B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Vol. 8: Lake of Fire

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth

by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Dave Stewart (Illustrator)

As Liz Sherman fights for her life in Utah, the BPRD plans an assault into the no man’s land that used to be New York City, and the young psychic Fenix faces a monster-worshiping cult at the Salton Sea. Collects B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #110–#115.

* Art by Eisner winner Tyler Crook (The Sixth Gun).

* From the pages of Hellboy!

“A strong jumping on point for this series.”—IGN

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 9, 2014

About the author

Mike 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.

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fuuuucking hell, this is such a needless volume! Liz is convalescing in hospital, a crazy doctor’s reanimating dead animals and Fenix camps out in the Salton Sea where dirty hippies are worshipping a Kaiju egg or something because they’re morons. Anything else? Nope! So basically a whole book full of, at best, sub-plots!

It’s good to see Liz back at full pyro power and seeing her take down the mad doctor and his small army of warped creatures was fun (that’s not a spoiler, of course that’s why the pointless doc was there!). Fenix’s storyline though was absolutely boring, not to mention anticlimactic if you’ve followed this Salton Sea thing from when it began in the Abe Sapien series - zero payoff!

I just don’t think Fenix is a very good character. She’s completely derivative of Liz who, in turn, is derivative of Jean Grey. Liz I can forgive because Mike Mignola and co. have turned her into her own person but a photocopy of a photocopy is too far.

I’m struggling to wring out anything more from this incredibly sparse volume… uh, Tyler Crook’s art isn’t bad? Occasionally we cut to somewhere else in the world where a Kaiju’s attacking some poor soldiers to remind us that there’s a wider story going on. Yup, that’s about it! Unless you’re a BPRD completist like me, Lake of Fire is totally worth skipping as nothing and even more nothing happens!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liz and Fenix get their groove back. Liz finally returns. She's recuperating in a hospital while Fenix surfaces in the Salton Sea with those dumb hippies worshiping that giant egg from Abe's book. I like that Arcudi reverts to two smaller stories while the world is quickly being destroyed. Liz's story is clearly the better of the two and she fights this re-animator dude along with his creations. I dig Tyler Crook's art and the contrast of his slightly cartoonish faces with his horrific monsters.

[Sud666 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heh well ok then. I see Lake of Fire is volume 8 in the BPRD series. THAT explains the weird setting I was thrust into. Ok so let's try a brief synopsis:

In a fight against the Black Flame there was severe damage to the Earth. The BPRD was hurt severly. This BPRD is different than the one I am used too (Hellboy, Abe, etc). But I DO recognize Liz Sherman. Now apparently in the wake of the events, the BPRD and the Russian Special Science Service are working together to fix this unholy mess.

Liz is in Utah and seems to have lost her powers in the wake of severe injuries. After healing she begins to practice with her fire power. Meanwhile there is a Dr. Clyburn who is doing Frankenstein-like experiments and only Liz can stop him and his creations. That's all I am saying about that. This is a decent plot (assuming you have a good knowledge of the background history) and worth your time to read if you are a BPRD fan. I thought the main story line was good. But the Liz story about her in the desert I didn't care about and the whole Zinco company story needs to be explored more. The art was also underwhelming. Tyler Crook's character's have a cartoonish look that takes away from a dark story. At least I didn't care for it much-some may like it. Same with this story- some may really like this more than I did. I'll let you be the judge.

[Artemy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All right! This was much better than the useless previous volume. Liz is back, Fenix is back, and both their stories, while not exactly big or important to the overall plot, still feel much more relevant than the stories about some nameless BPRD agents getting killed by monsters in random parts of the world. I'm also ready to say that I absolutely despise the storyline about director Nichayko and the Russian equivalent of BPRD. Those guys fucking suck, and I couldn't care less about them. This volume had only the bare minimum of their involvement, and it was a huge improvement in part because of that. Maybe I am not ready to drop Hell on Earth just yet, because Lake of Fire managed to revive my interest in this series.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I've said, truthfully, in reviews of previous volumes that I was happier than most BPRD fans to continue reading the book in the absence of any of the original 'big guns', I have to admit I'm very happy to have Liz Sherman not only back in the book but back in the field.

This was the highlight of this volume, though, with the rest being largely involved with the events going on at the Salton Sea (which were covered much more interestingly in Abe Sapien's solo book) and a sub-par 'Re-Animator' rip-off story. The final issue in this collection, which features Liz and a bunch of cops fighting their way through a monster-filled hospital, felt a bit too much like watching somebody play a computer game to me.

I am glad they finally seem to be moving Fenix away from her Jean Grey cloneyness a bit, by semi-revealing more of her past and the source of her powers.

To sum up: YAY! Liz is back! Rest of book only average!

