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B.P.R.D.
B.P.R.D., Vol. 11: The Black Goddess
With Liz gone and their most powerful enemies banding together for a final, catastrophic attack, Abe, Kate, and Johann must determine the price of their souls as they decide where their loyalties lie—and whether the life of a friend is more valuable than the fate of the The Black Goddess collects the second arc of the Scorched Earth trilogy, pulling together threads from the beginning of the series, with a twist that will shake the worlds of B.P.R.D. agents and readers alike.• Collects The Black Goddess issues #1-#5.• From the pages of Hellboy!
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2009
4 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,872 books2,541 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 76 reviews
December 23, 2015
The BPRD’s search for Liz Sherman takes them to a hidden Shangri-La on the Russian/Chinese border where a sorcerer called Memnan Saa plans to weaponise Liz’s untapped powers to save the world from the frog army. Cue big kaiju fighting and lengthy exposition!
My favourite BPRD books were the ones not heavily associated with the Plague of Frogs storyline (which went on for waaaayyyy too long). Unfortunately, The Black Goddess is all about this dreary plotline. Y’see, these frog monsters are invading and… that’s it. We gotta stop ‘em cos we don’t got a series without it?
Liz Sherman: the more I read about this character the less I like her. She’s a Jean Grey knock-off - a redhead pyro-psychic who could potentially destroy the world - who frequently goes missing and has to be rescued. And just when the BPRD need a miracle to save them and Hellboy’s not around, Liz develops a new superpower and voila - deus ex machina! Both things happen here.
Abe Sapien’s acting out of character. He used to be the smart one who thought before he acted; now he’s the first one to whip out a gun and wave it around, yelling that he’s gonna blow someone’s head off! I also don’t understand Lobster Johnson’s appeal - have you read his solo comics? Blargh. Cornball pulp drivel.
Want to know about Memnan Saa, the evil sorcerer who’s important in this one book and never mentioned again? You don't got a choice because you’re gonna hear his full life story and none of it’s interesting! Want to see page after page of pointless kaiju action? No? Too bad because something’s gotta fill out this book!
Guy Davis’ art isn’t bad - I like his landscapes and the visuals for Shangri-La are cool, as is his character design of Memnan Saa - but too many of his characters look awful and scratchy. I’ve never been a fan of his work and his art in this book didn’t change my mind.
The Black Goddess is a dud. Besides seeing the creators rehash familiar tropes, they fail to make the end of the world seem interesting. The Plague of Frogs storyline was so blah but at least after this volume it’s almost over.
My favourite BPRD books were the ones not heavily associated with the Plague of Frogs storyline (which went on for waaaayyyy too long). Unfortunately, The Black Goddess is all about this dreary plotline. Y’see, these frog monsters are invading and… that’s it. We gotta stop ‘em cos we don’t got a series without it?
Liz Sherman: the more I read about this character the less I like her. She’s a Jean Grey knock-off - a redhead pyro-psychic who could potentially destroy the world - who frequently goes missing and has to be rescued. And just when the BPRD need a miracle to save them and Hellboy’s not around, Liz develops a new superpower and voila - deus ex machina! Both things happen here.
Abe Sapien’s acting out of character. He used to be the smart one who thought before he acted; now he’s the first one to whip out a gun and wave it around, yelling that he’s gonna blow someone’s head off! I also don’t understand Lobster Johnson’s appeal - have you read his solo comics? Blargh. Cornball pulp drivel.
Want to know about Memnan Saa, the evil sorcerer who’s important in this one book and never mentioned again? You don't got a choice because you’re gonna hear his full life story and none of it’s interesting! Want to see page after page of pointless kaiju action? No? Too bad because something’s gotta fill out this book!
Guy Davis’ art isn’t bad - I like his landscapes and the visuals for Shangri-La are cool, as is his character design of Memnan Saa - but too many of his characters look awful and scratchy. I’ve never been a fan of his work and his art in this book didn’t change my mind.
