Some people will say that 1953 was a great year. Those people have never been in a “Hellboy†story during that time. “Hellboy and the BPRD 1953 TPB†collects stories about what happened to Hellboy and various members of the “BPRD†in 1953 and many of these stories are excellent.
The first four stories, “The Phantom Hand,†“Rawhead and Bloody Bones,†“The Witch Tree†and “The Kelpie†are written by Mike Mignola with art by Ben Stenbeck: ‘Wandering Souls†is written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson with art by Michael Walsh; “Beyond the Fences†is written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson with pencils by Paolo Rivera and inks by Joe Rivera.
“The Phantom Hand†has Hellboy, Bruttenholm and Middleton investigating a house that is supposedly haunted by a severed hand. While this story has been told many times before, Mignola does manage to keep it interesting. The second part of the story is more exposition of Hellboy and Bruttenholm’s relationship, however. It’s still worth reading.
“Rawhead and Bloody Bones†finds Hellboy and Bruttenholm in England investigating a pub that has been haunted after the new owners changed its name from “The Whistling Pig†to “Rawhead and Bloody Bones.†The tale of “Rawhead and Bloody Bones†is interesting, but the ending of the comic will make you say “well, that was easy.†It’s that short.
In “The Witch Tree†Hellboy and Bruttenholm, still in England, look into a local’s sighting of a dead witch that was used by locals to pray for a harvest that’s supposed to be buried in a churchyard. This story is as messed up as “Hellboy†is allowed to get. The events that transpire are some of the best this series has seen.
Bruttenholm and Middleton tell Hellboy the story of what happened to a school friend of theirs in “The Kelpie.†It’s not all that interesting and adds little to the “Hellboy†lore. Skip.
‘Wandering Souls†is about Hellboy and Xiang investigating a mining town that is being overrun by the Chinese ghosts. This is one of the best stories in this collection due to the creativity of the threat and how it is handled. It shows lots of talent from the writers.
“Beyond the fences†has Hellboy, Xiang and Stegner going to Rosemead, California to look for missing persons. Since this is a “Hellboy†story, there are supernatural phenomena behind it all. This is the longest story in the collection. It starts off great but loses steam pretty quickly. Its length is one of the reasons for that, making this story decent.
The artwork in all of these stories is top notch. The best overall art can be found in “Wandering Souls.†The look of the town, along with the design of the ghosts are amazing and do the job of being scary. The first time you see them you will jump.
“Hellboy and the BPRD 1953 TPB†is another excellent “Hellboy†TPB. The stories, except for a select few, are a joy to read for both hardcore and casual “Hellboy†fans and comic readers alike with some great art to boot.
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