Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1956 #1 Review: Beautiful

Hellboy and the members of the “B.P.R.D.” have battled it all throughout the comic’s run. One of the villains that isn’t seen that much is Soviets. “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1956,” written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson with art by Yishan Li, Mike Norton and Michael Avon Oeming, has soviets as its main antagonist and the first issue is a great setup for this story.

Margaret Laine has been promoted to Assistant Director of Operations for the “B.P.R.D.” but things have gotten a lot hectic recently. So hectic that she sent Hellboy on a mission with two operatives that have yet to complete training on a mission in Mexico. Meanwhile, Bruttenholm seriously suspects that the Soviets may have gotten their hands on a powerful substance called “Enkeladite.” On another mission is Susan Xiang who has been tasked with finding the Soviet operative who attacked Hellboy at Reynalds Air Force Base.

This is a nice introduction to what we’re about to see. Since this is supposed to be three interwoven storylines this can go either way. There is always a chance that this can get a bit too complicated or even one storyline can be forgotten while the other two are front and center. Then again, interwoven storylines have been amazing before so this one might just be one of the great ones.

This has to be some of the best art “Hellboy” has ever had. Everything from the character designs, backgrounds and colors is a joy to behold. The only mediocre parts are the last few pages where the character designs are just weird. They look blocky and stand out like a sore thumb from the rest of the comic.

The first issue of “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1956” nicely introduces the three storylines and add some great art despite the last few pages. While the three storylines sound great, a lot can go wrong with it but Mignola and Roberson may pull off something great if they’re careful.