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B.P.R.D.
B.P.R.D.: Being Human
In these terrifying tales of witchcraft and the undead, Abe, Roger, Liz, and Johann learn the ropes as agents of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense! Abe copes with survivor's guilt, Roger goes on his first adventure with Hellboy, Liz tells the story of how she killed her family, and Johann Kraus dies!
A standalone collection that's a perfect introduction to these bizarre heroes.
A standalone collection that's a perfect introduction to these bizarre heroes.
152 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2011
9 people are currently reading
437 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,884 books2,518 followersMike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
May 16, 2012
These are the collected origin stories of (most of) the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence or BPRD for short.
Liz Sherman's dark and pyrotechnic origin is told in the longest story here and she is taken into the care of Professor Bruttenholm and Hellboy, travelling to what will become her first case for the BPRD, a case of a haunted forest and a murderous ghost.
Roger the Golem's origins are in another book ("Hellboy: Wake the Devil") but the first adventure with him and Hellboy is told here as they investigate a haunted house and a witch who's raising the dead.
Johann Kraus' origin is revealed, though I think they've been told in another book before. How he was separated from his body during a séance and has been disembodied ever since.
It's not a bad book but if you've been reading the BPRD books for a while now, like I have, then you'll be more than familiar with the origins of the characters and won't need this book to remind you of them. New readers on the other hand might find this book a good introduction to the characters before embarking on the series proper. "Being Human" has some decent artwork and stories but isn't the best read of the BPRD I've read.
Liz Sherman's dark and pyrotechnic origin is told in the longest story here and she is taken into the care of Professor Bruttenholm and Hellboy, travelling to what will become her first case for the BPRD, a case of a haunted forest and a murderous ghost.
Roger the Golem's origins are in another book ("Hellboy: Wake the Devil") but the first adventure with him and Hellboy is told here as they investigate a haunted house and a witch who's raising the dead.
Johann Kraus' origin is revealed, though I think they've been told in another book before. How he was separated from his body during a séance and has been disembodied ever since.
It's not a bad book but if you've been reading the BPRD books for a while now, like I have, then you'll be more than familiar with the origins of the characters and won't need this book to remind you of them. New readers on the other hand might find this book a good introduction to the characters before embarking on the series proper. "Being Human" has some decent artwork and stories but isn't the best read of the BPRD I've read.
June 24, 2017
I refuse to believe a boy taught Liz to smoke.
Also, I support southern black witches sending rich white rapists to hell tbh.
Also, I support southern black witches sending rich white rapists to hell tbh.
August 7, 2025
A collection of really good stories.
April 24, 2022
Being Human sort of reintroduces the main characters of Hellboy adds nuances to their traits. Each story drawn by a different artist, perfectly capture the essence of the repsective character.
July 12, 2024
This mostly fills in some background for some of the members of the B.P.R.D. It's interesting if you know the characters, but less so if you aren't invested in them. The characters featured in this collection are Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien, Roger, and Johann Kraus. Of the stories, I felt that the ones that featured Johann Kraus to be the most interesting because it is the origin story of this character.
January 4, 2014
A collection of "early case" stories. The best one focuses on a surly teenage Liz, leaving headquarters for what seems like the first time. Roger's first case is here, and it's better than I had expected it to be. Great ending. Johann's story, on the other hand, was just ok. It's a good thing the other two are great.
June 5, 2018
If you are interested in learning more about the main characters in the B.P.R.D. stories this collection of stories will fill you in nicely. Good tales of the early history of the characters and key events in their lives. Nice read. Recommended
September 15, 2019
A collection of cases for characters in the Hellboy universe. Lizs was the best. The others were hit and miss.
July 17, 2022
Well, what can I say - I goofed. Every now and then one of these collected editions gets published with a new story or something that I missed elsewhere. That was the case with this collection of stories featuring narratives that almost work as "origin" stories for many of the members of B.P.R.D.
The Dead Remembered features an early tale of a young Liz Sherman in a kind of coming of age/first love story, but twisted as only a B.P.R.D. story can be twisted. This is in many ways the best of the stories here, but that has more to do with it's length and how the story has more time to build mood, atmosphere, tension and characterization.
