Book report: BPRD #1
Last Updated on Monday, 29 November 1999 19:00 Written by Elise Wednesday, 26 May 2010 08:58
Last night, for Comicazi Book Club (name still pending), we decided that each member would chose a book (graphic novel) and report on it back to the rest of the club. This would help us to learn more about the favorite books of each member. I was pretty gungho about this idea. Until I realized it was basically doing a presentation....
So because this felt more like public speaking then a usual meeting would, and because I hate public speaking (even though I was among friends), I wrote something up, which really helped.
I thought I would share, so see below for my book report on BPRD #1
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is charged with protecting America and the world from the occult, paranormal and supernatural (to paraphrase the first Hellboy movie- There are things that go bump in the night. They bump back). It is made up of human and supernatural agents including Hellboy, Abe Sapian, Liz Sherman, Rodger the Homunculus, and Johann Krauss. The Bureau is well know and well respected, and works closely with government agencies.
BPRD #1 contains a few stories, and as much as the stories are about supernatural characters, they are about the relationships that the characters have with each other and with the bureau as an entity. It is clear that some very poignant events happened before the first story "Hollow Earth". We find out about them through quick flashbacks and character dialogue. It is enough for us to understand that the team is no longer as cohesive as it used to be, and that the Bureau itself had a lot to do with this. However, when fellow agent Liz Sherman is in trouble Abe Sabien leads remaining member Rodger, and new member Johann in an attempt to save her.
In the following stories we get some more information on the origin of Johann Krauss, the physical medium who lacks a physical presence, Rodger the Homunculus, and a peek at how Abe Sapien came to BPRD. Another good story is a one off about a batman-esque detective from the 1930's, Lobster Johnson.
Mike Mignola is both creator and illustrator of most BPRD (and other works). I really enjoy his distinctive art style. The final story "Drums of the Dead" is illustrated by someone else ( I was less of a fan of this style, but it still illustrated the story effectively). I choose this book for my report because it represents a large scale universe that we have not looked into yet. I hope we can either read it as a group, or your decide to pick it up yourself.
But you don't have to take my word for it!
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