I know this is issue #1 of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D 1956, but, really, it’s an ongoing series that’s well into its run. Be that as it may, this issue is sort of ground zero for a new story arc, and I thought I’d see how easy it would be for me to jump on board. While there are some story beats between characters that are lost on me, the general sense of the events are pretty understandable.
Hellboy, Mike Mignola’s greatest creation, is being sent to Mexico to take care of some supernatural elements with two B.P.R.D agents that are anxious to get their feet wet. Yes, they are green, and typically newbies to the B.P.R.D. don’t always last long. Also in this story is Susan Xiang who seems to have some sort of psychic power and is asked to track down a mystery man that pumped Hellboy full of electricity on his last mission, simply by looking at a photo of him. Also, Hellboy’s father has discovered the existence of a material that was supposed to be long out of existence: Enkeladite. His boss isn’t very pleased to hear about it and orders him to focus on his previous mission dealing with the Russians. All of this ties together in the end when we meet the big, bad villain who is an absolute delight. That’s all I’ll say about that.
I’m always curious as to what’s troubling Hellboy, and something seems to be on his mind. I’ll have to dig back into previous issues just to find out what’s going on, but is this worth jumping into at this juncture? I’d say yes. Anything with Hellboy is a big yes from me.
The art here is solid, and the second artist drawing the final pages made me giggle gleefully. His art is immediately recognizable. This is a solid start to what looks like a really fun storyline.
Creative Team: Mike Mignola and Christopher Roberson (writers), Michael Avon Oeming, Mike Norton, Yishan Li (artists), Dave Stewart (colors), Dave Johnson (cover art)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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