The next story, the shortest, is also the one that I think I hadn't read before now. Casualties is an early story featuring Abe Sapien and Liz. It's good and has some interesting connections to the larger tapestry of B.P.R.D. But it's not the strongest story included here.
Next up is the beautiful title story, Being Human, featuring Hellboy and Roger the Homunculus from the pages of a special one-off issue of Hellboy. The art by Richard Corben is fantastic and tells the story of Roger's first official mission as a member of the B.P.R.D. team. This one really digs into the heart of Hellboy's motivations and allowed a rare glimpse into the xenophobia that confronts many of the field agents.
Closing out the collection is The Ectoplasmic Man which really is an origin story for Johann Kraus. This is a nice little tale that is both creepy and disturbing, offering much of what makes the titles in the Mignolaverse so addictive and entertaining. This was also the story that really endeared Johann to me, as I never seemed to really like him that much before I'd read this one when it was originally published.
The Dead Remembered features an early tale of a young Liz Sherman in a kind of coming of age/first love story, but twisted as only a B.P.R.D. story can be twisted. This is in many ways the best of the stories here, but that has more to do with it's length and how the story has more time to build mood, atmosphere, tension and characterization.
The next story, the shortest, is also the one that I think I hadn't read before now. Casualties is an early story featuring Abe Sapien and Liz. It's good and has some interesting connections to the larger tapestry of B.P.R.D. But it's not the strongest story included here.
Next up is the beautiful title story, Being Human, featuring Hellboy and Roger the Homunculus from the pages of a special one-off issue of Hellboy. The art by Richard Corben is fantastic and tells the story of Roger's first official mission as a member of the B.P.R.D. team. This one really digs into the heart of Hellboy's motivations and allowed a rare glimpse into the xenophobia that confronts many of the field agents.
Closing out the collection is The Ectoplasmic Man which really is an origin story for Johann Kraus. This is a nice little tale that is both creepy and disturbing, offering much of what makes the titles in the Mignolaverse so addictive and entertaining. This was also the story that really endeared Johann to me, as I never seemed to really like him that much before I'd read this one when it was originally published.
December 23, 2011
Normally I like the standalone stories from the Mignola universe even better than the continuing storylines, so I was really looking forward to Being Human, but in spite of having a couple of really nice stories it didn't grab me as much as I'd have expected. "Casualties," the shortest story in the book, felt a lot like filler, and "The Dead Remembered," the longest, didn't do a ton for me, in spite of the fact that I like Professor Bruttenholm and Liz and that Scott Allie was on-board to tackle some subject matter similar to what he'd knocked out of the park on his own The Devil's Footprints.
The title story and "The Ectoplasmic Man" were both more to my taste, with the latter showing some work by Ben Stenbeck, who has rapidly become one of my favorite non-Mignola Mignola artists.
Definitely not a bad book, and a good starting point for a lot of the characters, but also not one of the best of the series, at least for me.
The title story and "The Ectoplasmic Man" were both more to my taste, with the latter showing some work by Ben Stenbeck, who has rapidly become one of my favorite non-Mignola Mignola artists.
Definitely not a bad book, and a good starting point for a lot of the characters, but also not one of the best of the series, at least for me.
October 6, 2015
I see the rating for this book on goodreads and I'm sad. Why? Because this is one of the better collections of short tales for the BPRD.
I like a good action, suspense, supernatural and all the craziness of the BPRD, but I also really really like it when I get to know the characters I'm reading about. Their personal history, their journey, their inner dialog and motivations intrigue me and this is exactly what this collection of tales is, 4 tales that look at key members of the BPRD, and it's fantastic!
World: The art is great as usual, offering the weird and stylized art that I love so much about the BPRD so I won't go into it. What I will go into is the wonderful world building in terms of characters, but that is also for the characters section, so what can I say here about the book? The locales were interesting and the myth and lore that were told here are unique so yeah it's good world building, but mostly for background and to serve the story.
