BPRD: Being Human

As a reminder: ALL REVIEWS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Publication Date: November 30, 2011

Format: TP, 7" x 10", FC, 152 pages
Price: $17.99
Age range: 16
ISBN-13: 978-1-59582-756-2

Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, and John Arcudi round up some of the usual suspects for this BPRD storyline: Abe Sapien, Roger, Liz Sherman,  Johann Kraus and Hellboy.

The Dead Remembered begins with a young Liz, angry at the world, accompanying Trevor Bruttenholm on a little poltergeist expedition. Liz’s anger quickly roars its head before they even meet with the Priest, and when they do meet him, it doesn’t get any better. The ghost of the house reacts to Liz, and she reacts to everything else, her emotions so raw, they’re just looking for an excuse to boil over, which may just spell doom for everyone.

In the second story, Casualties, Mike Mignola and Scott Allie spin a tale of difference between those who chose the life of hunting the paranormal and those who are forced into it. It features Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman.

In Being Human, Mike Mignola teams Roger and Hellboy together, which means there’s bound to be more trouble than they were expecting. As they try to figure out what is happening to the corpses of a family, the Quillens, who all met tragic endings, Roger does some soul searching. It’s a full out montage of some of his painful moments, which were pure storytelling gold, but that’s only the beginning. A hand of glory lights the way as the dead walk, Hellboy is immobilized, and Roger is forced into the hero position.

The Ectoplasmic Man Mike Mignola and John Arcudi tell the story of Johann Kraus. He was always a medium, but he wasn’t always just ectoplasm. An incident in Chendou radiated through a spirit looking for help and changed Johann’s life. He stumbles his way though, seeing that death is just as dangerous as life, and nothing can ever be the same. He turns to BPRD to find a way to destroy the evil he has uncovered, and do good with what’s left of his “life.”

As always the book finishes up with the sketches, and some insights. A wonderful collection of stories from the Hellboy world that shows it at its best storytelling. Great for fans new to the series and diehards alike.

For a preview check it out at Dark Horse.