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B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Vol. 5: The Pickens County Horror and Others
The B.P.R.D. crew investigates the site of a hundred-year-old magical ritual and Hellboy breaks into the secret library of a dead necromancer. Collects The Pickens County Horror #1-#2, The Transformation of J. H. O'Donnell, and The Abyss of Time Parts 1 and 2.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
6 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,873 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 72 reviews
January 16, 2018
Ouch. Lots of great artwork in this volume, but the three stories collected here had nothing to do with anything that was going on in the series for the past 16 books. Even worse, the stories really weren’t even that good on their own. This volume felt like an entirely skippable filler, and that was a huge disappointment. I really hope this was just a one time thing, and that it’ll get back on track in the next one.
November 25, 2015
This BPRD collection lumps together a pair of two-part stories and a one-shot. For the most part, these tales don't feature any of the major players in the BPRD universe (apart from Hellboy himself in the one-shot). This resulted in me not really investing in the stories emotionally that much, unfortunately.
Are the stories creepy? Scary? Well-written? Yeah, reasonably so... I just couldn't care that much about what happened to the characters.
This volume is by no means actually BAD, it just feels a little non-essential. One for BPRD/Hellboy completists only, I would think.
Are the stories creepy? Scary? Well-written? Yeah, reasonably so... I just couldn't care that much about what happened to the characters.
This volume is by no means actually BAD, it just feels a little non-essential. One for BPRD/Hellboy completists only, I would think.
November 10, 2013
BPRD is generally a great series and Hell On Earth, the current story arc, has been an interesting ride so far. Occasionally with these books (along with other books in the Hellboy universe) Mike Mignola and his team will put out a standalone book of short stories that can be really awesome to read like Hellboy: The Crooked Man which readers who haven't been following the main Hellboy story can just pick up and enjoy by itself. The Pickens County Horror and Others is just like that, where we get three standalone tales featuring vampires and Lovecraftian monsters except this one turns out to be one of the least interesting collections Mignola and co. have put out in a while.
The first story, The Pickens County Horror, is by far the best. Some nondescript BPRD agents - most of the famous ones like Johann, Liz and Abe have disappeared for various reasons, so we get what are essentially a series of Star Trek red shirts - investigate a vampire family living in rural South Carolina and the source of a mysterious green fog. It's not the most original of setups but Southern Gothic as a genre and that kind of horror imagery of the woods at night and lurking monsters with glowing eyes, or even just a hut in the middle of nowhere being attacked by nightmarish figures, is just catnip to me so even when it turned out to be not even an average vampire story, I didn't mind all that much.
The Transformation of JH O'Donnell goes back in time to when Hellboy was still around as he and the titular character investigate a haunted library containing old, rare forgotten volumes. Hellboy punches a monster, O'Donnell sees some scary spirits, that's about it. Very forgettable.
The Abyss of Time is by far the least involving story here. Some more nondescript BPRD agents investigate an underground vault and one of them goes into a trance - his body remains in the present while his mind/spirit/soul goes back in time where he (or his ancestor) was a barbarian prince. He leads his barbarian horde to fight some evil monsters, the end. It reminded me a lot of Pat Mills' Slainé books where we also had a time-travelling barbarian but this version was a lot less interesting mostly because it's exactly as I've described with nothing surprising thrown in - great art from James Harren as ever though.
BPRD is usually a great series but The Pickens County Horror is a blip in that it's not very good. Full of generic "horror" stories that are very forgettable and boring to read, don't judge the series on this uninteresting volume and pick up Volume 4: The Devil's Engine instead, skip this, and go straight on to Volume 6: The Return of the Master.
The first story, The Pickens County Horror, is by far the best. Some nondescript BPRD agents - most of the famous ones like Johann, Liz and Abe have disappeared for various reasons, so we get what are essentially a series of Star Trek red shirts - investigate a vampire family living in rural South Carolina and the source of a mysterious green fog. It's not the most original of setups but Southern Gothic as a genre and that kind of horror imagery of the woods at night and lurking monsters with glowing eyes, or even just a hut in the middle of nowhere being attacked by nightmarish figures, is just catnip to me so even when it turned out to be not even an average vampire story, I didn't mind all that much.
