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Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. #1-3
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1952-1954
From his very first official case in 1952 tracking down a mad scientist in Brazil, Hellboy moved straight on to punching monsters across the globe. Revisit those very first adventures with Hellboy and the team that made him the agent he is with this new collection, featuring cases from 1952, 1953, and 1954!
Featuring the work of Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Chris Roberson, Ben Stenbeck, Stephen Green, Dave Stewart, and many other powerhouse creators, and including a bonus sketchbook section, this new hardcover is a gorgeous addition to any Hellboy library.
Collects:
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1952
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1954
Bonus material
Featuring the work of Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Chris Roberson, Ben Stenbeck, Stephen Green, Dave Stewart, and many other powerhouse creators, and including a bonus sketchbook section, this new hardcover is a gorgeous addition to any Hellboy library.
Collects:
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1952
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1953
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1954
Bonus material
440 pages, Hardcover
Published May 25, 2021
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 26, 2021
Anyone who has read the main Hellboy and BPRD's books know that that story is done. However, since Hellboy's story started in 1994 and he came to Earth as a Hellchild in 1944, there is a lot of unexplored history. Hence, now Mignola is going back to Hellboy's first mission with the BPRD in 1952 and working his way forward. This library edition covers the first 3 years of Hellboy's time in the BPRD.
1952
Hellboy goes on his first mission to investigate some killings in Brazil. There's a lot of familiar stuff for anyone who has read Hellboy before. I do like that Hellboy is a little green here with some more seasoned agents looking out for him.
1953
First we have a bunch of shorter stories set in England with art by Ben Stenbeck. I like having Professor Bruttenholm back in the books. He died very soon after Mignola introduced Hellboy. It's nice getting to see the two of them interact. They most resemble the standard Hellboy stories in both art and coloring. Stenbeck'a art is simple and clean. I quite like seeing his art in the Hellboy universe.
Next up is a story drawn by Michael Walsh about some Chinese ghosts. The story felt formulaic and the art was sketchy and really only saved by Dave Stewart's coloring.
Finally is Beyond the Fences with spectacular art by Paulo Rivera. I'd watch this guy paint a house. His art is consistently outstanding. Dave Stewart offers up a new color palette for this story, one with warmer colors. The story reminds me of the old monster movies of the 50's. It's the best story in the book. I'm hoping to see more along those lines.
1954
While I prefer the longer Hellboy stories, these are still fun. There just isn't a lot of depth. I do like the idea of the British version of B.P.R.D., S.I.M.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss.
1952
Hellboy goes on his first mission to investigate some killings in Brazil. There's a lot of familiar stuff for anyone who has read Hellboy before. I do like that Hellboy is a little green here with some more seasoned agents looking out for him.
1953
First we have a bunch of shorter stories set in England with art by Ben Stenbeck. I like having Professor Bruttenholm back in the books. He died very soon after Mignola introduced Hellboy. It's nice getting to see the two of them interact. They most resemble the standard Hellboy stories in both art and coloring. Stenbeck'a art is simple and clean. I quite like seeing his art in the Hellboy universe.
Next up is a story drawn by Michael Walsh about some Chinese ghosts. The story felt formulaic and the art was sketchy and really only saved by Dave Stewart's coloring.
Finally is Beyond the Fences with spectacular art by Paulo Rivera. I'd watch this guy paint a house. His art is consistently outstanding. Dave Stewart offers up a new color palette for this story, one with warmer colors. The story reminds me of the old monster movies of the 50's. It's the best story in the book. I'm hoping to see more along those lines.
1954
While I prefer the longer Hellboy stories, these are still fun. There just isn't a lot of depth. I do like the idea of the British version of B.P.R.D., S.I.M.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss.
October 21, 2024
4.5/5
I really love Hellboy. I love Mignola's Hellboy Universe. It's tight, there is a timeline, and it's one singular vision.
Instead me going on and on about the fantastic and wonderful nature of Hellboy, I'm going to start talking about the book...
I really liked it! The OG TBP of 1953 was my first step into the Hellboy world and I originally enjoyed it and then it snowballed from there.
But what I do like about this is seeing a Naive younger Hellboy and watching him grow into the Occult Detective we see later on in his life. There is an anthology quality to the book with undercurrent of 'paranormal government espionage' which is really something. I do really love the main line of the Hellboy stories but the espionage element is a nice change of pace from the regular "You are going to bring about the Apocalypse hellboy". Another praise I'd like to give the book is this Hellboy look. It's nothing too intense but I like it; a B.P.R.D shirt (which I'll get someday) and cargo shorts. It's a simple outfit but it makes me look younger. Although a critique is that it's supposed to be 9 years after HB showed up on Earth? Something around that, so he is young...Don't give him the soul patch yet. But they did which is fine but I'd prefer if they didn't. Minor thing but whatever.
Also, the art is great but I wish Mignola himself did one of the stories. I understand why he didn't, but I thought it would've been cool if he did.
But other than that.
Fun read.
Might re-read the Short Stories collection again.
