This week, our resident Mignologists, David Harper and Brian Salvatore, take a look at the latest mini from our friends at Dark Horse, “B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Excorcism.”
Written by Mike Mignola and Cameron Stewart
Illustrated by Cameron StewartField agent Ashley Strode, last seen in B.P.R.D.: War on Frogs, is deployed to a Mexican village after a demon commands her to release one of its brethren, or lose the soul of a small child.
* The return of Eisner Award winner Cameron Stewart to B.P.R.D.!
* Featuring Ota Benga from B.P.R.D.: 1947.
Brian: Now, THAT, my friends, is how you do a B.P.R.D. comic! This issue is hands down my favorite B.P.R.D. story since “Russia” ended. What is your initial analysis, David?
David: Well, I loved “The Long Death” too, but after the latest string of minis and issues and little asides, it was kind of odd to say but B.P.R.D. was in a bit of a slump. With this issue? The slump is over, if only for a bit. I loved it. This book was fantastic, from a written and an illustrated standpoint. The whole exorcism angle is something I’m frankly a little surprised hasn’t come up before, but the way Mignola and Stewart handled it was exemplary, especially with the young Ms. Strode involved. Top notch work. So, my fellow Mignola-head, what was it that stood out most for you in this issue?
Brian: Is it bad to say everything? The characterizations were spot on, the angle was fresh, and each reveal felt natural and yet unexpected. But in particular, Cameron Stewart’s art lifted a great script (co-written by Stewart) and turned it into something exceptional. His depiction of the possessed people was perfect; it was creepy but not over the top. It got over the top, in the best possible way, when the demons themselves were shown. Each panel is a thing of beauty.
What about you? What was the highlight in your opinion?
David: For me, it was probably the art, but the way the story was told felt like B.P.R.D. but in an oddly different way. Definitely a good way, and it made the whole thing feel fresh – as you said – and pretty damn exciting. That’s one of the fun things about pairing Mignola with other writers. You still get the elements you love about the book in many ways, but when someone like John Arcudi or Scott Allie or Josh Dysart or, now, with Cameron Stewart, you get an entirely different feel that adds a lot to the power of the storytelling.
I think it’s funny. I’d say the biggest weakness this issue had in my book is that it ended. That bummed me out especially because I thought it was a done-in-one, but I suppose in that regard it was more exciting for the same reason. It seems safe to say there wasn’t anything that really bothered you about this book, huh?
Brian: The story involved FLAME SWORDS – how could anything bother me?
I think it is interesting to talk about Stewart as co-writer/artist, in part because of our discussion of the same relationship asAmanda Connor and Darwyn Cooke on “Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre,” or even what Brian Buccellato and Francis Manupal do on “The Flash.” We both felt that it was a seamless collaboration between two writer/artists that elevated that book to something really special. Do you think that more writer/artist co-writes would lead to better work overall? Or are we just in a sweet spot of talented creators working together?
David: No, I don’t. I mean…Rob Liefeld for one. I don’t think this is a uniform solution for making good comics, and it just speaks to how Mignola works. Really, there are few projects where he actually writes the whole thing. It’s really Hellboy and that’s it. Everything else – Baltimore, B.P.R.D, The Amazing Screw-On head – finds him working with a writing partner, and I think that’s part of what works so great about those titles. It’s like you have Mignola for the big, crazy idea creation and then you have his collaborator to take it the rest of the way.
Continued belowAnd I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We still need this story to go the rest of the way, and we have no idea what is to come. Who knows, maybe next issue will be the “Comedian” to this issue’s “Silk Spectre.”
Brian: That’s true – we need to see how this story turns out before we organize the ticker-tape parade. But this issue, to me, felt like all the elements were perfectly in place, from Victor Kavalchev’s cover, to the names of the demons, everything just felt right. And so few comics feel as completely realized and well put together as this did.
Am I missing anything you want to discuss?
David: Well, I know that something that has bothered you in the past in other joint reviews is the idea that certain stories do not necessarily matter in the scope of the overall story being told. This one likely fits into that classification. How did you get past that? Is this just a case where quality overwhelms necessity of story?
Brian: I don’t know if I would say that idea bothers me if the stories are strong; I take issue with buying something that isn’t great or essential to an overall story. I’m more fascinated by the structure of B.P.R.D.’s publishing model, and like to ask questions like “will this pay off later?” because the book is structured in a way where you never really know if something has a future payoff buried in it, or if it is just a fun aside.
But pretending for a second that I am a guy bugged by stories that don’t play into the grand mythos more than I actually am; if they were all this strong, I wouldn’t gripe at all. I enjoyed “The Pickens County Horror,” and while I appreciate bringing vampirism into the B.P.R.D. world, I find the incorporation of exorcism fits much better. Is that because of the topic, or just how well it was executed? I’m betting on the latter.
David: Yeah, I think for me, I never worry about that because it seems like there is always future payoff somewhere in there. Last question for you before we go: was there a part of you that wondered while reading this if this could be the beginning of tying Hellboy back into B.P.R.D.? You have Sybocco (that was off memory, so likely wrong) saying there is great unrest in hell, with saying the power structure is off and the need to have Ota Benga open the cage to release his general demon guy. We know Hellboy is you know, off not eating pancakes in hell more than likely. Do you think there could be anything there, or am I reading too deep? Could Strode turn into a more important character than just someone who appears in a mini as a lead? Could she even be the one that Scott Allie was referring to when we interviewed him?
QUESTIONS BRIAN?! QUESTIONS?!
Brian: I did have the same thought – he seems like a pretty logical choice for who is throwing off the balance of hell. Or, at least, he has that capability. I know “Hellboy in Hell” is coming soon, so this could be a backdoor way to get there, and I do think Strode will be a more important character. Cameron Stewart is a pretty high profile collaborator, so I would assume that he gets to either pick who he wants to use, or is nudged towards people with some importance. That isn’t meant as a slight to any of the other fantastic B.P.R.D. artists, but Stewart has much more “power” in terms of getting people to pick up a book than a James Harren or a Jason Latour does.
David: That said, I don’t think that really matters to Mignola. I mean, it’s Mignola who sells these books, and the stories that are told within. I don’t think they really look at Stewart or Harren or Latour and say “oh, well he’s a better fit because of how profile this story is.” I think, and Allie insinuated as much, that they just fit based on style of story, with the possible exception of Crook.
Continued belowIt would be very interesting to see Strode exist as some sort of tie between Hellboy and B.P.R.D. but who knows, nothing could come from this besides a rad story. So, to close, what do you give this issue?
Brian: After a few installments of me being the lower grade, I dare you to top my 9.5 on this.
David: Ha. I won’t. I really liked it. I thought it was very good. But I’ll give it an 8.5 overall, rounding us out to a 9 overall.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
