The graphic novels loved by children and adults alike
Apr 2nd, 2012, 2:08 pm
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Title: The Life and Times of Savior 28 (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): J.M. DeMatteis (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Greg Burgas (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" A superhero comic by a writer who really understands them."

Review:
    On the surface, The Life and Times of Savior 28 reads like a typical postmodern superhero epic, with the star, Savior 28, losing his way as the world turns darker. When we get this kind of story, it becomes a question of whether the creative team can take the material and make it rise above the standard. It’s a bit too early to tell with this book, but it’s off to a good start.

    The basic story is thus: The narrator, Dennis McNulty, is an old man looking back on the life of James Smith, who was transformed into Savior 28 by a strange mystical artifact implanted in his chest (he’s called that because the process failed with 27 prior candidates). McNulty, at one point, became his teenaged sidekick, and now he’s reviewing how Smith fell from grace. Smith ages very slowly, so he goes through what the United States went through from 1939 (the year he became Savior 28) to the present. Of course, this involves a gradual disillusionment with the government, the loss of loved ones (as they grow old and he doesn’t) and continual battles with his arch-nemesis, Savior 13 (who was the only other candidate to survive the process, but was driven insane by it). DeMatteis works the 9/11 terrorist attack into the story (although it’s September 12 in this book), an event that Savior 28 could have prevented had he not been unconscious in a drunken stupor. It’s no spoiler to say that Smith gets killed (McNulty does so for us on page 7, plus it’s on the cover), but DeMatteis does a nice job showing it three times, each time adding a layer of meaning to it. It ends with a nice surprise that sets up the rest of the series.

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    There’s nothing here that we haven’t seen before, but if you like DeMatteis (and I do), it works. It’s a bit verbose (not surprising, given the writer), but for the most part, DeMatteis does a fine job creating this world in just one issue. He’s best with Smith, his wife, Savior 13, and McNulty – the character stuff, that is. Again, this isn’t surprising, because that’s always what DeMatteis is good at. We get a real sense of Smith’s descent into despair, which is nice because there’s not a lot of room for him in one issue to do it. Smith’s change of heart after the terrorist attacks is handled well, too – we can believe that he decides to become an advocate for peace, and DeMatteis’s commentary about superhero comics in general is nice, too, because he’s been writing about this for years, and it’s something that’s obviously close to his heart. The story doesn’t break any new ground, but DeMatteis does it well.

    Cavallaro’s art bugs me. It’s actually quite good, but I detect some styles in there that I can’t name, and it’s bugging me. He has a strong line and a nice feel for superhero art. DeMatteis packs the book with content, so Cavallaro has to keep up, and he does so quite well. He does a very good job showing Smith’s physical deterioration as his mental state declines, and his full-page spread of how Smith got his powers is very funny. I last saw Cavallaro’s art in Parade (With Fireworks) and while it was pretty good there, he’s gotten better.

    Yes, it’s a superhero comic, but it’s a superhero comic by a writer who really understands them. It’s always interesting to read a superhero book when you know the characters aren’t going to stay exactly the same or keep coming back from the dead, and DeMatteis does a fine job with Savior 28. Go ahead, check it out – it won’t hurt to buy something that’s not from Marvel or DC!


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More info:
    Written by J.M. DeMatteis
    Art by Mike Cavallaro

Publisher:
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Apr 2nd, 2012, 2:08 pm
Apr 2nd, 2012, 8:02 pm
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Title: Diablo (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Aaron Williams (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Jesse Schedeen (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" A satisfying read..."

Review: Diablo #1
    Diablo #1 isn't what one would call a rousing fantasy epic. Where it succeeds is in terms of characterization. Writer Aaron Williams displays a knack for dialogue. His execution ensures that Jacob comes across as more than another fantasy hero of humble origins. The frequent humor also helps lend this story a distinct voice of its own. The book is somber when it needs to be a slightly silly in other spots. Not unlike a lot of Blizzard games in that regard.

    The art style doesn't necessarily evoke the Diablo games, either. This is probably for the best, as whenever adaptations struggle to capture the look of the source material readers usually wind up with the hideous CG visuals of God of War or the "crosshatch like it's 1993" approach in Gears of War. Joseph Lacroix's pencils are fairly loose and scratchy but packed with plenty of energy. The real star is Dave Stewart, who proves why he's still one of the best colorists in the business.

    There's not much about Diablo #1 that overtly cries "Diablo!!!" But it is a satisfying read, and that's something far too few of the projects can ever claim.

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More info:
    Written by Aaron Williams
    Artist: Joseph Lacroix

Publisher:
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Apr 2nd, 2012, 8:02 pm
Apr 3rd, 2012, 8:08 am
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Title: Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Tim Hamilton (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: The Novel Hunter (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Some might argue that a comic is different than a graphic novel, and there is some merit to that argument... "

Review:
    A couple of months ago, I acquired a copy of the graphic novel adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It felt almost surreal holding the graphic novel in my hands. I first read the novel in high school as part of the curriculum. While many people think it is a novel about government censorship, they're wrong. Mr. Bradbury himself says that the book is about television dumbing things down by reducing information into "factoids." When I first heard this, I was shocked, because like most people, I was taught in English class that it was an anti-government censorship novel, almost akin to Orwell's 1984. But where does that leave us with this graphic novel adaptation? Is it a successful adaptation, or is some of the power behind Bradbury's words lost in the translation?

