The Wyrd -- B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth & Other Stories
Does "B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth..." Resound With Readers?
B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth & Other Stories
February 15th, 2008 - I can't easily summarize why Mike Mignola's creations--Hellboy, and, to an almost greater extent, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, are such fantastic, rich sources of entertainment and even a certain kind of delight. In a way, BPRD sums up every reason this column, The Wyrd, exists. It presents to us, on the comics page, stories that seem to inform us of worlds beyond our own; it shows us things we have a feeling we shouldn't know, it brings us closer to the greater worlds beyond the mundane and shows us that the other side is a great place to visit (but we wouldn't want to live there).
The same can be said, of course, for the majority of Mike Mignola's work. The proper Hellboy stories (of which BPRD is a welcome offshoot) are chock-full of arcane occult references which, it turns out, are some of the most well-researched comics in existence. Mignola knows what he's writing about; he knows his Babi Yaga from his Rasputin. And there's a sense of realism to the proceedings that makes it that much more palatable; the buracreacy of a government endeavor informs much of what the BPRD does, for instance, and that grounds us in its world more than, for instance, the dialogue does.
Which brings me to an interesting problem: I really, really like the stories in BPRD: Hollow Earth And Other Stories. But I don't love them.
We find the BPRD minus one Hellboy, and their resident firestarter, Liz Sherman, decides she wants to find inner peace in far-off lands, studying with some monks in the mountains to control the fire within her. All well and good for the beginning of an epic tale. But there's a certain...hollowness...to the characters that I can't quite place. It's almost as if there's too much story (or too many characters) to focus on any one in particular, and therefore when Liz leaves the rest of the BPRD behind to head off to Tibet to find herself (or something), we're kind of left to say 'Ok'. We're given a hint that this bothers Abe Sapien, and of course it makes Roger the Homonoculous sad, but aside from that, it seems to be window dressing instead of the emotional thrust that sets the rest of the story--when something invariably goes wrong with Liz--going.
When they do finally get to the crux of the matter, to the titular 'Hollow Earth', it is another grand and impressive example of arcane entities' former doings preparing to wreak havoc on our unsuspecting world (which is, arguably, Mignola's specialty). There's Kirby-inspired Great Machines of Doom, their goblin-esque builders/keepers, and a whole lotta secrets to be unearthed. I'm not going to ruin it for you--it's a fun read, but not the collection's best by far.
That honor belongs to "Drums of the Dead" a smart, exciting little ditty by Brian McDonald and Derek Thompson, which finds our intrepid empath Abe Sapien investigating a sailing route on which mulitiple crewmembers have gone insane and/or committed suicide, and no one really knows why. Along with Abe is a new member of the BPRD who's about to find out why running with this crew isn't always the best for your health. It's got a quick, nifty setup, some genuinely unsettling moments, and an odd art style so unlike Mignola's that at first you might find yourself saying--"this art? In a Mignola book?" but it fits the story to a 'T'. Again, I'm not going to ruin it for you, but suffice it to say the climax is more than satisfying and the "villian" is as original and resonant as one could hope for.
Overall, it's a great and satisfying read, but I would have hoped for a stronger introduction to the BPRD for readers who aren't already interested. However, if you're a Mignola/Guy Davis/weird occult stories fan, this is an absolute must-have. Go get it.
For more information visit the Dark Horse Comics website.