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fun, but kind of confusing if you're not recently current with the prior story. Kaiju are attacking, Liz is working on recovering, where's Abe?, a band of hippies are worshipping a giant egg in the desert by the Salton Sea, Fenix is having split personality problems, a crazy doctor is reanimating animal corpses, lets go to New York with the Russians... Yep, it's one of those long series you should ought to read in order. My memory just isn't as good as it used to be. It was a fun read and the art is pretty good, but the interior transitions are a little hard to follow.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a couple of mediocre volumes that just seemed to drag the story, I must say that I was quite surprised by this one. This volume has not only got action and thrills, but also better characterization, character development and moments of rediscovering oneself.

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally Liz is back but the story is just a pass for me.

[Iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Апокаліпсис, а навколо всміхнені люди, щасливі зустрічі та віднайдення віри у себе? І це не ікс-мени?

Тим не менш, том хороший. Зовсім інакший від кількох попередніх, але добрий. Аби ще Ліз не повернулась просто тому, що так треба сценарію, а не персонажеві...

[Garrett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lazy and almost plotless writing. The story doesn’t seem to be going anywhere at all and god I hope Fenix does not become the focus of the series. She seems like such a lame character compared to the other BPRD members. What is the plot of Hell on Earth? Who’s the main villain? 8 volumes into the series and I honestly can’t really tell you. The world is ending as it’s being attacked by Kaiju! That’s pretty much the entirety of the plot thus far. The first 4 volumes were great and I really hope the series gets good again.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

So along with new foes (or is it old foes) we are seeing some of the original crew coming back together - after all if battle lines are to be drawn you know it cannot be an easy win for either side.

I will admit that I did enjoy this edition as it connects more back to the earlier stories of the BPRD - after all there is now a huge body of work and at times it is easy to forget how they all link together and form one huge universe.

So yes as short as this review is the implications are huge - I just wonder what it bodes for the rest of the series as after all we are now in the second half of the series.

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

World building and reconnecting!

World: The art is great, I'm really enjoying Crook now and I've grown accustomed to his character designs, I still honestly prefer Davis but Crook is very very good. The colors are Stewart so they are always good. The world building this time is just as good as any BPRD book, we get a hella lot of Fenix this time and not just past but present world building and it's wonderful and very tied in to character development which I love. Add to that we also get pieces of the world wound up even tighter for the for sure big arc next book. Oh and Liz...awesome.

Story: Wonderfully paced. A lot of moving pieces and a lot of characters but all are juggled well and written like Mignola and Arcudi as they always do. The world situation is given even more context and development and it's hard not to feel pessimistic and I honestly don't know where the story can possibly go from here and that makes me so happy cause I'm being surprised every book. The personal smaller stories of Fenix and Liz are also amazing with huge chunks of character development and consequence. I loved the time jumping for Fenix and also the slow burn horror creeping tone of the Liz story, amazing!

Characters: Fenix is great, this new addition is a wonderfully written character, her journey since Devon found her has been a real and complex ride and with the huge chunk of character development we get this arc her story and character is so even more much wonderful. Liz's story has been a long time coming he's already a complex character but her journey is not complete and the full circle that we see here and the choice that she makes here is wonderful, it's real and it's earned. Her actions make sense to her character and her journey makes sense, this is just brilliant writing.

There is so much more that I can talk about but because of spoilers I will not say anymore, If you've reached this point in the story you will read it regardless of what I say and if you are here as a new reader, get out of here and start from the beginning you will not regret it!

Onward to the next book!

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a number of average to good B.P.R.D. volumes, this was a nice change of pace. Lake of Fire gets you excited for what is to come by focusing on Liz (who everyone likes) and Fenix (who very few probably did). This is the first volume where Fenix seems to have a place and there are details of her character that are revealed which finally make her more likable. It doesn't hurt that both of these stories are action-oriented and give these characters the space to shine. James Harren's art is fantastic and a perfect fit for B.P.R.D. I'm impressed by his versatility as an artist (depicting totally different settings in this volume) and his ability to do the comedic and horrible with ease. I finished this feeling excited for what is to come in B.P.R.D. and that is a feeling I was starting to miss a little bit.

[Koen Claeys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes !!! It looks like the B.P.R.D.-series is getting back on the right track.
(a part of the story is based on Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain near the Salton Sea : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otIU6... )

[Siona Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to see Liz again and back in action, and it was nice to see Fenix finally getting some character development! One of the best volumes in the Hell on Earth cycle so far!

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something has happened to cause animals to wildly mutate into powerful and extremely vicious creatures. Humans can also be affected. Along with this, large sections of the world have gone dark, seemingly completely wiped out. For example, it is stated that Great Britain is a total loss. However, some cities in the United States are anomalies, first and foremost is New York City. Every attempt to send ships or planes into that area leads to massive electronic disruption and their total loss.
While there are shortages, in the areas not directly affected, society and the technology still seems to work. There are still television broadcasts and other services still exist. For example, the city police force responds when there is a dangerous mutant creature on the loose and the military is still capable of mounting operations. There is a plan to send small teams with low technology into New York in an attempt to determine the precise circumstances. There is the hint that the difficulties were anticipated.
As one would expect in such circumstances, new religions that are more in tune with the new reality have been formed and as one would also expect, they clash with the older ones. Within this complex set of events, there is a focus on a young woman that wanders with her dog, revisiting the places of her youth.
There is an enormous amount of action compressed into this graphic novel, it is exciting, entertaining and I will be acquiring other issues so that I can learn the background to this one and follow the plot as the teams prepare to enter the unknown in the New York City area.