    Let's start with the front cover. Right under the title, it says, "The Authorized Adaptation" and "Introduction by Ray Bradbury." So this adaptation came about with Bradbury's blessings. Even if he did nothing other than giving the green light on the project, no critiques, no input--he's still attached to the project, and therefore some of the blame falls upon him.

    For the most part, the plot is all there. Guy Montag is a fireman, but in his world, firemen are people who start fires rather than put them out. They burn books, novels, short stories, political treatises, any printed word. Montag enjoys his work until he meets seventeen year old Clarisse. She plants the seeds of doubt in Montag's head that eventually lead to him turning his back on everything he thought he knew. On the surface, it really does look like this book (graphic novel) is a condemnation of government censorship. However, there are certain passages that undermine that assumption.

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    Captain Beatty tells Montag a brief (especially since it has to be condensed for the graphic novel format) history of society and how the current system came to be. There was no heavy-handed government passing down decrees. No, it was modern technology (read: television) and an immensely-diverse-where-everybody-is-a-minority society that made people turn against books: "Then in the twentieth century, speed up your camera. Condensations. Digests. Everything boils down to the snap ending. Classics cut to fill a two-minute book column" (47). Or perhaps this poignant gem that comes on the next page, "The bigger your market, the less you handle controversy... No wonder books topped selling. The public, knowing what it wanted, let the comic books survive" (48, emphasis mine).

    Holy crap. Look at that sentence--comics! And what medium am I reading that statement in? A comic! Some might argue that a comic is different than a graphic novel, and there is some merit to that argument. After all, this adaptation is over 150 pages long, no mere penny dreadful.

    Where does this leave us? Back in 1953, Bradbury imagined full-color televisions taking up entire parlor "walls" where some families have three of them in the same room. How eerily prophetic his vision appears when viewed with the hindsight 2010 gives us.

    There's such a contradiction inherent in this graphic novel. Because of the medium's restraints, Bradbury's point is easier to find, but at the same time, does it need to be easier to find? By spoon-feeding it to readers doesn't that do exactly the thing he warns against in his novel? While I'm all for considering graphic novels a legitimate artistic medium, I don't know if they're the best home for novel adaptations. I'm sure there are stories that can only be told through the combination of text and images. However, novels are designed from the beginning to rely only on the written word, shoe-horning them into the graphic novel format as seems to be the case with Fahrenheit 451 strips them of most of their power.

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    But that's enough of that. Let's look at this strictly as a graphic novel. Does it work there? Yes and no. The writing is tight, and the plot is easy to follow. However, there are problems with the art style. The color palette uses mostly yellows, oranges, reds, and blacks. I understand that choice. It mirrors the flames that Montag uses to burn books. Then there are other pages that are dominated more by blues and yellows. The scenes after Montag quits the firemen, or when he's with Clarisse are colored that way. The blues calm the fiery nature of the rest of the plot. However, the limited color palette (both the warm and cool pages) make some of the images hard to see. There were multiple times where I had to squint and try to figure out what I was looking at.

    It's almost a trade off. Bradbury's message comes through clearer in this format, but the way its actualized through the images is what requires work to decipher. Montag's character isn't drawn in a very striking manner, so half the time I couldn't tell which dark, heavily shadowed figure was him. There were also certain times that it was hard to see who was speaking due to strange speech bubble placement.

    Do I recommend this? If you like Bradbury, sure. For graphic novel fans? Probably. I think there are better executed graphic novels out there. But if you're somebody looking to get into Bradbury's fiction for the first time, I'd say no. Read the novel first. It might be "harder," but the payoff is so worth it.


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More info:
    Ray Bradbury story, author
    Tim Hamilton art, adaptation

Publisher:
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Apr 3rd, 2012, 8:08 am
Apr 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
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Title: Maus (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Art Spiegelman (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Liv (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" This is a phenomenal book. I recommend it to anyone and everyone."

Review:
    Maus is the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and of his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father, his father's terrifying story, and History itself.
    Moving back and forth from Poland to Rego Park, New York, Maus tells two powerful stories: The first is Spiegelman's father's account of how he and his wife survived Hitler's Europe, a harrowing tale filled with countless brushes with death, improbable escapes, and the terror of confinement and betrayal. The second is the author's tortured relationship with his aging father as they try to lead a normal life of minor arguments and passing visits against a backdrop of history too large to pacify. At all levels, this is the ultimate survivor's tale - and that, too, of the children who somehow survive even the survivors.
    (Summary from jacket flap)

    Graphic novels have always been a bit iffy for me. They don't seem to have the same amount of legitimacy as a novel with lines and lines of sentences and words and letters that have been put together artfully and thoughtfully and been rearranged a countless number of times. Pictures are so un-concrete almost light-hearted.

    At least that was where I stood coming into this book.

    Now I'm in a completely different place. Because Maus was amazing. Truly and seriously amazing.

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    The pictures are well done and the dialogue and narration fits in perfectly. Being able to see the expressions of the characters gave me a whole different perspective on the story than I would've had if it had just been written in prose. It was like watching a movie but one that was intelligent and creative and sort of monumental.

    Maus tells the story of the Holocaust for goodness' sake.

    I've mentioned my Holocaust obsession, right? I have one. It fascinates me. I can't get enough of it. Not the death or the horror but the knowledge. I feel like in order to be a world citizen I should be as educated and informed and horrified by the event as is humanly possible. Like it's my duty to understand the whos, whats, and whys. Please someone else say they feel this way.

    Not only was this an outstanding graphic novel it was a moving illustration of what life was like for some of the Jews who were in hiding for months, trying to figure out what card the Nazis were going to play next.

