characters arise. This series gives them room to breathe and grow. And they do.
Hellboy, ultimately, is about one character's journey of self-discovery. That means the action tends to be smaller and more focused on the protagonist.
BPRD is different in that it's more plot focused, and the action is much grander. There's apocolypse style weird shittery going down, and the Bureau mankind's best and only hope.
As things grown increasingly grim and Lovcraftian, Hellboy's old team has to gear up and try to fix things even though Hellboy himself has gone walkabout and isn't around to help.
While I don't love it as much as I love Hellboy, the series absolutely caries its own weight. It's not as mythically ambitious as Hellboy, but that's fine, because that's not really the point of the story. B.P.R.D is like the X-Files, if Scully was a Pyrokinetic and Mulder was a ken-doll smooth 17th century homunculus.
And there, I've done it again. It's like my superpower: awful one-sentence descriptions of series that I like. Now you know why you aren't seeing my promotional blurbs all over these comics.
And I'm done,
pat
Ordinarily, spinoffs aren't my thing. They tend to happen when a franchise of some sort is fabulously successful, and people start thinking things like, "Wouldn't it be nice if we cashed *two* huge checks every week instead of just one?"
But still, they're successful for a reason. When I got addicted to Buffy, eventually there came a point where there was no more Buffy to watch. (This was back in 2004 or so, when they were releasing the seasons on DVD about six months apart.)
So I wanted Buffy, but I couldn't get Buffy. So I watched Angel instead.
This is like what a heroin addict will do. When you can't get heroin, you'll grudgingly have some methadone instead, just to keep the shakes down.
(Don't think this is me saying I don't like BPRD. I do. I'm just making an extended comparison here.)
But sometimes a spinoff series flourishes in its own right. That happened with Angel, starting around season 3, it really dug in, and I think that season 5 of Angel was probably the best of season of *both* shows.
That's what also happens here. Hellboy is about.... well... Hellboy. He's the star of the show.
But over the course of the series, other interesting subplots and secondary characters arise. This series gives them room to breathe and grow. And they do.
Hellboy, ultimately, is about one character's journey of self-discovery. That means the action tends to be smaller and more focused on the protagonist.
BPRD is different in that it's more plot focused, and the action is much grander. There's apocolypse style weird shittery going down, and the Bureau mankind's best and only hope.
As things grown increasingly grim and Lovcraftian, Hellboy's old team has to gear up and try to fix things even though Hellboy himself has gone walkabout and isn't around to help.
While I don't love it as much as I love Hellboy, the series absolutely caries its own weight. It's not as mythically ambitious as Hellboy, but that's fine, because that's not really the point of the story. B.P.R.D is like the X-Files, if Scully was a Pyrokinetic and Mulder was a ken-doll smooth 17th century homunculus.
And there, I've done it again. It's like my superpower: awful one-sentence descriptions of series that I like. Now you know why you aren't seeing my promotional blurbs all over these comics.
And I'm done,
pat
March 18, 2019
This picks up right after Hellboy leaves the BPRD after the events of Conqueror Worm. He no longer trusts the BPRD, leaving the remaining members Abe Sapien and Roger the Homunculus wondering if they should leave too. Firestarter Liz Sherman appears to Abe in a burst of fire pleading for help so Abe and Roge along with newcomer Johann head to Tibet to find her. The book is really well written, flashing back to each character's first meeting with Hellboy while they search under the earth for Liz. Ryan Sook gives the book a creepy, forbidding look that reminds me of the scene in The Fellowship of the Ring where the party troops through the Mines of Moria. There's a few other odds and ends featuring members of the BPRD. It's not until volume 3 that BPRD gets its own ongoing series.
October 21, 2017
My Hellboy universe marathon continues with the re-read of BPRD: Plague of Frogs!
BPRD is a Hellboy spin-off series, continuing straight from Hellboy, Vol. 5: Conqueror Worm, and is arguably just as good, if not better than the original — at least if we're talking about the Plague of Frogs story arc. It's a team book, but unlike other teams, this one consists of only awesome characters! Abe Sapien and Roger the Homunculus are our two closest links to Hellboy, because these are the guys he worked with the most until leaving the Bureau, but the series also fleshes out Liz Sherman's character, as she becomes this awesome fire-starting badass. Johann Kraus is the new guy, and he has the coolest origin story which I won't spoil here. My point is, I love every single one of these guys, and together they make up my favourite team in comics. Forget all the Avengers, Defenders, SHIELDs and Justice Leagues — BPRD is the stuff!
This volume collects Hollow Earth, as well as a couple of short stories, and right off the bat it's awesome. The story is great, the team clicks together really well, Hellboy has a nice cameo... This volume isn't as representative of what's to come, because the main story really kicks in only in the third volume, but this still a great beginning.
Just like Hellboy, BPRD turns out to be a worthy re-read. There aren't a lot of great spin-offs in the world, but this is definitely one of them.
Original 2015 review:
That was surprisingly good, especially for the first volume. The title story, Hollow Earth, about the team rescuing Liz was especially good, as it finally explained to me at least some things about her that I wanted to know throughout the whole main Hellboy series. The shorter stories are also nice and well-paced, with some good art and solid plot. All around a nice read.
First read: November 2, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 21, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★
BPRD is a Hellboy spin-off series, continuing straight from Hellboy, Vol. 5: Conqueror Worm, and is arguably just as good, if not better than the original — at least if we're talking about the Plague of Frogs story arc. It's a team book, but unlike other teams, this one consists of only awesome characters! Abe Sapien and Roger the Homunculus are our two closest links to Hellboy, because these are the guys he worked with the most until leaving the Bureau, but the series also fleshes out Liz Sherman's character, as she becomes this awesome fire-starting badass. Johann Kraus is the new guy, and he has the coolest origin story which I won't spoil here. My point is, I love every single one of these guys, and together they make up my favourite team in comics. Forget all the Avengers, Defenders, SHIELDs and Justice Leagues — BPRD is the stuff!
This volume collects Hollow Earth, as well as a couple of short stories, and right off the bat it's awesome. The story is great, the team clicks together really well, Hellboy has a nice cameo... This volume isn't as representative of what's to come, because the main story really kicks in only in the third volume, but this still a great beginning.
Just like Hellboy, BPRD turns out to be a worthy re-read. There aren't a lot of great spin-offs in the world, but this is definitely one of them.
Original 2015 review:
That was surprisingly good, especially for the first volume. The title story, Hollow Earth, about the team rescuing Liz was especially good, as it finally explained to me at least some things about her that I wanted to know throughout the whole main Hellboy series. The shorter stories are also nice and well-paced, with some good art and solid plot. All around a nice read.