The Black Goddess is a dud. Besides seeing the creators rehash familiar tropes, they fail to make the end of the world seem interesting. The Plague of Frogs storyline was so blah but at least after this volume it’s almost over.
April 8, 2019
It's all coming to a head. Liz and Glyfryd finally take care of business. There's some incredible battle scenes between all of the monsters we're previously seen plus Yetis and chinese dragons, all in Shangri-La. It's freaking awesome. While all this is going on Glyfryd info dumps his entire life history. He actually makes some good points about needing to triage the planet for mankind to survive as a species. Guy Davis hits a home run with those epic battle scenes.
October 31, 2017
I'd be lying if I said that The Black Goddess is as good as previous BPRD books. But I'd also be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it — it's still a good volume. It's just, well... a bit lazy, maybe even simplistic. There are two parallel stories going on here. In the first, the core team finally finds where Gilfryd (also known as Memnan Saa) keeps Liz. Unfortunately, Gilfryd is a bit of a talker. Through his long narration, we find out everything about him — who he is, what he does and what he wants. That wasn't the most compelling read, and it reminded me a bit of the Hellboy story called The Island, where another character did basically the same thing — told the entire mythos of the universe through a long and boring information dump.
The second storyline is all action. The frogs show up in spades right outside of Gilfryd's temple, and so there is a big fight between giant lizards, the army of monks, US military and, uhh, magic dragons. That was pretty fun, and Guy Davis's artwork is sublime throughout. The book is full of double page spreads that show off his immense talent for action scenes and interesting creature designs. This entire battle was a great antidote for the overly wordy second half of the story.
Overall, while this isn't the best volume of the series, it's still fun and important. If you've been following and enjoying the series from the beginning up to this point, you won't be (too) disappointed!
First read: November 15, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 31, 2017
Rating: ★★★★・
The second storyline is all action. The frogs show up in spades right outside of Gilfryd's temple, and so there is a big fight between giant lizards, the army of monks, US military and, uhh, magic dragons. That was pretty fun, and Guy Davis's artwork is sublime throughout. The book is full of double page spreads that show off his immense talent for action scenes and interesting creature designs. This entire battle was a great antidote for the overly wordy second half of the story.
Overall, while this isn't the best volume of the series, it's still fun and important. If you've been following and enjoying the series from the beginning up to this point, you won't be (too) disappointed!
First read: November 15, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 31, 2017
Rating: ★★★★・
November 25, 2015
Another intriguing and exciting volume of BPRD. Things are really starting to happen now, and I'm excited to see where the story's going.
It's a shame Hellboy couldn't be more directly involved in these events but I suppose he has his own thing going on... albeit sporadically.
It's a shame Hellboy couldn't be more directly involved in these events but I suppose he has his own thing going on... albeit sporadically.
March 18, 2014
This one is more confusing than most, as it is part 2 of the Scorched Earth trilogy and I have yet to track down a copy of part 1. As with the other books, this is a placeholder review until I can fill in some of the gaps in my reading. The review and the rating may change after a reread.
Lis Sherman is missing, kidnapped by someone called Memnan Saa to utilise her pyrotechnic power. The B.P.R.D. and a group of American soldiers track her down to a remote monastery, where they team up with some were-Yeti monks to fight the frog creatures and their allies, the giant crabs (well, that's one sentence I never thought I would ever have to write!). Liz harnesses her powers to create dragons of fire to destroy her enemies, before also turning on Memnan Saa. There is a surprise new character appearing at the end
If this sounds familiar, its because a lot of this seems to be a retread of the first B.P.R.D. book, and its getting a bit tedious to keep having Liz disappear/be kidnapped and the team then has to rescue her (even though she's probably the most powerful of them). I'm possibly suffering from B.P.R.D. fatigue at this point, but I expected better.