    The bad thing is that it left off just as the main character and his wife were being taken to Auschwitz. Which means I'll have to make a trip to the bookstore and get the second book.

    So yeah, this is a phenomenal book. I recommend it to anyone and everyone. A must-read. Especially if you haven't read a graphic novel yet. This is a good way to start.


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More info:
    Written and drawn by Art Spiegelman
    Published by Apex Novelties, Pantheon Books,

Publisher:
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Apr 3rd, 2012, 5:17 pm
Aug 8th, 2012, 5:06 pm
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Title: The Creep (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): John Arcudi (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Lonmonster (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Great creativity in both the idea and its artistic paneling,"

Review: The Creep’ #0
    The Creep starts off with a literal BANG as John Arcudi spins a plot about a couple fishy cases of suicide needing the skills creepy investigator, Oxel Karnhus. Oxel suffers from a condition known as Acromegaly which causes deformations in growth, as well as nastier stuff like enlargement of body tissues. His hideous appearance disturbs those he comes in contact with on the case, despite the fact that he’s not such a bad guy. The Creep appeared in the original “Dark Horse Presents” series from the late ’80s but he still fits so well in the Dark Horse universe, and it’s easy to see why Arcudi wants to explore him again. The idea of a “The Creep” is intriguing, and the artwork is fantastic but be warned, this #0 issue is not loaded with thrills.

    Oxel is a private investigator who, as previously mentioned, suffers from the acute malady Acromegaly which alters his facial structure and according to the text makes his voice sound distorted. This creative spin on the hardboiled detective is what I like most about “The Creep”; the idea of a big creepy man being some sort of detective is brilliant because this man is anything but inconspicuous and suave. The story centers around a long lost lover who contacts Oxel about the suicide of her son and his friend, and she asks him to investigate the incident. The events unfold as a slow ride down memory lane with nothing extraordinary happening. The most exciting part of the story is a hallucination by a hobo that Oxel seeks out.

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    Although a slow start is customary in a first issue, I found the end of the issue to be a bit dry. I imagine it’s because this #0 issue is the collected edition of shorts that appeared in “Dark Horse Presents” and it had to be a closed-ended story. I’m curious to see how Arcudi is able to continue Oxel’s tale with longer arcs because there’s a lot of potential here.

    Jonathan Case’s artwork is what really propels the book and brings it to life. Case is the artist behind the “Green River Killer” graphic novel, so it should come as no surprise that he absolutely kills it in “The Creep”. As Oxel reminisces to his handsome college days, the art flows with his memories giving you another perspective on Oxel in elegant fashion. This same style comes back in the hobo’s hallucination as he comes upon a starving bear fresh out of its hibernation. This is an area of the book that I would love to see more of in the upcoming series.

    Great creativity in both the idea and its artistic paneling, but it does lack the bang for your buck factor as it’s not the most exciting tale. There is potential in this story, and Arcudi is known for his creativity, so as a fan of Dark Horse I’m hoping the next one will bring a little bit more pow!

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More info:
    WRITTEN BY: John Arcudi
    ART BY: Jonathon Case
    Genre: Action/Adventure, Crime

Publisher:
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Aug 8th, 2012, 5:06 pm
Aug 9th, 2012, 10:11 am
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Title: Batman and the Mad Monk (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Matt Wagner (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Hilary Goldstein (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Must Read - A great tale that most will enjoy."

Review: Batman and the Mad Monk #1
    There have been several attempts to make "unofficial" sequels to Frank Miller's groundbreaking Batman: Year One. Matt Wagner's is the first that truly feels like a worthy successor. Mad Monk, follow-up to last year's Batman & the Monster Men, pays homage to Miller in subtle ways, but manages to avoid aping Year One's macho grit. This kick-off issue has already proven more intriguing than Monster Men, as bats faces Catwoman for the second time in his career and discovers a devious "vampire" mystery to solve. If you don't care for current DC continuity, give Batman & the Mad Monk a shot. You'll be free of the post-Crisis concerns and can enjoy some classic Batman vibes.

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More info:
    Written by Matt Wagner
    Art by Matt Wagner

Publisher:
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Aug 9th, 2012, 10:11 am
Aug 9th, 2012, 3:19 pm
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Title: The Coldest City (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Anthony Johnston (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Dave Convery (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Great artwork, some decent characters, but a predictable plot lets down what ought to have been the definitive espionage comic."

Review:
    It’s the fall of the Berlin Wall, 1989, and spies on every side are panicked about the fall of the Soviet regime in Russia and where they’ll be left in a post-Cold War world. When a British agent turns up dead in the tinderbox that is the divided Berlin, MI6 send Lorraine Broughton to recover his body and ascertain the location of a list he was carrying at the time of his death – a list supposedly containing the names and true allegiances of every spy, on every side, in the whole of Berlin.

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    The most striking thing about The Coldest City is the artwork. Sam Hart’s artwork is stark, angular, high-contrast stuff that conjures smoky rooms and snowy expanses brilliantly. This is genuinely one of the best-looking comics of recent years. Despite being almost abstract in places, it never fails to conjure atmosphere and tension.

    The plot is less impressive. Broughton is well-written; a character that manages to sidestep the clichéd ‘woman in a man’s world’ tropes that could so easily have adhered to be a hard, ruthless, effective, and yet human. Other characters are less well-rounded, broadly falling into be being either misogynist dinosaurs or just plain foreign.