Story: 4 stories are found here and each serve a wonderful character purpose. I won't go into depth for each of them but they each offer a look at a different character that's what's so good about this trade. With the frogs and demons and villains and the end of the world going on in the BPRD book, sometimes I like it when we get to just go on a simple case that is there to dive deeper into a main characters. Nothing much to say here as I don't want to spoil it but yeah the character stories are great.
Characters: Roger, Abe, Liz and Johanne each get a tale and it's a wonderful thing. Each of them being what they are and the consequences of what they do are interesting. It's their internal struggles, demons and doubts that are on full display here with the story merely acting as a catalyst for these introspective tales. Liz forever haunted with her past, Abe with his doubts after "The Drowning" both are similar but offer a glimpse of how they cope and how they support each other as team members. Roger's tale is a tale of humanity and what it means to be human, and having HB along is wonderful as they also mirror each other in their origin tales. The last tale starring Johanne is an interesting study of him and his motivations, it sort of works as an origin story on how he ended up in the BPRD but more so shows you the man that he is. All these tales as I've said offer a deeper glimpse into these strange odd people who are a team and are doing a job that most of the time is just unsavory.
This book is full of great character moments that are not to be missed. Sure, there are no huge story reveals and the grand arc is not touched upon, but diving deeper into these characters makes for much better reading when the bullets start flying and the monsters coming a killin!
Onward to the next book!
I like a good action, suspense, supernatural and all the craziness of the BPRD, but I also really really like it when I get to know the characters I'm reading about. Their personal history, their journey, their inner dialog and motivations intrigue me and this is exactly what this collection of tales is, 4 tales that look at key members of the BPRD, and it's fantastic!
World: The art is great as usual, offering the weird and stylized art that I love so much about the BPRD so I won't go into it. What I will go into is the wonderful world building in terms of characters, but that is also for the characters section, so what can I say here about the book? The locales were interesting and the myth and lore that were told here are unique so yeah it's good world building, but mostly for background and to serve the story.
Story: 4 stories are found here and each serve a wonderful character purpose. I won't go into depth for each of them but they each offer a look at a different character that's what's so good about this trade. With the frogs and demons and villains and the end of the world going on in the BPRD book, sometimes I like it when we get to just go on a simple case that is there to dive deeper into a main characters. Nothing much to say here as I don't want to spoil it but yeah the character stories are great.
Characters: Roger, Abe, Liz and Johanne each get a tale and it's a wonderful thing. Each of them being what they are and the consequences of what they do are interesting. It's their internal struggles, demons and doubts that are on full display here with the story merely acting as a catalyst for these introspective tales. Liz forever haunted with her past, Abe with his doubts after "The Drowning" both are similar but offer a glimpse of how they cope and how they support each other as team members. Roger's tale is a tale of humanity and what it means to be human, and having HB along is wonderful as they also mirror each other in their origin tales. The last tale starring Johanne is an interesting study of him and his motivations, it sort of works as an origin story on how he ended up in the BPRD but more so shows you the man that he is. All these tales as I've said offer a deeper glimpse into these strange odd people who are a team and are doing a job that most of the time is just unsavory.
This book is full of great character moments that are not to be missed. Sure, there are no huge story reveals and the grand arc is not touched upon, but diving deeper into these characters makes for much better reading when the bullets start flying and the monsters coming a killin!
Onward to the next book!
November 11, 2011
ARC provided by NetGally
I always enjoy reading more in the Hellboy universe and this volume gives us some of the answers that we’ve always wondered...how did the characters, outside of Hellboy, get their start? This volume lets us get a glimpse into Liz’s past in “The Dead Remembered” and shows the role Hellboy played in getting her to step out into the world after her tragic past. We also get to see the story of how Johann Krauss became separated from his body and how he conquers his first villain. It’s a great collection and I really enjoy the insight it provides into the characters lives.