Lis Sherman is missing, kidnapped by someone called Memnan Saa to utilise her pyrotechnic power. The B.P.R.D. and a group of American soldiers track her down to a remote monastery, where they team up with some were-Yeti monks to fight the frog creatures and their allies, the giant crabs (well, that's one sentence I never thought I would ever have to write!). Liz harnesses her powers to create dragons of fire to destroy her enemies, before also turning on Memnan Saa. There is a surprise new character appearing at the end
If this sounds familiar, its because a lot of this seems to be a retread of the first B.P.R.D. book, and its getting a bit tedious to keep having Liz disappear/be kidnapped and the team then has to rescue her (even though she's probably the most powerful of them). I'm possibly suffering from B.P.R.D. fatigue at this point, but I expected better.
May 7, 2018
While each of these volumes can be read alone as a short story arc the HUGE long running background story line is excellently woven into each shorter story arc. Sometimes the connection is not reveled until almost the end of the individual arc. Great addition to the Hellboy universe. Very recommended
January 25, 2010
A number of things that I really enjoyed about this volume 1) the increased pace of the story telling 2) more Lobster Johnson 3) Liz's return 4) Abe and Johann 5) the (hopefully) nearing end of The Plague of Frogs
Drawback-cliffhanger ending
Drawback-cliffhanger ending
May 4, 2022
Mignola has splendidly weaved an intricate universe with so many characters and subplots, and all comes to fruition in this near epic showdown.
January 3, 2014
Picking up from the previous volume, The Black Goddess is spectacular. Great design, an absorbing plot, and the story is indeed moving along nicely. I only wish these collections were longer.
October 15, 2015
And now we get to the middle of the end!
This has been building since Cavendish House and the sons, what a journey.So this is the middle of a 3 part conclusion to the Plague of Frogs series so how does it fare? Let's just go straight to it.
World: Guy Davis art, perfect. So yes the world building is paying off, all of it, not only the BPRD, but Sledgehammer, Lobster Johnson, Witch Hunter, Hellboy...everything and it is brilliant. World building has always been amazing for Mignola books and this is the perfect culmination and evidence of it. I don't want to ruin anything but man this is amazing.
Story: This is the middle part of the story, of Memnan and Liz and the Plague of Frogs, but man so much happens here that it's great. The pacing is great, the mystery is clear and the world building superb, everything is perfect...plus fucking dragons! Once again I can't say much, but if you've taken this journey since Hollow Earth I really don't need to say anything to convince you that this series is amazing. For those who are readers and wants to know how this stacks up to other stories, it is up there and the feeling of everything paying off is simply amazing.
Characters: Liz is explained, Glyfryd is explained, Johanne has a wonderful arc, Abe and Karen both have stories, it's all amazing. The thing with this arc that I can't get over is how the world building finally comes all together and feeds into every part of the book especially the characters. We've dealt with Liz trying to come to gripes with her powers since the beginning but this arc really puts into perspective what she is, stunning. You can't hate Glyfryd, much like any good villain some of the things that come out of his mouth make sense, it's just whether you are willing to do what he does or not. Characters are strong and consequences matter, this arc is awesome.
The middle part of the finale and it's amazing, the tension is even higher and long time questions are answered, somewhat. I am super excited about the end.
Onward to the next book!
This has been building since Cavendish House and the sons, what a journey.So this is the middle of a 3 part conclusion to the Plague of Frogs series so how does it fare? Let's just go straight to it.
World: Guy Davis art, perfect. So yes the world building is paying off, all of it, not only the BPRD, but Sledgehammer, Lobster Johnson, Witch Hunter, Hellboy...everything and it is brilliant. World building has always been amazing for Mignola books and this is the perfect culmination and evidence of it. I don't want to ruin anything but man this is amazing.
Story: This is the middle part of the story, of Memnan and Liz and the Plague of Frogs, but man so much happens here that it's great. The pacing is great, the mystery is clear and the world building superb, everything is perfect...plus fucking dragons! Once again I can't say much, but if you've taken this journey since Hollow Earth I really don't need to say anything to convince you that this series is amazing. For those who are readers and wants to know how this stacks up to other stories, it is up there and the feeling of everything paying off is simply amazing.
