Johns and Kolins, the creative team of The Flash up until recently, come together for another collaboration on B.P.R.D. that is a little different from the other specials that have gone before. Like the other specials, it's a focus on a couple of B.P.R.D. characters, but it's less focused on the spooky and more on the action, and the change actually suits the creative team quite well. There are some references to history that, as a casual Hellboy reader, I didn't quite get, and the story does feel like it could have used a little more room to really explore the concept, but it's a fun read that makes good use of the concept and features gorgeous artwork by Kolins and Stewart.
I'm a fan of the pulp hero, so the opening sequence with Lobster Johnson was right up my alley. Even though I don't know anything about the character other than his name and time period, he's archetypal enough that that doesn't matter, and Johns and Kolins do a great little riff on Nazi saboteurs and pulp heroes as the sort of James Bond before the credits opener of the issue. Kolins in particular should be commended for a spectacular looking train crash, although having seen some of the black and white pages in San Diego, I was disappointed and more than a little surprised that the otherwise strong colors of Dave Stewart are a little overpowering on that sequence, robbing it of some of that exquisite detail.
Unlike the other B.P.R.D. specials, which have focused more on a mystery, Johns gives away the nature of the ghost train right up front, and the story instead deals in some of Johns's strengths, notably strong characterization and solid super-hero style action. Even though I'm not very familiar with the backstory, the odd mixture of tension and friendship between Liz and Roger remains pretty clear, and I learned a little about both of their personalities in this issue as well. I imagine it would resonate a little more for those who have read the Hellboy stories being referenced, but it's certainly not inaccessible.
By far the biggest selling point of Night Train for me, though, is the artwork. Kolins, like many of the artists who have worked on these projects, seems to have adapted his style somewhat to capture the Mignola ethos while still remaining true to his own work. He's got the spooky mystery-man look of Lobster Johnson down, and I also love his contrast between the lovely Liz and the sculpted, stone form. Together with Dave Stewart, he also creates some creepy, ethereal looking ghosts, giving the book a sense of the unreal and mysterious that goes nicely with its grounded, human characterization.
While this is an entertaining one-shot story, it does feel a little constrained by the one-shot format. There's clearly room for more story in the opening tale, and the thematic tie between Liz and Roger's troubled past and the troubled past of the Nazi catching up to him seems like rich material for more exploration as well. I certainly wouldn't mind this creative team returning for more of these or other B.P.R.D. characters.