The Transformation of JH O'Donnell goes back in time to when Hellboy was still around as he and the titular character investigate a haunted library containing old, rare forgotten volumes. Hellboy punches a monster, O'Donnell sees some scary spirits, that's about it. Very forgettable.
The Abyss of Time is by far the least involving story here. Some more nondescript BPRD agents investigate an underground vault and one of them goes into a trance - his body remains in the present while his mind/spirit/soul goes back in time where he (or his ancestor) was a barbarian prince. He leads his barbarian horde to fight some evil monsters, the end. It reminded me a lot of Pat Mills' Slainé books where we also had a time-travelling barbarian but this version was a lot less interesting mostly because it's exactly as I've described with nothing surprising thrown in - great art from James Harren as ever though.
BPRD is usually a great series but The Pickens County Horror is a blip in that it's not very good. Full of generic "horror" stories that are very forgettable and boring to read, don't judge the series on this uninteresting volume and pick up Volume 4: The Devil's Engine instead, skip this, and go straight on to Volume 6: The Return of the Master.
April 25, 2019
Three stand alone tales featuring unsung human members of the BPRD. They don't advance the larger story at all, but they are fun horror stories in themselves. Pickens County Horror has a cool trapped in the house, original Night of the Living Dead feel to it. The Transformation of JH O'Donnell details how mad scientist looking character Professor O'Donnell was driven mad. I hated Fiumara's art in this. The Abyss of Time is probably the weirdest of the stories, as one of the BPRD gets trapped in the memories of the ancient past. It seems unrelated but does factor in later into the series. I love James Harrens's art in this. His monsters have a Doug Mahnke feel to them that I dig.
May 2, 2018
Three stories here for the price of one!
#1. Already with much in common as continuing his legacy, it feels quite apropos for the first story to have a highly explicit George Romero feel to it. In particular, the setting of a boarded-up house surrounded by some undead figures is highly reminiscent of this director’s magnum opus, Night of the Living Dead. However, while the aforementioned film thrills us with a continual series of jaw-dropping series of spine tingling sensations the suspense here is generated by an amorphous screen of fog. Yup, green-tinted low-lying clouds aren’t exactly heart-pumping inducing. And neither is the flaccid action that occurs sequentially. Not to mention the horror animated by such ghastliness is evidently penetrable by bullets. You can shoot and kill ghosts??? Wait – what? Laaaaaaaaame!
Anyways…
#2/3. BPRD does this whole subaltern take on the Hellboy world to meh effect. By sacrificing the otherwise main characters due to their afflictions or incapacities, the story thus focuses on the foot soldiers. While it’s something of a novel idea, I’m not sure the implementation is effective (enough). None of the characters are particularly engaging and since they’re just grunts, they’re just as disposable as their job titles would suggest.
This vending machine of ancillaries dispense new ones as we need then – with the platonic dispensary restocking itself on an as needed basis. Going along with this metaphorical analogy, just another cosmetic wrapping is all we get on each individual - they’re just the same platonic mass just formed differently in regards to gender and appearance. As Vonnegut said in Slaughter House, “So it goes.”
All the more ineffective is the transference to a back story in this third tale. This could be implemented well but, a severe case of chronological vertigo is induced by the stream of time being jutted even further back before we return where whence it came.
In either case, the ending seems to end in another disposable manner for semi-heroes and the briefly introduced shadowy villain alike. Equally vague is the conclusion within regarding the reversely travelled stream of time. Yet, with implications for the future for the series, not all is lost and something is to be gained. Indeed, it’s not all total mediocrity here.
