BPRD 1947 #3 (OF 5)
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Size: pages
Price: 2.99
This review contains spoilers, click here to read
I have to confess that I have kind of lost track of the Hellboy universe in recent years. I've always loved Mignola's art and I bought the series at the start, picking up the first appearance in Next Men off the shelf way back in the mid 90s. Then Mignola had a little less time to do the art, there were the spinoffs and there were wider gaps between series so I stopped buying it in singles. Instead I'm collecting the gorgeous library editions, and kind of starting again from scratch. However, when I heard about the BPRD 1946 series the other year, I had to read it right away. An origin series set in the mid 40s, post WW2? Perfect, sign me up! It was a great read, and 1947 is an excellent progression that moves the story on nicely.
My other confession is that there was a time when I also kind of lost faith in the writing side of Hellboy comics. It kind of felt like a case of "monster sighting reported, Hellboy arrives, gets beaten up and swears, Hellboy beats up monster, then goes home." It was entertaining, but there was no progression despite all the hints of Hellboy's backstory. Here I can definitely state that is not the case. 1947 tells a really compelling story, as a team of soldiers fresh from WW2 are sent to investigate a rash of strange murders in mainland Europe which may be tied to an historical supernatural event near the French/Swiss border. It starts with a very mysterious atmosphere and builds to the all out action horror of this issue. Along the way we get to know this interesting bunch of characters whose own scarred memories of war are set against the still raw memories of Europe itself. Don't let that kind of high falutin' emotional stuff put you off though, this is an exciting comic. By the devastating end of this middle issue I was crying out for part four.
Then there's the art team of brothers Ba and Moon. Nothing needs to be said here, really. It's phenomonal. They do crazy, kinetic stuff that flows brilliantly. It's gorgeous and the atmosphere they convey is spot on. Plus, they seem to be quite quick, given how much we've seen from them this past year. I will buy anything that either brother draws, which puts them on a short list indeed.
So, in short, this series builds nicely on it's predecessor but stands just fine on it's own. It's an atmospheric ghost story, with visceral moments of horror which are shocking but not gratuitous. It's got characters it makes you care about despite only knowing them for 3 issues, and an edifying historical perspective to boot. What's not to love? Pick of the week!
Art: 5 - Excellent
Beautiful cover.