B.P.R.D. Hollow Earth & Other Stories: Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense

B.P.R.D. stands for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, a secret U.S. agency that protects the world from supernatural threats. It is a spin-off title from Mike Magnolia's popular Hellboy comic book series, and details the adventures of the agency's other "special" operatives. The team includes Abe Sapien, a blue-skinned gill-man with a mysterious past; Liz Sherman, a neurotic pyrokinetic; Johann Kraus, a German psychic whose body was destroyed while his spirit was visiting the astral plane; and Roger the Homunculus, a medieval golem with tremendous strength and a child-like personality. "The Hollow Earth" storyline serves as a general introduction to the B.P.R.D team for those readers unfamiliar with the Hellboy mythos. It does a good job of showing how Hellboy's resignation affects each member. The bureau just brings the newly-disembodied medium, Johann, into the group while Abe Sapien debates quitting the team and taking Roger with him. Meanwhile, Liz Sherman has taken a sabbatical, traveling to the mystical realm of Agarta in the hopes of learning to tame the fire within her. Outside events soon bring everyone together, however, as an attack on the monastery Liz is staying at prompts her to send a psychic S.O.S. to her friend Abe. The bureau quickly mobilizes and sends the team out on a search and rescue mission that leads them into the very bowels of the earth. This is a very good story. Each member's unique strengths are highlighted, and the group dynamic is set up very well. This collection also features two shorter stories. The first, "The Killer in My Head" features Lobster Johnson (a grim 1930s paranormal investigator first introduced in "Hellboy: The Conqueror Worm"). Several prominent scientists are found dead inside locked rooms and our hero has to solve the mystery. The second, "Abe Sapien Versus Science" is a short vignette that shows Abe filling the void left by Hellboy by rescuing Roger from the perpetual prodding of the bureau's scientists, mirroring Hellboy's actions years ago when he rescued Abe from the same thing. Also included is the rare Abe Sapien one-shot, "The Drums of the Dead", written by Brian McDonald and drawn by Derek Thompson. This is a story about the mysterious and deadly happenings aboard cargo and fishing ships along the oceanic trade routes between America and Africa. The artwork is very dark, which mirrors the mood of the story. The plot is simple, but action packed and delivers an emotional punch as well.

Summary: This is the fist collection of stories about the adventures of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) without Hellboy, who obviously dominated previous comics. BPRD is the government agency that adopted Hellboy and used him as an agent, and three of the main characters of Hollow Earth (Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, and Roger the Golem) had their first appearances in previous stories (Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil). The fourth, Johann Kraus, is introduced in a three page advertisement for "Hollow Earth," one of four stories reprinted here. All four stories deal with something resembling the supernatural: subterranean races, telekinesis, and primitive gods drive this anthology. The creator of Hellboy wrote two of these stories and helped plot "Hollow Earth." Three of the four stories look almost too much like Mignola's artwork, even though his artistic contribution includes only character sketches and inking one of the shorter comics. Beyond the four full stories and the advertisement, some nice sketches by Mike Mignola and "Hollow Earth" artist Ryan Sook. "Hollow Earth" The centerpiece of this collection is the sixty-six page title story written by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Tom Sniegoski and drawn by Ryan Sook and Curtis Arnold, both in mysterious combinations. "Hollow Earth" depicts an adventure story, the trek of three BPRD members, Abe, Roger, and Johann, to find the fourth, who, while meditating at a temple, is kidnapped by a race of subterranean engineers. Liz, who has some elemental connection with fire, has her soul stolen and used to power Giant War Robots, and the others must restore her essence to her before she dies. The plot is similar to a Hellboy story with slower pacing, but the story has two ulterior purposes: the first is to introduce the team and the second is to give brief origin stories for the members of BPRD. Abe and Liz each have a flashback sequence that shows why Hellboy was such an important part of their lives, and Johann has a normal origin story. This leads to some corny dialogue, "It sounds as if he was a good friend as well as a good leader." Roger's origin is only alluded to but can be found in "Almost Colossus" in The Chained Coffin and Others and "Abe Sapien versus Science," below. Most of the dialogue is low on emotion, and BPRD certainly lacks a personality with the bravado of Hellboy or some other interesting characteristic, but the script fits the characters and doesn't embarrass itself. Ryan Snook's art looks a little bit took much like Mike Mignola's, especially in the blocky figures and big lips, but has the appropriate tone for the story. On its own, it's a good if uninspired story and would earn four stars. "The Killer in My Skull" This is a Lobster Johnson story written by Mike Mignola and drawn by Matt Smith and Ryan Sook. "The Killer in My Skull" is a supernatural detective story set in 1938 wherein scientists are being mysteriously and sy

