Mike Mignola and John Arcudi’s “BPRD†has given “Hellboy†readers a glimpse into the history of the BPRD for years with its stories of hell spawn and undead being controlled and hidden by the masses. “BPRD 1948 #1†is the latest entry into the series and so far, it seems to do adequate job of keeping its fanbase.
The story is about a group of scientist’s research in Utah in 1948. One scientist of particular interest is Dr. Anna Rieu who the story’s narrator, Mr. Yesslier, is sharing to a reporter. As an introductory chapter, it does an solid job of introducing the players into the story as well as the plot to the reader.
It has all the BPRD elements fans expect. It has a young Dr. Trevor Bruttenholm as well as a young Hellboy smoking away, so we can expect some tension from these two in the upcoming chapters.
Also BPRD stables are weird creatures that can’t be described by nature and the one introduced in this chapter should give a lot of “fun†to the protagonists.
Max Fiumara’s art keeps the mood and feel of the “BPRD†series alive and well. The characters have that horror movie look to them that fits perfectly with the series. Hellboy looks great as a little boy; cute even. One thing that makes or breaks this series is the look of the monster and the monster is one of the coolest and grossest looking this series has ever seen.
“BPRD 1948 #1†may not have a strong start, but it does show promise with an interesting premise and the promise of a big monster battle and some family “bonding†between Hellboy and Dr. Bruttenholm. If this comic could pick up some steam then maybe we could have another memorable “BPRD†series in the making.
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