    While not a bad story by any stretch, it still falls into such well-worn beats that it becomes predictable. The 1989 setting may be far later than the genre’s written heydey, but it is not enough to lift the story out of the mire of Le Carré and Len Deighton imitators mouldering on those spinning racks in second-hand bookshops. Even the framing device of telling the story via an agent’s debrief is as old as the genre.

    The artwork is great and the story is tightly-plotted if overly familiar. If you enjoy spy fiction you will almost certainly find something to like about The Coldest City, but you’ll also be the poorest served by its slavishness to genre conventions.

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More info:
    Story by Anthony Johnston
    Illustrated by Sam Hart

Publisher:
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Aug 9th, 2012, 3:19 pm
Aug 9th, 2012, 4:36 pm
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Title: Dead Space Salvage (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Anthony Johnston (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Damon Dellamarggio (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Don't expect anything nearly as interesting as the first Dead Space prequel comics"

Review:
    I'm a huge Dead Space fanboy, so I picked this up from my local comic shop yesterday for 50% off. I really wanted to like it, and there's a few things that really drag it down.

    The art is pretty polarizing. On the one hand it's very interesting stylistically and I think it conveys the dark atmosphere of the Dead Space franchise very well. The tone is right and the monsters look sufficiently horrific and disturbing. On its own, independent of all other factors, the art is really cool and consistently interesting to look at.
    However, the art really doesn't do the storytelling any favors. Even with the "cast of characters" on the first page I could barely tell which characters were which, or what was going on half the time. I couldn't always tell if characters were getting killed, or what they were supposed to be doing, and sometimes the art transitions were really abrupt to the point that it killed some of the impact of what was supposed to be happening. To use an analogy, it would be like showing a character being confronted by a bad guy with a gun, and then the immediately next panel is the character dead on the ground of an apparent gunshot wound but with no panel showing that the gun went off. It's a little awkward and breaks up the flow of the story.

    Speaking of the story, the other major problem with Salvage is that the plot is largely inconsequential. By the end of the story you realize that nothing actually happened and no new revelations were made. The initial setup is compelling enough, but by the end all that's actually happened is that most of the characters are dead. The remaining characters haven't really learned or done anything that impacts the overarching Dead Space story (especially when compared to other recent tie-in merchandise like Aftermath, Ignition, and the Dead Space ipod/iphone game).

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    Edit-- I re-read it today, and while some things were somewhat easier to follow, they got negated by some oversights on the part of the author or artist (not sure which). As difficult as it is to tell the characters apart sometimes, they do have distinguishing characteristics (one has a bandana, one has this blue eye-tattoo around his right eye, etc), so it doesn't do the story any favors when some of the characters are very obviously mixed up. The character "Schneider" has his name associated with no less than 3 distinctly different characters, and it happens with a couple other characters on occasion, too. I'm not sure if there was a miscommunication between the artist and the author or what, or if the artist just drew the wrong character or the letterer wrote in the wrong name, but it makes things hard to follow.
    Re-reading it, I did like some of the references to the other tie-in media, though. There's a reference to the recent Dead Space: Aftermath, and there's also a reference to the Dead Space flash website's story from before the first game came out.

    If you can get it for cheap I'd say give it a spin just for the interesting artwork, but don't expect anything nearly as interesting as the first Dead Space prequel comics that came out when the first game was released.


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More info:
    Written by Antony Johnston
    Art by Christopher Shy

Publisher:
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Aug 9th, 2012, 4:36 pm
Aug 10th, 2012, 3:07 pm
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Title: B.P.R.D. Vol.8: Killing Ground (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mike Mignola and John Arcudi (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Cat Eldridge (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" The Killing Ground is horror of a supernatural nature at its very best."

Review:
    Damn, that was good! The ongoing B.P.R.D. series has always been one of my favorite graphic novel series and the latest volume that was just sent to us by Dark Horse certainly did not disappoint me at all.

    So what is the series about? As I said in my review of the first volume:
    Imagine that like Stross' The Laundry universe, where Bob Howard, our very reluctant warrior against Really Nasty Beings from Elsewhere, becomes involved in a plot involving Nazis, secret societies, terrorists and those Really Nasty Beings from Elsewhere bent on destroying the Earth, Hellboy and his fellow Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense agents are not really all that interested in kicking the ass of beings with nasty powers and even nastier tempers, but they will if need be. The twist here is that Hellboy is not one of the characters in this series as he left the Bureau after it tried to kill his friend and fellow agent Roger the Homunculus. So The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is the organization charged with protecting America and the world from the occult, paranormal and supernatural.

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    Have you seen the first Hellboy live action film? (I'm writing this in May 2008 before the second one exists for our viewing pleasure.) Some of the characters from the first film (and many not present in that film) are here -- Abe Sapien, an amphibian like man; Liz Sherman, a firestarter; and Johann Kraus, an ectoplasmic being without solid form who exists within a containment suit. (The Johann Kraus character is in the second live action Hellboy film.) Oh, and Lobster Johnson, a WW II hero, shows up as well despite being apparently dead a long time ago! Mignola has a rather unique talent for taking truly fantastic ideas and imbuing them with a feeling of being real. The B.P.R.D. should not feel real given, its fantastical nature -- but it really and truly does!

    B.P.R.D. -- The Killing Ground immediately follows B.P.R.D. -- Garden of Souls and follows up nicely on Abe's experiences in Indonesia. Now keep in mind that the line between the hunters and the hunted is always a slender thread at best. And now that thread will be snapped as hunter becomes hunted and one of the B.P.R.D. hunters will indeed become the hunted. Now note I didn't give away the plot at all in those words as that would spoil the considerable fun you will have in reading The Killing Ground, as this is some of the finest writing that Mignola or any other writer has done. I will stress that you should read the seven previous trade collections in order before reading this collection, as otherwise you will miss much of the story that is unfolding in this graphic novel series.

