If you’re reading this, you are hopefully all caught up with “B.P.R.D.” If you’re not, we may not spoil anything, but you’re missing out on one of the most visually satisfying comics today. What are you waiting for>
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Illustrated by James HarrenThe BPRD joins a band of resistance fighters in the ruins of Manhattan to fight the Black Flame and his evil regime of Zinco troops and monsters!
David: Brian, most of the time when we review a comic and one of us introduces, I think you’d agree that neither of us aim to reveal our hand on the initial comments necessarily. For this week’s review of B.P.R.D. #116 from Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and James Harren though, I can’t help it.
This issue kicks so much ass I can hardly handle it.
Tell me your thoughts!
Brian: Yeah, this is an amazingly kickass comic. Howards being insane, empty guns, people trading their lives for information, Panya, the Black Flame – this is where it is at, my friend. I know we’re only half way through, but this might be the best issue of February. Hell, maybe even more than that.
Where do we start?
David: The only place it can. The man, the myth, the legend, James Harren. Would this comic be anywhere near as awesome if it was anyone else on the book?
Brian: I don’t think so – this is so specific to Harren’s strengths it is almost unfair. I mean, he just crushes this book. I know that Howards is his character, to a certain extent, but every time he draws him it gets better and better. That sequence of Howards just going absolutely apeshit and taking out the Zinco folks was an utter thrill to read.
But beyond the insanity, Harren nails each and every detail – the boredom on Kate’s face, the relaxation in the midst of panic of Fenix – the dude even manages to get guilt onto Johann’s non-face! HOW DAVID? HOW IS HARREN SO GOOD?
David: All that and you didn’t even mention maybe the most harrowing sequence of the issue, the open of the book where the Zinco gardener took the dead peapod and was gunned down for it when his “coworker” ratted on him. The emotions and power of that section started that book off on a foot that told you that there is no line to be crossed. It’s kill or be killed, it’s life or death, and there aren’t choices that can make your life better, and Harren just perfectly captured the terror on the faces of those poor people.
Plus, MONSTERS. How about his monster work when Marsten is just hanging out doing paper work. Brian, I’m not going to lie, if I had two monsters standing in front of me as I typed this, I would not be so casual about it. Harren’s characters are so expressive and add so much to a scene, even when he’s distracting us with his amazing monster design.
Brian: I didn’t bring up the peapod scene because I didn’t want to cry, David. Between that scene and the Prospect Park scene from last issue, James Harren has created two of the most emotionally intense scenes in Mignolaverse history in two issues. Good lord, that guy is good.
Let’s talk plot for a few moments – much to my surprise, both teams have made it into Manhattan, and both have had success by getting help from the locals – one by force, and one by alliance. We also got our first real glimpse at what the greater New York area is like, now that it is under Zinco/Black Flame control.
While I can’t say any of this is necessarily a surprise, everything was laid out in a very satisfying way, and the Zinco business is utterly fascinating to me. The idea of war profiteering during the end of the world is a genius concept.
David: Yeah, that is a really brilliant idea, but I have to imagine that Marsten has a bigger plan than just that, right? And the Black Flame too? I mean, what’s the point of having cash and supplies if the world is ashes? He could have been working in his office with two hot ladies sitting in his office instead of monsters in the previous state.
Continued belowTo me, they have to be working to something bigger than simply war profiteering, because Zinco had already made all of them rich.
I have to say, my favorite part of the issue was the continued increase of confidence and capabilities of Howards, Fenix and Liz. You already brought up how Harren brought Howards and Fenix to life in those defining moments, but the pure badassery and quiet confidence of those two are two weapons that the B.P.R.D. have never had on their side before. Meanwhile, that last line from Liz? Oh. My. God. That was amazing.
It’s such a testament to the quality of this book that it can have so many amazing, exciting things happen and still have superb character moments with such a sprawling cast.
Brian: Yeah, there has to be something else at play here – I mean, it could be as simple as Zinco seeing The Black Flame as the only way to survive these events, and so they are throwing all their muscle behind him to ensure survival of some kind. But I’m with you – I think there is something else going on.
As for Liz, it was a year or so ago that she resurfaced, but it’s only recently that she’s really came back into the spotlight. And while there’s a lot of good ol’ Liz there, she has also changed in some subtle, but significant, ways. She was never exactly a pushover, but you get the idea that she is far stronger willed than before, and she seems supremely confident now, as you mentioned earlier.
If you think about Liz and Abe, they are sort of converse images of each other. Both were out of commission for a long time, both resurfaced, but Abe ran away and Liz ran back. Abe doesn’t want to fight anymore, and Liz wants to kill monsters. Abe’s mojo resides in Liz, and she is doing enough ass kicking for both of them.
David: She was always quite the asskicker, but killing gods with confidence? That’a’girl! That’s what we need in today’s Hellish Earth!
Going back to Zinco though, them siding with the Black Flame because it’s the only way to survive doesn’t really work, if only because they were the ones who actually brought him back, and that action triggered everything getting really, really bad.
Now I have two main things to bring up before we finish, and I’ll bring them up at the same time in case I forget (I’m 30 now Brian, my brain sucks).
There is a tremendously ominous tone so far to this arc. Do you think someone will die by the end? If so, who do you think it will be?
Second, how awesome was it that Mark Tweedale got a shout out in the letters column?
Brian: I’m a man of 31, nearly 32. I get the brain thing.
Before I get into your two points, yes, Zinco brought him back – but that wasn’t the start of the world falling apart. Great Britain was already gone, as were large swaths of the United States. The Black Flame may have been their “in case of emergency, break glass” move. We’ll see, I suppose.
As for whether or not a character will die, I don’t know. I think that is what we are supposed to be feeling, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will happen. In fact, Arcudi and Mignola are pretty adept at the ol’ switcheroo, so I wouldn’t be shocked if nothing happens at all. That said, if it is anyone, my money is on Johann. He’s grown more and more distant, and seems to me to be the one who might be on the way out. What do you think?
And aw year Mark!
David: What if that’s what they want us to think? What if they are playing us going for the switcheroo, and what they’re really going for is the old TV trope of killing the character they’ve been building up? I’m going out on a crazy limb and saying Fenix and/or Liz will be the one to die.
Continued belowI don’t necessarily think I’m right, but I think if they kill someone, they’re going with someone they aren’t minimizing. Or, if they don’t kill someone, what if Johann turns? He has been acting strange, almost like he’s being influenced by something else?
I suppose it speaks volumes of how well they’re crafting this story that literally anything feels like an option to me.
Brian: I agree. I think Johann feels like the natural wildcard here, and that is either because a) he is due for something or b) they know we think he feels like the natural wildcard. I don’t know David, I just don’t know.
Anything else before we slap a grade on this?
David: I got nothin’. Not even a rotted peapod in my pocket.
Brian: YOU BETTER NOT, SCUM.
This is a 9 comic, David.
David: Agreed! 9’s all around!
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