Characters: Liz is explained, Glyfryd is explained, Johanne has a wonderful arc, Abe and Karen both have stories, it's all amazing. The thing with this arc that I can't get over is how the world building finally comes all together and feeds into every part of the book especially the characters. We've dealt with Liz trying to come to gripes with her powers since the beginning but this arc really puts into perspective what she is, stunning. You can't hate Glyfryd, much like any good villain some of the things that come out of his mouth make sense, it's just whether you are willing to do what he does or not. Characters are strong and consequences matter, this arc is awesome.
The middle part of the finale and it's amazing, the tension is even higher and long time questions are answered, somewhat. I am super excited about the end.
Onward to the next book!
March 25, 2011
The Scorched Earth trilogy continues, with the team hot on the trail of Liz, who was kidnapped by her mysterious visitor in the previous volume. Here, they find the lair of Memnan Saa, helped along by clues from the dearly not quite departed Lobster Johnson. The action quickly moves to the tundra, where all hell breaks loose as Memnan Saa's forces (which are of course Tibetan monks who shapeshift into snow gorillas) must band together with the BPRD and the US military against an unexpected frog outbreak. Divided up between this thrilling pulp action is the moralizing from assumed savior Memnan Saa to the BPRD forces, and further explanation of his attraction to Liz, as well as our heroine's role in his schemes. Plenty of awesome here, particularly in Abe's last ditch efforts to save his friend, Kate's bravery in the face of danger, and Johann, once again, being possessed by the gone but not forgotten Lobster Johnson. It's pulpy, but it comes across straight-faced to powerful effect. Mignola's universe has it's tongue and cheek elements, but it works because it's all overlaid in a veneer of brooding apocalyptic scale.
Some awesome design work here from Guy Davis, (oh my gosh the dragons!) but we've come to expect that from this series now, haven't we?
Some awesome design work here from Guy Davis, (oh my gosh the dragons!) but we've come to expect that from this series now, haven't we?
March 23, 2021
Reading BPRD is like having favourite meal or drink. You know what you should expect, but you still enjoy mix of ingredients and balanced taste. Once again we get mix of secret cults, long forgotten places and mysterious characters inspired by various mythologies. And it still works. This time, book is direct follow up to previous one so they forming bigger story (also with next part) which helps to build plot little bit better. But still, one or two more issues wouldn't hurt. Another great thing is, that whole series works with more or less same characters, so they have time to grow over all books, even though they sometimes don't have much space is single one. Art is rough and sketchy but suites whole dark tone of comics well.
April 11, 2010
Damn you, cliffhanger!
March 19, 2021
A decent volume
August 9, 2024
“You are not *cruel* enough to succeed. Your Bureau, your governments, will try to save all of this Earth. This is childish! The war has already begun. You believe you’ve had your victories. You will believe that again. While the truth is, little by little, you are losing. So, there is only one question–a question you will never be able to answer. How much are you willing to lose… to win?”
—
Alright, so we finally dealt with this Memnan Saa guy.
Which… I’m not thrilled with how this one wrapped up. The Problem with Memnan Saa is that he’s a Fu Manchu wizard (but he’s not actually Asian so it’s okay?). The OTHER problem with him is that he’s framed as this horrible villain that we should all be happy he’s gone, but… uh, he’s a guy who knows what’s going on, doesn’t he? He actually understands the threats to the world and rightfully understands that humanity will need to make sacrifices to survive. He’s a jerk, yeah, but since he doesn’t actually propose anything like the Oannes Society, I don’t see why he’s framed as being so bad? Or even, as a later comic does, as if he’s a servant of the Ogdru Jahad, when everything he does is to fight the apocalypse? It’s possible that he unwittingly played into their hands, but if so…. How?