    The Killing Ground is horror of a supernatural nature at its very best. And it very neatly advances the story while staying true to what story has already been told.

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More info:
    Writer: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi
    Artist: Guy Davis
    Colorist: Dave Stewart
    Cover Artist: Mike Mignola
    Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure

Publisher:
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Aug 10th, 2012, 3:07 pm
Aug 10th, 2012, 10:12 pm
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Title: B.P.R.D. Vol. 11: The Black Goddess (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mike Mignola and John Arcudi (Click to see other books from these writers released on this site)
Review source: Vanja (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" The series works as a modern pulp horror team title, defined by offbeat characterisation and a caricatural esthetic."

Review:
    "B.P.R.D.: the Black goddess" is the name of the recently-concluded mini-series, featuring characters Mike Mignola created as Hellboy's colleagues in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, before taking the protagonist into a more fantastic and mythological direction. Dark Horse has decided to publish the spin-off title as a series of mini-series, with the gaps between stories enabling co-writer John Arcudi and artist Guy Davis to further develop new stories, while having more time to dedicate to other projects. After the first couple of tales featuring the team, pencilled by Mignola-inspired Matt Smith and Ryan Sook, the Hellboy creator used the B.P.R.D. oneshots by various creative teams, as a means of finally settling on distinctively talented Guy Davis as the penciller/inker. Arcudi joined soon, and since then, the creative team has kept up with perhaps the most solid and reliable title in the "Hellboy" line, doing mostly standalone tales, that tied with the overall story arc featuring the characters.

    Still, since the previous mini-series, the creative team has been focused on tying up almost all of the loose ends, resulting in the "Black goddess" being highly inaccessible to new readers. The mini-series is in fact so continuity oriented, that it even references "Lobster Johnson: the Iron Prometheus" project, luckily Dark Horse has kept most of their "Hellboy" titles in print. The publisher has always been a huge supporter of manga, so it makes no surprise that they look at B.P.R.D. in the enduring format as a series of tradepaperback collections.

    The series works as a modern pulp horror team title, defined by offbeat characterisation and a caricatural esthetic. By establishing a paranormal investigative agency as the center point, the creators strive to present their work as a somewhat derivative piece of fiction, but only in order to embrace the many established monster conventions, putting their own spin on it. Preseting a military operation the book takes an urban approach, yet without stepping too far into the science fiction aspect. It's chief assets are the well-developed approach to structuring the stories, fast pace and a strong individual voice, focusing on unique characters, that are only enhanced by the expert use of continuity. Even though many of these elemets were already present in the parent title, it's surprising how quickly and effectively Mignola and his collaborators have managed to turn the book into a fully functional and distinctive experience in itself. It was only due to the hard work and unrellenting vision that his creations have managed to stand side by side with "Fables" and "Walking dead", as some of the strongest creator-owned genre titles in the superhero-oriented American mainstream.

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    "the Black goddess" story, despite being geared towards the long-term fans, is a great example of many of the "B.PR.D."'s strengths. Functioning primarly as a character piece, it works to finally complete Liz's years in the making character arc, by bringing it to the forefront. After witnessing Abe coming face to face with his past, the readers are finally treated with the culmination of the slowly built subplot featuring the pyromaniac falling under the influence of an Eastern mastermind. Fittingly, she spends most of the arc on the sidelines, as all of the obscure history of her mysterious benfactor is revealed to her infuriated team-mates. Nevertheless, it's her decisions that help resolve the matter in the end, amidst a wall of tension caused by the monsters trying to breach into the lair. Despite the presence of long-time players, Abe and Kate Corrigan, it's Johan who once again plays the most interesting role, as his emotional conflicts have recently turned him into a very passionate and unpredictable character, despite the cold, featureless look of his containment suit.

    Still, the authors are careful not to let the flashback-heavy story function only to fill in the gaps in the antagonist's background, as the characters' strained and nervous state, leads to many twists and turns in this expertly-paced story. All along, the larger "Hellboy" set-up simply refuses to be deffered by dwelling on the past, as the lair is besieged by literaly hundreds of monsters that have played a role in the spin-off since the beginning, hoping to commence the end-times Mignola has threatened for so long ago. Despite Davis' talent for showing emotion on the character's expressive faces, his layouts really stand out in those sequences, providing the reader with endless hordes of mindless monsters, that the military tries to keep at bay. The designs for the were-creatures typical of the locale is once again original and in keeping with the book's style, while Dave Stewart's colors provide their standard atmospheric effect. Yet, the complicated battle set-pieces reveal that Davis' natural sensibilities still lie with the more intimate scenes. Employing another penciller to further detail the visuals would work to bring to stylings the definition they could have.

    Yet, it's clear that the emotion is once again not in the climatic war of the netherworld on human civilization, as the story is grounded by a single person's position, and the decisions he has made in his long life, spotlighting all of Davis' best strengths. The team negotiating the best course of action against the complex figure around whom rage conflicts both personal and all-encompasing, set in the distinctive geographical region, works to give perfect distinction to a tale devoted to history.