One of the things I enjoy most about the Hellboy universe is that even though they all work of Mignola’s original design, the artists always bring their own unique twists and talents to the world and this collection is no exception. I love seeing how they capture the characters in watercolors, pen and ink, and the other mediums and the unique elements they provide to the characters. My favorite artwork in this collection is from Liz’s story. The way they capture the characters emotions and movements so deftly as Liz discovers who she is and what she’s really capable of. Just beautiful to see.
A great collection and I highly recommend it to any fan of Hellboy.
I always enjoy reading more in the Hellboy universe and this volume gives us some of the answers that we’ve always wondered...how did the characters, outside of Hellboy, get their start? This volume lets us get a glimpse into Liz’s past in “The Dead Remembered” and shows the role Hellboy played in getting her to step out into the world after her tragic past. We also get to see the story of how Johann Krauss became separated from his body and how he conquers his first villain. It’s a great collection and I really enjoy the insight it provides into the characters lives.
One of the things I enjoy most about the Hellboy universe is that even though they all work of Mignola’s original design, the artists always bring their own unique twists and talents to the world and this collection is no exception. I love seeing how they capture the characters in watercolors, pen and ink, and the other mediums and the unique elements they provide to the characters. My favorite artwork in this collection is from Liz’s story. The way they capture the characters emotions and movements so deftly as Liz discovers who she is and what she’s really capable of. Just beautiful to see.
A great collection and I highly recommend it to any fan of Hellboy.
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August 25, 2012
A very uneven collection focused on the characters' pasts and serving as a palate cleanser between the conclusion of the "Plague of Frogs" storyline and the new "Hell on Earth" storyline.
The story about Liz depicts her as an obnoxious "troubled teen" cliche, and the story itself somehow manages to feel both shallow and cluttered. It's certainly vague in the execution and the twist at the conclusion is telegraphed from page one.
The story about Abe is...non-existent. Whatever the cover might claim, there is no real story about Abe here; it's about four pages of nothing, with as much - if not more - focus on Liz whining (again) as on Abe.
The story about Roger is actually great, with a return to the thoughtful, philosophical Roger we all knew and loved before Arcudi & gang decided he needed to be written as a childlike buffoon who hero-worshipped Hellboy.
The story about Johann Kraus is also great, finally exploring how Kraus wound up disembodied and how he came to work with the B.P.R.D. It also hints at his first (solo) mission.
Overall the volume has a couple of highlights, but i'd recommend it only to true fans and completists. It felt, ultimately, unnecessary.
The story about Liz depicts her as an obnoxious "troubled teen" cliche, and the story itself somehow manages to feel both shallow and cluttered. It's certainly vague in the execution and the twist at the conclusion is telegraphed from page one.
The story about Abe is...non-existent. Whatever the cover might claim, there is no real story about Abe here; it's about four pages of nothing, with as much - if not more - focus on Liz whining (again) as on Abe.
The story about Roger is actually great, with a return to the thoughtful, philosophical Roger we all knew and loved before Arcudi & gang decided he needed to be written as a childlike buffoon who hero-worshipped Hellboy.
The story about Johann Kraus is also great, finally exploring how Kraus wound up disembodied and how he came to work with the B.P.R.D. It also hints at his first (solo) mission.
Overall the volume has a couple of highlights, but i'd recommend it only to true fans and completists. It felt, ultimately, unnecessary.
July 5, 2024
This is an interesting collection of stories - focusing on various members of BPRD and their own experiences of "being human".
There are some great stories here across the lives and times of some of the pivotal characters. True there is nothing earth shattering here, rather it gives them I feel at least great depth. After all they are all different to the rest of us - and yet face the same challenges. Why should they not also have to face them.
I think what I love about the whole hellboy / BRPD universe is how they can shift from the utterly bizarre to the totally mundane and yet make each and everyone one of them fascinating.
There are some great stories here across the lives and times of some of the pivotal characters. True there is nothing earth shattering here, rather it gives them I feel at least great depth. After all they are all different to the rest of us - and yet face the same challenges. Why should they not also have to face them.
I think what I love about the whole hellboy / BRPD universe is how they can shift from the utterly bizarre to the totally mundane and yet make each and everyone one of them fascinating.
