REVIEW :: BPRD: King of Fear #1-2

February 18, 2010 at 4:43 pm By:

I’m a little ashamed to say that, although I’m an avid fan of Hellboy comics, I was never a reader of his “sister” book, B.P.R.D.

Yeah, I’m stupid. I know.

Well, last week I was looking for something new and just decided to read the first few issues of the current limited series — B.P.R.D.: King of Fear — and now I’m hooked.

What have I been doing for the last six or so years? B.P.R.D. — which stars Hellboy’s former brothers/sisters-in-arms at the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense — is a tight, creepy, exquisitely paced series with a huge focus on characters and relationships. With engrossing scripts by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi and monstrously beautiful art by Guy Davis, B.P.R.D. provides a great foil to the standard action-centric superhero comic. I mean, here I am — a guy who’s never read an issue of a story line that’s been unfolding for years — and I find myself immediately drawn in and attached to incredibly fleshed out heroes and heroines on the page.

After reading “King of Fear,” I ran back up to Heroes in search of early issues in trade paperback form; luckily Dark Horse has done a great job of organizing the entire collection. I’m now tearing through the first book, “Hollow Earth & Other Stories,” and waiting anxiously for another edition of the series.

I’m gushing . I know. But it’s that good.

Carlton Hargro is Editor-in-Chief of Charlotte’s Creative Loafing weekly newspaper. You can read more of his comics reviews at the paper’s Comic Proportions blog.

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