    The creative team are already at work on the follow-up, "the King of fear", that should bring some of "B.P.R.D."'s longest subplots to an end, focusing most likely on Captain Daimio. Utilising the cast of characters that have matured considerably since their somewhat limited roles as Hellboy's former colleagues, it stands to reason that the book will be at least as gripping as "Black goddess", or for that matter any of the mini-series that preceded it. Before Dark Horse starts to serialize the new entry, the follow-up to the prequel "B.P.R.D. 1946" will take it's publishing slot, along with more specials detailing the long conflict with the frog-like monsters that the initial stories centered so heavily on. Competing with Hellboy's own title, a new Lobster Johnson adventure and the recently announced mini spotlighting sir Edward Grey, it stands to "B.P.R.D."'s strenght that it has become such a reliable title, that can always be counted upon for quality entertainment by John Arcudi and Guy Davis, working closely with Mike Mignola.

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More info:
    Writer: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi
    Artist: Guy Davis
    Colorist: Dave Stewart
    Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure

Publisher:
    Image

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Aug 10th, 2012, 10:12 pm
Aug 11th, 2012, 3:00 pm
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Title: B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Miles Gunter and Michael Avon Oeming (Click to see other books from these writers released on this site)
Review source: Kevin (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Pick this comic collection up if you haven't already!"

Review:
    The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense continues it's splash into comics with this second volume of the extraordinary HellBoy spin-off.

    HellBoy is retired for a while now. But the work of those fighting to protect the sanctity of life continues in this volume as Liz, Abe, Johann and Roger fight demons, a nazi, undead, a psychotic religious fanatic who can't die, and ghosts.

    Though this volume has a story written by a very destructive comic book writer, Geoff Johns, it is a story of Lobster Johnson that was overseen by Mike (Mike's very protective of Lobster Johnson. That character doesn't do anything without Mike's explicit consent), and co-written by Scott Colins and therefore did not unduly suffer under Johns' "Pen-o-Death". Thank god.

    Mike Mignola, Miles Gunther, Michael Avon Oeming, Brian Agustyn, Guy Davis, Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Joe Harris, Adam Pollina and Cameron Stewart all share writing credits in this collection.

    All of these stories have the Mike Mignola feel - and proves how much these writers respect the characters and wish to keep them on the same track as before.

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    As I said in my other review, one of the benefits to these stories is the fact that the characters do age. I believe that's brought about a stability of growth that Marvel and DC can never attain.

    One of my absolute favorite stories in this collection isn't written by Mike, and instead is written by Brian Agustyn, entitled "Dark Waters". In fact, my other favorite story comes at the end, is written by Joe Harris and entitled "There's Something Under My Bed"! Both have the HellBoy noir feel. The latter captures the concept that Good and Evil isn't something you're born into, but a choice you make, while the former captures the concept of justice.

    I also love this book due to the anthology feel. I am so tired of all these comics having giant story arcs, sometimes it's just fun to read short stories that fit into 1-2 comics.

    Pick this comic collection up if you haven't already!


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More info:
    Creators: Michael Avon Oeming & Miles Gunter & Mike Mignola
    Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure

Publisher:
    Image

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Aug 11th, 2012, 3:00 pm
Aug 11th, 2012, 4:04 pm
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Title: There's Something Under My Bed (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Joe Harris (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Kevin (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Pick this comic collection up if you haven't already!"

Review:
    The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense continues it's splash into comics with this second volume of the extraordinary HellBoy spin-off.

    HellBoy is retired for a while now. But the work of those fighting to protect the sanctity of life continues in this volume as Liz, Abe, Johann and Roger fight demons, a nazi, undead, a psychotic religious fanatic who can't die, and ghosts.

    Though this volume has a story written by a very destructive comic book writer, Geoff Johns, it is a story of Lobster Johnson that was overseen by Mike (Mike's very protective of Lobster Johnson. That character doesn't do anything without Mike's explicit consent), and co-written by Scott Colins and therefore did not unduly suffer under Johns' "Pen-o-Death". Thank god.

    Mike Mignola, Miles Gunther, Michael Avon Oeming, Brian Agustyn, Guy Davis, Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Joe Harris, Adam Pollina and Cameron Stewart all share writing credits in this collection.

    All of these stories have the Mike Mignola feel - and proves how much these writers respect the characters and wish to keep them on the same track as before.

    Image

    As I said in my other review, one of the benefits to these stories is the fact that the characters do age. I believe that's brought about a stability of growth that Marvel and DC can never attain.

    One of my absolute favorite stories in this collection isn't written by Mike, and instead is written by Brian Agustyn, entitled "Dark Waters". In fact, my other favorite story comes at the end, is written by Joe Harris and entitled "There's Something Under My Bed"! Both have the HellBoy noir feel. The latter captures the concept that Good and Evil isn't something you're born into, but a choice you make, while the former captures the concept of justice.

    I also love this book due to the anthology feel. I am so tired of all these comics having giant story arcs, sometimes it's just fun to read short stories that fit into 1-2 comics.

    Pick this comic collection up if you haven't already!


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More info:
    Writer: Joe Harris
    Penciller: Adam Pollina
    Inker: Guillermo Zubiaga
    Letterer: Pat Brosseau
    Colorist: Lee Loughridge
    Editor: Scott Allie
    Designer: Lia Ribacchi
    Cover Artist: Adam Pollina
    Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure

Publisher:
    Image

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Aug 11th, 2012, 4:04 pm
Aug 11th, 2012, 10:38 pm
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Title: B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mike Mignola and Cameron Stewart (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Rob Rasmussen (Review 1) and Greg McElhatton (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" The storytelling is strong, the figures are remarkably crisp and clean..."

