By Svetlana Fedotov
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Hellboy and the BPRD cross paths. While yet to be reunited, we can at least get a peek at where it all started with launch of Hellboy and BPRD 1952. Before Abe Sapien, before Liz the Fire Starter, and even before Johann Kraus found himself to be the only survivor of a séance gone wrong, the BPRD was a human run agency created to keep the Nazi’s obsession with occult in check. With Hellboy’s arrival in a storm of brimstone and flames in 1944, Hellboy/BRPD 1952 follows up with his unnaturally fast growth from child to adult and his subsequent release into the world via a mission to Brazil. As in a lot of Mignola work, you can expect plenty of monsters, mystery, and a touch of political intrigue.
The comic opens up with the good Dr. Bruttenholm planning a mission to Brazil to confirm and annihilate an “apparently superhuman creature.” His team of two former war vets, an intelligence agent, and a security adviser are assigned to not only deal with the monster, but to watch over Hellboy on his very first mission. After a bumpy flight and even a bumpier ride into town, the team finally settles in, but are not given any details except a fevered rambling that they must go to bed and everything will be discussed it the morning. While they are attempting to make sense of their new found predicament, shadowy forces have crept their way into the BPRD itself and threatening to tear it apart.
So, I’m going to save you a bit of time and tell you now, there is not a lot happening in the first issue. This issue is very slow burning and while great at exposition, is more talking heads around a table than anything else. It felt like it was just about to jump off in the last few pages but instead simply stops three feet short of the reveal cliff, leaving me wanting more simply because I felt like it didn’t give enough. But on the plus side, you get a unique peek into Hellboy’s first mission and the under workings of early BPRD. Mike Mignola does his usual, excellent job of writing a smooth script with the just the right amount of shadowy antics and John Arcudi, the artist for BPRD, lends his talent for vintage, noir-esque artwork.
As stated, it’s good, but as an individual issue it’s not great, and it would probably be worth waiting for the collected graphic novel. Unfortunately, you’ll be waiting a while as the first issue hits stands on December 8.