First read: November 2, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 21, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★
November 17, 2015
BPRD is a spinoff series from Hellboy who unlike most of spin-offs is really good (yes I’m equally surprised as you are)!
Ok Hellboy’s absence is obvious. It’s like Justice League without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, Power Rangers without Red Ranger, Liverpool without Gerard, Milan without Maldini. Every team needs its leader. Hellboy was a great leader who believed in his teammates. That’s why everybody respected him and that’s why when he left he also created a huge hole in the team. This graphic novel shows us how the rest of the team deals with the team leader’s departure while simultaneously they have to encounter unprepared a supernatural threat.
Now there is no Hellboy to save the day so it is finally the time for the secondary characters to get their chance to shine and for us to give them our full attention. It is nice to finally see Abe Sapien, who for most of his life lived in the shadow of his more famous friend, to take the initiative and kick some ass. We get some more insight about how Abe and Liz met and became friends with Hellboy and a glimpse of Lobster Johnson in action. We also learn about the reanimation of Roger. But the most awesome thing of this graphic novel (for me at least) is the introduction of Johann Kraus, the ectoplasmic physical medium. After my first contact with the character in the movie Hellboy: The Golden Army I was eager to see him in because he is so freakin loveable. Well is there anything not to love about a sharp-witted character that is not dead, just doesn't have a body anymore?
If you call yourself a Hellboy fan you have to give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
Ps: I want more Lobster Johnson stories, Lobster Johnson rules!
Ok Hellboy’s absence is obvious. It’s like Justice League without Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, Power Rangers without Red Ranger, Liverpool without Gerard, Milan without Maldini. Every team needs its leader. Hellboy was a great leader who believed in his teammates. That’s why everybody respected him and that’s why when he left he also created a huge hole in the team. This graphic novel shows us how the rest of the team deals with the team leader’s departure while simultaneously they have to encounter unprepared a supernatural threat.
Now there is no Hellboy to save the day so it is finally the time for the secondary characters to get their chance to shine and for us to give them our full attention. It is nice to finally see Abe Sapien, who for most of his life lived in the shadow of his more famous friend, to take the initiative and kick some ass. We get some more insight about how Abe and Liz met and became friends with Hellboy and a glimpse of Lobster Johnson in action. We also learn about the reanimation of Roger. But the most awesome thing of this graphic novel (for me at least) is the introduction of Johann Kraus, the ectoplasmic physical medium. After my first contact with the character in the movie Hellboy: The Golden Army I was eager to see him in because he is so freakin loveable. Well is there anything not to love about a sharp-witted character that is not dead, just doesn't have a body anymore?
If you call yourself a Hellboy fan you have to give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
Ps: I want more Lobster Johnson stories, Lobster Johnson rules!
August 22, 2013
This is not the place to jump into the Hellboy universe. If you haven't already read Conqueror Worm, you'll probably end up feeling a bit lost. Hollow Earth, the first and longest story in this volume, builds on the developments of Conqueror Worm, with Hellboy now absent and the BPRD itself in a sorry state. It also continues the development of Roger, a character who'd seem odd at best if you didn't have the proper background.
Mignola had, as far as I can tell, limited involvement with the stories in this collection. And actually, that worked out fine. The writers and artists who worked on the various stories know what they're doing, and their stories fit neatly into the same world as the stories Mignola has worked on. This is helped, I think, by the great cast of characters left behind at the BPRD. Liz has a lot of promise as a character, though nobody seems to know what to do with her. At least there's one fantastic scene with her, shortly after her initial arrival at BPRD, when she's still a scared kid with terrifying and uncontrollable powers. Abe and Roger do great with the spotlight shining more firmly on them than it had been with Hellboy around, and the new character, Johann Kraus, should be able to center some really interesting stories.
Hollow Earth, which takes up most of the length of the volume, is a great story. And the short stories are quite good, too. The quality varies a little there, and most of them end up feeling short. But they do fill in some gaps in the story: Roger coming back to life, Lobster Johnson in the 30s, and Kraus's origin. Better yet is the last story in the collection. The art itself didn't appeal to me, but the story, about lost and vengeful spirits, made for a fantastic read. Vaguely folkloric is a great style and template for stories set in the Hellboy universe.
Basically, this is Hellboy without Hellboy, and very little Mignola. And it isn't a bad thing in the slightest, which honestly surprised me.
Mignola had, as far as I can tell, limited involvement with the stories in this collection. And actually, that worked out fine. The writers and artists who worked on the various stories know what they're doing, and their stories fit neatly into the same world as the stories Mignola has worked on. This is helped, I think, by the great cast of characters left behind at the BPRD. Liz has a lot of promise as a character, though nobody seems to know what to do with her. At least there's one fantastic scene with her, shortly after her initial arrival at BPRD, when she's still a scared kid with terrifying and uncontrollable powers. Abe and Roger do great with the spotlight shining more firmly on them than it had been with Hellboy around, and the new character, Johann Kraus, should be able to center some really interesting stories.
Hollow Earth, which takes up most of the length of the volume, is a great story. And the short stories are quite good, too. The quality varies a little there, and most of them end up feeling short. But they do fill in some gaps in the story: Roger coming back to life, Lobster Johnson in the 30s, and Kraus's origin. Better yet is the last story in the collection. The art itself didn't appeal to me, but the story, about lost and vengeful spirits, made for a fantastic read. Vaguely folkloric is a great style and template for stories set in the Hellboy universe.
Basically, this is Hellboy without Hellboy, and very little Mignola. And it isn't a bad thing in the slightest, which honestly surprised me.
September 19, 2011
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, or B. P. R. D., are the organisation Hellboy and co. work for and here, minus Hellboy, it's given it's own series. The focus is on the other members of the Hellboy world: Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien, and two new characters, Roger the golem, and Johann Kraus, a disembodied medium.
The first volume introduces each character giving them their origin stories. We find out how Abe's first days at the Bureau were like, Roger's reanimation came about, and Liz's first meeting with Hellboy. Johann Kraus' backstory is included here too along with a funny Lobster Johnson short story about a killer brain.
The best story here is "Hollow Earth" following Liz, Abe, Roger, and Johann as they descend to the centre of the Earth to battle Morlock-type creatures from activating millenia old machines that could take over the world. The other stories here are excellent too with Abe battling ancient slave monsters in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.
If you're a Hellboy fan and wondering if BPRD is a series that can match the quality of Hellboy's, have no fear, this is an excellent series and "Hollow Earth" is a great introduction to it.
