Recommended Reading - B.P.R.D. by Randy Lander Last Updated: December 9, 2005 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Frequency: Monthly, with gaps between miniseries Price: $2.99 Status: Series of Miniseries (4 trades currently available, plus 4 issues of The Black Flame) Jumping-On Points: Most of the current creative team began with B.P.R.D.: A Plague of Frogs, and that trade is probably the best jumping-on point, but Black Flame #1 is a pretty decent jumping-on point if you want issues instead of trades, and B.P.R.D.: The Hollow Earth & Other Stories is the first B.P.R.D. trade. Creators: Written by Mike Mignola & John Arcudi Illustrated by Guy Davis Colors by Dave Stewart Lettering by Clem Robins Edited by Scott Allie Website: Hellboy.com (Features updates on Mignola's schedule and Hellboy-related books and merchandise scheduled to come out, a message board and a list of Hellboy/B.P.R.D. etc. stories by publication date) The Basics: With Hellboy departed, the supernatural powered agents of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense continue on, dealing with their own personal problems as well as an increasingly dangerous rise in threats relating to the frog demons that kicked off the original Hellboy series. My Overview: I love Hellboy, but I have to say that I think B.P.R.D. is actually a better series in a lot of ways. The first two trades are done by different creative teams, and were made up of a miniseries and a series of one-shots that explored some of the team's cases, but the book really came to life when it became a series of miniseries with B.P.R.D.: A Plague of Frogs. Mignola reintroduced the spooky frog-demons from Hellboy: Seed of Destruction as a subversive, constantly multiplying menace akin to Cthulhoid zombies, and with the addition of John Arcudi on B.P.R.D.: The Dead, made a concerted effort to turn the B.P.R.D. into as much a military response unit as an investigative force, something that didn't sit so well with some original members of the team. The result is a conflicted ensemble cast that compares to classic line-ups like Claremont's post-Giant Size X-Men or the Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans, but with a supernatural bent that puts a new spin on superhero, making this as much a book about military adventure (in the G.I. Joe vein) as it is about Liz's pyrokinetic powers or Roger's golem-based toughness, and it has just as much in common with modern supernatural adventure like X-Files or Buffy as it does the Lovecraft novels and EC Comics that helped inspire Hellboy (and the B.P.R.D.) in the first place. The best selling point of B.P.R.D., however, is the artistic powerhouse that is Guy Davis paired with Dave Stewart. Davis has always been a favorite artist of mine, but on this book, I think he's hitting heights that he didn't even manage in his tour-de-force run on Sandman Mystery Theatre. Davis's sensibilities have always been particularly well-suited to a sort of pulpy, 1930s ethos, which fits perfectly well with the B.P.R.D.'s style, grounded in the horror works of the '20s and '30s but set decidedly in the modern age. Davis does real justice to an abandoned town here, a half-hidden army of frog demons there, a spooky military complex that becomes the B.P.R.D. headquarters there and he never skimps on making the characters real and expressive as well. Who's It For?: Fans of classic superhero teams who are looking for something with more of a supernatural bent, anyone who enjoyed the ensemble horror/comedy vibe that was often seen on X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, fans of science-fiction military adventure like Stargate: SG-1, those who loved Guy Davis's work on Sandman Mystery Theatre and pretty much anyone who loves Hellboy as much for the concept behind it as the big red guy himself or Mike Mignola's artwork. Currently Available Trades: B.P.R.D.: The Hollow Earth & Other Stories (Collects stories from Hellboy: Box Full of Evil, Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead, B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth and Dark Horse Extra) B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice & Other Stories (Collects the B.P.R.D. oneshots Soul of Venice, Dark Waters, Night Train and There's Something Under My Bed) B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs (Collects B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs #1-5) B.P.R.D.: The Dead (Collects B.P.R.D.: The Dead #1-5 and the story "Born Again" from the Hellboy Premiere Edition) Reviews: B.P.R.D.: The Hollow Earth & Other Stories TPB B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice & Other Stories TPB B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs #1 B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs #2 Snapshot: B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs #3 Snapshot: B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs #4 Snapshot: B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs #5 B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs TPB B.P.R.D.: The Dead #1 Snapshot: B.P.R.D.: The Dead #2 Snapshot: B.P.R.D.: The Dead #3 Recent Issues: B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK FLAME #1 Synopsis: A B.P.R.D. raid on a nest of frog demons reveals tensions between Captain Daimio and Liz and a newfound kinship between Roger and Daimio, as well as something big and nasty waiting at the end of the mission... and a mysterious figure gains an object of power. Review: With Captain Daimio firmly in command, B.P.R.D. takes a turn for the more militaristic in this issue, and the result is an almost wall-to-wall action sequence featuring a squad of soldiers up against nasty, creepy things. Think Aliens and you wouldn't be far wrong, and Mignola, Arcudi and Davis do a terrific job with that type of action formula. Davis is someone I usually think of more as atmospheric, skilled at depicting periods, but this issue gives him a chance to show off his action chops, and he doesn't disappoint. The scenes where they're being overwhelmed, and Roger is firing off a machine-gun with both hands, says a lot about the situation and the personality that Roger has adopted. In fact, the mimicry of Daimio by Roger is both heartwarming (to see Roger gaining a bit more of an identity), worrisome (if you listen to Liz) and comical (in a beautiful parallel panel sequence by Davis), and the team dynamics become even more interesting this issue, with Daimio serving as an interesting agitator to stir up new behaviors and feelings from the team that has up to this point been a fairly tight-knit team. Highlights: Roger's