Reviewer: Andy Campbell
Written by: Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Art by: Guy Davis
Colored by: Dave Stewart
Lettered by: Clem Robins
German translations: Jon Nortz
Designer: Lani Schreibstein
Assistant Editor: Matt Dryer
Editor: Scott Allie
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
As far as I can tell, this is the first BPRD review to appear on Comics Nexus. That said, I’ll give some background for those not familiar with the BPRD. The BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) comes from the pages of Hellboy, and it is basically an underground paranormal group…kind of like the Ghostbusters, but weirder. The main members are Abe Sapien, an amphibian/man; Liz Sherman, a pyrokinetic; Roger, a homunculus; Johann Kraus, a spiritual medium whose ectoplasmic essence now resides in a containment suit; and Dr. Kate Corrigan, a folklore/occult history expert.
Now, unfortunately, this story is #5 in a series of 5, so you really have to pick up the first 4 to get what’s going on in this issue. I can’t really do justice to what has gone before, but to sum up, Abe Sapien has been investigating whether or not he had a previous life. Meanwhile, the rest of the team leave with their new leader to go a new headquarters, where they find a crazy old guy dwelling in the basement trying to open a portal between worlds. Yes. That’s what I said. See what I mean about having to have read the first 4 issues?
Anyway, if you’re a Hellboy fan, you’ll like BPRD. If you’re a fan of paranormal or strange stories, you might like BPRD. If you like superhero stories, this probably wouldn’t be your cup of tea. As for my opinion, being a fan of Hellboy and BPRD…this wasn’t my favourite BPRD story, but I still liked it well enough to recommend that you pick up the trade when it comes out.