The first volume introduces each character giving them their origin stories. We find out how Abe's first days at the Bureau were like, Roger's reanimation came about, and Liz's first meeting with Hellboy. Johann Kraus' backstory is included here too along with a funny Lobster Johnson short story about a killer brain.
The best story here is "Hollow Earth" following Liz, Abe, Roger, and Johann as they descend to the centre of the Earth to battle Morlock-type creatures from activating millenia old machines that could take over the world. The other stories here are excellent too with Abe battling ancient slave monsters in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.
If you're a Hellboy fan and wondering if BPRD is a series that can match the quality of Hellboy's, have no fear, this is an excellent series and "Hollow Earth" is a great introduction to it.
January 21, 2019
Reread: December 2018-January 2019.
This is the first in the spin-off series from Hellboy, about the other members of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. It starts just after Hellboy quits, and it's all on Abe Sapien to be the leader of their team to go out and save the world from paranormal threats. Abe and his crew are still reeling from Hellboy's departure, but they have to move on because the world isn't safe. Along with Abe, and Roger, the homunculus, Johann Krauss joins the crew. He is a powerful medium who unfortunately had his body fried during an out of body experience during a seance. He was powerful enough to keep his spirit together, and now he had to wear a specially designed suit that contains his essence. Being spirit form comes in handy a lot in this story, and his special skill adds a lot to toolbox of the BRPD. They are dealing with a race of primitives who have traveled from the inside of the earth, yes the earth is Hollow, at least in this story. An old friend and former BRPD member needs their help big time, and they follow her trail into the earth.
This is a weird idea, to say the least. What does that say that I still gave it four stars? I guess I have to admit, I like weird stuff. Glad there are stories out there to cater to weird fiction lovers like myself.
I like seeing Abe take the wheel in this series. Abe is a cool character. He seems to be mostly cerebral (compared to the brawn and bravado of Hellboy), but he can hold his own. Additionally, he is a very empathetic, and caring person. That's a good combination in a leader.
While Hellboy's absence is felt, I still enjoy the BRPD stories, because the other characters are appealing and fascinating in distinct ways from Hellboy, and there is plenty of supernatural oddness to go around. And there is more Mignola to read, especially with Golden and Sniegoski along for the adventure. All good things.
This is the first in the spin-off series from Hellboy, about the other members of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. It starts just after Hellboy quits, and it's all on Abe Sapien to be the leader of their team to go out and save the world from paranormal threats. Abe and his crew are still reeling from Hellboy's departure, but they have to move on because the world isn't safe. Along with Abe, and Roger, the homunculus, Johann Krauss joins the crew. He is a powerful medium who unfortunately had his body fried during an out of body experience during a seance. He was powerful enough to keep his spirit together, and now he had to wear a specially designed suit that contains his essence. Being spirit form comes in handy a lot in this story, and his special skill adds a lot to toolbox of the BRPD. They are dealing with a race of primitives who have traveled from the inside of the earth, yes the earth is Hollow, at least in this story. An old friend and former BRPD member needs their help big time, and they follow her trail into the earth.
This is a weird idea, to say the least. What does that say that I still gave it four stars? I guess I have to admit, I like weird stuff. Glad there are stories out there to cater to weird fiction lovers like myself.
I like seeing Abe take the wheel in this series. Abe is a cool character. He seems to be mostly cerebral (compared to the brawn and bravado of Hellboy), but he can hold his own. Additionally, he is a very empathetic, and caring person. That's a good combination in a leader.
While Hellboy's absence is felt, I still enjoy the BRPD stories, because the other characters are appealing and fascinating in distinct ways from Hellboy, and there is plenty of supernatural oddness to go around. And there is more Mignola to read, especially with Golden and Sniegoski along for the adventure. All good things.
March 3, 2014
This is the first volume of B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense), the spin-off series to Hellboy. As such it is an introduction to the main characters of this new series. Hellboy himself does not appear except in flashbacks, which is fine because this is the story of his friends and what happens to them after he leaves. Whilst you don't have to have read previous volumes of Hellboy it does help to have some knowledge of what is going on, though this volume does a pretty good job of getting to know our main cast.
Abe Sapien the Fish Man and Roger the Homunculus (told you you needed a bit of knowledge) are planning to leave the B.P.R.D. as they no longer feel comfortable there, when they get a psychic distress call from Liz Sherman, a pyromaniac and former part of the team who has been missing for two years.Travelling to a remote monastery, they and new companion Johann Krauss (a bodiless being now living in a containment suit after an accident destroyed his body but left his spirit intact), go in search of Liz in a mysterious underground realm. There they encounter pre-human creatures who have enslaved Liz and who plan to use her energy to start up ancient machines that will rise up and conquer the world of man. Needless to say, this doesn't go down well with our heroes, and they set about freeing Liz and destroying the creatures and their machines (by the way, the machines look a lot like the ones that appeared in the Hellboy II film, and this story may be where the idea came from). At the end, all the the team decide to stay with the B.P.R.D. and thus their adventures continue.
There are a couple of backup strips, which are okay but don't really add up to much. Lobster Johnson is intriguing but needs fleshing out a bit. The final strip didn't really work as I disliked the artwork on it.
All in all, a good start to the series, 3 1/2 stars.
Abe Sapien the Fish Man and Roger the Homunculus (told you you needed a bit of knowledge) are planning to leave the B.P.R.D. as they no longer feel comfortable there, when they get a psychic distress call from Liz Sherman, a pyromaniac and former part of the team who has been missing for two years.Travelling to a remote monastery, they and new companion Johann Krauss (a bodiless being now living in a containment suit after an accident destroyed his body but left his spirit intact), go in search of Liz in a mysterious underground realm. There they encounter pre-human creatures who have enslaved Liz and who plan to use her energy to start up ancient machines that will rise up and conquer the world of man. Needless to say, this doesn't go down well with our heroes, and they set about freeing Liz and destroying the creatures and their machines (by the way, the machines look a lot like the ones that appeared in the Hellboy II film, and this story may be where the idea came from). At the end, all the the team decide to stay with the B.P.R.D. and thus their adventures continue.
There are a couple of backup strips, which are okay but don't really add up to much. Lobster Johnson is intriguing but needs fleshing out a bit. The final strip didn't really work as I disliked the artwork on it.
All in all, a good start to the series, 3 1/2 stars.
January 8, 2019
Hollow Earth is the longer (half a volume) and the better story here. Surprisingly the pencils are signed by Ryan Sook, a guy that has an almost identical craft as Mignola`s style.