January 23, 2012
A compilation of several BRPD/Hellbot shorts that have been recently publish as one-shots or mini-series. Mike Mignola, on his own and with regular series contributor John Arcudi, really try to establish that Liz Sheman, Johann and Roger are more human than many of those that they save. While they arguably succeed with Roger and Johann, they really don;t pull it off with Liz. They want us to feel empathy with her, and her fears about her abilities but they didn't quite hit the mark for me.
February 13, 2017
This is an ok collection, it's interesting to learn a bit more about the characters, although the stories aren't up to the usual BPRD standards. The art is also pretty average apart from that by Ben Stenbeck, who I've found to be a very consistent and skilled artist.
November 22, 2015
A pretty good collection of stories about Liz, Roger and Johann. Good addition to the BPRD canon.
July 9, 2020
Боги, скільки ж філлерів у цьому всесвіті. Найдурніше те, що кожен з них може виявитися важливим у подальшому
Саме ці новели були непогані, що за артами, то і за сюжетом. Та - філерними. Радію, що далі знов, нарешті, том з основної серії
Саме ці новели були непогані, що за артами, то і за сюжетом. Та - філерними. Радію, що далі знов, нарешті, том з основної серії
July 10, 2018
Another collection of dissapointing, dispensable short stories... Mignola does a disservice to his fans by making them pay for this load of uninspired rubbish.
November 21, 2011
From: Dark Horse Comics
Via: NetGalley.com
I've been following Mike Mignola's works ever since I read the first volume of Hellboy a few months ago. Since then, I've read quite a lot of his works that I could get my hands on but, I read the Hellboy series in order of their stories so this is actually the first time I read any B.P.R.D. book/ issue by Mignola.
Well, it was good that the first volume I read of the B.P.R.D. are origin stories of some of its key members. I love origin stories because they always keep me on the loop with the characters of the story. Anyways, the writing style is a trademark Mike Mignola, Easy to understand and fast paced. The illustrations also compliments the narrative quite perfectly.
The only thing I didn't like about this volume was the Abe Sapien part entitled "Casualties" it was so short and is quite out of place for me in the theme of the volume.
All in all, it's a must read for anyone who wants to get into reading Mignola's works.
Via: NetGalley.com
I've been following Mike Mignola's works ever since I read the first volume of Hellboy a few months ago. Since then, I've read quite a lot of his works that I could get my hands on but, I read the Hellboy series in order of their stories so this is actually the first time I read any B.P.R.D. book/ issue by Mignola.
Well, it was good that the first volume I read of the B.P.R.D. are origin stories of some of its key members. I love origin stories because they always keep me on the loop with the characters of the story. Anyways, the writing style is a trademark Mike Mignola, Easy to understand and fast paced. The illustrations also compliments the narrative quite perfectly.
The only thing I didn't like about this volume was the Abe Sapien part entitled "Casualties" it was so short and is quite out of place for me in the theme of the volume.
All in all, it's a must read for anyone who wants to get into reading Mignola's works.
June 25, 2020
A collection of 4 stories, about how "human" the characters are in the BPRD. Features a story about Hellboy too.
I had some expectations, not high ones. These stories were one shot okay stories. None of them were as "good" as the war of frogs. Not that it requires length in order to get a reader to connect with the characters, it is more a matter of how they are characterized in the comic. Of the 5 stores only the last one, that depicts Johann's origins, had any emotional impact, and I credit the great John Arcudi with that.
Even that great story was unable to lift the entire collection up from the average 3* meh! rating.
I had some expectations, not high ones. These stories were one shot okay stories. None of them were as "good" as the war of frogs. Not that it requires length in order to get a reader to connect with the characters, it is more a matter of how they are characterized in the comic. Of the 5 stores only the last one, that depicts Johann's origins, had any emotional impact, and I credit the great John Arcudi with that.
Even that great story was unable to lift the entire collection up from the average 3* meh! rating.
February 15, 2019
Being Human collects a series of origin stories, early adventures, and standalone tales featuring the core members of the BPRD. It's a nice reprieve from the series proper's continually escalating stakes.