[Augusto Bernardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the lead characters of the saga is back. This volume focuses on the return of Liz Sherman as she deals with a lot of physical recovery and helping a room mate in the hospital to cheer up from their illness. But the world around them is still insane so she did have to battle her fair share of mutant cats and zombies. She regains her powers and returns to the BPRD at the end. The comic also focused on Fenix's journey away and her coming to terms with her situation too. She ends up disappointing a whole bunch of hippies that were worshiping an egg from one of the ogdru hem. The volume also delves a bit in her back stories too and how she has sort of a dead twin that was never born but that only she can see. It is through her that she can see the future. A very touching and intimate volume with a very differnt tone compared to the others. Not as much action but still very intense.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

With my current situation I don't know when I'll have an opportunity to binge read this story line they way I want to. There's really nothing wrong with the story, and I continue to enjoy the relatively new character of Fenix. I also enjoy seeing Liz Sherman deal with personal demons (hey, she has enough reason to have more than a few).

[Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This arc shows the return of Liz Sherman into action. She's finally recovered from a building falling down on top of her and has almost completed physical therapy. But she's hiding. Whether from herself, her powers, the BPRD and her friends, or all of the above - only she knows. An exciting installment of the BPRD story.

[Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

✭✭✭✭

[Brian Rosenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fight Fire with Fire.

More big monsters and a giant sea monster cameo.
More Fenix and her back story. Fenix destroys a big monster egg and the hopes of the monster egg followers. Yay. Fenix returns to the B.P.R.D.
More Liz and she “Flames On.” Just in time too. She confronts the mad Doctor Clyborn and his basement of monster pets. Seems Clyborn’s experiments have mixed results. He loves the results. Everyone else runs in terror. Liz returns to the B.P.R.D. Double Yay.
Next stop – New York. I absolutely love this series.
Note: When Liz is still in the hospital, her Doctor says, ”It’s a different job, all right. No real structure anymore. You aren’t assigned cases. You never get a break. You just help wherever you can. And sometime you can’t help at all.”
Poignant words in the continuing days of the pandemic. And from a comic book where the characters are just battling Menaces beyond Space and Time.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5

I was amazed by the shift in quality between this volume and the last. Liz Sherman returns to the fold and the series needed it. The players have scattered for the bulk of Hell on Earth and it has caused slow story beats, much like a lot of the Walking Dead volumes. Volume 8 and 9 for that matter have returned the key characters and we are now in the final arc of this series.

Why the 5?

This is a vast improvement and that's only due to the fact of Liz returning. She is a deep mythology character and the series has left her out of the action for long section. The action and character moments improve some of the lagging beats from previous issues and volumes. I wanted this to be a great issue and it didn't disappoint.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por fin la historia arranca de nuevo, y recuperamos a Liz. En sus horas más bajas, lo que queda de la AIDP y del SCE unen del todo sus fuerzas para salvar los restos del mundo, preparándose para explorar la zona desconocida en la que se ha convertido Nueva York. La historia coge algo de ritmo, con algunas revelaciones nuevas, aunque es verdad que mucho ya es algo que hemos visto ya. A pesar de ello, sigue siendo un tremendo tour de force, y en cuanto pueda comprar los siguientes números me encantará saber a dónde lleva esto.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume largely focuses on Liz Sherman and Fenix as they both return to their full powers, in a story that doesn’t much advance the meta-plot itself, but does a great job of detailing a steadily more ruined world and what it means to continue to fight for something that may be impossible to save. Reading this in part of an extended marathon throughout the entire Mignolaverse, an in-between volume like this is a welcome pace change; for those waiting for this in real time, one can see how it might not satisfy as much. But still, another solid addition to the legendary Mignolaverse.

[Frédéric Bonin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid volume that focuses on some key character developments. Good writing, good art and nice character arcs but a bit slow given all the crazy things happening and set-up in the last couple of volumes.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid trade. Things are moving a bit quicker, and pieces seem to be getting put into place for a bigger moment. Tyler Crook does a great job with the character work and pretty good on the monsters and action. Dave Stewart, as always, keeps the book looking like it’s supposed to.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is key in moving several characters into position for what appears to be a bigger story on the horizon.

[K De · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is top notch and a new artist for the story "Lake of Fire". Well done. Creepy doctor who thinks he is sane. Liz Sherman regains her confidence.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it is the small stories in a catastrophe that mean something. Here, Liz is recovering and weirdness follows.

[J.W. Donley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heck yeah! Liz is back!