The shadows and those lines are just amazing stuff!
I can say that I didn`t knew that it wasn`t Mignola`s art on display, only after I read the artist of each story. This text has the action placed in the time after the Hellboy departure from the Bureau and is the moment when Johann Kraus, the Ectoplasmatic Man is introduced into action. Abe Sapien, the oldest guy of the team becames also, informally, the leader of the pack.
With this collection of short stories there are offered a lot of new details in the background of the secondary characters from the Hellboy Team.
The killer in my skull, has also Ryan Sook on the pencils side and features the first appearance of Lobster Johnson in this Universe and also the first story that Sook illustrated here.
Drums of the dead - Art by Derek Thompson, I didn`t so much like his style, but the monster was quite well done.
Abe Sapien Versus Science, Matt Smith, Has a nice story with some insight infos in the past of Abe and Roger, The Homunculus discovered in Romania :), with a very good drawing style, also.
Overall the collection has a very good artwork, dark and with a lot of bold shadows, something that pleases very much my tastes and with some well made stories this is a must for the fans of the Hellboy Universe.
The shadows and those lines are just amazing stuff!
I can say that I didn`t knew that it wasn`t Mignola`s art on display, only after I read the artist of each story. This text has the action placed in the time after the Hellboy departure from the Bureau and is the moment when Johann Kraus, the Ectoplasmatic Man is introduced into action. Abe Sapien, the oldest guy of the team becames also, informally, the leader of the pack.
With this collection of short stories there are offered a lot of new details in the background of the secondary characters from the Hellboy Team.
The killer in my skull, has also Ryan Sook on the pencils side and features the first appearance of Lobster Johnson in this Universe and also the first story that Sook illustrated here.
Drums of the dead - Art by Derek Thompson, I didn`t so much like his style, but the monster was quite well done.
Abe Sapien Versus Science, Matt Smith, Has a nice story with some insight infos in the past of Abe and Roger, The Homunculus discovered in Romania :), with a very good drawing style, also.
Overall the collection has a very good artwork, dark and with a lot of bold shadows, something that pleases very much my tastes and with some well made stories this is a must for the fans of the Hellboy Universe.
July 18, 2020
BPRD is a further dive in the exquisite universe of Hellboy. This volume is a numb start, rough around the edges with other artists and writers, but Mignola is always behind the scenes when others caress his favorite child.
I'll surely continue the BPRD series, the amount of material is enormous and I, having just finished the main Hellboy series, just started exploring.
I'll surely continue the BPRD series, the amount of material is enormous and I, having just finished the main Hellboy series, just started exploring.
February 5, 2017
So it's going to sound heretical, heinous, and...some other words that start with "H" that I can't think of right now...but even though I've seen the live action and animated films, and truly love the characters of Hellboy, Liz, and Abe...I've never read a Hellboy comic all the way through.
I know, I know. I'm a wretched, pathetic human being.
And technically, I STILL haven't finished a Hellboy comic, as this is a spin-off series. I will certainly be rectifying that oversight shortly, however. Because if the quality of the Hellboy tales are as good as the quality of these B.P.R.D. tales, then I'm already sold. Of course, I'm a big fan of the films, and I know that the movies borrow from the storylines of the comics, so I'm already on board. I just wasn't AS on board as I am now (insert train sound effects here).
Even though my exposure to comic books as a child was limited, I saw and understood the appeal. Larger than life heroes, world-ending villains, super powers, crazy costumes...what's not to like? But though I enjoyed the X-Men and Punisher series back in their heyday, I never really branched out until my adult years. Which is when I discovered the likes of Sin City, Sandman, and the Frank Miller Batman stories. Now THESE were tales I could connect with. Flawed people doing right in sometimes the absolute wrong way. Anti-heroes. Vigilantes. The darker tone of those tales really resonated with me, and I find the same thing happening with Mike Mignola's works.
There's something about the heavy burden of heroics that appeals to me. People doing good and being heroes not because they necessarily want to be, but because circumstances force them to be. The reluctant hero, doing the job out of duty, or because nobody else will...now those are complex characters I can root for. Such is the case with the B.P.R.D. crew. We see them burned out, tired, confused, and sometimes angry at the role they find themselves playing. And by exploring those sides of their personalities, they become three-dimensional characters.
This issue collects 5 individual B.P.R.D. tales, of which Hollow Earth is the main draw. We have Abe, Liz, and Roger, with newcomer Johann rounding out the team. Hollow Earth is the largest of the tales, and it's a great intro to these characters. There are some events that are referenced that took place in the Hellboy stories, but we are given enough exposition to clue those of us in who haven't read those other books yet. I love the characters, the drama, and the artwork. It's classic "Hellboy" in look and execution, and it fits the tone of the tale perfectly.
And Lobster Johnson...I need to know more about this cat and his "know it all" ability...
Unfortunately, the other really great story (though it does get dinged a bit for using the old "fight being possessed with your indomitable spirit" chestnut), is sadly the one that visually doesn't quite fit. There are color palettes that are very nearly exclusively used by Mignola and crew, and they are NOT used here. The art, the coloring, and the lettering are all...off, and it's kinda distracting. It takes a truly WONDERFUL story and makes it slightly less impactful. That being said, it's still a great read, and I am definitely looking forward to picking up B.P.R.D. volume 2 and seeing what's in store for our reluctant heroes!
I know, I know. I'm a wretched, pathetic human being.
And technically, I STILL haven't finished a Hellboy comic, as this is a spin-off series. I will certainly be rectifying that oversight shortly, however. Because if the quality of the Hellboy tales are as good as the quality of these B.P.R.D. tales, then I'm already sold. Of course, I'm a big fan of the films, and I know that the movies borrow from the storylines of the comics, so I'm already on board. I just wasn't AS on board as I am now (insert train sound effects here).
Even though my exposure to comic books as a child was limited, I saw and understood the appeal. Larger than life heroes, world-ending villains, super powers, crazy costumes...what's not to like? But though I enjoyed the X-Men and Punisher series back in their heyday, I never really branched out until my adult years. Which is when I discovered the likes of Sin City, Sandman, and the Frank Miller Batman stories. Now THESE were tales I could connect with. Flawed people doing right in sometimes the absolute wrong way. Anti-heroes. Vigilantes. The darker tone of those tales really resonated with me, and I find the same thing happening with Mike Mignola's works.
There's something about the heavy burden of heroics that appeals to me. People doing good and being heroes not because they necessarily want to be, but because circumstances force them to be. The reluctant hero, doing the job out of duty, or because nobody else will...now those are complex characters I can root for. Such is the case with the B.P.R.D. crew. We see them burned out, tired, confused, and sometimes angry at the role they find themselves playing. And by exploring those sides of their personalities, they become three-dimensional characters.