I really love Hellboy. I love Mignola's Hellboy Universe. It's tight, there is a timeline, and it's one singular vision.
Instead me going on and on about the fantastic and wonderful nature of Hellboy, I'm going to start talking about the book...
I really liked it! The OG TBP of 1953 was my first step into the Hellboy world and I originally enjoyed it and then it snowballed from there.
But what I do like about this is seeing a Naive younger Hellboy and watching him grow into the Occult Detective we see later on in his life. There is an anthology quality to the book with undercurrent of 'paranormal government espionage' which is really something. I do really love the main line of the Hellboy stories but the espionage element is a nice change of pace from the regular "You are going to bring about the Apocalypse hellboy". Another praise I'd like to give the book is this Hellboy look. It's nothing too intense but I like it; a B.P.R.D shirt (which I'll get someday) and cargo shorts. It's a simple outfit but it makes me look younger. Although a critique is that it's supposed to be 9 years after HB showed up on Earth? Something around that, so he is young...Don't give him the soul patch yet. But they did which is fine but I'd prefer if they didn't. Minor thing but whatever.
Also, the art is great but I wish Mignola himself did one of the stories. I understand why he didn't, but I thought it would've been cool if he did.
But other than that.
Fun read.
Might re-read the Short Stories collection again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2021
This Hardcover contains the years 1952 to 1954 and shows Hellboy's first outing as agent for B.P.R.D. and we see him and other people who work for the bureau changed in their actions and experiences that alter their lives forever.
This is a very nice collection of stories that remains excellent reading and has excellent art to tell the stories of the beginnings of Hellboys reputation and experience.
For new people an excellent starting point to acquaint yourself with this comic hero who is certainly a lot of fun and throws some creepy shit at you of the supernatural variety.
This book also looks very good in a bookcase, so a win win for everybody.
This is a very nice collection of stories that remains excellent reading and has excellent art to tell the stories of the beginnings of Hellboys reputation and experience.
For new people an excellent starting point to acquaint yourself with this comic hero who is certainly a lot of fun and throws some creepy shit at you of the supernatural variety.
This book also looks very good in a bookcase, so a win win for everybody.
November 14, 2024
This was great. Hellboy is a new agent for the B.P.R.D. and goes on X-files type adventures. The artwork was done by several different artists, but I enjoyed it all. 4.5 rounded up to five stars.
Recommend.
Recommend.
February 5, 2022
Series: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. #1-3
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good
With this series we jump back in time to Hellboy’s early cases working with the B.P.R.D. These cases take place between 1952 and 1954 and are all little mini stories with Hellboy and the first group of agents he worked with.
This was a great collection. I really enjoyed seeing a young and inexperienced Hellboy trying to take down monsters. Hellboy definitely is more carefree and wild in these because he hasn’t really lost a lot of people or become jaded yet. Also I like that we finally get to see more of his and the Professor's relationship.
Overall, this was a great collection of Hellboy stories. I really like this format by years because you can really see the progression in his experience and demeanor as the years progress.
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
Rating: 4 stars - It was really good
With this series we jump back in time to Hellboy’s early cases working with the B.P.R.D. These cases take place between 1952 and 1954 and are all little mini stories with Hellboy and the first group of agents he worked with.
This was a great collection. I really enjoyed seeing a young and inexperienced Hellboy trying to take down monsters. Hellboy definitely is more carefree and wild in these because he hasn’t really lost a lot of people or become jaded yet. Also I like that we finally get to see more of his and the Professor's relationship.
Overall, this was a great collection of Hellboy stories. I really like this format by years because you can really see the progression in his experience and demeanor as the years progress.
You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.
February 20, 2024
This felt like Hellboy without the heart. The first story about Hellboys first BPRD mission was ok. I didn’t love it, it was just fine. Then it switched to some short stories which were also just fine.
The art is good (even though it’s not Mignola) throughout. The pacing was fine. I just found myself not invested in any of the stories, which is really disappointing since this is what I chose to read after plague of frogs which was incredible.
I’d say this is only for fans who want to consume everything Hellboy.
The art is good (even though it’s not Mignola) throughout. The pacing was fine. I just found myself not invested in any of the stories, which is really disappointing since this is what I chose to read after plague of frogs which was incredible.
I’d say this is only for fans who want to consume everything Hellboy.
January 14, 2024
Great collection of Mignolaverse classics. The Corben short at the end was the icing on the cake.
October 13, 2021
Another Dark Horse hardcover, with some early adventures from Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. covers the years 52 53 and 54. We see Hellboy on his very first mission, tracking down a mad scientist in Brazil, where everything goes wrong ofcourse, nazi scientists, apes, scary ominous places and lots of action, we seen him China battling evil spirits, and some more insight on professor Bruttenholm, and some short stories. Like ever Mignolaverse book, the artists and writers are topnotch. We have ofcourse main stays like Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and color master Dave Steward, but also cool cats like Ben Stenbeck, Alex Maleev, and Paolo Rivera, who are all amazing artists. This is a very typical Hellboy book but thats just the way i want it.
