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B.P.R.D.
B.P.R.D., Vol. 7: Garden of Souls
Abe Sapien follows a strange clue to the jungles of Indonesia and a secret society with connections to his past life during the American Civil War. Meanwhile, Liz's apocalyptic visions have begun to escalate, and Johann makes a startling discovery about a member of the Bureau.
Written by John Arcudi and Hellboy and B.P.R.D. creator Mike Mignola, and drawn by Guy Davis, Garden of Souls offers a window into the bizarre backstory of Abe Sapien and his colleagues in the mysterious Oannes Society-complete with Victorian cyborgs, doomsday devices, and a very well preserved mummy.
Written by John Arcudi and Hellboy and B.P.R.D. creator Mike Mignola, and drawn by Guy Davis, Garden of Souls offers a window into the bizarre backstory of Abe Sapien and his colleagues in the mysterious Oannes Society-complete with Victorian cyborgs, doomsday devices, and a very well preserved mummy.
146 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
9 people are currently reading
378 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,872 books2,511 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 77 reviews
April 4, 2019
Finally, Abe goes back to being a badass. He's been moping around for the last few volumes, ever since he went to Rhode Island and met his wife's ghost. We finally get Abe's origins and it snaps him out of his funk. I love the tropical setting. It allowed for guy Davis to branch out from his typical monsters. The steampunk suits and bombs are nifty too. Plus, Panya gets introduced. This book is so good when we step away from the frog war!
January 9, 2016
Abe discovers just how insane his past was when he’s drawn to a remote Indonesian island with Daimio in tow. Victorian England, living Egyptian mummies, steampunk robots, a monster island, and a fiendish and utterly deranged plot to save the world through destruction and living Hyperborean vessels - oy, what an awesome comic!
Garden of Souls is right up there with The Universal Machine and 1946 as among the finest books in the BPRD series. The storyline begins in 1859 England where a mummy from Thebes is being unrolled and we see Langdon Caul, the man Abe Sapien used to be, to then jumping to 2006 where we see this even more bizarre Island of Doctor Moreau, and somehow it all fits together seamlessly into one rollercoaster of a read!
While most of this book is about revealing Abe’s bonkers past, writers Mike Mignola and John Arcudi hold the reader’s attention throughout with interesting storylines for the other characters too. Daimio’s haunted by a creepy talking monkey in a jar before he joins Abe in Indonesia to help save the world; Johann’s uncovering clues with lobster claws on them in the BPRD HQ’s basement as well as secrets of Daimio’s family; there’s an unsettling little girl with weird eyes being followed by cats; Liz is shown nightmarish visions of a Lovecraftian future; there’s so much great material in this single volume and it’s so well-balanced!
I suppose this book is part of the overall Plague of Frogs storyline, if only for Liz’s scenes, but Garden of Souls barely touches on any of that nonsense which is a big reason for why I enjoyed this one so much. Look how good BPRD can be when they’re not faffing about with the Frogs bullshit!
I didn’t realise that I had no idea of Panya’s origins until I read this (to be fair, there are a LOT of oddballs in the cast and it’s tricky to keep up with all their stories!) but I really liked it and it totally explains, and adds a layer to, her appearance and the pet who’s always hanging out with her.
Guy Davis’ art was good in this one - I liked how the tropical setting made him draw something besides shadowy ruins and other Mignolaverse staples. Some images like the wonderfully gothic Victorian house in the jungle and the weirdly expressive steampunk robots were outstanding. Ditto Dave Stewart’s colours (as always) who gave the book a very attractive glow you wouldn’t expect to see in a horror comic.
Garden of Souls is superb - an excellent and genuinely exciting story that also really pays off Abe’s origins that the writers have been teasing for several books up to this point. This is basically an Abe Sapien comic and if you like the character you’ll love that he has some brilliant scenes here. A fun, inventive, compelling read, Garden of Souls is easily one of the highlights from this series. If only more BPRD comics were even half this good!
Garden of Souls is right up there with The Universal Machine and 1946 as among the finest books in the BPRD series. The storyline begins in 1859 England where a mummy from Thebes is being unrolled and we see Langdon Caul, the man Abe Sapien used to be, to then jumping to 2006 where we see this even more bizarre Island of Doctor Moreau, and somehow it all fits together seamlessly into one rollercoaster of a read!