This issue collects 5 individual B.P.R.D. tales, of which Hollow Earth is the main draw. We have Abe, Liz, and Roger, with newcomer Johann rounding out the team. Hollow Earth is the largest of the tales, and it's a great intro to these characters. There are some events that are referenced that took place in the Hellboy stories, but we are given enough exposition to clue those of us in who haven't read those other books yet. I love the characters, the drama, and the artwork. It's classic "Hellboy" in look and execution, and it fits the tone of the tale perfectly.
And Lobster Johnson...I need to know more about this cat and his "know it all" ability...
Unfortunately, the other really great story (though it does get dinged a bit for using the old "fight being possessed with your indomitable spirit" chestnut), is sadly the one that visually doesn't quite fit. There are color palettes that are very nearly exclusively used by Mignola and crew, and they are NOT used here. The art, the coloring, and the lettering are all...off, and it's kinda distracting. It takes a truly WONDERFUL story and makes it slightly less impactful. That being said, it's still a great read, and I am definitely looking forward to picking up B.P.R.D. volume 2 and seeing what's in store for our reluctant heroes!
August 31, 2013
Hit and miss, but notable for the expansion of the Hellboy universe.
I felt a strong sombre note reading the Hollow Earth story - it starts out with a lot of regret, giving up and anguish over how the Bureau mistreats and neglects its agents/patients/subjects. Reminds me of the morose middle of Iron Man 3, where there's a lot of "Nope"ing afoot and not much action.
OTOH, the action-filled climax to this story was so unintelligible to this occasional (and not terribly completist) Hellboy reader that I couldn't make sense of (a) who the villain was, (b) why he was up to these shenanigans [despite his rambling explanations] or (c) what happened to the thugs and people being slapdash-smashed across the panels.
Pretty cool to introduce myself to Johann the mystic cloud tho - a much more interesting character than who we saw in the Hellboy II movie.
The rest of the stories seem incidental, filling cracks in the universe I didn't really notice or find compelling.
For a book I was looking forward to, as a way of jumping ahead to catch up on what I've missed by not reading all the Hellboys (and seeing another side to this universe), I'm kinda underwhelmed. The non-Mignola art has a big role in my reaction - too bad it's not nearly as iconic or stunning, just mechanically fills the role of filling the pages, rather than enhancing the reason experience.
I felt a strong sombre note reading the Hollow Earth story - it starts out with a lot of regret, giving up and anguish over how the Bureau mistreats and neglects its agents/patients/subjects. Reminds me of the morose middle of Iron Man 3, where there's a lot of "Nope"ing afoot and not much action.
OTOH, the action-filled climax to this story was so unintelligible to this occasional (and not terribly completist) Hellboy reader that I couldn't make sense of (a) who the villain was, (b) why he was up to these shenanigans [despite his rambling explanations] or (c) what happened to the thugs and people being slapdash-smashed across the panels.
Pretty cool to introduce myself to Johann the mystic cloud tho - a much more interesting character than who we saw in the Hellboy II movie.
The rest of the stories seem incidental, filling cracks in the universe I didn't really notice or find compelling.
For a book I was looking forward to, as a way of jumping ahead to catch up on what I've missed by not reading all the Hellboys (and seeing another side to this universe), I'm kinda underwhelmed. The non-Mignola art has a big role in my reaction - too bad it's not nearly as iconic or stunning, just mechanically fills the role of filling the pages, rather than enhancing the reason experience.
June 25, 2015
Ah B.P.R.D. how I missed you! It has been a couple of years since I've read BPRD books (just too much reading to reread anything), but given that comic con is around the corner I felt nostalgic about this beloved series (to me) and decided to take a trip with Abe, Roger, Liz, Johann and crew:
World: The art is wonderful in a couple of stories and unappealing in one. I won't go into the art in detail, I will just say that the framing, the color pallet for all of the stories (except 1 which I'll get to) were wonderful and brought the Mignolaverse to life. The art in "Drums in The Deep" however did not appeal to me and it took me out of enjoying the wonderfully weird tale. World building prose wise it was great, it's good to see the BPRD get out of HB's shadow and stand on it's own. I love this world and exploring the BPRD and it's cast of characters is super fun.
Story: I won't go in to spoilers and details for all the stories but I will say that they are classic Mignola. I've you've read his other stuff you will know what you are getting into: World building up the wazoo, weird Lovecraftian monsters, quirky characters and a fairly straight forward story that ends with a gigantic monster fight. All those things are present here, but BPRD feels a bit different compared to the HB series as Mignola spends more time focusing on the individual characters, it's a nice change and very useful as down the line when grander arcs are built, the characters will have already grown on the reader. Hollow Earth stands out cause it's awesome and Lobster Johnson is always a good read. Good stuff!
Characters: Wonderful! The fact that we now get to spend time with characters like Abe, Roger and others is wonderful. I like the focus away from HB, though his influence is great, as we learn more about these characters. I like the little subtle hints of character history and background we found this arc. Characters grew and in comic books with 150+ pages with a cast of characters, that's saying a lot. Sure, the character development is not novel dense as this is a different form of storytelling, but leaving this book I've grown to know more about these characters which I will be spending a huge amount of time with, and that's a wonderful thing.
I love this series! In fact, over the years, I've grown to enjoy this series more than the main HB series. The cast is fun, the world is amazing and the story is what you expect from Mike Mignola. Just read it if you love comic books, that's all I can really say.
Onward to the next book!
World: The art is wonderful in a couple of stories and unappealing in one. I won't go into the art in detail, I will just say that the framing, the color pallet for all of the stories (except 1 which I'll get to) were wonderful and brought the Mignolaverse to life. The art in "Drums in The Deep" however did not appeal to me and it took me out of enjoying the wonderfully weird tale. World building prose wise it was great, it's good to see the BPRD get out of HB's shadow and stand on it's own. I love this world and exploring the BPRD and it's cast of characters is super fun.
Story: I won't go in to spoilers and details for all the stories but I will say that they are classic Mignola. I've you've read his other stuff you will know what you are getting into: World building up the wazoo, weird Lovecraftian monsters, quirky characters and a fairly straight forward story that ends with a gigantic monster fight. All those things are present here, but BPRD feels a bit different compared to the HB series as Mignola spends more time focusing on the individual characters, it's a nice change and very useful as down the line when grander arcs are built, the characters will have already grown on the reader. Hollow Earth stands out cause it's awesome and Lobster Johnson is always a good read. Good stuff!