Look, the story regarding this guy is a mess. The last volume revealed that the character was maybe, a last minute addition to a panel, and then evolved into something else. I can’t help but wonder if maybe that means his plotline was underdeveloped, or that they struggled to figure out what to do with him. Hence he does a massive info dump to explain his backstory here, right before he dies…
He was a massive jerk, though, and it makes sense that he thought he should rule the world, and that Liz barbecues him after he starts hurting her friends. It was still a satisfying moment, just not as satisfying as it could have been.
It’s a big moment comic, though, and there are parts of it I absolutely love? The dragons. Mostly, it’s the dragons. I mean, they’re weird dragons, but they’re also Awesome. Dragons burst forth to burninate frog monsters, Hypberborean trolls, and war machines. It’s a fantastic battle to see on page, with big pages that appropriately show off the action. And we’re seeing that the war for the world is really coming out into the open more and more. We saw that in a previous comic depicting war in Germany. It’s becoming more and more common now.
So, bye, Memnan Saa! You were a mess of a character, and I don’t know if your arc makes much sense. Even if it was chaotic, it was still a good send-off comic, and memorable one, and seeing dragons pop up to burninate monsters was great fun.
I am a bit wary of Johann again. Nothing he does here is objectively awful, at least, given the circumstances. It’s not a great direction, though, and I remembered that we’re at the point that I don’t really like him anymore? We’ll see, going forward, if that stays true until the end.
Now, I don’t really remember what happens immediately next…?
—
Alright, so we finally dealt with this Memnan Saa guy.
Which… I’m not thrilled with how this one wrapped up. The Problem with Memnan Saa is that he’s a Fu Manchu wizard (but he’s not actually Asian so it’s okay?). The OTHER problem with him is that he’s framed as this horrible villain that we should all be happy he’s gone, but… uh, he’s a guy who knows what’s going on, doesn’t he? He actually understands the threats to the world and rightfully understands that humanity will need to make sacrifices to survive. He’s a jerk, yeah, but since he doesn’t actually propose anything like the Oannes Society, I don’t see why he’s framed as being so bad? Or even, as a later comic does, as if he’s a servant of the Ogdru Jahad, when everything he does is to fight the apocalypse? It’s possible that he unwittingly played into their hands, but if so…. How?
Look, the story regarding this guy is a mess. The last volume revealed that the character was maybe, a last minute addition to a panel, and then evolved into something else. I can’t help but wonder if maybe that means his plotline was underdeveloped, or that they struggled to figure out what to do with him. Hence he does a massive info dump to explain his backstory here, right before he dies…
He was a massive jerk, though, and it makes sense that he thought he should rule the world, and that Liz barbecues him after he starts hurting her friends. It was still a satisfying moment, just not as satisfying as it could have been.
It’s a big moment comic, though, and there are parts of it I absolutely love? The dragons. Mostly, it’s the dragons. I mean, they’re weird dragons, but they’re also Awesome. Dragons burst forth to burninate frog monsters, Hypberborean trolls, and war machines. It’s a fantastic battle to see on page, with big pages that appropriately show off the action. And we’re seeing that the war for the world is really coming out into the open more and more. We saw that in a previous comic depicting war in Germany. It’s becoming more and more common now.
So, bye, Memnan Saa! You were a mess of a character, and I don’t know if your arc makes much sense. Even if it was chaotic, it was still a good send-off comic, and memorable one, and seeing dragons pop up to burninate monsters was great fun.
I am a bit wary of Johann again. Nothing he does here is objectively awful, at least, given the circumstances. It’s not a great direction, though, and I remembered that we’re at the point that I don’t really like him anymore? We’ll see, going forward, if that stays true until the end.
Now, I don’t really remember what happens immediately next…?