While most of this book is about revealing Abe’s bonkers past, writers Mike Mignola and John Arcudi hold the reader’s attention throughout with interesting storylines for the other characters too. Daimio’s haunted by a creepy talking monkey in a jar before he joins Abe in Indonesia to help save the world; Johann’s uncovering clues with lobster claws on them in the BPRD HQ’s basement as well as secrets of Daimio’s family; there’s an unsettling little girl with weird eyes being followed by cats; Liz is shown nightmarish visions of a Lovecraftian future; there’s so much great material in this single volume and it’s so well-balanced!
I suppose this book is part of the overall Plague of Frogs storyline, if only for Liz’s scenes, but Garden of Souls barely touches on any of that nonsense which is a big reason for why I enjoyed this one so much. Look how good BPRD can be when they’re not faffing about with the Frogs bullshit!
I didn’t realise that I had no idea of Panya’s origins until I read this (to be fair, there are a LOT of oddballs in the cast and it’s tricky to keep up with all their stories!) but I really liked it and it totally explains, and adds a layer to, her appearance and the pet who’s always hanging out with her.
Guy Davis’ art was good in this one - I liked how the tropical setting made him draw something besides shadowy ruins and other Mignolaverse staples. Some images like the wonderfully gothic Victorian house in the jungle and the weirdly expressive steampunk robots were outstanding. Ditto Dave Stewart’s colours (as always) who gave the book a very attractive glow you wouldn’t expect to see in a horror comic.
Garden of Souls is superb - an excellent and genuinely exciting story that also really pays off Abe’s origins that the writers have been teasing for several books up to this point. This is basically an Abe Sapien comic and if you like the character you’ll love that he has some brilliant scenes here. A fun, inventive, compelling read, Garden of Souls is easily one of the highlights from this series. If only more BPRD comics were even half this good!
October 27, 2017
Garden of Souls is yet another phenomenal BPRD volume in which Abe's origin story is finally revealed. It's been teased for a while now, but I bet nobody could even imagine how crazy it actually is — it involves an ancient mummy with psychic abilities, several victorian secret societies and an island of living steampunk diving suits, among other things! And we also learn a bit more about Daimio, while Liz gets some haunting visions of the future.
In this volume, John Arcudi and Mike Mignola reach the level of imagination that rivals anything Grant Morrison ever did, without losing any of the storytelling or narrative cohesiveness (see, kids, you don't have to be insane and on drugs to create cool shit!). This volume is just so perfectly structured and so well-paced, and all of the crazy parts actually work both on their own and in the context of the bigger picture.
After Hellboy, Abe Sapien is arguably Mignola's best creation, so a book that focuses so heavily on his history is more than welcome. I'm happy to say that this volume does the character justice — Garden of Souls is awesome!
First read: November 13, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 27, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★
In this volume, John Arcudi and Mike Mignola reach the level of imagination that rivals anything Grant Morrison ever did, without losing any of the storytelling or narrative cohesiveness (see, kids, you don't have to be insane and on drugs to create cool shit!). This volume is just so perfectly structured and so well-paced, and all of the crazy parts actually work both on their own and in the context of the bigger picture.
After Hellboy, Abe Sapien is arguably Mignola's best creation, so a book that focuses so heavily on his history is more than welcome. I'm happy to say that this volume does the character justice — Garden of Souls is awesome!
First read: November 13, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 27, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★
March 17, 2025
Great volune!
July 21, 2015
Oh Caul, your story be so good!
After over 30 issues of teasing Abe and his origins, getting glimpses of it at Rhode Island and flashbacks, we finally get the biggest chunk of Abe/Caul story since he arrived on the scene in Seed of Destruction. Man the wait was worth it!
World: Guy Davis art, perfect and gorgeous in every way. The world building this time around takes a huge chunk of the story, this is the story of Abe/Caul and we finally see his transformation and what happened to him. There is large chunks of character developments here, but also an introduction to a new character, and expanding of the world through the Oannes Society. It's steampunky, it's odd, the art is amazing, the world if fucking amazing!
Story: Superb! The Abe story is strong, but the other side of the story with Daimo is also very interesting and allows for a bigger scope than a personal history tale about Abe/Caul. I liked the framing of the two stories in tandem making it much more exciting and riveting. We finally see where Abe comes from and it's a wonderful thing. Additionally the introduction of Panya was great and her background which started this tale offers wonderful parallels to Abe making it much more meaningful.