Characters: Wonderful! The fact that we now get to spend time with characters like Abe, Roger and others is wonderful. I like the focus away from HB, though his influence is great, as we learn more about these characters. I like the little subtle hints of character history and background we found this arc. Characters grew and in comic books with 150+ pages with a cast of characters, that's saying a lot. Sure, the character development is not novel dense as this is a different form of storytelling, but leaving this book I've grown to know more about these characters which I will be spending a huge amount of time with, and that's a wonderful thing.
I love this series! In fact, over the years, I've grown to enjoy this series more than the main HB series. The cast is fun, the world is amazing and the story is what you expect from Mike Mignola. Just read it if you love comic books, that's all I can really say.
Onward to the next book!
January 25, 2016
If you want to know more about the support characters or the agency in the Hellboy storyline here is where to start. Great reads, Very recommended
December 28, 2022
Mike Mignola, junto a varios creadores tanto guionistas como dibujantes (Guy Davis, Rya Sook, Geoff Johns, Caaron Stewart, Michael Avon Oeming…), decidió explorar el universo de Hellboy desde otra perspectiva, entregándonos sin duda una historia que se embarca más en otros géneros, sin olvidar el horror que, a veces, tiene bastantes toques lovecraftianos. Así no debía ser solo la historia de Hellboy y su camino, sino que se creaba una amenaza de mayor envergadura por otro frente al igual que se concebían pequeñas historias del pasado como las protagonizadas por Bogavante Johnson.
Este cambio de registro en comparación con Hellboy es bueno por incluir no solo originalidad sino también incluso cautivar a otro tipo lector, pues no es extraño que haya incluso alguno que prefiera este “derivado” al original, embarcado en sus propias odiseas. Es más, un lector que nunca ha leído las aventuras de Hellboy, podría llegar a disfrutar de A.I.D.P. Todo ello a partir del consabido grupo pulp que nos recuerda a otros mitiquísimos equipos como La Liga de los Hombres Extraordinarios de Alan Moore y Kevin O´Neill o el spin-off de Doctor Who: Torchwood.
Sin embargo, la sombra de Hellboy es alargada, para bien y para mal. Por ejemplo, da gusto que se recuerde a Hellboy en algunos números, pero es excesivo a veces cuando se le añora tanto y sin venir demasiado a cuento. Pero en definitiva, guiños que no suponen lo peor comparado con una historia menos redonda o donde la solución puede ser más fácil de lo esperado y poco sorprendente.
Crítica completa https://carlosjeguren.com/critica-aid...
Este cambio de registro en comparación con Hellboy es bueno por incluir no solo originalidad sino también incluso cautivar a otro tipo lector, pues no es extraño que haya incluso alguno que prefiera este “derivado” al original, embarcado en sus propias odiseas. Es más, un lector que nunca ha leído las aventuras de Hellboy, podría llegar a disfrutar de A.I.D.P. Todo ello a partir del consabido grupo pulp que nos recuerda a otros mitiquísimos equipos como La Liga de los Hombres Extraordinarios de Alan Moore y Kevin O´Neill o el spin-off de Doctor Who: Torchwood.
Sin embargo, la sombra de Hellboy es alargada, para bien y para mal. Por ejemplo, da gusto que se recuerde a Hellboy en algunos números, pero es excesivo a veces cuando se le añora tanto y sin venir demasiado a cuento. Pero en definitiva, guiños que no suponen lo peor comparado con una historia menos redonda o donde la solución puede ser más fácil de lo esperado y poco sorprendente.
Crítica completa https://carlosjeguren.com/critica-aid...
March 1, 2021
B.P.R.D. is a spin-0ff of the Hellboy comic book series, where the characters considered secondary in the Hellboy series, are the ones getting the limelight in this one. It lacks the charm of its parent series, but provides enough action and mythology related plots to be entertaining.
September 26, 2017
So much better than the other Hellboy spin-offs.
June 13, 2010
I know a lot of people who profess to prefer the B.P.R.D. comics to the regular Hellboy titles, but the opposite is true for me. While the B.P.R.D. titles still have much of the same wonder that the Hellboy titles do, there's a difference in tone or approach that appeals to me less.
I like this first volume quite a bit, though. I like the titular story with its hollow earth creatures and its art by Ryan Sook, and I like the short backups "The Killer in my Skull" and "Abe Sapien versus Science." I'm less of a fan of Abe Sapien "Drums of the Dead" backup. Anyway, even for all the parts I like, this volume of B.P.R.D. feels like what it is: an experiment, and a book that's trying to figure out if it even has legs, let alone find them.
I like this first volume quite a bit, though. I like the titular story with its hollow earth creatures and its art by Ryan Sook, and I like the short backups "The Killer in my Skull" and "Abe Sapien versus Science." I'm less of a fan of Abe Sapien "Drums of the Dead" backup. Anyway, even for all the parts I like, this volume of B.P.R.D. feels like what it is: an experiment, and a book that's trying to figure out if it even has legs, let alone find them.
August 5, 2008
B.P.R.D. carries on where Hellboy sort of stops, during the years when Mignola wasn't writing any more Hellboy stories. At first the collections are just shorts, but then with successive volumes an engaging and ongoing story (which seems to be leading back into a meetup with the main Hellboy story at some point now that Mignola is writing him again) slowly starts to develop. These stories seem to be Mignola's way of testing out new artists and writers for his characters, as well as a place for him to put some of his shorter one-off ideas. There are notes preceding each story from Mignola that are pretty interesting.
November 8, 2020
6/10
This was the first Hellboy spin-off trade paperback. It is clear that the intention of Mignola and Allie was to force a Mignolesque art style into these early experiments. Does it work? Well, it does remind of Mignola's art, with minimal thin lines, squareness all over the place and a strong sense of bidimensionality of the figures. But the best part of Mignola's art is mostly missing. There is not much in the way of bold shadows. Not many pages - maybe only one - of silent panels to 'inspect the place'. Also, artists Smith and Sook cannot reproduced that sense of deepness that make the carbon 2-D Mignola's characters pop up on the page. So, this book looks like Mike Mignola, but does not feel like Mike Mignola. Does that make sense?