The stories are all fairly good and come from Hellboy universe staples like John Arcudi, Scott Allie, Guy Davis, Richard Corben, and a few others.
Being an anthology that takes place at different points in time from the current BPRD series, it's hard to say it's quite as engaging, but it's a good collection and I'd recommend it for any fan of Hellboy and BPRD.
The stories are all fairly good and come from Hellboy universe staples like John Arcudi, Scott Allie, Guy Davis, Richard Corben, and a few others.
Being an anthology that takes place at different points in time from the current BPRD series, it's hard to say it's quite as engaging, but it's a good collection and I'd recommend it for any fan of Hellboy and BPRD.
December 22, 2021
(4,1 of 5 for the contemplation about humanity for BPRD characters)
The idea of this compilation is to question the borders and means of humanity for BPRD characters. The stories are good, the art too - one of my more favourite mignolaverse artists are present. I only have a problem with Liz. Roger, Abe probably Klaus, they fit in the theme. But the issue with Liz is somewhere else and after previous stories here it felt that the main theme derailed a bit. I think Roger and Klaus would deserve, in this book, that space that Liz took for herself. And it's quite a chunk of it.
The idea of this compilation is to question the borders and means of humanity for BPRD characters. The stories are good, the art too - one of my more favourite mignolaverse artists are present. I only have a problem with Liz. Roger, Abe probably Klaus, they fit in the theme. But the issue with Liz is somewhere else and after previous stories here it felt that the main theme derailed a bit. I think Roger and Klaus would deserve, in this book, that space that Liz took for herself. And it's quite a chunk of it.
November 8, 2022
Somehow missed this on my journey through the BPRD stuff last year. I basically already knew everything in here from the rest of the BPRD books, but it's nice to see the old gang again. And there's a Corben joint!
June 9, 2016
It's an okay collection. Liz's story is a bit flat, but I really liked The Ectoplasmic Man.
April 14, 2021
This was really good. Definitely worth a read at least. It's one of the better short story collections out there. Though none here were absolutely must-read, all of them were definitely above 'just good'.
Ranking the stories:
1. The Dead Remembered
Maybe because it's the longest story here, the characters really get time to breathe. The Liz romance is sweet though not particularly touching. I have never related or felt Liz's angst in the stories honestly. I know I should feel something, but the writing never gets through to me. The ghost plot is really interesting and the question of who's the victim and what is wrong is kind of grey here which I liked a lot. The ending of the plot is just way too dumbed down and average tho for me to really recommend it. The last punch was missing here. Still I enjoyed the journey and the art is really good.
2. Being Human
This is a story I'm really conflicted on. Richard Corben does the art here and I truly believe him to have the best Hellboy run of all. The mood is great here and the themes are amazing. It also has a very good twist and it's very fun to read because like idk Corben and Mignola gel like no one else really does in this universe. The problem here is the ending. I really side with the villain here. What Roger does here may in theory neatly tie a bow and end the story but I mean, it's not the right thing. Yes it gives the story way more grey but the implications? I really have no sympathy for white rapists. Let them fucking burn in hell. It left an immoral taste in my mouth and so this is short of just great. The message of grey and all doesn't cut through here.
3. Ectoplasmic Man
Great revenge story, short and sweet. I love these short ones but hey let's be honest no one reads these TPBs for these. These are good but thank god they are short and lead the stage for better stories.
4. Casualties
This one too is actually really good. It's more philosophical and kind of an interlude and I AM ALWAYS glad to see the BPRD team. They grew a lot on me during the run and I so want to read more by them.
I know I know. I said all the stories are good then how do I only give this a 3 star. Well it doesn't leave that "What a good time" after taste in me. I'm conflicted and if atleast any one of these stories was perfect, this would easily be a 4 star. But they are not, yeah.