Review: B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism #1:
    Ota Benga from B.P.R.D. 1947 returns as newcomer Ashley Strode is sent to him to deal with a demon he may have information on. Take the jump for an early Major Spoilers look at B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism #1.

    Previously in B.P.R.D.:The Earth has gone to hell, literally. Though some of Hell’s forces have been fought back or destroyed there are still plenty of problems for the B.P.R.D. to deal with.

    PROMOTION

    Ashley Strode is a relative newcomer to the B.P.R.D., but with much of the veterans out of commission in some form she is the only acting field agent sent on the case. The story opens with an exorcism being performed in east Africa in 1890 that quietly touches on some of the issues of the time with a native Catholic priest and some soldiers that don’t want his help. The first is set up as a decent framing device as we jump to the exorcism Ashley is attending/aiding, and she is very much not in familiar territory. She mentions that it is her first live exorcism, and then proceeds to make a few mistakes, the last of which, making a deal with the demon to free another in order to free the boy, gets her sent to Mexico to find Ota Benga, a very old man and former B.P.R.D. agent. The scene is well done as we get a bit of the boss Kate Corrigan is becoming, pushing her agents with the right information.
    The rest of the issue takes place in Mexico where we get to see the very old Ota Benga. He tells Ashley of the exorcism we saw early, he was the priest, and finishes where we left off revealing some very important info about the demon Ashley was told to free. The rest of the issue deals with them preparing to handle the demon she has been commanded to free. The few scenes here are well done as we get some more insight as to who Ashley is and some self-exploration from Ota. The book itself is also paced almost perfectly, which is saying something as I don’t tend to notice this, good or bad, but it was done that well. The reveals are also well placed as they come about around the same time you begin to think in that direction.

    SHE’S CUTE

    Ashley is very cute. Stewart manages to show just how out-of-her-element Ashley is in much of her expressions. Stewart also manages to reveal a bit of what we find out in a few panels in just simple look on Ashley’s face. Ota is also well done as both old and young look like they are the same man, despite the obvious signs of age that old Ota has. Old Ota is also a brilliantly done old man, looking about as broken as one can get without being hurt. Everything in the book looks good and comes together as a great piece.

    BOTTOM LINE: Gonna be good

    Agent Ashley Strode is a character I very much look forward to getting to know and B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism #1 is a great place for her to start. She also makes for an excellent PoV character as one of the few normals that hasn’t been working with the B.P.R.D. for ages, which is where the book really succeeds. We have a few interesting concepts here that should make for a good conclusion soon. With a bit lighter story than normal B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism #1 easily earns itself 4 out of 5 stars.

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Review: B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism #1:
    Mike Mignola and Cameron Stewart's "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism" #2 is in many ways exactly what it bills itself as. After a first issue in which Mignola and Stewart set up the situation of B.P.R.D. Agent Ashley Strode discovering the long-term possession/demonic-containment that Ota Benga has had inside his body, this issue picks up right where the story left off. The duo are psychically moving through Benga's own body so that they can release the demon, let it take a new host and kill it once and for all.

    On the plus side, there's no confusing the promise inherent in "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism" #2. We get an exorcism and the ensuing struggle to defeat the demon Andras once and for all. But in terms of basic plotting, there's not much there. I can't tell if this has something to do with regular "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth" co-author John Arcudi's absence (that slot instead taken by artist Cameron Stewart) or if this was merely a thankless overall story, but either way it feels a bit slight. In many ways it seems to exist primarily to wrap up a story thread from the "B.P.R.D.: 1947" mini-series, rather than perhaps a vehicle to launch Agent Strode into a greater role.

    "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism" #2 succeeds primarily, then, on Stewart's art. Stewart's always been a powerhouse artist, and this is definitely one good-looking comic. Early glimpses of Strode back in the real world look nicely eerie, but it picks up more steam once Benga and Strode finally confront Andras itself. Andras could have looked ridiculous given its owl basis, but instead comes across as dangerous. More importantly, Andras in the real world is a moment that could have felt quite silly, but rapidly turns nasty. It makes a laughable scene described in words into a genuine threat with art.

    In general, it's hard to go wrong with Stewart's art. The storytelling is strong, the figures are remarkably crisp and clean (I'd go so far as to say that Stewart's art is probably the cleanest and smoothest the "B.P.R.D." properties have ever seen), and he's great with body language. When Strode whips her head around upon hearing Andras proclaim, "Now I am free to inhabit another form," you not only get the sense of movement, but also the fear radiating out of her body. Stewart's an artist who makes this sort of thing look easy, even though it's of course not so simple.

    "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism" #2 is a perfectly reasonable conclusion to the mini-series, although I'm still not entirely sure if it had a greater point of existence than, "This might be fun." Ultimately it's nice enough for a little diversion in the "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth" realm, and that's good enough for now.

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More info:
    Writer: Mike Mignola, Cameron Stewart
    Artist: Cameron Stewart
    Colorist: Dave Stewart
    Cover Artist: Viktor Kalvachev
    Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror

Publisher:
    Image

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Aug 11th, 2012, 10:38 pm
Aug 12th, 2012, 4:40 pm
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Title: Hombre (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Antonio Segura (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Keely (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Great art, strong storytelling, and its saving grace: a sense of irony. "

Review: L'ombre du Désespoir (Hombre, #3)
    Hombre fits in with a certain mode of dark anti-hero stories that were coming out of European comics starting in the sixties and coming to a climax in the eighties with Metal Hurtlant, 2000AD, and other anthologies. The world is a deadly place where life has little value, and our emotionally distant hero does everything he can to survive, even as his friends and loves die around him.