#1. Already with much in common as continuing his legacy, it feels quite apropos for the first story to have a highly explicit George Romero feel to it. In particular, the setting of a boarded-up house surrounded by some undead figures is highly reminiscent of this director’s magnum opus, Night of the Living Dead. However, while the aforementioned film thrills us with a continual series of jaw-dropping series of spine tingling sensations the suspense here is generated by an amorphous screen of fog. Yup, green-tinted low-lying clouds aren’t exactly heart-pumping inducing. And neither is the flaccid action that occurs sequentially. Not to mention the horror animated by such ghastliness is evidently penetrable by bullets. You can shoot and kill ghosts??? Wait – what? Laaaaaaaaame!
Anyways…
#2/3. BPRD does this whole subaltern take on the Hellboy world to meh effect. By sacrificing the otherwise main characters due to their afflictions or incapacities, the story thus focuses on the foot soldiers. While it’s something of a novel idea, I’m not sure the implementation is effective (enough). None of the characters are particularly engaging and since they’re just grunts, they’re just as disposable as their job titles would suggest.
This vending machine of ancillaries dispense new ones as we need then – with the platonic dispensary restocking itself on an as needed basis. Going along with this metaphorical analogy, just another cosmetic wrapping is all we get on each individual - they’re just the same platonic mass just formed differently in regards to gender and appearance. As Vonnegut said in Slaughter House, “So it goes.”
All the more ineffective is the transference to a back story in this third tale. This could be implemented well but, a severe case of chronological vertigo is induced by the stream of time being jutted even further back before we return where whence it came.
In either case, the ending seems to end in another disposable manner for semi-heroes and the briefly introduced shadowy villain alike. Equally vague is the conclusion within regarding the reversely travelled stream of time. Yet, with implications for the future for the series, not all is lost and something is to be gained. Indeed, it’s not all total mediocrity here.
November 22, 2022
This particular volume of BPRD: Hell on Earth series consists of 3 different stories, all focusing on different and lesser-known BPRD characters, following and unraveling events that tie up to the main story. All average, but with some amazing and dynamic artwork by James Harren in that final story.
March 18, 2014
Three short stories set amongst the backdrop of the continuing destruction of the world, mostly featuring B.P.R.D. agents we haven't met before, and probably won't again judging by what happens to them.
In the first story, a "moaning fog" in South Carolina turns out to conceal a family of vampires that can trace their origin back to the Boston tea party. There is a reference to the vampire council and their long term plans for the conquest of the world, but the story goes nowhere and the artwork is confusing. 2 stars
The second tale is potentially the most interesting as it tells the story of Dr. O'Donnell, the mad old man who pops up every so often to spout weirdly prophetic nonsense. Here we get to find out exactly what happens to him, and as a bonus this is also a story with Hellboy in it. Needless to say, it is pretty nasty. 4 stars
In the final story, some agents find a secret temple in a basement under a building in Chicago. When one of the team touches a mysterious weapon (which has also popped up in a number of previous stories), he is drawn into a vision set in the ancient past. There he becomes the leader that stops the old gods from returning to our world. It's potentially interesting, but comes to an abrupt halt before there is a satisfactory end. 3 stars
This book can be read as a standalone with little knowledge of the wider story, but in the end it doesn't amount to much
In the first story, a "moaning fog" in South Carolina turns out to conceal a family of vampires that can trace their origin back to the Boston tea party. There is a reference to the vampire council and their long term plans for the conquest of the world, but the story goes nowhere and the artwork is confusing. 2 stars
The second tale is potentially the most interesting as it tells the story of Dr. O'Donnell, the mad old man who pops up every so often to spout weirdly prophetic nonsense. Here we get to find out exactly what happens to him, and as a bonus this is also a story with Hellboy in it. Needless to say, it is pretty nasty. 4 stars
In the final story, some agents find a secret temple in a basement under a building in Chicago. When one of the team touches a mysterious weapon (which has also popped up in a number of previous stories), he is drawn into a vision set in the ancient past. There he becomes the leader that stops the old gods from returning to our world. It's potentially interesting, but comes to an abrupt halt before there is a satisfactory end. 3 stars
This book can be read as a standalone with little knowledge of the wider story, but in the end it doesn't amount to much
July 22, 2024
And so the Hell on Earth series continues - but rather like the earlier Russia storyline we have a slight pause in the proceedings and deal with some side stories - which I think not only allows a little breathing space in the series but also allows us to widen the character list (after all that gives them space to kill a few off too) but also to slow the pace a little as it does feel like we are racing towards the grand finale even though we have 10 more instalments to go.
