The crew is still in Brazil, Hellboy is still on his first mission, and we are still loving this new miniseries from Mignola, Arcudi, and Maleev.
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Illustrated by Alex MaleevIn Brazil, Hellboy and a small group of BPRD agents investigate gruesome and bizarre murders happening in the shadows of a sixteenth-century Portuguese fortress, but what they uncover is more terrifying than they imagined.
Brian: Well, David, here we are again: a young Hellboy, some long-dead agents, and a haunted house cum film studio. What did you think of the second issue of “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.?”
David: !
I gotta say, I always enjoy the single exclamation point for Hellboy. It’s such a Mignolaverse/character touch that it feels as part of that world as anything else.
Besides its excellent usage of punctuation to carry a message, I loved it. It was a much simpler, action oriented issue, but it had the appropriate amount of dread and fun that continued that real B.P.R.D. meets old Hellboy feel the first issue had. I loved the way they used random tropes – why is it that whenever someone says “oh dear” about something bad that happened I presume they are being sarcastic and are directly involved? – to help push the story up a lot, and there are a number of touches that make it such a great fit for the time period (some may consider a couple of the Bureau agents to be misogynists…I consider them “era appropriate”). All in all, this is a great issue that finds HB coming out of his shell.
Plus, Alex Maleev, man. Best he’s been in a long time.
Brian: I think we really need to stop being so surprised when artist excel on Mignolaverse titles – we never say “You know, I love so and so on this other title, but he just didn’t work here.” There is something about the way the Mignolaverse works that just brings out the best in artists. Maleev, as you said, has been fantastic thus far: there is one panel, where we have an overhead view of the recently deceased Father Souza where the poor dead man just looks so pathetic, sad, and scared – it really brings the reality of his death home. Plus, he draws some incredible action (specifically, a battle in the church house) in the latter half of the book that is absolutely gorgeous. Maleev’s art is on point all over this book.
As you said, this is a pretty straightforward issue – however, we do get another encounter that tells us that not all is right at the Old Fortress.
David: Yeah, that was part of the tropes I was referencing. Of course the fortress is the source of evil. It ALWAYS is. Still, I liked that it was the female agent who had the right idea about it right from the start. People often talk about how women characters in comics aren’t given much to do of use, but the Mignolaverse does an amazing job respecting its women characters and making them often smarter than the full of bravado male agents. And they often pass the Bechdel Test even!
Can we talk about an evil ape appearing in the Mignolaverse again? Because I never get tired of evil apes in the Mignolaverse.
Brian: Evil apes are one of the finest creations from the mind of man, although calling this creature an ape is like calling Pedro Martinez a baseball player: it might be true, but he is oh so much more than that. One of the best parts about the various creatures we encounter in these books is that they all have that touchstone element that we can glom on to – like being an evil ape – but each is perverted and twisted in ways that make them entirely new and terrifying in all sorts of ways.
You talked a little early on about Hellboy coming out of his shell, and that is certainly part of this issue – we get to see the big guy show some initiative, and really stick his neck out for others. This is the beginning of Hellboy the agent, and it is a pretty great thing to watch.
Continued belowDavid: Yeah, I really loved that element too. It’s really funny how at first he kind of stands off in the back of the situation at the cemetery, but then immediately jumps into action when danger strikes as more or less the fully formed Hellboy we know and love. I have to wonder if that’s a deliberate choice as a statement about the character or if it’s just the crew falling into the typical Hellboy scripting? He’s already quippy and full of piss and vinegar. It’s classic from the first punch. What do you think?
Brian: I think it shows that, when others need him, Hellboy is there. He may not be as confident as he will grow to be, or as assertive in the face of authority, but the hero is there already. Personally, I think that is a nice touch, but I see where you could see that as falling into a writing pattern.
Anything else you want to say before we grade it?
David: Nah, I just think this is a perfect book to show off the strength of the Mignolaverse. The depth it shows off in the universe of this book is amazing, and it just makes everything they’ve accomplished all the richer.
Brian: What does “perfect show of strength” equate to, number wise?
David: I’ll give it an 8.0. It’s not a perfect book, by nature of where it is in the series, but it does an exemplary job as a playbook for what the Mignolaverse is all about. What would you give it?
Brian: That sounds about right to me, too. This sort of reminds me of the Lobster Johnson minis where, on occasion, there’s an issue that sort of just holds place, but is still beautiful to look at and has some fun moments. That is this issue.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – A solid entry into, what is shaping up to be, a great miniseries.