The long story Hollow Heart has a plot that feels repetitive if you are familiar with the Hellboy stories appeared before. Liz's fire powers used as a mean to activate some old mystic evil power shenanigan was already in Seed of Destruction, the first Hellboy story ever. Also, her being in a comatose state and needing to be rescued was already the whole thing of Almost Colossus, another Hellboy story from the 90's. So much that the protagonists even make a joke about it here. (I am almost sure that this self-ironic commentary comes from Mignola, who did not conceive the plot but helped on the writing.) The story per se was ok. Some funny moments, some nice character developments. And I like the character of Johann, even if he is toned down compared to the more comedic version of Del Toro's movie.
The two short back-up stories from earlier Hellboy comic book issues were ok, too. Lobster Johnson is a great character. The way he speaks is so pulp!
The story Drum of the Dead has a great basic idea, even touching. But I think the story could have been executed much better, especially with less cheap exposition tricks. Anyhow, here Mignola was not involved at all, so I am fine with it.
This was the first Hellboy spin-off trade paperback. It is clear that the intention of Mignola and Allie was to force a Mignolesque art style into these early experiments. Does it work? Well, it does remind of Mignola's art, with minimal thin lines, squareness all over the place and a strong sense of bidimensionality of the figures. But the best part of Mignola's art is mostly missing. There is not much in the way of bold shadows. Not many pages - maybe only one - of silent panels to 'inspect the place'. Also, artists Smith and Sook cannot reproduced that sense of deepness that make the carbon 2-D Mignola's characters pop up on the page. So, this book looks like Mike Mignola, but does not feel like Mike Mignola. Does that make sense?
The long story Hollow Heart has a plot that feels repetitive if you are familiar with the Hellboy stories appeared before. Liz's fire powers used as a mean to activate some old mystic evil power shenanigan was already in Seed of Destruction, the first Hellboy story ever. Also, her being in a comatose state and needing to be rescued was already the whole thing of Almost Colossus, another Hellboy story from the 90's. So much that the protagonists even make a joke about it here. (I am almost sure that this self-ironic commentary comes from Mignola, who did not conceive the plot but helped on the writing.) The story per se was ok. Some funny moments, some nice character developments. And I like the character of Johann, even if he is toned down compared to the more comedic version of Del Toro's movie.
The two short back-up stories from earlier Hellboy comic book issues were ok, too. Lobster Johnson is a great character. The way he speaks is so pulp!
The story Drum of the Dead has a great basic idea, even touching. But I think the story could have been executed much better, especially with less cheap exposition tricks. Anyhow, here Mignola was not involved at all, so I am fine with it.
May 27, 2018
As a long-time fan of Hellboy, I've been meaning to get into this series for a while now. Well, my recent dive back into comics (thanks, Comixology!) made this the perfect time.
The art, as always, is amazing. No, it isn't drawn by Mignola, but definitely in his style a lot of the time. Even the stuff done differently is great though.
This is a collection of shorter works, although the title story is chunky. It is also the best thing here, as Abe and his squad go searching for a missing teammate. Shock of all shocks, everything goes wrong in the process.
If you are a fan of GDT's Hellboy films, you should know the tone of the books, including this one, is quite a bit grimmer and grittier than that of the films. The films are full of wonder and inhabit more the fantasy side, while the books flirt with flat-out horror. Both are great, but you should be prepared for the differences.
Anyway, this is good stuff and I will be continuing the series. I still prefer the Hellboy series, but Abe is a fine substitute.
The art, as always, is amazing. No, it isn't drawn by Mignola, but definitely in his style a lot of the time. Even the stuff done differently is great though.
This is a collection of shorter works, although the title story is chunky. It is also the best thing here, as Abe and his squad go searching for a missing teammate. Shock of all shocks, everything goes wrong in the process.
If you are a fan of GDT's Hellboy films, you should know the tone of the books, including this one, is quite a bit grimmer and grittier than that of the films. The films are full of wonder and inhabit more the fantasy side, while the books flirt with flat-out horror. Both are great, but you should be prepared for the differences.
Anyway, this is good stuff and I will be continuing the series. I still prefer the Hellboy series, but Abe is a fine substitute.
June 26, 2017
I really loved the chance to get more Kate, Abe, and Roger, and the Hollow Earth story was the first thing I had really read with Johann's back story. Even though Hellboy has left the BPRD, you see flashbacks giving you an idea of what he meant to them, and the difference he made. What you get to see is in addition is the friendships that they have separately too, including the bond between Liz and Abe.
There is also a Lobster Johnson story and two more Abe-centric stories. If you love Abe Sapien, that is reason enough to check this out, but overall pretty good. The main reason it is not a 5-star rating is that the endings are often really abrupt, making the denouements a little less satisfying.
There is also a Lobster Johnson story and two more Abe-centric stories. If you love Abe Sapien, that is reason enough to check this out, but overall pretty good. The main reason it is not a 5-star rating is that the endings are often really abrupt, making the denouements a little less satisfying.
March 14, 2019
No...bude lépe, zůstat u Hellboye ;-)
January 20, 2022
Uvod u svit Hellboya bez Hellboya se pokazao kao uspjesan korak.
February 13, 2017
BPRD is the spinoff of indy graphic novel alum Hellboy. Its mains characters are... Well, Mignola doesn't. The plot is... Well, Mignola doesn't know either. The art is... Terrible.
I bought these graphic novels when I first discovered Hellboy and thought this was going to be a fun read in a rich universe. It wasn't. It is pretty clear Mignola has little to say about his universe beyond the first 4 Hellboy trade paperbacks. The series doesn't get better either as the series was developed. Bland characters pop up and disappear for no reasons. Stories arc happen and then fizzle until the next story arc happens. A real waste of money.
Avoid.
I bought these graphic novels when I first discovered Hellboy and thought this was going to be a fun read in a rich universe. It wasn't. It is pretty clear Mignola has little to say about his universe beyond the first 4 Hellboy trade paperbacks. The series doesn't get better either as the series was developed. Bland characters pop up and disappear for no reasons. Stories arc happen and then fizzle until the next story arc happens. A real waste of money.
Avoid.
March 25, 2011
So the idea is simple: Hellboy left a bunch of interesting characters behind and other writers, with good reason, wanted to explore how they were faring without him. This is a really fun addition to the series and greater mythology of Hellboy's world. This is an anthology volume filled with folklore-based mysteries and mayhem of varying quality. The title piece is probably the best offering in this anthology, with a fun adventure that also expounds on the subtle but very present romantic tension between Hellboy's former sidekicks Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman as well as introducing the fascinatingly... ectoplasmic... character, Johann Krauss and expanding the personality of Roger the homunculus, who was central to a handful of Hellboy stories before dropping out of the title (with the rest of the BPRD), but never fully developed. Another interesting addition to this collection is that it presents a fun flashback story, "The Killer in my Skull" introducing the active days of pulp vigilante Lobster Johnson, which alone is worth the price of admission as he is, admittedly, one of the coolest characters Mignola created. The artwork, as the writing, varies, notable in the last piece, "Drums of the Dead" with it's harsh line work and color, while the title piece "Hollow Earth" harkens to Mignola's own use of shadow and minimalism.