Either way a great book with some great stories in it - I often struggle with what to write in these "middle" books as you never know what might be really important later or or just a plot filler - so making comments and possibly letting things slip is a real challenge as you are never sure (or at least I am not) what I might be stepping in to.
Either way a great book with some great stories in it - I often struggle with what to write in these "middle" books as you never know what might be really important later or or just a plot filler - so making comments and possibly letting things slip is a real challenge as you are never sure (or at least I am not) what I might be stepping in to.
April 6, 2019
3.5
This is one of those volumes that shares various storylines and adds little to the ongoing storyline. I enjoyed the first storyline, but felt the other two added little. This is the nature of short fiction and the Hellboy series has had these issues in earlier work.
Why the 3.5?
Great art and the stories are interesting, but overall the results are mixed for me. Mignola has no problem building concepts but finding a well balanced story arc is problematic for these shorter stories. Not without flaws, but as fans you'll find something here.
This is one of those volumes that shares various storylines and adds little to the ongoing storyline. I enjoyed the first storyline, but felt the other two added little. This is the nature of short fiction and the Hellboy series has had these issues in earlier work.
Why the 3.5?
Great art and the stories are interesting, but overall the results are mixed for me. Mignola has no problem building concepts but finding a well balanced story arc is problematic for these shorter stories. Not without flaws, but as fans you'll find something here.
October 4, 2017
Boring an unnecessary short stories that don’t really add anything to the overall Hell on Earth Story. Skip this one after reading vol 4 and go straight to vol 6
December 26, 2019
Nice creepy atmosphere but no real point showing in this collection of short stories. Mainly random BPRD canon fodder getting killed or worse in cryptic storoes ending abruptly. Cool art but kinda boring nonetheless.
July 13, 2020
Ура, ще один філлер. Непоганий, бо є персонажі третього плану, яким дають трохи вийти на світло, та все одно - спокійно пропускайте.
August 23, 2014
With this volume, BPRD is just treading water. Nothing important happens in any of the three stories included here. Just redshirts getting offed, and not in ways that further the overall story. The Pickens County Horror is something about vampires and mist, but never really developed the relationship between the two. The Abyss of Time is a caveman vs old ones story that really doesn't do much on its own, and the wraparound story for it is even worse. The Transformation of J.H. O'Donnell is a single issue and it's the strongest in the collection, but that's mostly because it's a flashback that includes Hellboy in it. O'Donnell comes through as a tragic figure, and the story around him is creative. But again, none of this pushes the story forward. And none of it is strong enough to support the digressions. It's more of the same, in the least useful sense of the term.
September 8, 2025
Pickens county felt like a go at the American vampire fandom, instead of rich Transylvanians; they’re now hillbilly family ala rob zombie- it rarely works for me.
How J H Odonnel went loony is a nice little lore builder- who is that nut walking around the BPRD facility, well now you know! A quirky and somewhat sad tale of someone getting caught in the spiritual/haunting side of this whole group when they’re totally not prepared.
Cavemen and the sword of hyperborea - I love this setting and also enjoy when stories allow themselves to stretch forward and back in time. We’ve seen many visions of the future and here’s a vision of the past- I enjoyed this story most.
How J H Odonnel went loony is a nice little lore builder- who is that nut walking around the BPRD facility, well now you know! A quirky and somewhat sad tale of someone getting caught in the spiritual/haunting side of this whole group when they’re totally not prepared.
Cavemen and the sword of hyperborea - I love this setting and also enjoy when stories allow themselves to stretch forward and back in time. We’ve seen many visions of the future and here’s a vision of the past- I enjoyed this story most.
