I’ve got a bad feeling about this….
What They Say:
Caught between bat-faced monsters, a devastating earthquake, and the mad science experiments of Zinco, Devon and Fenix form an uneasy alliance in order to get to safety!
Creators:
Writers: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Artist: Tyler Crook
The Review:
The B.P.R.D. is a spinoff of the popular comic Hellboy. Charged with the research of and defense against the paranormal, the B.P.R.D. features some of the most interesting and eclectic characters in comics. There’s the ichthyosapien (fishman) Abe Sapien, the pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, and the bodiless mass of ectoplasmic consciousness, Johann Krauss. However, these are the most visually compelling characters. The entirety of the Bureau consists of ordinary men and women united by a passion for the occult, such as the main character of this issue, Andrew Devon; a former professor of modern and medieval languages from Cambridge University turned B.P.R.D. agent.
This issue is mostly setup for the other two issues in this series and the majority of it consists of Andrew trying to get Fenix, a young psychic drifter who recently shot Abe Sapien, onto a train to Colorado. Fenix is reluctant because she has an ill-defined sense of dread about the train, but Andrew doesn’t heed her warnings because she comes off more as a flake than a psychic. While this is going on, we are introduced to a company called Zinco and its owner, Mr. Marsten. Some type of nefarious occult research is taking place as the company, but what it is or Marsten’s identity are never revealed.
Which is the major problem of this entire issue. As much as I love Hellboy and its extended universe, I consistently feel like I’m arriving at the middle of the party when it comes to B.P.R.D. comics. There is some kind of catastrophe that’s threatening the world (necessitating Andrew and Fenix traveling by train because airplanes are all grounded), but, again, what that catastrophe is remains a mystery, as are Andrew and Fenix’s role.
Even if I knew the backstory, I don’t know how well I would rate this issue. Nothing really happens. The main conflict is getting Fenix on the train, and that’s not really enough to maintain my interest. Neither is the vague reveal of the dastardly goings on behind the scenes at Zinco. I know something bad is going on—possibly having to do with Nazis—but that’s all I know. I need more information to feel a greater sense of foreboding.
The art fares better than the story. I really enjoy the consistency of style in the Hellboy family of comics. Mike Mignola doesn’t draw this issue, but Crook does a great job of emulating his style. It’s just too bad he doesn’t have more to work with here.
In Summary:
As much as I enjoy Hellboy comics, this one fell flat. While it’s true that I lacked some essential background information, I feel that even if I did know the events leading up to this series, I’d still find this boring. It’s not a bad comic per se, but there’s nothing exciting or arresting going on. It’s bland. Hopefully the series will pick up with the second and third issues.
Grade: B-
“While this is going on, we are introduced to a company called Zinco and its owner, Mr. Marsten. Some type of nefarious occult research is taking place as the company, but what it is or Marsten�s identity are never revealed.”
What they’re doing remains a mystery, but we know it has something to do with Project Ragnarok from Hellboy: Seed of Destruction. Also, the Zinco corporation was introduced in Hellboy: Wake the Devil and it’s no mystery who Mr Marsten is (he was introduced in BPRD: The Black Flame and has appeared several times since).
Most of the questions you’re asking have already been answered, some of them quite a few years ago. It seems like a common complaint from casual readers at the moment. The series is really relying on its readers to already be up to speed now.
There are some really nice BPRD omnibuses out there at the moment, collecting 3 trades at a time, from the patchy short-story based beginnings to the really nice Guy Davis drawn longer stories. I dont think they’re too expensive either.