    Hombre is coming out of the same backlash against idealism that produced Yojimbo, the Spaghetti Westerns, and Revenge Films. It's ironic that this backlash has become, in recent years, idealized in itself, as we can see from so many cliche treatments of the same violent, isolated men.

    But Hombre is not without a sense of self-awareness. Our hero constantly strives to be an island, separate from the world, claiming he cares nothing for the lives of those around him, yet despite his best efforts, he finds himself thrown in with people who he grows to grudgingly respect, or even to love.

    He tries to protect these people, but in the end, he always ends up alone again. The repetitive nature of the story allows the character to maintain his identity as the gruff loner, resetting at the end like a sit com, but this doesn't really hurt the book.

    Each story is a separate entity, exploring different ideas and relationships. They are self-contained (which is important for a comic appearing in anthologies), but taken together, they produce a grander arc.

    The whole thing is very Howardian: we have our dark hero, always surviving, like Conan, in a series of thinly related episodes across his entire life, painting a picture of the man, his world, and his experiences. There is also the touch of chauvinism, and though this isn't an erotic comic, it does deal with sex and nudity with more aplomb than an American might, and there is a consistent worship of the feminine form.

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    It can get a bit silly, with all the toplessness and women caught bathing, but it's not entirely one-sided: there are naked men, too. One problem is that the men are usually drawn with a lot of character, while the women tend to look rather similar (though this improves in later issues).

    There are also occasional reversals in the portrayal of female sexuality, so that women are often stronger than the men give them credit for, and almost always find the main character's sense of 'chivalry' insulting. It's usually clear that the protagonist is not a role model, and we are not meant to sympathize with his views.

    But there was a certain lasciviousness in the way comic portrayed women, and though the storytelling, characterization, and art tended to deserve four stars, I'd take the rating down when the lecherousness was played too straight.

    The art really is lovely, though. It's vibrant, well-inked, and captures the world very well. The characters feel very human and dirty, and on the whole, the words and images compliment one another very well.

    Between the strong, evocative art, the amoral (yet heroic) main character, and the deconstruction of the Western, the comic rather reminded me of my favorite title, Blueberry. However, Hombre is less varied; it doesn't depict the same range of emotions and moods, nor the complexity of plot, nor does the main character change over the course of the series.

    But then, these are all things one would expect from a collection of short, serialized stories. Hombre knows what it is, and it delivers on it's premise, with great art, strong storytelling, and its saving grace: a sense of irony. All in all, it's exactly the sort of story you expect from a mature European anthology, and that's the reason we keep buying them.


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More info:
    Written by Antonio Segura
    Art by josè ortiz

Publisher:
    Image

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Aug 12th, 2012, 4:40 pm
Aug 15th, 2012, 9:57 am
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Title: B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Devil’s Engine (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mike Mignola and John Arcudi (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Greg McElhatton (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" They're as good as ever, if not even more so."

Review: B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Devil's Engine #3
    If you've been reading the "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth" titles, you'll know that there are two different "tracks" of comics, for lack of a better description. One track contains all the various one-offs and side-stories that are a lot of fun and often quite excellent, but don't tie into the main narrative. Then there's the other track, where books like "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Devil's Engine" reside. It's there that Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Tyler Crook wrap up Devon and Fenix's ill-fated train ride to bring Fenix to B.P.R.D. HQ and where the next big storyline is brewing nicely.

    By teaming up Devon and Fenix, Mignola and Arcudi have found the perfect duo for this comic. Not only are they both newcomers to being main characters in the "B.P.R.D." comics in general, but they share a common theme: Devon doesn't trust Abe Sapien, and in a surprise move last year, Fenix shot Abe. We start getting to the bottom of why Fenix shot Abe, as well as being given some more clarification on just how her psychic powers work. There's by no means a simple route that doles out plot information and in many ways, it raises as many questions as it answers.

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    Arcudi and Mignola placed the protagonists in a bad situation in the previous issue -- in a derailed box car with a massive monster breaking in to eat them and two more monsters waiting on deck -- and it's nice to see that they don't give their characters an easy way out. There are no tricks or out of the ordinary ways for the duo to escape here; it's just good old-fashioned bravery and ingenuity. Devon has always seemed like the least-capable member of the Bureau, so it's refreshing to see him have to not only drive their escape but do such a good job at it.

    Crook's art just gets better every month. He and colorist Dave Stewart make the train car look dark and moody, and every little shift in Devon and Fenix's status -- a monster cutting through the top, the three huddling behind debris and objects dropping into the car -- feels like it has a real impact. As horrifying as some of the moments are thanks to Crook, what I really love is how he takes care of the smaller moments, like reactions from Fenix's dog throughout the entire saga. The best part, though, is the look of fear on Fenix's face when Devon asks her why she shot Abe Sapien. That silent moment conveys so much of the story that it should seal Crook as the new definitive "B.P.R.D." artist quite nicely.

    "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Devil's Engine" #3 has a strong wrap-up to this story, even as groundwork is laid for "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Return of the Master." (Let's just say that things don't look good for our heroes.) With the shift from "B.P.R.D." to "B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth," I've been a little afraid that people are taking these comics for granted, or perhaps tuning them out. That would be a shame; they're as good as ever, if not even more so.


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More info:
    Writer: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi
    Artist: James Harren, Tyler Crook
    Colorist: Dave Stewart
    Cover Artist: Mike Mignola
    Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror

Publisher:
    Image

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Aug 15th, 2012, 9:57 am