Read
January 17, 2022The Pickens County Horror *
The Transformation of J. H. O’Donnell **
The Abyss of Time ****
The Transformation of J. H. O’Donnell **
The Abyss of Time ****
July 23, 2016
Since this is another collection of shorter stories, here are my individual reviews of each one:
Pickens County Horror - I loved the unique style of art in this volume. I would definitely like to see this artist do more in BPRD. The story has some really nice tension and horror all the way up until the end which I did not understand. Maybe it ties into older volumes or I missed a subtle hint during these two issues but that was really the only thing lacking in this story.
The Exorcism - Nothing about this story was especially interesting other than the art. It was nice to see an old character come back but other than that, this felt a little too standard or predictable.
The Transformation of J.H. O' Donnell - While short, it definitely fills in the backstory of a crazy and entertaining character. I wasn't a big fan of the art in this issue however.
As a whole, this is not a strong B.P.R.D. volume. Every story had something that could have been a bit better and while any diehard fan B.P.R.D. fan will enjoy this, it is not a must read either. As I said in my previous review, I look forward to the main plot advancing and a longer form story in the next volume.
Pickens County Horror - I loved the unique style of art in this volume. I would definitely like to see this artist do more in BPRD. The story has some really nice tension and horror all the way up until the end which I did not understand. Maybe it ties into older volumes or I missed a subtle hint during these two issues but that was really the only thing lacking in this story.
The Exorcism - Nothing about this story was especially interesting other than the art. It was nice to see an old character come back but other than that, this felt a little too standard or predictable.
The Transformation of J.H. O' Donnell - While short, it definitely fills in the backstory of a crazy and entertaining character. I wasn't a big fan of the art in this issue however.
As a whole, this is not a strong B.P.R.D. volume. Every story had something that could have been a bit better and while any diehard fan B.P.R.D. fan will enjoy this, it is not a must read either. As I said in my previous review, I look forward to the main plot advancing and a longer form story in the next volume.
July 21, 2013
More fungal terror from Mignola & co!
Actually, the title story was probably my least favorite of the three B.P.R.D. tales contained in this collection, in spite of the fungus and the vampires. I really enjoyed "The Transformation of J.H. O'Donnell" and "The Abyss of Time." The latter, notably, had some great art from James Harren, who has grown on me a lot since I was introduced to his work in the second Abe Sapien volume. He draws great googly crazy eyes, and there's lots of those here.
Actually, the title story was probably my least favorite of the three B.P.R.D. tales contained in this collection, in spite of the fungus and the vampires. I really enjoyed "The Transformation of J.H. O'Donnell" and "The Abyss of Time." The latter, notably, had some great art from James Harren, who has grown on me a lot since I was introduced to his work in the second Abe Sapien volume. He draws great googly crazy eyes, and there's lots of those here.
June 21, 2019
A bit of meh entry in the Hellboy canon. Yes, it is good to expand beyond Hellboy, Liz, etc to see more what is happening in the world and at the agency. This just wasn't all that engaging on a story or character level.
January 29, 2014
Really a bunch of side stories that don't further the overarching narrative. Decent, but skippable.
December 14, 2014
First half usual high quality stuff, second half not my cup of tea.
July 7, 2016
Actual rating: 4.5 stars.
The Abyss of Time was the best story in this volume.
The Abyss of Time was the best story in this volume.
March 14, 2020
Pickens Country Horror is a very short side story with not muuuuch relevance to the main story but at least it isn't a flashback so they story still follows chronologically. Two agents are investigating a small case out in the country and things go off the rails with another fungus problem. This time there are vampires in the mix as well. Very claustrophobic story set inside a cabin as a fungus fog is attacking. Most notable is the fantastic new artist doing the gritty illustrations. Normally I wouldn't like this type of side story but this was great. 4 solid stars.