While Mignola himself is not present in these pages, his influence is clearly obvious, and each offering here is respectful to his world and a must-read for fans of his work.
While Mignola himself is not present in these pages, his influence is clearly obvious, and each offering here is respectful to his world and a must-read for fans of his work.
November 14, 2013
It's very hard for me to not like things Mike Mignola's involved with.
And, at this point, I can't even remember if I've already read Hollow Earth before.
This short collection of stories is the first batch of Mignola's non-Hellboy B.P.R.D. comics. Something I guess I didn't realize until the last B.P.R.D. collection I read is that other folks often draw these. The art in the first story mimics Mignola's style really well. The story is great as usual. The characters are lovable as ever.
I guess if we're looking for something critical to be said, it's that it gets a little wordy at parts. I loved the bit where Hellboy grabs Abe out of the tank and tells the scientists that they've done enough testing.
The short Lobster Johnson story is fantastic.
For me the weakest of the bunch was the final story, but it's only that I so much prefer the drawing style of the other comics. Not that the drawing was bad in the last issue, it's just something different from the regular Hellboy art I love.
The little paragraphs and descriptions of the comics I actually found to be interesting, too. This is often not the case for me.
Start here if you're reading B.P.R.D. stuff. Johann gets introduced and Roger and Abe are great. Liz too, of course.
And, at this point, I can't even remember if I've already read Hollow Earth before.
This short collection of stories is the first batch of Mignola's non-Hellboy B.P.R.D. comics. Something I guess I didn't realize until the last B.P.R.D. collection I read is that other folks often draw these. The art in the first story mimics Mignola's style really well. The story is great as usual. The characters are lovable as ever.
I guess if we're looking for something critical to be said, it's that it gets a little wordy at parts. I loved the bit where Hellboy grabs Abe out of the tank and tells the scientists that they've done enough testing.
The short Lobster Johnson story is fantastic.
For me the weakest of the bunch was the final story, but it's only that I so much prefer the drawing style of the other comics. Not that the drawing was bad in the last issue, it's just something different from the regular Hellboy art I love.
The little paragraphs and descriptions of the comics I actually found to be interesting, too. This is often not the case for me.
Start here if you're reading B.P.R.D. stuff. Johann gets introduced and Roger and Abe are great. Liz too, of course.
September 29, 2017
Drobky od epigonů aneb komiks jako barokní malířská dílna. Tak jasně, americká škola vyznává týmovou práci, Franta dumá, Pepa píše, Manka kreslí, Ládík inkuje a na Tondu zbyly písmenka. Nijak mi to neimponuje, ale ať si. Autorství je sdílené a jaksi konvergentní, protože dílko musí být integrální, takže kreativita všech účastníků musí nalézat shodu, to dává smysl. Jeden trochu potlačí svoje vášně, protože inker nemůže přemalovat původní kresbu et cetera. Tohle je však trošku jiný případ, tady si mistr Mignola něco trošku namyslí a hodí to svým poslušným žáčkům. Všichni do jednoho se snaží, aby to vypadalo, jako kdyby to dělal sám mistr. Takže se to musí nakreslit, jakoby to dělal Mignola, musí se to napsat, jakoby to napsal Mignola. Výjimky potvrzují pravidlo, protože jsou to tuplované paskvily. Přístup je to jistě také legitimní, ale já si radši smlsnu na komiksu, který prostě dělal Mignola.
Uznávám, že Sook kreslí hezky. Anthony van Dyck také nebyl špatný malíř, ale my si budeme pamatovat Rubense.
Uznávám, že Sook kreslí hezky. Anthony van Dyck také nebyl špatný malíř, ale my si budeme pamatovat Rubense.
January 15, 2012
I was initially hesitant about getting into B.P.R.D. because I love Mignola's Hellboy SO MUCH, I didn't know if I could cope with other artists tackling his amazing characters. But I really shouldn't have been. Hollow Earth is an instant classic and a perfect transition piece from Hellboy into the world of B.P.R.D. without Big Red. The art is also a good transition, as it imitates Mignola while retaining obvious (sometimes painful) differences. Don't get used to it, however, as another amazing artist with his own style is about to pick up the B.P.R.D. characters and transform them into something altogether different...
I gave this volume 4 stars instead of 5 because of the other stories included; while they are very fun, and it is enjoyable to watch other artists play with the characters, they definitely don't match up to Hollow Earth. If you've been hesitant like I was, don't deprive yourself of this series any longer. You are missing out on something amazing!
I gave this volume 4 stars instead of 5 because of the other stories included; while they are very fun, and it is enjoyable to watch other artists play with the characters, they definitely don't match up to Hollow Earth. If you've been hesitant like I was, don't deprive yourself of this series any longer. You are missing out on something amazing!
April 20, 2024
(Zero spoiler review) 3.25/5
I must admit, I was hoping for something a little bit more from this. After the sublime majesty that was the Hellboy series proper, this seems a pale imitation. Whilst artistically similar, it never seemed to reach the heights of any of the Hellboy volumes, but it is narratively that this book truly stumbles, The Hollow Earth main story is fine, and worth of four stars. But it is the proceeding three stories of Abe Sapian and Lobster Johnson that rob this book of four stars, consigning it to three instead. With the final tale, 'Drums of the Deep' being an interesting idea, poorly executed. It's little wonder that this was the only story to feature no involvement from Mignola whatsoever, and felt little to nothing like a Hellboy style story. I know there will be better B.P,R,D stories to come, but this was an underwhelming start. 3.25/5
OmniBen.
I must admit, I was hoping for something a little bit more from this. After the sublime majesty that was the Hellboy series proper, this seems a pale imitation. Whilst artistically similar, it never seemed to reach the heights of any of the Hellboy volumes, but it is narratively that this book truly stumbles, The Hollow Earth main story is fine, and worth of four stars. But it is the proceeding three stories of Abe Sapian and Lobster Johnson that rob this book of four stars, consigning it to three instead. With the final tale, 'Drums of the Deep' being an interesting idea, poorly executed. It's little wonder that this was the only story to feature no involvement from Mignola whatsoever, and felt little to nothing like a Hellboy style story. I know there will be better B.P,R,D stories to come, but this was an underwhelming start. 3.25/5
OmniBen.
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