Hellboy has left the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) but that doesn't mean they are gone. Now the BPRD have their own stories. This volume collects Hollow Earth and several shorter adventures.Hollow Earth - Abe Sapien travels to the Himalayas and below to find and rescue Liz. The journey takes them do a world of darkness that threatens the surface. I really enjoyed the Journey to the Center of the Earth ending. Also touching were there Hellboy flashbacks and how he endeared himself to various characters (I loved the lollipop).Hollow Earth Teaser - A three-page teaser that sets up one of the new characters at the Bureau.The Killer in my Skull - This story stars Lobster Johnson, a hero who uses the lobster claw of justice. In this story he is confronted with some locked-door murders that lead to an unexpected killer.Abe Sapien vs. Science - Having been the subject of scientific investigation in the past, Abe Sapien is against the use of "scalpels and microscopes" for advancing knowledge of living things. This time the subject is Roger.Drums of the Dead - Another Abe Sapien adventure as shipping routes are being terrorized by sharks and drums.

This book is a good collection of short stories. My only complaint is that I finished it in an afternoon. It's hard to put down, and an excellent read. The best part is the look at the supporting characters. There is little Hellboy in this book, so for any Abe Sapien fans out there, this is your book. I recommend it highly.

Is there something rending the fabric of time and space asunder above your newly furnished kitchen, or perhaps a society of bedeviled mermen taking residence in the lake outside your abode? Do you or someone you love find yourself bewitched by a troublesome necromancer seeking to call out the Seven-forms of Ogdru-Jahad? Well, if the shoe fits and you find yourself longing for the one tried-and-true method to cure that which ails you, perhaps you should enlist the aid of the B. P. R. D. The B. P. R. D. specializes in most forms of manifestation and malevolence, providing cure-alls that sometimes work in the most subtle of fashions and that sometimes provide the most groundbreaking of results, keeping Britain and much of the world free from the oppressive grasp of those who would seek to bind her. Before I continue with explanations, the guides to our operations (comics) collected in this Trade Paperback include: "BPRD: Hollow Earth" from BPRD: Hollow Earth #1-#3, "BPRD"- the strip from Dark Horse Extra #42-#44, "Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead" from Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead, "Lobster Johnson: Killer Inside My Skull" from Hellboy: Box Full of Evil #1, "Abe Sapien vs. Science" from Hellboy: Box Full of Evil #2, and depictive illustrations in a Mike Mignola and Ryan Sook sketchbook. So, you might be ask, what does B.P.R.D. stand for and who exactly are they? Well, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense is composed of many individuals from the lowest operatives to field agents and beyond that strive to keep the world safe from those unclassified menaces, great and small. Within those ranks we have many people with special talents, including the currently inactive Hellboy (see the end of Conqueror Worm for detail), Abe Sapien, Roger the Homunculus, "Liz" Sherman, and newer agents that sometimes find themselves only temporary additions to the roster because of, um, unforeseeable circumstances. In the installment that directly deals with this agency and all the mainstays involved ("BPRD: Hollow Earth" from BPRD: Hollow Earth #1-#3), Liz Sherman finds herself with a dilemma of the soul because of her pyrotechnic talent and her inability to always control it, and is seeking remedies that the B. P. R. D. cannot provide. So, following Hellboy's lead and walking away, she heads for the solace of the Ural Mountains and a place where "dreams dwell." While there, she finds the peace she has sought, but only for a time before something comes seeking her and the aid of the agency is needed. To understand another agent and his respective incorperation/the talents he bring to the Bureau, there is also additionally provided documentation on that as well. One of the pivotal cornerstone we use, Abe Sapien (Homo Aquaticus), has led to many contributions within the organization and is one of the finest stars ever forged in the detective sky. He found out that the "Roger" wasn't simply a mass of discarded science after the incident with the "incident" with t