April 24, 2024
Hellboy Reading Guide #20
Stories
The Black Goddess (5 issues, 1st pub Jan-May 2009)
Timeline: Russia, 2006
Team: Abe Sapien, Andrew Devon, Kate Corrigan, Johann Kraus, Panya, & Liz Sherman
Antagonist(s): Memnan Saa, Frog Monsters, Servants of the Left Hand
Summary: After the devastating attack on Munich, the BPRD gathers a team, and an army, to march on what they hope is Memnan Saa's stronghold to rescue Liz Sherman, assuming she even wants to be rescued.
Review: Is Memnan Saa a bad guy? B.P.R.D. has worked really hard for several issues now to convince me that he is, but . . . I'm still not. If he is a villain, he's one whose goals seem sympathetic, even if his methods are repugnant. Re-reading this series, it's suddenly apparent that what comes across as typical Big Bad Grand Monologuing that happens before the heroes inevitable win is . . . actually often something else here. This is, I think, the third time a major antagonist has claimed that their ultimate aim is to in some way save a piece of humanity from an inevitable apocalypse, and our heroes have prevented them from doing that.
Memnan Saa lays it all out in the most explicit way yet: "You are not cruel enough to succeed. Your bureau, your governments, will try to save all of this Earth. That is childish! [...] There is only one question--a question you will never be able to answer. How much are you willing to lose...to win?"
This is one thing that makes this series unlike any other I've read . . . It suggests that the heroes' victories may actually be defeats, and may even be partially responsible for a cataclysmic ultimate defeat yet to come. But, at the same time, the heroes are unwavering in their certainty about what is right. Memnan Saa is totally correct. So many of our heroes are not quite human, but they strive relentlessly to always have humanity. That's something they'll never lose in order to win, and this series doesn't shy away from any of the possible implications of that.
The Black Goddess has some of the most epic and sprawling action set pieces in the series to-date, but what I love best about it is the way it examines this theme once again.
Stories
The Black Goddess (5 issues, 1st pub Jan-May 2009)
Timeline: Russia, 2006
Team: Abe Sapien, Andrew Devon, Kate Corrigan, Johann Kraus, Panya, & Liz Sherman
Antagonist(s): Memnan Saa, Frog Monsters, Servants of the Left Hand
Summary: After the devastating attack on Munich, the BPRD gathers a team, and an army, to march on what they hope is Memnan Saa's stronghold to rescue Liz Sherman, assuming she even wants to be rescued.
Review: Is Memnan Saa a bad guy? B.P.R.D. has worked really hard for several issues now to convince me that he is, but . . . I'm still not. If he is a villain, he's one whose goals seem sympathetic, even if his methods are repugnant. Re-reading this series, it's suddenly apparent that what comes across as typical Big Bad Grand Monologuing that happens before the heroes inevitable win is . . . actually often something else here. This is, I think, the third time a major antagonist has claimed that their ultimate aim is to in some way save a piece of humanity from an inevitable apocalypse, and our heroes have prevented them from doing that.
Memnan Saa lays it all out in the most explicit way yet: "You are not cruel enough to succeed. Your bureau, your governments, will try to save all of this Earth. That is childish! [...] There is only one question--a question you will never be able to answer. How much are you willing to lose...to win?"
This is one thing that makes this series unlike any other I've read . . . It suggests that the heroes' victories may actually be defeats, and may even be partially responsible for a cataclysmic ultimate defeat yet to come. But, at the same time, the heroes are unwavering in their certainty about what is right. Memnan Saa is totally correct. So many of our heroes are not quite human, but they strive relentlessly to always have humanity. That's something they'll never lose in order to win, and this series doesn't shy away from any of the possible implications of that.
The Black Goddess has some of the most epic and sprawling action set pieces in the series to-date, but what I love best about it is the way it examines this theme once again.