Ranking the stories:
1. The Dead Remembered
Maybe because it's the longest story here, the characters really get time to breathe. The Liz romance is sweet though not particularly touching. I have never related or felt Liz's angst in the stories honestly. I know I should feel something, but the writing never gets through to me. The ghost plot is really interesting and the question of who's the victim and what is wrong is kind of grey here which I liked a lot. The ending of the plot is just way too dumbed down and average tho for me to really recommend it. The last punch was missing here. Still I enjoyed the journey and the art is really good.
2. Being Human
This is a story I'm really conflicted on. Richard Corben does the art here and I truly believe him to have the best Hellboy run of all. The mood is great here and the themes are amazing. It also has a very good twist and it's very fun to read because like idk Corben and Mignola gel like no one else really does in this universe. The problem here is the ending. I really side with the villain here. What Roger does here may in theory neatly tie a bow and end the story but I mean, it's not the right thing. Yes it gives the story way more grey but the implications? I really have no sympathy for white rapists. Let them fucking burn in hell. It left an immoral taste in my mouth and so this is short of just great. The message of grey and all doesn't cut through here.
3. Ectoplasmic Man
Great revenge story, short and sweet. I love these short ones but hey let's be honest no one reads these TPBs for these. These are good but thank god they are short and lead the stage for better stories.
4. Casualties
This one too is actually really good. It's more philosophical and kind of an interlude and I AM ALWAYS glad to see the BPRD team. They grew a lot on me during the run and I so want to read more by them.
I know I know. I said all the stories are good then how do I only give this a 3 star. Well it doesn't leave that "What a good time" after taste in me. I'm conflicted and if atleast any one of these stories was perfect, this would easily be a 4 star. But they are not, yeah.
Read
July 5, 2020The Dead Remebered. In 1976, Professor Bruttenholm takes Liz Sherman to Massachusetts where a ghost has been haunting his pastor friend’s new home. This is above all a character study of Liz, who is very young here and still unable to fully control her pyrokinetic abilities. Mignola does a great job moving the story along while focusing on Liz and where she’s at during this period in her life. It’s a welcome spotlight on one of my favorite B.P.R.D. characters, with a cool witchcraft plot to boot. Probably the best story in the book.
Casualties. A brief story about Abe and Liz reflecting on their lots in life and that of non-powered B.P.R.D. agents. This is more a sketch than anything else, but it’s a nice contrast to the previous story, showing how Liz has made some sort of peace with herself several years later.
Being Human. First off, Richard Corben’s art is so good. He’s done some other Hellboy stories and I always get excited when I see his name in the credits. This particular story is a good one, focusing on Hellboy bringing Roger out for his first case. Roger is forced to make some difficult, life-or-death decisions on the trip as Hellboy counsels him.
The Ectoplasmic Man. Johann’s origin and first “case.” I love this story for how the newly dead Johann retains his humanity and goodness. Unlike Liz and Roger, he doesn’t need much guidance from Hellboy and Bruttenholm, as he already has control over his abilities. The villain in this story is pretty wacky and Ben Stenbeck provers some dynamic art. I really like how he visualizes Johann.
This is a very solid, character driven collection of stories about Liz, Roger, and Johann in their early years. Don’t overlook it.
Casualties. A brief story about Abe and Liz reflecting on their lots in life and that of non-powered B.P.R.D. agents. This is more a sketch than anything else, but it’s a nice contrast to the previous story, showing how Liz has made some sort of peace with herself several years later.
Being Human. First off, Richard Corben’s art is so good. He’s done some other Hellboy stories and I always get excited when I see his name in the credits. This particular story is a good one, focusing on Hellboy bringing Roger out for his first case. Roger is forced to make some difficult, life-or-death decisions on the trip as Hellboy counsels him.
The Ectoplasmic Man. Johann’s origin and first “case.” I love this story for how the newly dead Johann retains his humanity and goodness. Unlike Liz and Roger, he doesn’t need much guidance from Hellboy and Bruttenholm, as he already has control over his abilities. The villain in this story is pretty wacky and Ben Stenbeck provers some dynamic art. I really like how he visualizes Johann.
This is a very solid, character driven collection of stories about Liz, Roger, and Johann in their early years. Don’t overlook it.
