Our Mignolaversity team clearly loves everything in the Mignolaverse, but right now may be one of the best times ever to be a fan: a new LoJo mini coming, more Sledgehammer ’44 on the horizon, Baltimore getting some good rep (new issue on Wednesday), Hellboy: The Midnight Circus blowing minds, and very soon, one of the biggest arcs in the history of the B.P.R.D. kicks off: Reign of the Black Flame.
This arc from Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and James Harren is going to be a game-changer, and we don’t mean it in the way Marvel or DC would mean. Characters could die. Nothing could ever be the same again. New York…well, wait until you see what they’ve done to New York. We talked to line editor (and DH EIC) Scott Allie and Harren about this arc at NYCC, but today, we have something extra special for you.
Above, for the first time ever, you can see the full roster of the new (and maybe improved) B.P.R.D., as brought to life by the brilliant gifts of artist Laurence Campbell and colorist Dave Stewart. This roster, besides being an unbelievable showcase of Campbell and Stewart’s talents, shows what the team will be going forward, and stars left to right: Howards, Giarocco, Johann Kraus, Devon, Fenix, Panya, Tian, Kate Corrigan, Nichols, Gervesh, Liz Sherman and Enos. A mix of the special agents we’re used to on the series, with plenty of “human” agents in the mix.
Below, we talk to series writer John Arcudi about that new roster, the mix within the primary cast, what “Reign of the Black Flame” means for everyone involved, and much more. Check it out, and get pumped B.P.R.D. fans – you’re in for a hell of a ride.
The characters collected above are – for now – the main team for the B.P.R.D. As a unit and as a set of characters, what are their strengths, what are their weaknesses, and what sets them apart from the main team from yesteryear of Abe, Kate, Daimio, Roger, Liz and Johann?
Arcudi: Okay, first of all, I hope you already talked about how awesome this piece by Laurence Campbell is! We obviously love his interpretations of Liz and Kate, but he also brings such life to Gervesh and Nichols and Tian and Fenix! Aside from being beautiful in and of itself, I feel like it can also serve as a de facto model sheet for all other BPRD artists, you know? Really love this piece, so thanks Laurence!
Okay, the new team (stable in its membership for now) is probably better suited to the times that the BPRD is facing today than the old team. For one thing, there are more of them and they’re more tactical in their approach to an out-of-control problem. In truth, these guys always existed, but they’ve just had to step up their game in the growing crisis. And Kate is perfect in her role now, as well. She’s a dream for getting the teams formed and mobilized. Her new acceptance of the Russian Special Sciences Services is a big deal, as well. She’s a real leader, and I love that about her. And with Liz back in the team, we have our “big gun” as it were, so my feeling is, this team is great for fanning out and taking on multiple threats.
The major difference between that former team and this one is the infusion of more human characters. While Kate and Devon remain, characters like Giarocco, Enos, Gervesh and Nichols have really taken to the forefront. Why is now the the time to focus on the grunts of the Bureau, and what do you like about this particular group from a writing standpoint?
Arcudi: I know what you’re saying about the infusion of more “human” characters, but I’ve never once considered Liz, Abe, or Johann (or Roger) anything but human. I think of them the same way as I do Devon or Nichols, etc., So for me what we have here are new personalities with different (perhaps lesser) abilities. For me, the way characters interact, or just the way they react to stress, is what fills out a story and takes it in this direction or that direction. We need plots, but the more characters (with different personalities) we have, the more ways we have to go.
Continued belowLately, and basically ever since he lost his body, to a certain degree Johann has been a lost soul. In recent arcs he’s felt less human than ever, operating on the outskirts of events and even disappearing from time to time. Is this a man depressed, or something more, and how do you feel he’s changed since we first met him?
Arcudi: He’s a man without a body, and that’s gonna wear on a guy. I know how happy smelling dinner cooking makes me feel, or the smell of my girlfriend’s hair. And if you ask anybody who has anosmia about depression, they’ll give you an earful. And that’s just the sense of smell. Imagine losing all that! He’s going to change, and he’s going to get desperate to have back whatever of those feelings he can get. Or, if he ever accepts that they’re never going to be his again… well, he’s got to go a different way, doesn’t he?
Liz and Fenix are two characters who are returning to the fold after a very long and very brief absence respectively. How are these two – forgive me – fiery characters alike, and what does their return mean for the team?
Arcudi: They’re alike in that they have strong personalities and that they both have no family, which has made them emotionally remote (or at least I think so). As a result, the two bond pretty quickly. I think that ends up making them both stronger characters to write, and stronger characters for the team, but we’ll see if I’m right about that last part…
This team is the one who will be heading into New York City in “Reign of the Black Flame.” What can you tell us about this arc, and you if feel like this is a squad that is ready for what it’s going to face?
Arcudi: Let me put it this way. THEY think they’re ready for what they’re going to face.
As for the arc, it’s BIG! We have to do this every once in a while (and more frequently as we go, actually). We have to throw these characters all together and blow up some shit. And maybe some characters don’t come out of it alive, but they pretty much all contribute to the story, to which way it flows, in a large way. Even the folks you think are being left out, they have their moments. And after my words of praise for Laurence’s full-team shot above, it’s only fair to say how amazing James Harren’s art on this arc is. AMAZING!! A lot of energy, a lot of potent storytelling — same goes for Dave Stewart’s colors. These guys work so, so well together. You see that, and you just try really hard to write material worthy of that ass-kicking talent.