The Abyss of Time is one of, if not my very favourite Bprd comic so far (on parr with the long death). My favourite illustrator James Harren is back on the job. Another side story where one of the Bprd agents, investigating an old collection of the occult, touches a sacred golden blade, and falls into a coma. Somehow by doing that, a cave man warrior thousands of years ago gets a glimpse of the present through the agent. As if they briefly exchange bodies. The rest of the comic continues back in time where the caveman and his tribe battle fast manic zombies as he sees that worse is to come through his vision. An epic brutal end battle ensues where several heads are sliced effortlessly in half and other spirits similar to the ogdru hem are summoned. 5 stars
The The Transformation of J. H. ODonnell had a really unique and beautiful illustration style which was really detailed but in a sort of caricature sort of manner. It was a short back story of the crazy doctor in the BPRD head quarters and how he got crazy. It was a low key mission with Hellboy actually long ago in search for a library in an old abandoned house. They find the library and a secret room too. They get separated accidentally and Hellboy faces a cow headed mummy as the doctor goes deeper into a tunnel, lead by hooded figures from the occult and they all end up turning into flies to his dismay. The house burns down and Hellboy only finds the doctor miles away later already in his current insane form. The ending though is especially good as it leaves it very ambiguous on what actually happened to the doctor. He pauses a second and the next frame is him also turning into the flies and the following one after that is him normal again. 5 stars
The Abyss of Time is one of, if not my very favourite Bprd comic so far (on parr with the long death). My favourite illustrator James Harren is back on the job. Another side story where one of the Bprd agents, investigating an old collection of the occult, touches a sacred golden blade, and falls into a coma. Somehow by doing that, a cave man warrior thousands of years ago gets a glimpse of the present through the agent. As if they briefly exchange bodies. The rest of the comic continues back in time where the caveman and his tribe battle fast manic zombies as he sees that worse is to come through his vision. An epic brutal end battle ensues where several heads are sliced effortlessly in half and other spirits similar to the ogdru hem are summoned. 5 stars
The The Transformation of J. H. ODonnell had a really unique and beautiful illustration style which was really detailed but in a sort of caricature sort of manner. It was a short back story of the crazy doctor in the BPRD head quarters and how he got crazy. It was a low key mission with Hellboy actually long ago in search for a library in an old abandoned house. They find the library and a secret room too. They get separated accidentally and Hellboy faces a cow headed mummy as the doctor goes deeper into a tunnel, lead by hooded figures from the occult and they all end up turning into flies to his dismay. The house burns down and Hellboy only finds the doctor miles away later already in his current insane form. The ending though is especially good as it leaves it very ambiguous on what actually happened to the doctor. He pauses a second and the next frame is him also turning into the flies and the following one after that is him normal again. 5 stars
January 15, 2022
Welcome to Pickens County
This volume collects three unique stories.
In the first story, Jasper Dillion and his family are introduced. They are vampires.
Local people are missing. B.P.R.D. agents Vaughn and Peters arrive to investigate. Vampires? Missing people? Hmm… The agents wind up running across shadowy figures in a mysterious, moaning fog. The agents wake up in the residence of Professor Ethan Thomas. The Prof is writing the definitive history of vampires in America. Vaughn and Ethan discuss Vampires. Peters isn’t fairing so well but she’s well enough to attack Vaughn. Cue the weird stuff. Some kind of Peters-fog-ghost kills Ethan. Vaughn survives the night and visits the Dillion home. Most of the Dillion family are already dead, really dead, fungus growing from their corpses. Vaughn kills the sole surviving Dillion family member.
In the second story, we get Hellboy. Remember him? This is a flashback story where Hellboy and Dr. O'Donnell investigate the library of necromancer Alessandro Divzia. O'Donnell discovers a hidden passage to a second library. The real library. Cloaked figures appear, all great occultists, all long dead according to O'Donnell. The occultists transform into human-sized flies.
Meanwhile, Hellboy throws fists with a Minotaur.
The library burns. Hellboy and O'Donnell survive. O'Donnell is worse off from the experience.
The third story is set in Chicago. BPRD agents discover “some kind of temple.” Agent Howards discovers an ancient weapon that renders him comatose. Flashback to the distant past. The Cold People attack and are driven back and the significant history of the bladed weapon is explained. The Old Gods are stopped.