November 7, 2021
Wonderful stories! So many new characters introduced and explored. I'm especially fond of Susan Xiang and am hoping to learn more about Woodrow Farrier and Victor Koestler in future volumes. Xiang has the most character development in this collection and she is just fascinating.
The stories vary widely in length with some feeling like they didn't even get a chance to get started before they were over (like Rawhead and Bloody Bones), and others that spanned multiple comics to reach their conclusion (like Black Sun). But the thing with the Hellboy universe is that just because something seems like a speck of a one-shot doesn't mean it won't be the basis for bigger, more convoluted story down the line that constantly refers back to it. Time will tell!
I'd rate all the Xiang stories at 5 stars and some others a bit lower, settling around 4.25 for the collection.
The stories vary widely in length with some feeling like they didn't even get a chance to get started before they were over (like Rawhead and Bloody Bones), and others that spanned multiple comics to reach their conclusion (like Black Sun). But the thing with the Hellboy universe is that just because something seems like a speck of a one-shot doesn't mean it won't be the basis for bigger, more convoluted story down the line that constantly refers back to it. Time will tell!
I'd rate all the Xiang stories at 5 stars and some others a bit lower, settling around 4.25 for the collection.
July 9, 2023
This is a very divided book, there's a very clear cut in the middle between the "old guard" and the new. 5 John Arcudi, issues 2 Mike Mignola issues and then 8 Chris Roberson issues. And they were all standard fare for those 3 authors. As I suspected Roberson works best at shorter stories but even then the last story felt kind of rehashed. His section was largely setup, I'm not exactly sure for what but I hope it's good. I have high hopes for the 4 remaining h&b books
February 10, 2022
I've read the individual paperback, but it's nice to go back and read the omnibus ones, since then you can read everything in order at once instead of waiting a few months in-between and then forgetting little details and things.
Read
November 28, 2022Good old hellboy
This is good stuff. ZERO backstory needed to enjoy. I'd recommend reading seed of destruction first, but I'm just bear who reads digital comics. Five salmon heads out of 5.
This is good stuff. ZERO backstory needed to enjoy. I'd recommend reading seed of destruction first, but I'm just bear who reads digital comics. Five salmon heads out of 5.
January 19, 2023
Solid four stars, solid very good comics. Huge back-matter section is a very nice add. A little odd this big hardcover isn't quite Hellboy Library edition size, but it's still a nice product altogether.
September 14, 2023
My review of the included stories:
1952 - 4/5
1953 England - 5/5
1953 Wandering Souls - 4/5
1953 Beyond the Fences - 4/5
1954 Black Sun - 5/5
1954 The Unreasoning Beast - 3/5
1954 Ghost Moon - 3/5
1954 The Mirror - 5/5
1952 - 4/5
1953 England - 5/5
1953 Wandering Souls - 4/5
1953 Beyond the Fences - 4/5
1954 Black Sun - 5/5
1954 The Unreasoning Beast - 3/5
1954 Ghost Moon - 3/5
1954 The Mirror - 5/5
October 22, 2023
Always love more Hellboy. This series takes an X files episode of the week approach which is different from the original series mythological storytelling. Still very enjoyable and has some great issues in there. Loved the UFO issue and the roman skeleton army.
August 23, 2024
A feel good romp that isn't as good as the original Hellboy run, often due to some really decompressed action and obvious plots, but is still a lot of fun and a breath of fresh air that isn't about impending doom and depression like most BPRD material.
September 17, 2024
I'm a fan of hellboy and this was a lot of smaller stories involving him. There seemed to be some small subplots in the book that could/would go further, but it was fun to just read the different stories.
June 21, 2021
Perfection!
November 23, 2021
I loved seeing "baby" field agent Hellboy and more of his fellow B.P.R.D agents on some smaller field ops. It was a lot of fun and was a delight to read.
March 6, 2022
Decent collection if short stories focusing on Hellboys' first missions in the BPRD. It's nice to see artists like Alex Maleev do a Hellboy story.
December 3, 2022
Glad to see my boyfriend Hellboy is still thriving
January 1, 2023
Okay collection of stories. Nothing good nothing bad
September 14, 2023
Lots of pulpy fun. Somewhat lacking the spark that makes the mainline Hellboy books and the two short story collections so special, but still worth reading.
April 21, 2024
Просто фантастичен !
July 1, 2024
Awesome
Always a good read,love the hellboy universe and its world. Stories always grab you till the end. A must buy!
Always a good read,love the hellboy universe and its world. Stories always grab you till the end. A must buy!
October 12, 2024
Great collection. There are very few things I like better than reading a collection of Hellboy stories. Great stuff in abundance.
August 8, 2024
5/5
Very fun classic Hellboy
Very fun classic Hellboy
June 10, 2024
Really fun read and a great introduction to the world of hell boy for me as I’m about to jump into the monster sized book to read his story. it was funny mostly action and a great start as hell boy is brand new in his line of work.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews