B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Vol. 9: The Reign of the Black Flame

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth

by Mike Mignola, James Harren (Illustrator)

With Liz Sherman back in fiery action, two B.P.R.D. teams make their way through the monster-filled streets of the Manhattan wasteland in order to reach the Black Flame’s fortress and take down his army. Collects B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #115-#119.

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

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 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]

I think I’ve been looking at BPRD all wrong – up til now I’ve thought of it as this finite story, which is why its plodding pace has annoyed me so much; but I don’t think that’s what Mike Mignola/Dark Horse have in mind. They’re creating middle story with no resolution, ie. setting up their own Batman/Spider-Man-type template with BPRD. They want these guys to always be wandering towns and cities fighting kaiju and recurring bad guys like the Black Flame and never getting any closer to defeating them.

And that’s what this volume is: another crappy story of Batman going after the Joker for the umpteenth time, except the BPRD version: BPRD fight monsters in the city, Black Flame’s the big bad, throw them all together and offer no resolution and no change by the end. Repeat in the next volume and the next and so on. The evil Zinco Corp are being food fascists but that’s about it for new stuff. In other words, this one is more uninspired BPRD bullhonky.

James Harren’s art is just ok in this one. Generally it looks good though it’s tough to understand what’s happening in some panels, like in the sewer scene. Bullets are flying around, characters are seemingly getting hit by them but aren’t hurt, there’s lightning (or are those trajectory lines?); I get what's happening in the scene overall but some of the moments within it were confusing.

So this is what BPRD has become: characters pointlessly fighting monsters and only that. No story, no overarching plotline, very little to care about – and that’s The Reign of the Black Flame! I'd be fine with the static nature of the storytelling if it was interesting to read but it isn't.

I hope I’m not right and there is a plan/direction for the series but at the moment boring books like this make it seem like the creators are happy to just spin their wheels indefinitely. If that is all that’s going to happen from now on, I’m tapping out.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The BPRD and SSS team-up to finally find out what's happened in New York. No one has heard from anyone in NYC for over a year. It's great to have Liz back and have Fenix finally step up. Iosif even shines in this one. I love how he goes after those who hurt his friend, Johan. There's some really, dark eerie moments in the first half of this, followed by full on superheroics in the latter half. It's my favorite volume of Hell on Earth so far. James Harren draws some fantastic looking monsters. It's so surprise why he teamed up with Arcudi on Rumble.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An action-packed volume of BPRD as a handful of our favourite agents attempt to access the island of Manhattan; something nobody has been able to do since it was overtaken by the forces of darkness.

There are some significant developments here and Liz Sherman has to face a serious dilemma just as she thought she had all her problems licked.

James Harren returns for art duties and he really delivers, ably assisted by Dave Stewart on colours (who seems to be back on form).

I really enjoyed this volume. The only thing I wasn't overly keen on was the way a newly introduced black character was portrayed; he speaks like the jive-talking black characters from Airplane. Sheesh...

[Artemy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I’ve read the previous volume of BPRD: Hell on Earth, but October is getting closer once again, which means that my cravings for anything Mignolaverse-related get out of control. This volume was surprisingly awesome! Lots of gory action, a few emotional deaths and a visual explosion of crazy creature designs and urban destruction thanks to James Harren’s and Dave Stewart’s spot-on artwork. I am beyond happy to see Liz back to her former badass self, and while I still miss a lot of the old teammates, I think I’m starting to get used to the new roster. BPRD’s Hell on Earth cycle of stories generally hasn’t been as strong as its brilliant predecessor Plague of Frogs, but volumes like The Reign of the Black Flame still make it a worthwhile read.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final issue in this arc just came out today. I've only been following this series for a short time, and this is the first time I've read an arc issue-by-issue over a few months. The book is a quick read, so it is awkward only reading a few minutes each month.

Overall this is a good read for fans of the series. I can't really see it being a reason to get into the series, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it for the uninitiated. It's unfortunately more of the same... but the same is, for the most part, awesome artwork, crazy monster battles, and some really likeable characters. The same is also a story that doesn't reveal too much new information for us readers to figure out how everything is gonna go down or get resolved.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are finally starting to build up. With the chess pieces finally moving, we get to see some definite things going on that's moving the story forward, but I'm not very sure about the pace itself.

