Utah, 1948. Some of the world’s top scientists gather to research, plan and test nuclear weapons. One such test leads to the formation of a new element dubbed Enkeladite. At the same time there have been several encounters with terrible creatures, the likes of which no one has seen before. Could there be some connection? And what of the dangerous and half-insane Anders? Theories and discoveries surface and relationships are forged and broken before this epic novel concludes.
B.P.R.D. 1948 (Dark Horse Comics)
Mike Mignola clearly knows characters. There wasn’t a single character in the book that wasn’t written as though he/she were real. All of the personalities were strong and diverse and easy to understand. It’s also clear that he knows character development. Right when you thought you understood a character’s motives or thought you knew where their particular storyline was going, the story somehow turned right on its heels and headed in a totally different direction.
The book is formatted sort of similarly to Titanic. The meat of the narrative comes from one man’s telling of the past. Though it’s not told from said man’s perspective it’s interesting how he comes into the story at the very end. While not a huge part of the overall arc the part he plays is important.
While entirely unnecessary to the story, the little Hellboy sub-plot was pretty entertaining. We learn that at heart Hellboy is just a kid who is self-conscious and even though he’s very different from humans and accepts it he can still get his feelings hurt.
Dr. Rieu, the most prominent female character in the book is also the most charismatic. She pulls you in from the start with her energy and passion for science and doesn’t let go. As you dig deeper into the book you discover a different side of her. She is a scientist that deals with the Paranormal and magical. Her theories are seemingly far-fetched but she is one of the smartest people there.
And you really can’t go wrong with Prof. Broom. He is such a nice guy who is really good at heart and his role in this book is touching. Seeing him fall in love with someone he could never be with is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.
Although this book will not be remembered or even praised for its more violent sequences, they were very well written. All of the action was nicely paced without it going too fast and becoming unreadable. While I would never support any gun violence it was pretty neat seeing some alternatedimension monsters get their asses handed to them.
9.5
- Gorgeous art
- Awesome character development
- Great plot and intriguing characters
- Hellboy sub-plot not necessary to the story
A good story would be nothing without equally great artwork. Thankfully, the art in this comic is fantastic. With some awesome lines and tones that really give the setting more feeling this art is some of the best in comics today.
Is It Good?
Yes. It’s more than good: it’s phenomenal.
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