mimicry of Daimio, Davis and Stewart's perfectly-paced and exciting action sequences, Liz's pyrokinetic finale and that quiet, creepy ending that leaves the reader dying to know more. Quote: "Even rats know enough to run from a gun." "Rats might know, but people, they'll run right at one if they think they got a good enough reason. And the more I see of these frogs, the more I realize they're almost as smart -- and almost as stupid as we are." -Navarro and Captain Daimio B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK FLAME #2 Synopsis: Zinco Research and Development, headed up by someone with ties to the Nazis, makes progress on their work with behavior-modified frog demons, while Abe Sapien continues to struggle with the truths of his origin, Roger leads a successful raid on a frog-demon nest and Liz runs into trouble at a different raid. Review: Issue one of this series was all about action, and The Black Flame #2 opens up a bit more to start exploring more of the story. Mignola and Arcudi are still doing terrific work exploring the characters, from the interplay between Liz and Johann over Roger to Kate's concern about Abe and the funk he seems to have fallen into, and it's a pretty solid blend of action, characterization and plot that, again, reminds me of the best superhero team books. There's also a terrific focus on the villains in this issue, with some great reveals about just what Zinco is and who is running the show, and the creepy effect of a bunch of frog demons being led by someone who is more calculating and based in human evil is hard to beat. Davis and Stewart excel as always, with some especially vibrant colors on the snowy British Columbian countryside and spacious, effective design on the Zinco research labs. Highlights: The creepy effect of seeing frog-demons treated as lab monkeys, the pride a soldier takes in Roger's job well done, a perfect silent melancholy moment for Abe and the disturbing sight of the frog-demons being led by a human, which reveals the reason for the title of this miniseries. Quote: "Reality is always bigger than any of us is willing to believe, Marsten. Try not to worry about it." -Mr. Pope B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK FLAME #3 Synopsis: The Black Flame takes over Zinco Research completely and puts their boardroom to a most unsavory use. Meanwhile, Liz has a dream-vision that produces a worrying piece of prophetic information, leading her to worry about Roger and his current mission in Canada. As it turns out, she has plenty of reason to worry... Review: After the seeming massacre of the B.P.R.D. agents in the closing issues of Plague of Frogs, I'm not as shaken by the last few pages of this issue as I might otherwise have been, but I do have a sinking feeling that Mignola and Arcudi mean it this time, which would be both gutsy writing worthy of appreciation and a bit of a shame given the way the character has come on of late. At any rate, this issue scales back from the action of the previous two to some extent and heightens the creep factor, with a very spooky vision from Kate and effective prophecy of doom from B.P.R.D. analyst Professor O'Donnell, which plays out well in the last part of the book. There's also a very nice, moody sequence of the Black Flame walking in and taking over Zinco completely, which could have played out in a goofy way thanks to the humorous incongruity of a man in a battlesuit stomping into a board room of normally dressed folks, but Davis really sells it as ominous and creepy instead. That's not to say that The Black Flame #3 is lacking in terms of action, because the book does feature Roger once again kicking ass as the leader of a B.P.R.D. squad. Roger's adaptation of Daimio's hardass attitude makes him a little bit less likable than his naive, sweet personality from previous stories, but it makes him easier to respect, and I like that dichotomy played out in the character. And on a more gut level, I just love the way that Davis and Stewart draw Roger blasting away at frog demons. Highlights: The increasing sense of foreboding from the Zinco meeting, the ritual that takes place there and Liz's vision, Roger once again getting to act the role of military leader and the revelation of the next villain in line, "Katha-Hem." Quote: "Sadu-Hem was the first. He brought the plague of frogs, just as it was written. But the frogs will bring Katha-Hem, and Katha-Hem shall dwarf Sadu-Hem. He will be as big as a mountain, and when he comes, people won't just die. The world will start to change." -Professor O'Donnell B.P.R.D.: THE BLACK FLAME #4 Synopsis: The death of one of the B.P.R.D. team has emotional ramifications for the entire team, but things get even worse when the team is called out to a frog demon uprising, as the Black Flame succeeds in the summoning of Sadu-Hem. Review: I kind of wish that Mignola hadn't done fakeout deaths for the B.P.R.D. in Plague of Frogs, as it would have given Roger's death a bit more punch, but certainly the loss of Roger in this issue feels pretty real and pretty solid. I don't rule out that he'll be back, but this sure seems like it's meant to be a real death, a shame because he's been getting really interesting lately but an interesting choice because of the effect it has on all of the characters. The fallout of his death is certainly effective stuff, and Davis does a great job with the silent, melancholy mood of Liz as she settles into Roger's old room. The star of the show, though, is really the monsters being unleashed in this issue. The swarms of frog demons and bats around the Black Flame's summoning site give a real feel of epic badness going on, and the unleashing of a plague of demons on a bright, everytown looking Lincoln, Nebraska is equally creepy and effective. Throughout The Black Flame, there's been a tendency on the creative team's part to show the B.P.R.D. as outnumbered and endangered, and this issue really does make it look like they're in pretty dire straits, making for some tense and exciting action storytelling at the end and a cliffhanger that will leave the reader breathlessly awaiting the finale. Highlights: Liz's quiet desperation, an uncharacteristically emotional Johann reacting to Roger's death, the terrifying numbers of the frog demons, a quiet moment of penance for Captain Daimio and a fantastic action sequence involving the uprising of the frog demons across North America and a doomed battle between the B.P.R.D. and the frog demons. Quote: "The others you put in body bags, but not Roger? You think he is garbage you can just throw anywhere?" -Johann Email Randy Lander comments about this column.