[Peter Derk · Rating 4 out of 5]

You may have noticed that I skipped volume 8 of this series.

This is not because of some numerology nonsense where I was terrified to use anything with the number 8. I wish the explanation was that interesting.

My library doesn't have volume 8. For no good reason, number 8 has disappeared and never been replaced.

To which I say, what the hell?

Also, did someone just have volume 8 checked out and not return it? Or damage it? And why did they take out volume 8? Why start there?

I guess, in the interest of chaos, the world is kinda burning in this series, so maybe someone figured it'd be a closer reading experience, more interesting to be very confused as well. It better simulates how nuts it would be to live in a world of monsters ravaging everything?

Is that a reach as explanations go? Absolutely. But hey, reaching is what I do. It's how I get the Milanos down from the top shelf.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Reign of the B Flame continues the Hell on Earth storyline.

New York is a disaster area filled with monsters. The BPRD and the Russian Special Sciences Service are working together to stop the Black Flame. Apparently Sherman has her powers back and she is far more powerful than I had thought. Meanwhile, in New York, a company called Zinco is merely a front for the Black Flame. The BPRD and RSSS must fight their way through them to take out the Black Flame.
There is a lot of action in this volume. It was actually a damn fun read. The artwork worked very well for this story. It certainly grew on me as I progressed through story. Read this one for the action and the great fight scenes. Liz Sherman's power is amazing.

Good art, action filled plot and a dark story make this an enjoyable read for any Mignola fan.

[Bob Solanovicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josif! Josif! Josif!

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This...is insane...if this were a movie i'd make the Man of Steel finale a tiny little thing by comparison.

World: I don't know, I enjoyed but at the same time did not enjoy Harren's art. When Liz was flying around it was amazing, but when you have wide shots and the character details of the team is all lost making them all the same looking, that's not good. His art is both detailed and too simple at the same time, it's something you have to see to understand, but that was what tore me in half about the art. It was good and also so, blurry at the same time. The world building, man I'm just tired of raving about how good it is, just read the book, this is a fulfillment of the piece that is New York and Zinco that Mignola and Arcudi has been building towards for a while. The world building shows us that and also opens the door for even more storytelling, it's nuts.

Story: This arc moved fairly slow for me, there were some pacing issues and if you look at the story it's actually just one huge action/war/battle scene. It's just that there were a lot of pieces and a lot of locations. The main event was of course the Black Flame v Liz which I've been looking forward to for a long time. Mignola and Arcudi was still able to stuff it full of world building during the battle that it made that battle great. The rest of the story is fairly standard fight and survival which we've seen from other BPRD books for a while. It's a good book if you want to see the culmination of the New York/Zinco storyline, but all the action left the character development in the dust, and leaves the readers with so many more questions that begs to be answered.

Characters: Liz is amazing, fully formed, newly powerful and full of character. This is the Liz readers have not seen ever since 'Seed of Destruction' she's come out of her shell and it's a sight to behold and absolutely horrifying. The implications of what she is and can do and how it links with the Black Flame is amazing, she had some development. So did the Black Flame, his story and this version of it is frightening also in what he represents and the powers that he now has. I am left speechless witht eh finale of this battle and now have more questions than answers, I know Arcudi and Mignola will deal with that in the future. The rest of the cast of characters (and there's a lot) pretty much react this time around. With the craziness in New York they merely react and try to survive, it's cool to see all these fully formed characters act the way they do in situations but yes, there was no development for them.

A fun read that opens up the world even more and gives us even more questions that are in want of answering. Seeing Liz being like this was a sight. A good ending point for this part of the story. I'm hoping for more answers soon!

Onward to the next book!

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the closest BPRD has ever gotten to a super hero comic, and wow does it play it well. Liz is brutal, Fenix is well utilized, and all of the characters make good impressions as they go on a recon trip to the silent New York. The atmosphere is brooding and there's a scene at Prospect Park that is one of the most powerful sequences I've seen in the title. The big conflict plays out on an almost mythic scale, but still manages to keep the tension up for the characters not directly involved. I'm glad BPRD isn't like this all the time, but honestly this is probably my favorite volume of the series, especially in its Hell on Earth era. The biggest complaint would be that the artwork has gotten too far away from the classic Hellboy style, looking almost like a DC or Marvel title, albeit with a darker palette. But it also helps make the sequences more clear, so even it isn't really a knock against the series. All around, well done.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

well it does not take a genius to see what the next threat it - but how big and how active a threat (or considering how the story twists and turns) if it is a threat at all or rather a distraction we all see,

But you can now see that there are some very big powers at play and not those originally planned to be (after all wasnt this going to be Hellboys new empire?)

