Mike Mignola’s “Hellboy†is essentially a comic book staple. It’s been that way for decades and is still going strong. One of the ways Mignola is keeping the series fresh is to have stories based on “BPRD†missions. “Hellboy and the BPRD 1952†is one of the newest ones, but the first issue is a little dull, in spite of being a landmark event in Hellboy’s life.
In this comic Professor Bruttenholm sends a small group of “BPRD†agents to a small town in Brazil to investigate murders caused by a supernatural being. When they get there they find that, as always, there is more to this mission than they are led to believe.
This is also Hellboy’s very first mission.
This is the typical comic where the plot is set up and very little happens. This blurb on the comic says that this is supposed to be Hellboy’s first mission and so far he seems like nothing more than scenery. Again, this comic is more setup than anything else. There is still plenty of time for Mignola to do something great with Hellboy’s first mission, it’s just not done here.
The art by Alex Maleev is what “Hellboy†fans expect from the comic. It’s still the same as it has been for as long as “Hellboy†has been around. It still has that mixture of noir and horror that brings out a world that is filled with every supernatural being in existence. In this comic, that art does not have a chance to shine as there isn’t much there for the eyes to yeast on.
There’s very little to say about “Hellboy and the BPRD 1952 #1.†It’s nothing more than a setup to something bigger and not much else. Hellboy’s first mission may be the greatest thing Mignola may have written, but for now this first issue leaves plenty to be desired.
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