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Title: B.P.R.D. Volume 1: Hollow Earth & Other Stories Author: Mike Mignola Rating: Not available Avg. Score: 4 Submit Comment Hits: 53

Review of B.P.R.D., Vol. 1: Hollow Earth & Other Stories (Hellboy)

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Comments for B.P.R.D. Volume 1: Hollow Earth & Other Stories

• Posted on 2007-09-03
  Graphic SF Reader
  
  I am happy to read Mignola BPRD type tales whenever he comes up with them, or the cows come home, whichever comes last. These are Hellboyless, but have some other characters. A homunculus, and a ghost man who wears a suit so that he can interact with the physical environment, and a new field leader hard bitten, deformed military man type.
  
  Some of this is to show the relationships between the characters, and how the BPRD humans are increasingly alienating them. It shows how Hellboy rescues Abe from test after test after test, and then Abe does the same thing for Roger the Homunculus, from the very same scientists, a couple of decades later.
  
  They also have to rescue Liz, who appears in a sending, after being gone yet again, for a couple of years.
  
  
  
  Score: 4
• Posted on 2006-09-15
  A Solid Outing for Hollow Earth
  
  B.P.R.D. stands for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, a secret U.S. agency that protects the world from supernatural threats. It is a spin-off title from Mike Magnolia's popular Hellboy comic book series, and details the adventures of the agency's other "special" operatives.
  
  The team includes Abe Sapien, a blue-skinned gill-man with a mysterious past; Liz Sherman, a neurotic pyrokinetic; Johann Kraus, a German psychic whose body was destroyed while his spirit was visiting the astral plane; and Roger the Homunculus, a medieval golem with tremendous strength and a child-like personality.
  
  "The Hollow Earth" storyline serves as a general introduction to the B.P.R.D team for those readers unfamiliar with the Hellboy mythos. It does a good job of showing how Hellboy's resignation affects each member. The bureau just brings the newly-disembodied medium, Johann, into the group while Abe Sapien debates quitting the team and taking Roger with him. Meanwhile, Liz Sherman has taken a sabbatical, traveling to the mystical realm of Agarta in the hopes of learning to tame the fire within her.
  
  Outside events soon bring everyone together, however, as an attack on the monastery Liz is staying at prompts her to send a psychic S.O.S. to her friend Abe. The bureau quickly mobilizes and sends the team out on a search and rescue mission that leads them into the very bowels of the earth. This is a very good story. Each member's unique strengths are highlighted, and the group dynamic is set up very well.
  
  This collection also features two shorter stories. The first, "The Killer in My Head" features Lobster Johnson (a grim 1930s paranormal investigator first introduced in "Hellboy: The Conqueror Worm"). Several prominent scientists are found dead inside locked rooms and our hero has to solve the mystery. The second, "Abe Sapien Versus Science" is a short vignette that shows Abe filling the void left by Hellboy by rescuing Roger from the perpetual prodding of the bureau's scientists, mirroring Hellboy's actions years ago when he rescued Abe from the same thing.
  
  Also included is the rare Abe Sapien one-shot, "The Drums of the Dead", written by Brian McDonald and drawn by Derek Thompson. This is a story about the mysterious and deadly happenings aboard cargo and fishing ships along the oceanic trade routes between America and Africa. The artwork is very dark, which mirrors the mood of the story. The plot is simple, but action packed and delivers an emotional punch as well.
  
  Score: 5
• Posted on 2006-08-24
  good book
  
  while i would prefer to read solely about hellboy himself, reading about the bprd is entertaining. the stories contained in this volume fit well into the hellboy mythos. while the art is not mignola's, it has it's own flair to it that sets the mood. the writing is good of course, and the title story and the others hold up well to what has been published in the past. i would of course urge any fan of hellboy and his universe to pick this one up if they have not already. if you are looking to read something different and are a fan of comics, this will hold you over, and i guarantee you will be hooked.
  Score: 4
• Posted on 2006-08-20
  hollow earth full of great stories
  
  B.P.R.D. stands for "Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense," an extragovernmental agency that polices the supernatural in the world of Mike Mignola's Hellboy. Think The X-Files meets The X-Men.
  "Hollow Earth," the first story in the volume, is tale of Johann Kraus' first adventure with the team, a mission to rescue pyrokinetic Liz Sherman from a swarm of Stanislav Szukalski-inspired subterraneans. The tale is pivotal in Mignola's mythos in that one can see the characters attempting to fill the void created by Hellboy's departure from the Bureau.
  As a sort of epilogue to "Hollow Earth," the volume includes the origin of Johann Kraus, the story of the Chengdou Disaster, in newspaper format.
  My favorite piece is "The Killer in My Skull," a tale of 1938 New York City, starring my favorite Mignola character, Lobster Johnson. Lobster Johnson is the goggle-wearing, .45-totin', The Shadow-like crime fighter of the series.
  Then it's back to the future so that the reader gets a glimpse of what the "R" in BPRD stands for. In "Abe Sapien versus Science," Abe Sapien rescues Roger the homunculus from the scientific pokings-and-proddings of BPRD scientists in much the same way that Hellboy rescued Abe himself from their curious clutches years earlier.
  The final story "Drum of The Dead" features Abe Sapien and Gabriel Omatta, a former seminarian who sees dead people for the Bureau, in a supernatural tale of sharks, more sharks, and the Middle Passage.
  In an age when one finds it necessary to take out a loan from the bank to buy comic books on a regular basis, this compilation of stories is a great pick for anyone wishing to enjoy great stories bundled together in one reasonably priced package.
  Score: 4
• Posted on 2006-08-20
  Hollow Earth Is Full of Great Stories
  
  B.P.R.D. stands for "Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense," an extragovernmental agency that polices the supernatural in the world of Mike Mignola's Hellboy. Think The X-Files meets The X-Man.
  "Hollow Earth," the first story in the volume, is tale of Johann Kraus' first adventure with the team, a mission to rescue pyrokinetic Liz Sherman from a swarm of Stanislav Szukalski-inspired subterraneans. The tale is pivotal in Mignola's mythos in that one can see the characters attempting to fill the void created by Hellboy's departure from the Bureau.
  As a sort of epilogue to "Hollow Earth," the volume includes the origin of Johann Kraus, the story of the Chengdou Disaster, in newspaper format.
  My favorite piece is "The Killer in My Skull," a tale of 1938 New York City, starring my favorite Mignola character, Lobster Johnson. Lobster Johnson is the goggle-wearing, .45-totin', The Shadow-like crime fighter of the series.
  Back to the future, the reader gets a glimpse of what the "R" in BPRD stands for. In "Abe Sapien versus Science," Abe Sapien rescues Roger the homunculus from the scientific pokings-and-proddings of BPRD scientists in much the same way that Hellboy rescued Abe himself from their curious clutches years earlier.
  The final story "Drum of The Dead" features Abe Sapien and Gabriel Omatta, a former seminarian who sees dead people for the Bureau, in a supernatural tale of sharks, more sharks, and the Middle Passage.
  In an age when one finds it necessary to take out a loan from the bank to buy comic books on a regular basis, this compilation of stories is a great pick for anyone wishing to enjoy great stories bundled together in one reasonably priced package.
  Score: 4