Either way I suspect we are about to see another wave of destruction coming and I suspect it will be on the same scale if not bigger than before - it seems that destroying whole cities is now the norm - what next I wonder.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very action-packed fun volume. The dialog is a little sparser than usual, but it's serviceable and quite adequate, and Herron's art advances the plot well without written explanation. The B.P.R.D./Russian team-up enters Manhattan on two fronts and encounter a plethora of imaginative and intriguing monsters. There are a number of interesting character advancements, notably Fenix and Howard, but it's Liz Sherman who really...er... shines. I mean, Johnny Storm would have flame-on-envy. It's another good addition to the series.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally the series is starting to look good again! The last few volumes have been horrendously boring crap. It looks like Iosif is going to die but he went out in a blaze of glory killing Marsten. The fight between Liz and the resurrected Black Flame alone makes this worth the read.

[Siona Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was kinda boring aside from Liz and the Black Flame fighting

[Iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Світові п*@#ос, хто б що не намагався зробити. Вже із показом Нью-Йорку та повного потенціалу Ліз, надії немає.

Мінуси: дуже багато пафосних діалогів та дуже мало візуального наративу. Звісно, Йозиф та Чорне Полум'я мали пояснити нам все у монологах та розкласти по поличках словесно.

Затягнуто? Трохи. Та безнадії додало ще й як.

[Simon Chadwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since the Hell On Earth run began BPRD, once one of my firm favourites, has felt very much a hit and miss exercise with a lack of direction. However, the previous volume was certainly an improvement and then along comes this one - a stupendous return to form, with a firm sense of place, great character set pieces and challenges, some terrific monsters and some exceptional art.

Two BPRD teams are attempting to break into Manhattan, somehow sealed off from the outside world and crawling with hellish beasties. Fenix’s premonition is able to guide one team past the hideous monstrosities, but the second team, led by the undead Iosif, have to face them head on, but fortunately have the firepower to do so. Once inside Manhattan their job is to observe, understand, and then get out, but of course they get side-tracked by the horrors and the unexpected machinations of Zinco, the global company with a very dark agenda who appear to be thriving amongst this hellish backdrop. So things naturally fall apart as Iosif decides to take on Zinco while the newly returned Liz Sherman finds her inner-strength as she strives for a re-match against an incredibly powerful and altered Black Flame.

This is much better, largely because of the incredible artwork and designs of James Harren. His intricate illustrations of New York buildings, nasty-looking demonic creatures and the main cast and crew ground the book firmly in the moment and give it a weight that some of the previous volumes have been lacking. Also, the writing appears to have found a more solid direction now and there’s a sense of progress, albeit small steps. Iosif in particular is heroic and sensitive, and the book could have featured him alone and still been an excellent read. I’ll gladly have more from Mr Harren, please.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5

Liz Sherman is back in action and volume 9 drives home that the B.P.R.D team is back in full swing. This piggy-backs off the great work done by Mignola and team on volume 8. It annoys me that I'm now awaiting the library to purchase the next books for me to consume. I can assure you if I had been onto this series when I started my comic collection, I would be finished by now.

Why the 5?

This volume is the bomb. Literally the bomb. It has closure and some of the amazing art this series has banked on since the beginning. There is story left to tell but they end some of the long standing storylines with this volume and it feels like the right time. The Black Flame is a great villainous character so I'm happy to say he gains enough attention here to sustain the storyline. The ending leaves the series in a great situation and the next volumes won't have the issues of character selection, everybody is back at home.

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my previous review I talked about finally feeling excited about B.P.R.D. and this volume really delivered. One of the strengths that B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth has and doesn't always play to is the post-apocalyptic setting. In the moments where it focuses on day-to-day survival of a planet completely torn apart by giant monsters, there are strong stories to tell. In this case, the agents try to take back New York City which has been strangely silent since all of the problems began unlike other major cities. I won't spoil the plot but it is quite interesting and the story has a lot of tense moments in it too. With James Harren on art, the book is pretty (in a destruction porn kind of way!) to look at too. This is one of the Hell on Earth story arcs that is truly great and I hope there will be more of this kind of storytelling in B.P.R.D. in the future.