February 9, 2020
The black Goddess was sort of the conclusion of the whole story arc with Gilfryd (fuck cannot remember how to spell his name). The B.P.R.D show up with an army of soldiers at the snowy walls of the location where Liz is believed to be held by her captor. A monk surprisingly appears at the gates and leads 4 of them in as the rest wait outside. They go through a maze that leads sort of to a mystical Asian Shangrila sort of city with a massive golden tower in the center, inside they find Liz and the mysterious man. Liz in in a floating meditative state as the man explains his back story, living hundreds of years and connecting Liz to the myth of the titan that stole fire. She appears to be a reincarnation of a woman that used this great fire power as a human. I like this aspect of not just having a woman with super powers but rather with a back story that somehow connects with mythology and the fate of the universe. Despite the ancient man trying to explain the dark truth and reality of her place in this story, and his involvement in it too, her friends insist on leaving there with Liz. A battle breaks out where the BPRD seem to be incredibly outmatched but Liz somehow wakes up and fries her captor to a bone crisp. FINALLY! Outside a giantic battle rages on as the army is assisted by some of the monks and some yetis, against the gigantic legions of frogs and red men. Liz also summons these asian fire dragons to swing the victory to their side.
Overall this wasn't a particularly amazing one despite the all out wars and the death of the this mysterious character. Some of the covers were beautiful though.
Overall this wasn't a particularly amazing one despite the all out wars and the death of the this mysterious character. Some of the covers were beautiful though.
May 11, 2021
While I’m not a fan of Davis’ art (especially compared to the art in the Hellboy series), I’ve mostly accepted and/or ignored it throughout the BPRD series. However there are times when it affects the pacing and flow of action sequences negatively, which can drive me crazy. This entry has a lot of such action.
The plot here is fine when reading through the series, but it can’t stand up on its own. There is some good character info here and it contributes to the series’ outcome. It largely consists of heavy exposition dumps cross-cut with mindless action.
The primary battle is cool only in concept, given the context. It feels ‘janky’, like forced, dumb action with little thought or choreography involved in its creation. All this despite the many elements the creative team had at their disposal such as the location, characters, stakes, and enemy variety. The types of enemies that appear should be more than enough ‘cool’ for one book. These sequences have every reason to be entertaining, but they don’t work for me.
Abe’s behaviour is the main issue I have with the later Plague of Frogs books (and to a far lesser extent, Johann). Something has been wrong with the way his scenes were written overall for a while leading up to this, his dialogue especially. If I had to guess I’d say it started shortly after certain events involving Roger. Either the writers were trying to show another side of the character (a dumber, more annoying side?) or they really needed someone to fill the role of macho, angry BPRD lead agent.
TLDR: Action is awkward, Abe still doesn’t act like himself, creative team missed an opportunity here.
The plot here is fine when reading through the series, but it can’t stand up on its own. There is some good character info here and it contributes to the series’ outcome. It largely consists of heavy exposition dumps cross-cut with mindless action.
The primary battle is cool only in concept, given the context. It feels ‘janky’, like forced, dumb action with little thought or choreography involved in its creation. All this despite the many elements the creative team had at their disposal such as the location, characters, stakes, and enemy variety. The types of enemies that appear should be more than enough ‘cool’ for one book. These sequences have every reason to be entertaining, but they don’t work for me.
Abe’s behaviour is the main issue I have with the later Plague of Frogs books (and to a far lesser extent, Johann). Something has been wrong with the way his scenes were written overall for a while leading up to this, his dialogue especially. If I had to guess I’d say it started shortly after certain events involving Roger. Either the writers were trying to show another side of the character (a dumber, more annoying side?) or they really needed someone to fill the role of macho, angry BPRD lead agent.
TLDR: Action is awkward, Abe still doesn’t act like himself, creative team missed an opportunity here.
March 30, 2023
Jak tento díl hodnotit? Na jednu stranu nepřinesl nic moc nového, ale na druhou stranu rozlouskl jeden problém, který se táhnul už dlouho. Je to druhý díl trilogie "Spálená země" a opět jsme se dočkali velké bitvy zahrnující obrovské roboty. Tak trošku to vypadalo na bitvu o Helmův žleb, anebo na bitvu u ledové stěny ve Hrách o trůny. Prostě epická bitva. To důležité se ale odehrávalo za zdí. Agenti Ú.P.V.O. konfrontovali svého oponenta. Zdráhám se napsat záporáka, protože to zde není tak úplně jasné, kdo stojí na správné straně barikády, takhle v předvečer apokalypsy. Dobré je, že opravdu netuším, jak tahle série dopadne a kdo přežije.