Characters: Large chunks of Abe characterization and it's wonderful. He's been moping around for a while now (since Rhode Island) and this arc simply is made to deal with him. It's a great arc and shows us the man Caul was and the person Abe is. It's great. Panya is here! She's a fun character and the time spent introducing her origins made for a great parallel to Abe. I can't wait where the team goes with this new addition.
Another strong arc with one of my favorite characters in comics. It's deceptively deep, a fun story, an interesting world, oh and the art is fucking fantastic.
Onward to the next book!
After over 30 issues of teasing Abe and his origins, getting glimpses of it at Rhode Island and flashbacks, we finally get the biggest chunk of Abe/Caul story since he arrived on the scene in Seed of Destruction. Man the wait was worth it!
World: Guy Davis art, perfect and gorgeous in every way. The world building this time around takes a huge chunk of the story, this is the story of Abe/Caul and we finally see his transformation and what happened to him. There is large chunks of character developments here, but also an introduction to a new character, and expanding of the world through the Oannes Society. It's steampunky, it's odd, the art is amazing, the world if fucking amazing!
Story: Superb! The Abe story is strong, but the other side of the story with Daimo is also very interesting and allows for a bigger scope than a personal history tale about Abe/Caul. I liked the framing of the two stories in tandem making it much more exciting and riveting. We finally see where Abe comes from and it's a wonderful thing. Additionally the introduction of Panya was great and her background which started this tale offers wonderful parallels to Abe making it much more meaningful.
Characters: Large chunks of Abe characterization and it's wonderful. He's been moping around for a while now (since Rhode Island) and this arc simply is made to deal with him. It's a great arc and shows us the man Caul was and the person Abe is. It's great. Panya is here! She's a fun character and the time spent introducing her origins made for a great parallel to Abe. I can't wait where the team goes with this new addition.
Another strong arc with one of my favorite characters in comics. It's deceptively deep, a fun story, an interesting world, oh and the art is fucking fantastic.
Onward to the next book!
December 16, 2018
Getting Abe out of the groove he'd been stuck in for the past few volumes, and doing it with a telepathic mummy and secret Victorian scientist societies and old diving suit robots and Übermensch fascism getting its head hacked off again--as it should. Up there with The Dead as one of the stronger volumes of the B.P.R.D.
September 4, 2021
One of the finest volumes of the series so far.
We get to dive deeper into the crazy origin of Abe Sapien. There are so many tense moments which put the readers at the edge of their seats. For breaks, we get many character interactions, which I thought, were very interesting and developed the characters further.
Guy Davis' art is amazing throughout the volume and complements the series a lot.
4.5/5 stars.
We get to dive deeper into the crazy origin of Abe Sapien. There are so many tense moments which put the readers at the edge of their seats. For breaks, we get many character interactions, which I thought, were very interesting and developed the characters further.
Guy Davis' art is amazing throughout the volume and complements the series a lot.
4.5/5 stars.
December 29, 2013
Garden of Souls offers a little more insight into Abe's life before he was Abe. I didn't expect steampunky robots and a telekinetic mummy. I can't help but feel that there's still more in Abe's past, that we may or may not get to. Either way, I think I'll be happy. I've been fascinated with the little bits that have been slowly revealed, and while I'd like to see more, I don't feel like information is being withheld in a haphazard way.
July 8, 2019
Another excellent story with Abe and the B.P.R.D. Most of the story followed Abe as he once again "discovered" more of his past without actually giving away details. Even with this slight frustration it was nice to have a good Abe story where he was trying to do something and not just walking about.
Oh, old timey Victorian era mystics/scientists are sooooo creepy. Talk about Island of Dr Moreau just for a few scary background images.
Oh, old timey Victorian era mystics/scientists are sooooo creepy. Talk about Island of Dr Moreau just for a few scary background images.
October 29, 2020
Another brilliant volume, Garden of Souls and The Dead are my favorites so far, the B.P.R.D. series have been vastly superior to Hellboy, which episodic nature drove me off of it.
September 12, 2017
Another solid entry and one of my favourite books. Mignola must have a bible of knowledge on these occults and backgrounds of these characters. I'm a little worried about finishing this series as I don't have the hell on earth series available to complete the storyline.
