Reviewer: Kevin S. Mahoney
Story Title: N/A
Written by: Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by: Guy Davis
Colored by: Dave Stewart
Lettered by: Clem Robins
Editor: Scott Allie
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
There are critics out there who state comics, in the main, have gotten stale. They believe that the same long john epics, licensed properties, foreign imports, and barely-there independent titles will never improve, or maybe even change. For their examination, one should submit this issue of B.P.R.D.. It starts out a bit like many other armed forces themed books (G.I. Joe with monsters, Ghostbusters with less fantastic weapons) and takes a screaming left towards conspiracy themed books (X-Files with a cast that has and displays their feelings) then finally ends in a last page shocker which ought to have serious repercussions for the team. Best of all, it’s impossible to see where it’s all going. Given the heroic cast, the established menaces, and the way each behaves, a confrontation is inevitable; that’s all that is clear.
It’s not just the plot that innovates either. What other book features a reborn (if horribly scarred) Marine Captain tutoring a homunculus in the ways of warfare? Or a pyrokinetic and a disembodied medium debating whether it’s the best thing for him/it? Or a frightened and possibly reincarnated amphibi-man hiding in the lab, brooding over his second life? It’s more a family than a super team, and that only forces the reader to care more about each and every one of them. The villains aren’t rendered as well, but what information readers do get about the Nazi executive Pope (that’s as ironic a last name as any in serial fiction) certainly is interesting. And while “The Black Flame” seems a bit limp as a villainous alter-ego, he hasn’t yet had the chance to do anything directly. And the semi-enslaved frogs are a hoot to observe, if only as a contrast with their more savage brethren (seen in the first issue of the tale).
The art, while keeping the same staff from the beginning of this story, steps it up at least a couple of notches this issue. On the one hand, a lot more stuff needs to be shown. There are multiple settings, from an urban boardroom to B.P.R.D. headquarters, to the wilds of British Colombia, to a small Montana town. Each setting is lovingly illustrated, and it’s impossible to confuse one mad science lab with another. On the other hand, the one problem with the with the earlier issue at least according to me was its lack of “pop”. That flaw is absent from this installment. There are more colors in each panel, and thus things don’t muddle together. The level of detail varies more with the distance from the foreground, making things seems less flat. The art is still not a mainstream style, but after a few of these improved pages, it’s easy to get involved in it. And the only thing cooler to look at than frog monsters is cybernetically altered frog monsters.
The letter’s page repeatedly indicates that this story will shake up the B.P.R.D. for a long time, perhaps more so than Hellboy’s imminent return from the depths of the sea, and the potential is certainly here. The role of two team members has totally changed. Another may cease to be a factor at all, if the ending of this episode is any hint. And the frogs (a rather large and directionless menace on their own) seem to be gaining intellect and organization as the arc progresses. This could mean a big heap of trouble for the team; it’s certainly lots of fun to read.