April 26, 2024
This is a mixed bag of stories about the early days of the members of the team, which finishes a lot stronger than it starts.
Liz's story is, sadly, the longest of the bunch, and simultaneously manages to come across as sermonizing, while also being a heavy-handed condemnation of religious fanaticism. It works about as well as you'd expect, and has the added misfortune of featuring the worst art of this collection (each story has a different artist).
Abe Sapien gets done dirty, with a chapter measuring a scant 8 pages, which relies heavily on references to an external story. And really, all this tale boils down to is, agents like Abe and Liz might have skeletons in their closets, but the people who truly suffer are the ones who end up as collateral damage. It's...pretty lackluster.
Roger, the homunculus, has a stronger showing, and his chapter really brings out the "being human" aspect of this TPB. It's a story about overcoming uncertainty, and rising to the challenge when you're the only person who can. Probably my favorite of the four tales here.
And finally, we see Johann struggling with survivor's guilt (for lack of a better term), after getting people who trusted him at a seance killed. Worse than killed, really. But there's a decent enough redemption arc for him, along with what I think is the best art in the book.
It's been awhile since I read any B.P.R.D., and I thought I'd whet my whistle with this standalone collection, before diving back in. And while it isn't bad, there are certainly better adventures featuring this endearing bunch of weirdos.
Liz's story is, sadly, the longest of the bunch, and simultaneously manages to come across as sermonizing, while also being a heavy-handed condemnation of religious fanaticism. It works about as well as you'd expect, and has the added misfortune of featuring the worst art of this collection (each story has a different artist).
Abe Sapien gets done dirty, with a chapter measuring a scant 8 pages, which relies heavily on references to an external story. And really, all this tale boils down to is, agents like Abe and Liz might have skeletons in their closets, but the people who truly suffer are the ones who end up as collateral damage. It's...pretty lackluster.
Roger, the homunculus, has a stronger showing, and his chapter really brings out the "being human" aspect of this TPB. It's a story about overcoming uncertainty, and rising to the challenge when you're the only person who can. Probably my favorite of the four tales here.
And finally, we see Johann struggling with survivor's guilt (for lack of a better term), after getting people who trusted him at a seance killed. Worse than killed, really. But there's a decent enough redemption arc for him, along with what I think is the best art in the book.
It's been awhile since I read any B.P.R.D., and I thought I'd whet my whistle with this standalone collection, before diving back in. And while it isn't bad, there are certainly better adventures featuring this endearing bunch of weirdos.
July 18, 2023
SKIP IT!! utterly pointless book. The longest story "The Dead Remembered" is absolutely terrible. It's just Liz being an annoying angsty teen for like 65 pages and that's it. She doesn't learn anything except "Be more trusting of men who lie to you, don't support you, blame you for things that aren't your fault and actively put you in harms way" that's definitely the guy that she should kiss at the end. Definitely the kind of thing the teenage audience of this book should be learning and the fact that it's written by a real life sex pest makes it 100x more disgusting.
"Causalities" and "The Ectoplasmic Man" are... Fine, they're perfectly serviceable. "Causalities" is basically just a prologue to "The Pickens County Horror" (why it wasn't collected in that tbp, or at least in that omnibus? I have no idea)
"The Ectoplasmic Man" is just another Johann story, if you somehow don't have enough of those after the main books then you can read this, it's harmless.
"Being Human" is the only worthwhile story in this book, I love Rodger, but it's already collected in the Hellboy Omnibus volume 2 so I'll say it again. SKIP THIS BOOK!!
"Causalities" and "The Ectoplasmic Man" are... Fine, they're perfectly serviceable. "Causalities" is basically just a prologue to "The Pickens County Horror" (why it wasn't collected in that tbp, or at least in that omnibus? I have no idea)
"The Ectoplasmic Man" is just another Johann story, if you somehow don't have enough of those after the main books then you can read this, it's harmless.
"Being Human" is the only worthwhile story in this book, I love Rodger, but it's already collected in the Hellboy Omnibus volume 2 so I'll say it again. SKIP THIS BOOK!!
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