Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible #1

by Sean Tonelli on April 03, 2013

Abe Sapien
The BPRD take-over of Dark Horse continues this week with resident fish-boy Abe Sapien venturing into his own solo series. The first part of this new long running series is entitled Dark and Terrible and it’s an accurate description.
 
Since having visions from his mysterious past during his coma, Abe is on the run from the BPRD. With America left in shambles from Hell on Earth, BPRD is scrambling to re-gain their former teammate. After ditching the lo-jack from a commandeered truck, Abe then board’s a train hobo-style and heads down the tracks. But thanks to some recent giant monster activity, the BPRD just may be closer than he thinks.
 
After last week’s BPRD: Vampire, this book is certainly a change of pace. While BPRD: Vampire was sparse in terms of dialogue, Dark and Terrible is certainly a lot more wordy. This is all well and good, except the one character you want to talk, Abe, is barely present. In fact, If his name wasn’t present in the title, you’d have no idea that he was the star. The ramblings of the box-car hobos do serve their purpose, as those unfamiliar with what is happening in the BPRD are brought up to speed.
 
SebástianFiumara enters the BPRD world and his presence is certainly welcome. His style is certainly grittier than the other BPRD books out there, and this helps Dark & Terrible stand apart. It’s also far more realistic art direction than those of BPRD: Vampire and certainly Mignola’s work. The scars and dirt on the box-car hobos helps flesh out what may turn out to be ancillary characters, but that attention to details adds weight to their long winded tales.
 
While last week’s BPRD: Vampire was to thin, Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrbile (Part 1 of 3) is weighed down by the wrong people. Still, it was a decent read and served as a great jumping on point for newcomers. Let’s just hope the series focuses more on the strength of Abe in future issues.
 
Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible (Part 1 of 3)
Story: Mike Mignola& Scott Allie
Art: SebástianFiumara
Colours: Dave Stewart
Letters: Clem Robins
Cover: SebástianFiumara
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Our Score:

6/10

A Look Inside