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B.P.R.D.: THE SOUL OF VENICE AND OTHER STORIES TP
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Dark Horse Comics
Writers: Mike Mignola, Miles Gunter, Mike Avon Oeming, Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Brian Augustyn & Joe Harris
Artists: Mike Avon Oeming, Scott Kolins, Guy Davis, Adam Pollina, Guillermo Zubiaga & Cameron Stewart
Colors: Dave Stewart, Michelle Madsen & Lee Loughridge
Letters: Ken Bruzenak, Michelle Madsen, Pat Brosseau & Michael Heisler
Editor: Scott Allie
Price: $17.95 US |
OK, it's still been way too long since we've had a Mignola Hellboy comic, but the quality of the B.P.R.D. material in the meantime is taking a lot of the sting out of it. I read (and reviewed) the majority of work in this collection separately, but just like the Hellboy: Weird Tales, I find that most of it gains in strength when assembled with the rest of the stories. Rather than isolated one-shots showing off a particular writer, artist or set of characters, it becomes an overview of a Hellboy-less B.P.R.D., and the stories build on one another to create a picture of the B.P.R.D.'s operations and some of its cases. The art list alone (Guy Davis, Scott Kolins, Michael Avon Oeming, Adam Pollina and Cameron Stewart) should put it on the must-buy list, but the stories are nothing to sneeze at, and a brand new one that puts Stewart together with writer Mike Mignola is the icing on the cake.
It's interesting to me to examine the list of artists on this book. None of them are generally what would be considered "hot" in the industry, although they're all big names. Instead, Scott Allie (presumably with input from Mike Mignola) has assembled a handful of stylists, guys whose style is different and unique, and who have that in common with Mignola himself. There's a nice variety in that style, though. Oeming and Stewart are probably the closest together, both using a clean, "animated" style, but they are also very different from one another, with Oeming using more exaggeration and Stewart sticking to a sharper, more realistic, more detailed style. This artistic variety is one of the charms of the book, as it really shows off how adaptable these properties are to different interpretations, and every artist here did work that ranks with the best of their career.
The list of writers is also not likely to match up with the majority of readers' top listings. They've all had certain buzz books to their name at one point or another, but one of them has been out of comics altogether for a while, one of them pops up only occasionally these days and one of them has only a few works in his name, all of them collaborations with the same artist. The big name on the book (aside from Mignola, of course) is Geoff Johns, who was quite possibly brought on by his artist as opposed to vice versa. What's impressive, though, is that every one of these writers rises to the occasion and they turn in some of their best work as well. I didn't love all of the stories when I first read them, but re-reading each of them I found the charm in each of them, and many of them I did like the first time around and liked even more this time.
Something about Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. being a creation of an artist instead of editorial fiat or marketing whims gives creators the push to do their best, I would guess. Joe Harris nails it in his short notes in Adam Pollina's sketch work, saying that "...Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. feels just as classic as the X-Men, etc. while feeling incredibly fresh and new at the same time." This is a property that has all kinds of room for exploration, a lot of new stories to be told about it, and it hasn't been mined already for 40+ years. Not a lot of properties in the comics market meet that criteria. Many of the artist-created characters of the '90s are either exceptionally shallow or so linked to their creator that nobody else can really touch them and satisfy fans. Somehow, despite the imprint that Mignola has on Hellboy, the B.P.R.D. remains open to interpretation by other talents.
Enough about the generalities, though... what about the specifics? Quite honestly, all of the stories here probably could have used a little more room to move, but the writers and artists do excellent work within the constraints of the format. If you want a more in-depth look at my first thoughts about some of these stories, you can look for my reviews of The Soul of Venice, Dark Waters, Night Train and There's Something Under My Bed. I stand by everything I said in Dark Waters, although I think I underrated it. Ditto for Night Train, and though I still think it could have used more room to move, I was much happier with Kolins and Dave Stewart's collaboration on the art, perhaps because the super-detailed pencil work wasn't as fresh in my mind this time. I definitely think I didn't give There's Something Under My Bed enough credit, although I do think that spelling out the nature of the monsters more clearly explaining just how the B.P.R.D. knew to seek out that particular little girl would have helped the story considerably.
That leaves the new story, by Mike Mignola and Cameron Stewart, to talk about. I have been quite open about my feeling that Cameron Stewart is probably one of the best talents working in the medium right now, and this short story only helps to cement that in my mind. His work on the zombies is creepy even as he keeps the lighter, everyday tone for the B.P.R.D., and he does a great opening shot of the Moldavian castle as well. The story itself is really quick and high-concept, more of a teaser than a full story, but Mignola really gets across that this is a working-stiff type job for these guys a lot of the time, even while he conveys the weirdness of what they consider "everyday."
I know there are some who don't consider anything other than Mignola Hellboy canon, or at least don't consider it worth their comic book dollars. B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice TPB definitely disproves that notion, and stands alongside the rest of the Hellboy work that I've read. It's not a replacement for Hellboy, and it certainly is a stronger read if you're already familiar with all the characters and concepts from the other five Hellboy volumes, but it shouldn't be left out of the discerning Hellboy/B.P.R.D. fan's library. 10/10
This comic book was not among this week's new releases.
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