This book matches the great work done in the other collection and the key to these books is the character moments. We learn more about Abe and the intricate creation of his character and it's interesting to see this is a series about self discovery. I didn't find Hellboy to be all that interesting, I do like the books but as a character he didn't have the complexity these guys do.
I'm back into the series and I hope it stays at this depth for the remaining issues.
This book matches the great work done in the other collection and the key to these books is the character moments. We learn more about Abe and the intricate creation of his character and it's interesting to see this is a series about self discovery. I didn't find Hellboy to be all that interesting, I do like the books but as a character he didn't have the complexity these guys do.
I'm back into the series and I hope it stays at this depth for the remaining issues.
November 30, 2008
Mike Mignola is somehow able to tell a dark story with occult rituals and limb-severing violence but give it the innocent charm of a TinTin comic. He doesn't usually let us in to the minds of the primary characters in Garden of Souls, but he endears us to them by portraying with no grandiosity whatsoever - just a self-destructive dedication to ridding the world of evil. The story is well paced, and gave me the same quality of pleasure as watching an episode of a good television series.
October 23, 2020
Esta es mi primera inclusión en la serie de la AIDP, del universo de Hellboy, y he quedado encantado. Este volumen se centra en la búsqueda del pasado de Abe Sapien, el simpático hombre-pez, para los que hayan visto las películas. Al ser parte de una saga mucho mayor, me ha dejado con muchas preguntas que intentaré resolver en el futuro.
April 2, 2008
I like BPRD, I like Mignola, I like Davis, I like telepathic mummies bent on revenge, I like Victorian whithered husks in steampunk robot suits, this collection is pure awesome.
October 3, 2017
Abe Sapien finally learns the full details of his origin. I loved the steampunk bioshock look of the villains in this book. Guy Davis’ art is stunning as usual
April 16, 2018
Awesome! When imagination goes wild and still makes perfect sense.
March 14, 2019
Нам повністю (майже) розписали передісторію Ейба, із якою мурижили вже п’ять волумів. Із рештою сьома частина порожня. Зовім. Що за екшоном, що за розвитком, за всім.
March 25, 2011
This is probably my very favorite installment (so far) in the B.P.R.D. series. The focus is entirely on Abe Sapien (with Captain Daimio getting a little bit of peripheral action) and making peace with the discovery of his past life as Victorian era gentleman. While set in the present era, the overall feeling of this piece is saturated with steampunk overtones, with strange little diving bell robot bodies, mutant (but mostly harmless) animals, jungles, a kind psychic mummy woman, and of course a bunch of old men hellbent on world domination (what else?)
This is a wonderful chapter in the series, and a wonderful stop on Abe's continuing character journey, finally snapping him out of his stupor and allowing him enough redemption and badassery to put him just a few notches below Red himself.
Mignola is obviously the prime mind behind this one, and that is by no means a bad thing. No one can combine unrelated, thoroughly ridiculous elements like he can, and Acrudi buoys him up with a greater focus on character development, more obvious here than in any other volume.
Guy Davis' artwork is fun as usual, as the wild designs threaten and very nearly do get out of hand, but it's all in the classic spirit we've come to expect from the works in Mignola's universe.
This is a wonderful chapter in the series, and a wonderful stop on Abe's continuing character journey, finally snapping him out of his stupor and allowing him enough redemption and badassery to put him just a few notches below Red himself.
Mignola is obviously the prime mind behind this one, and that is by no means a bad thing. No one can combine unrelated, thoroughly ridiculous elements like he can, and Acrudi buoys him up with a greater focus on character development, more obvious here than in any other volume.
Guy Davis' artwork is fun as usual, as the wild designs threaten and very nearly do get out of hand, but it's all in the classic spirit we've come to expect from the works in Mignola's universe.
February 9, 2011
This featured a story that hits all the right notes for me: a further investigation of Abe's past, a mysterious island hiding a Victorian secret, secret maps tucked into cigar cases, and a living mummy telepathically projecting into the real world.
Admittedly, a lot of the secondary characters here are being moved into place as set up for future volumes. I am still mystified by the character of Ben Daimio -- I don't think I like him very much. Liz and Kate don't have much to do here, but fortunately Panya brings the estrogen. Johann is loveable and interesting as usual.