September 23, 2017
This is the second to last book in the series and it ends on an interesting note. The characters are at all out war in this issue and if you've missed the first issues, this mean nothing to you. The series is nearing the end so the storylines are beginning to unfold, Liz unleashes the power within and it's visually brilliant. Mignola once again steps the storyline up and reveals the complicated backstory of the mysterious figure. I like the series mainly because Mignola is a thinking creator, you know the series is going to answer the questions other creators tend to ignore.
September 12, 2020
This is the second volume of the so-called “Scorched Earth” storyline that escalates the scope of the story exponentially. As our heroes search for Liz Sherman, their journey takes them to a remote temple redoubt, where an army of frogs and giant monsters await to kickstart a final battle for the fate of the planet. Spooky shadows and creepy noises give way to hordes of writhing death and kaiju monstrosity. So good.
January 26, 2023
I think B.P.R.D. should be all about what goes bump in the night and the underside of what's out there. The team continues to deal with this ongoing mystery of where Liz is and why was she taken. Readers are given a bunch of backstory that doesn't effect anything and then it ends. It was disappointing. I still really enjoyed the art by Guy Davis. I still really enjoy Abe. Overall though, this was just okay.
August 14, 2019
Another excellent story. This collection actually moved the story along. I'm not sure how much of the bad guy's tale is actually valid with how the comic ended. It was nice to see the team come together not to mention got to see one of the Lobster Den / Cave or whatever it should be called.
Good Stuff.
Good Stuff.
June 24, 2020
Frogmen, Giant Machines, Yetis, Flaming Dragons and Mystical Monks, this volume has everything and even threw in the kitchen sink. A continuation of Liz's abduction story we now find out where she is and why Memnam Saa. Suffice to say by now I will read anything written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi. The story moves at breakneck pace and there is yet more to come, in the next issue.
March 12, 2021
If you think I'm gonna give less than five stars to a book about a fish man and a ghost leading the army and also some yeti monks and a golden dragon into battle against a sea of frog demons and hyperborean ape-men from the center of the earth and some biomechanical robot kaiju bugs... you have another thing comin' buddy
April 29, 2021
One (maybe too epic) epic battle and a LOT of complete nonsense world building. It's extremely hard to care, the characters act mostly as just devices to get the big bad plot along and the elegance and zing of the previous volumes is somehow gone. It is still a book provides some enjoyment, it just really did not work for me and was a major disappointment in the series.
December 24, 2018
Este tomo es algo así como La Fénix Oscura de Hellboy. Liz descubre su potencia, su propósito, y ya mira, los autores echan el resto. Dragones, yetis y soldados se dan de hostias con ranas y hombres de barro y monstruosidades lovecraftianas. Total, el otro día se cargaron Múnich.
June 20, 2019
Lots of interesting goings on in this collection, visiting a Hyperborean city and seeing Liz Sherman do her thing. There is a good amount of Lobster Johnson backstory in this one which continues to fascinate me. I am curious how the 1930s-1940s plots will intertwine with the 2000s plot.
October 15, 2020
Přišlo mi to trochu slabší než předchozí díl. Nejlepší byl asi poslední sešit s cliffhangrem, první sešit s celkem zajímavě udělaným úvodem a pak několik nových informací od Memnan Saa (o Memnan Saovi, zbytek už byl v Hellboyovi i Ú.P.V.O. už několikrát).
April 11, 2021
Krauss was shocking here. I had read this but forgot to review or something I don't know weird anomaly. This was good. Real cliffhangers. Loved the monks and troops acting together. It was good but I never could vibe the Liz storyline.
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