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Mignolaversity: B.P.R.D. #112 [Review]

By and | October 16th, 2013
Posted in Reviews | 5 Comments
Logo by Tim Daniel

Liz! Iosif! Fenix! Johann! Bruiser! Zinco! More!

Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Illustrated by Tyler Crook

As Liz flees the monster-filled hospital, her conscience kicks in and she thinks of everyone she left behind at the mercy of the mad doctor. She has to return to save them, but what can she do when she remains powerless? Can she find the fire again?

Brian: The feet are still a little sore, the eyelids are still a little heavy, but we are past New York Comic Con 2013. And what has greeted us on the other side? Well, “B.P.R.D.” #112, of course! Part 3 of the “Lake of Fire” story, illustrated by Tyler Crook, starts connecting some of the stray pieces we’ve been seeing – Fenix’s heritage and journey, Liz’s re-emergence, and the larger Bureau figuring out what the hell is going on. David, what was your initial reaction to this issue?

David: My initial reaction was HELLLL YESSSS! Liz is back in action! Granted, in the process it meant some cops got mowed down, but I loved seeing her get her powers back under control. It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for for quite some time, and they handled it incredibly well here.

Besides that, other aspects continue to develop, and I’m growing increasingly fond of Fenix, which I never thought would happen. What were your thoughts?

Brian: We’ve talked a lot about this being an arc that is going to set up the next year or so for this book, and this issue is just brimming with plot points. We have a Bureau crew planning on going into New York City, we have Liz harnessing her powers, Zinco rearing its head again, the SSS and the BPRD getting closer, and Fenix and Bruiser on their adventure. This issue feels like a powder keg, just ready to be ignited and blow the place to hell. I think this was a great issue, and has me counting down the days to the next issue.

Let’s start with Liz. We’ve both admired Crook’s take on her, and here, he gets to show her in her environs, playing with fire. With Dave Stewart’s colors, the final scene really jumped off the page and set a tone for the next two issues.

David: Yeah, there is a TON of stuff going on, but it is all very engaging and exciting for us as readers. Obviously the Liz stuff is at the top of the list, but I just love the way things are continuing to develop. I do have to say as well, having read the first two issues of Reign of the Black Flame, all of this just underlines one thing: the next two issues are going to be CRAZY.

Crook and Stewart together though are just killing it on the Liz story, and those last pages with her trying to reacquire her center of fire were just brilliant. Excellent recall back throughout the series, and it shows just how damn well Tyler Crook has evolved as a visual storyteller. I love the way he excels at both mega monsters like the one chasing Liz and at small, character moments like everything going on with Fenix at the Salton Sea. Crook is an artist who can make small moments feel big and big moments feel frighteningly small, and this issue highlights just that.

What were the standout moments for you in this issue?

Brian: The Fenix stuff worked very, very well for me – both the present day scenes and the flashbacks sequences illuminated her character in ways we really haven’t seen before. To me, she is the breakout character of this arc.

Outside of her? Iosif and Johann are two of my favorite characters, so seeing their interaction was a pleasure. And since I love a good mystery, posing the question as to how much Zinco knew about these cataclysmic events before hand is quite the question.

David: Yeah, I think the stuff going on with Zinco is really fascinating. The idea that Marsten basically was an apocalypse profiteer is an engaging one, but how that is going to fold into what comes next with the Black Flame will be really interesting. Originally, this issue seemed like it was one that was destined to set everything up for the next big arc, but really, it has so many story beats that are hitting big spots right now that it itself is resonating in a big way. This, for me, was kind of the point where the arc turned from a good character one to just an outstanding one overall.

Continued below

Brian: I agree – this issue coalesced a bunch of stray ideas into something palpable, while still teasing future stories. This is the glyph that decodes the next few arcs, while still being incredibly entertaining itself.

My last real point before grading is to pull back a little here and take a look at the overall picture of the world. The further down the rabbit hole we get, the harder it is to look back at see what used to be. Put differently, do you think we’ll ever see all of our major characters together again? With Hellboy in Hell, Liz limping through Utah, Abe running away, and Kate and Johann trying to slow the end of the world, have we effectively seen the last of the core gang working in tandem?

David: Well, yes if you look at that as the core group. The way I kind of look at it is they’re like a baseball team, or any sports team, or even the people you work with in your office. Teams change. They’re developing the core group right now, and I think next arc we’ll know more exactly who that group is. So no, I don’t think we will see that old core group, but I think the new one is a great one as well.

Realistically though, some day Abe is coming back, as will Liz (although isn’t she in California?), but Hellboy? Dude is dead. I think his part of this story is done, until maybe the point we get the final, final act. After all, didn’t we previously see a future where HB was with the team again? But in that future, there was no Johann, so who the hell knows.

Brian: True, teams change, but you only get one ’86 Mets in a lifetime.

Or something.

So what do you give this, grade wise?

David: I’ll give it an 8.5. It was a better than average B.P.R.D. issue, which means it is far better than your average issue of any other comic. “B.P.R.D.” #112 brilliantly moves the chess pieces around the board in beautiful ways, and is the domino that really is going to set this world moving forward. What would you give it?

Brian: That feels about right to me, too. 8.5 it is!

Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy!


//TAGS | Mignolaversity

Brian Salvatore

Brian Salvatore is an editor, podcaster, reviewer, writer at large, and general task master at Multiversity. When not writing, he can be found playing music, hanging out with his kids, or playing music with his kids. He also has a dog named Lola, a rowboat, and once met Jimmy Carter. Feel free to email him about good beer, the New York Mets, or the best way to make Chicken Parmagiana (add a thin slice of prosciutto under the cheese).

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David Harper

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