[Marc Pastor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per fi. Després de moltes voltes, l'AIDP entra a Manhattan i s'enfronta a l'horror. Liz Sherman i la Flama Negra es tornen a veure les cares. Els monstres campen com volen pels carrers de Nova York. Hi ha escenes esgarrifoses, terror, tàctiques bèl·liques, acció... tot el que portàvem esperant de l'inici d'aquest arc argumental.
Té ritme, està dibuixat de putíssima mare i els personatges funcionen.
Ja tocava.
La pega: que es fa mooooolt curt.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the great things about the Hellboy universe is how many different things it can be. Whatever you like from other books, chances are there's an awesome analog in the Hellboy books somewhere. This time out, the already post-apocalyptic B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth series becomes an apocalyptic superhero showdown in a ruined New York, with bizarre and kinetic art as only James Harren can supply.

[Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This issue was supposed to be just about an "infiltrate, recon and gather information" mission in Manhattan. The team(s) quickly realize Zinco is up to WAY more than that. This 5 star issue has tension, tautness, kick ass fights, Liz going super Saiyan. Iosef taking revenge like the mutha he is. Wow. Just color me impressed.

[Maria Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things get a bit more interesting here as we see what the Black Flame is doing in New York. I would have liked a bit more exploration and conversation and a bit less punching. This comic series is kinda high on the monster fight quotient, but honestly, that's not why I read it.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is little dialogue in this book compared to others, and much more fighting. It was a good installment in the series. Again, I love the sketch pages with the descriptions of the book process.

[Brian Rosenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

BPRD Hell on Earth: The Reign of the Black Flame.

Two teams, combined agents from both the BPRD and the Russian Special Sciences Service, march on a monster infested Manhattan, tasked with accessing the threat and reducing it, if possible. Good luck!

As the teams move forward, survivors are spotted. The survivors are actually a park full of suicides. Really great art that breaks the spirit. No dialogue in the two-page spread. Johann Kraus sums up the scene perfectly, “They didn’t want to die alone.”

The advance on Manhattan continues. “…The whole city. It’s even darker than the night sky. It’s not a city anymore. It’s like a hole.”

A company, Zinco, is introduced. Zinco are the would-be saviors of humanity, but they also serve the Black Flame. Kurtz, a Zinco operative, is captured and spills the beans on the company.

The Russian Iosif shines as he invades Zinco HQ, combatting two Black Flame created monstrous bodyguards “I’ve lived beyond Death, and will live beyond you.” He does but takes a serious pounding but gains a measure of revenge for his friend Johann and his promised body that is now home to the Black Flame.

Liz confronts the Black Flame. BOOOOM! Liz survives. The Black Flame…?

All this and more. Great action in this volume. A really fun read.

[Frédéric Bonin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is awesome. Finally the moment all previous volumes were building to. The « new » black flame is awesome. The siege of NYC is awesome. Two teams, two objectives, incredible monsters, it is so cool. The only reason this is not 5 stars is because of the pacing. After using 8 volumes to build up to this moment, this volume rushes to the conclusion. In the end there are explosions, calamity, another awesome black flame moment and then … nothing? It was a bit hard to work out what was going on at the end which took away from the story.

[Bart Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me lo he leído atraído por el dibujo de Harren y sin ser habitual del universo BPRD.
He estado bastante perdido todo el rato. Es 95% de plantear un escenario super interesante para resolverlo muy anticlimáticamente en el último minuto y sin mucho sentido. Bluf.

Pero James Harren: por ti mato. MA. TO.

[Scotty F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as strong as the previous volume, but the art got bumped a notch. Would give a 4.5 overall. Huge climactic events as the BPRD head to the Big Apple! Do you like gore? Do you like sci-fi? Do you like big explosions? This is it. I'm shocked there's so many volumes to follow this gigantic arc, but I can see the end. Maybe the last few books change the pace. Read on to find out!

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s all-out war as the BPRD and the SSS team up to strike into the heart of monster-filled Manhattan and take down the Black Flame who has set up quite the frightening empire of the edge of Armageddon. Non-stop thrill ride, this one.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like with this arc we finally have a real B.P.R.D. crew again!