We are running out of compliments we can pay the creative team on this book and, especially, on this arc. ‘The Reign of the Black Flame’ has been some of the most compelling “B.P.R.D.” action of all time, and it keeps getting better.
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Illustrated by James HarrenWith the Russian bureau director on the brink of death, the B.P.R.D. somehow manages to stand their ground against Zinco’s forces, while Liz Sherman and the Black Flame fight fire against fire in the skies of New York, Akira style.
David: We’re back, and this time with a look at the penultimate chapter of the Reign of the Black Flame, and my fake prediction of this issue (and maybe the next one) being a battle between Liz and The Black Flame ended up being not that wrong. This issue is from the team supreme of Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and James Harren. What were your thoughts on this one?
Brian: This issue was, in almost every way, incredibly satisfying. The Iosif portions, in particular, were near perfect, and continued to build/grow a character in the most fascinating and fun way.
What did you think of the issue?
David: It was an amazing issue that hilariously underlined how wrong we were about one thing in our review for issue #117 and how randomly right we were about another thing. For the former, I really, genuinely thought that Iosif could have been a guy doing his own thing and following his own plot, while our readers thought he was just standing up for his friend Johann. Turns out they were most definitely right, and I have to admit, it made everything that was related to Iosif in this issue that much more powerful. This is one time I was glad to be wrong, as who didn’t want Iosif to squeeze Marsten’s noggin in such a way?
And the part we were right on was where I joked that Harren’s art was so good we’d be okay with the last two issues being mostly a fight between Liz and the Black Flame. One issue down and that lays correct so far, and what a fight it is. LIZ IS FLYING. Talk about a power upgrade. She went from being MIA and powerless to the Human Torch with a surly attitude and a smoking problem in 9 issues. Not that I’m complaining, but man, that showdown between Liz and the Black Flame is everything I could want from a comic.
Am I crazy? Was Liz flying, or was that just high profile falling?
Brian: You are not crazy – she was full on flying. The battle sequences continue to be video game boss level-esque, and while that is super enjoyable and fun, to me, the Iosif sequence was the real star of this issue. The friendship between Iosif and Johann has been one of the most unexpected pleasant developments over the past few years, and seeing Iosif get so emotional and defensive of his friend was a really moving moment.
In fact, I would place that near the top of the emotional scenes in the past year or two of “B.P.R.D.” Take that with the Prospect Park sequence from #115, and this has been an extraordinarily meaningful, and moving, arc so far.
David: It really has been. The amazing thing about this book is the delicate balance it achieves with the character moments and the emotional bits and the action sequences. Very few comics can handle the twists and turns as well as this book does, and it speaks volumes to the skill and craft everyone involved brings to this book.
Given its topicality, can I take us on a brief aside? Give me your ten cent reason why B.P.R.D. never gets nominated for an Eisner?
Brian: Honestly? It’s not a sexy book – it doesn’t have the cultural impact right now of the nominated books. It isn’t new, its creative team isn’t particularly flamboyant, it isn’t a huge seller – but it is the best book on the market right now. This is a case of people being forgetful of its charms due to its metronome status – each month, this book is amazing, and because of that, people forget about it.
Continued belowLook at the best ongoings – 5 books under 30 issues in. I’m not slagging on the Eisners (especially because they, well, like us!), but I think people in general tend to focus on the new, the shiny, the different, whereas “B.P.R.D.” has been the rock-solid, artistically rich, endlessly fascinating title for a decade now.
Any other theories?
David: It really is a longevity thing, I think. It’s hard to blame the judges, really, as they have an awful lot to read to create the nominations, and B.P.R.D. has a lot of history that makes it special. To really look at the book and appreciate it in full, you’d have to read the full line.
But James Harren? That’s a man we can appreciate, especially with his freshly Eisner nominated colorist Dave Stewart onboard. Do you have superlatives left for their work?
Brian: I actually do have something new to say about the art! The aforementioned Liz/Black Flame super battle has been outstanding. But what has really impressed me is how both Stewart and Harren have gone outside of their usual wheelhouse for those sequences, and how they feel like nothing else the Mignolaverse has ever attempted. Even though “B.P.R.D.” employs a number of artists, there is usually some connective tissue between the work that allows you to look at a page and know it is a Mignolaverse page. The Liz/Flame stuff looks different enough that you may not know what book it is from if someone just opened those pages up and showed them to you.
I don’t know if it shows or not, but that is a huge compliment.
David: I think the thing that they’re accomplishing in this arc is really achieving a scope and scale of visual storytelling that we’ve seen to a degree, but never this sustained or with the level of ferocity we’re seeing. The fight between Liz and the Black Flame really looks and feels like two entities battling for the fate of humanity, and the way Harren depicts it and the smaller transition scenes between them puts so much weight and import onto them that it’s honestly breathtaking.
This is the best looking comic around looking better than it ever has. And that, my friend, is saying something.
Brian: Of course, the unsung hero of the Mignolaverse is John Arcudi, and the scripting of this issue is pretty masterful – it would be really easy to throw a ton of expository dialogue onto the Black Flame, but Arcudi keeps it concise and powerful, and allows the visuals (the stunning, stunning visuals) to do most of the talking for him.
David: It’s funny to think of the writer as the unsung hero, but he really is on this book to a degree, isn’t he? Arcudi is the straw that stirs this book’s drink.
Were there any notable moments that we haven’t talked about that you want to touch on?
Brian: Each month, I wish I had more insightful things to say about the book other than “GAAAAH THIS IS SO GOOD,” but eventually, you run out of praise to hurl.
Last month, I said it was a 9.0 book – I’m upping the ante. This is a 9.5 book.
David: Damn, son! Hold your horses! I will go with a 9.5 as well, but I wanted to ask one more thing. We keep talking about this as a boss fight. Boss fights indicate finality, and this book certainly isn’t going anywhere to our knowledge.
What, if any, ideas do you have for what’s next? Because I can’t even fathom what we could see next.
Brian: A boss fight doesn’t necessarily mean finality; it means the end of an era, the end of a chapter.
Personally, I think this is going to transition the book out of the monster fighting business for a little while. I mean, after this, any battle seems a little slight, doesn’t it?
Plus, the Bureau is going to need to reorganize itself and figure out a gameplan beyond “stay alive.” I see the book pulling back a little, at least for a few months.
Continued belowDavid: That’s pretty much what I imagine. They’ll have to lick their wounds and figure out what’s next, but until then, I’ll just keep enjoying the book.
Brian: Damn, this is an amazing book.
Final Verdict: 9.5 – Buy