When Daimio askes if this is BPRD mission or an Abe mission, I laughed out loud because I had questioned the editorial designation of some books as BPRD and some as Abe books. This is undoubtedly skirting that line, since Abe's emotional story carries this book. Having been a "Debbie Downer" over the last few books, it was nice to see him reach catharsis here. That is the strength of the BPRD books -- not just about Cthulian monsters and egomaniacal despots or hero-monsters, but at the end of the day you get solid character work.
Admittedly, a lot of the secondary characters here are being moved into place as set up for future volumes. I am still mystified by the character of Ben Daimio -- I don't think I like him very much. Liz and Kate don't have much to do here, but fortunately Panya brings the estrogen. Johann is loveable and interesting as usual.
When Daimio askes if this is BPRD mission or an Abe mission, I laughed out loud because I had questioned the editorial designation of some books as BPRD and some as Abe books. This is undoubtedly skirting that line, since Abe's emotional story carries this book. Having been a "Debbie Downer" over the last few books, it was nice to see him reach catharsis here. That is the strength of the BPRD books -- not just about Cthulian monsters and egomaniacal despots or hero-monsters, but at the end of the day you get solid character work.
October 19, 2016
This was good but after the previous collection (The Universal Machine) which was amazing, the writing seems quite inferior in comparison.
February 15, 2022
An unexpected message makes Abe go in search of answers while the Frogs menace continue simmering.
July 22, 2025
Everything I love about this series is here- Victorian robots, science going TOO FAR, good spirited humor in the face of unbelievable horrors and some gorgeous artwork.
Caul was a bad guy but Abe isn’t. I used to be a piece of shit but people can change.
Caul was a bad guy but Abe isn’t. I used to be a piece of shit but people can change.
November 16, 2018
This is the continued back story of Abe Sapien as he goes to Bakipapan to discover who we was when he was Langdon Caul. This is a fantastic story arc. I absolutely adore Abe. The contrast between who he used to be and the good man he is now is admirable.
February 8, 2011
Abe Sapien is back in action! And maybe there's a relationship of some sort budding between Liz and Kate...?
October 29, 2020
I have slowly come to trust and like Damio. I thought I hated him, he was going to be a villain, but I really think, like Abe, he'll be more than just a descendent of a supervillain. The story was as usual of very good quality. It's still not the best I have seen from this universe, but it's not disappointing. I loved the whole island with all it's weird characters. Guy Davis' art is really growing on me. I really like this series. I really liked how Abe became better than his past and how much more nuanced this volume's villains were. On to the next.
June 4, 2019
Garden Of Souls gives us some more info into Abe's unknown past and its somewhat of a letdown. I was hoping for more intrigue and mystery. The revelations weren't very revealing. The story was just kind of bland. Guy Davis continues a great job on art especially his depiction of Abe. Overall, not enough action and drama.
April 25, 2022
Abov obračun sa vlastitom prošlošću izveden je bez greške. Priča drži vodu, napeta je, sa zanimljivim likovima. Ima i zrno humora da zasladi stvar. Dizajn hibrida je taman začuđujućimkoliko trba bit da zainteresira i ne otkrije puno o stvaraocima, a viktorijanski dodaci su prekrasni, začuđujući i funkcionalni.
March 27, 2023
Dobrý díl, kterému ale chybělo pořádné napětí a překvapení. Taková mezihra v sérii, avšak bez příslibu něčeho velkého. Abe Sapien dál pátrá po své minulosti, což ho přivede k podivné partičce, která má, čistě náhodou, vražedný plán. Bavil jsem se, ale několik předchozích dílů se mi líbilo více. Kresba je pořád skvělá a design postav a fauny je v tomto díle skvělý.
November 19, 2017
Second volume I've had the chance to get through. This focuses on the origin story of Abe Sapian. A lot of steampunk, colonial period clockworks, Island of Dr Moreau-esque, and introduction of new characters.
Great, streamlined artwork. Good story. I'm more and more intrigued.
Great, streamlined artwork. Good story. I'm more and more intrigued.
June 3, 2019
Very solid installment, delving into Abe Sapien's backstory and involving Victorian steam punk mech suits for incredibly old occultist gents. Some really neat interior scenes with wonderful detailing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews