There’s something about stories that combine monsters against a tactical military squad that I’ve always found appealing. Perhaps it is the crossing of the horror and action genres within the one story, maybe it’s just that I like a few automatic weapons with my scary beasts. Whatever it is, it’s a sub-genre that I’m pretty fond of and it’s only made better when the story that is concerned has rich sympathetic characters like B.P.R.D.
One of the characters in B.P.R.D. that we tend to forget about and take for granted is Johann Kraus. Lucky for him he gets to take center stage in this book, and boy, does he shine. Johann has never been a character I was particularly fond of, it’s not that he’s a bad character per se but there was never a moment that I’ve read that made me feel a connection to his character. He’s always just kind of been there, said a few funny things, and not much else. But the creative team successfully transformed Kraus into as empathetic a character as possible, and it seems like the best way to have done that was put the life of his fellow teammates in jeopardy.
At this point in his career Mignola has cracked the code on story telling. Along with John Arcudia, they’ve crafted a great script here. The structure of this book is as solid and rewarding of a read as I’ve seen in a while. The slow-burn build up throughout is worth the pay off that we get in the end. I love the way Mike uses his characters. He can create such a rich background and story behind each of them in just a few panels that automatically gets them on your side. Unfortunately, for us that usually means he’s going to maim them in some horrid fashion.
As far as the art is concerned, there should be no surprises here. Done by James Harren, it fits into the style of Hellboy books with minimal, if any, departures. There are however a few things about the art that make it stand out in places. The way the body of Kraus is drawn really brings out the personality traits of the character, making his emotions seem more real. One would think it a difficult task to essentially make a balloon man express emotion but Harren pulls it off with flying colors. Also, the final five pages of the book is some of the best action scene drawings I’ve ever seen. The transitions from panel to panel and the way we feel in the action in our heads as we read it fit perfect together. Plus, the juxtaposition of the horrendous gore and the beautiful Canada landscape are two great images.
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Long Death is without a doubt a welcome entry for fans of the series. I enjoyed it very much and shouldn’t have to tell Hellboy fans to get up on it. I also think that, while new readers might be a little lost with some characters, there is enough happening in this book to give them something to work with making it a great read for all.
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Long Death is available NOW at your local comic shop!
