B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #105: A Cold Day in Hell
“It’s a good day for you to know the truth…”
And it’s a really good time to be a Mike Mignola and a Jason Acuna fan! Or at least looking to be one! The dust from last week’s excellent Sledgehammer 44 has barely settled and we lucky comic readers get treated to another excellent Mignola/Acuna story with B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #105: Cold Day in Hell. This issue serves as a great jumping on point for anyone who has even the slightest interest in the B.P.R.D. world or anyone looking for a good action story.
Abe Sapien has finally awoken from his coma only to find that the world has become over run by giant bat-faced monsters. Meanwhile in Russia, the recently resurrected Occult sciences director Nichayko heads to the frozen to wasteland outside of Doyonek. There has been a downed radio tower that could mean life or death for all of humanity. But just what is so important about the radio tower? And where are these monsters coming from?
Mignola and Acuna have woven a great pulpy horror comic that, as usual, is crafted to near perfection. This book does not miss a beat as we open with an excellent news reel montage that tells us everything we need to know about the current state the world is in. Feeling just as clueless as Abe we barely have a chance to catch our breath as we are then tossed in an old jalopy of a war plane, battling giant monsters in a destroyed Russia town. One particular aspect about Mignola’s work is his excellent use of mythology. The way the mystery unravels leaves you wanting to investigate on your own. Mignola has been at this for years and its astounding how much original folklore he has created. If future generations were to find his collected works, they would have a whole, terrifying religion crafted in less than an hour.
Snejbjerg returns to the pages of B.P.R.D. and his art is terrific. He manages to keep everything playful, especially the battle scenes, but the playfulness never removes us from the horrific elements of the story. While the characters can be a bit wooden at times, they all have a unique charm to them that you quickly warm to, and the monsters are just fun. Snejbjerg utilizes classic hammer-horror angles as well, really adding to that vintage pulp feel. The colouring is quite lovely, and his excellent use of negative space really drives home the isolated feeling of Russia’s frozen wasteland.
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #105: Cold Day in Hell is the start of a great new arc, and the best time join to the Bureau. As a newcomer myself, I never once felt lost, in fact, I was completely enthralled and can’t wait to see the exciting conclusion when part two is released. Until then, I’ll tide myself over with next week’s B.P.R.D. Vampire.
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #105: A Cold Day in Hell
Story: Mike Mignola & Jason Acuna
Art: Peter Snejbjerg
Letters: Clem Roberts
Cover: Dave Johnson
And it’s a really good time to be a Mike Mignola and a Jason Acuna fan! Or at least looking to be one! The dust from last week’s excellent Sledgehammer 44 has barely settled and we lucky comic readers get treated to another excellent Mignola/Acuna story with B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #105: Cold Day in Hell. This issue serves as a great jumping on point for anyone who has even the slightest interest in the B.P.R.D. world or anyone looking for a good action story.
Abe Sapien has finally awoken from his coma only to find that the world has become over run by giant bat-faced monsters. Meanwhile in Russia, the recently resurrected Occult sciences director Nichayko heads to the frozen to wasteland outside of Doyonek. There has been a downed radio tower that could mean life or death for all of humanity. But just what is so important about the radio tower? And where are these monsters coming from?
Mignola and Acuna have woven a great pulpy horror comic that, as usual, is crafted to near perfection. This book does not miss a beat as we open with an excellent news reel montage that tells us everything we need to know about the current state the world is in. Feeling just as clueless as Abe we barely have a chance to catch our breath as we are then tossed in an old jalopy of a war plane, battling giant monsters in a destroyed Russia town. One particular aspect about Mignola’s work is his excellent use of mythology. The way the mystery unravels leaves you wanting to investigate on your own. Mignola has been at this for years and its astounding how much original folklore he has created. If future generations were to find his collected works, they would have a whole, terrifying religion crafted in less than an hour.
Snejbjerg returns to the pages of B.P.R.D. and his art is terrific. He manages to keep everything playful, especially the battle scenes, but the playfulness never removes us from the horrific elements of the story. While the characters can be a bit wooden at times, they all have a unique charm to them that you quickly warm to, and the monsters are just fun. Snejbjerg utilizes classic hammer-horror angles as well, really adding to that vintage pulp feel. The colouring is quite lovely, and his excellent use of negative space really drives home the isolated feeling of Russia’s frozen wasteland.
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #105: Cold Day in Hell is the start of a great new arc, and the best time join to the Bureau. As a newcomer myself, I never once felt lost, in fact, I was completely enthralled and can’t wait to see the exciting conclusion when part two is released. Until then, I’ll tide myself over with next week’s B.P.R.D. Vampire.
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #105: A Cold Day in Hell
Story: Mike Mignola & Jason Acuna
Art: Peter Snejbjerg
Letters: Clem Roberts
Cover: Dave Johnson
A Look Inside