Agent Howards sleeps amidst his fellow dead agents, his hands gripping the weapon. More to be revealed in future volumes.
This volume collects three unique stories.
In the first story, Jasper Dillion and his family are introduced. They are vampires.
Local people are missing. B.P.R.D. agents Vaughn and Peters arrive to investigate. Vampires? Missing people? Hmm… The agents wind up running across shadowy figures in a mysterious, moaning fog. The agents wake up in the residence of Professor Ethan Thomas. The Prof is writing the definitive history of vampires in America. Vaughn and Ethan discuss Vampires. Peters isn’t fairing so well but she’s well enough to attack Vaughn. Cue the weird stuff. Some kind of Peters-fog-ghost kills Ethan. Vaughn survives the night and visits the Dillion home. Most of the Dillion family are already dead, really dead, fungus growing from their corpses. Vaughn kills the sole surviving Dillion family member.
In the second story, we get Hellboy. Remember him? This is a flashback story where Hellboy and Dr. O'Donnell investigate the library of necromancer Alessandro Divzia. O'Donnell discovers a hidden passage to a second library. The real library. Cloaked figures appear, all great occultists, all long dead according to O'Donnell. The occultists transform into human-sized flies.
Meanwhile, Hellboy throws fists with a Minotaur.
The library burns. Hellboy and O'Donnell survive. O'Donnell is worse off from the experience.
The third story is set in Chicago. BPRD agents discover “some kind of temple.” Agent Howards discovers an ancient weapon that renders him comatose. Flashback to the distant past. The Cold People attack and are driven back and the significant history of the bladed weapon is explained. The Old Gods are stopped.
Agent Howards sleeps amidst his fellow dead agents, his hands gripping the weapon. More to be revealed in future volumes.
February 9, 2023
All short stories in this collection are side stories to the main events and this makes vol 5 standalone - you can skip it or you can read it, it wont make much of a difference for the main story line.
The Pickens County Horror is what you might call homage to Color from Space, standard body-snatcher horror where mysterious mist raises dead from their graves. It would be pretty oh-yeah-zombies-again-yaaay story if these same dead bodies weren't put in said graves by vampires. Interesting story, old school horror.
Transformation is very short but again it seems to be homage to Lovecraft and his favorite twist: everybody going crazy when in touch with the forbidden dark knowledge. Lots of hints, lots of wait for it .... and then pfffttttt.
Final arc is about BPRD group investigating strange house in Chicago. Here, contact with the mysterious sword will transfer one of the team members to ages past. Again homage to Lovecraft's circle, memories stored in things, in our genetic memories and people living through these strange times while looking comatose to everyone in their actual timeline (Jack Carter of Mars style, if you understand me).
Interesting collection, stories on their own are variations of what you might call already familiar horror stories with the twist. Only thing that sets them apart is the fact that main protagonists are your standard BPRD agents, and this means you are never sure who will survive the story.
Interesting stories, recommended.
The Pickens County Horror is what you might call homage to Color from Space, standard body-snatcher horror where mysterious mist raises dead from their graves. It would be pretty oh-yeah-zombies-again-yaaay story if these same dead bodies weren't put in said graves by vampires. Interesting story, old school horror.
Transformation is very short but again it seems to be homage to Lovecraft and his favorite twist: everybody going crazy when in touch with the forbidden dark knowledge. Lots of hints, lots of wait for it .... and then pfffttttt.
Final arc is about BPRD group investigating strange house in Chicago. Here, contact with the mysterious sword will transfer one of the team members to ages past. Again homage to Lovecraft's circle, memories stored in things, in our genetic memories and people living through these strange times while looking comatose to everyone in their actual timeline (Jack Carter of Mars style, if you understand me).
Interesting collection, stories on their own are variations of what you might call already familiar horror stories with the twist. Only thing that sets them apart is the fact that main protagonists are your standard BPRD agents, and this means you are never sure who will survive the story.
Interesting stories, recommended.
October 25, 2016
Pickens County, which is real, seems to be a certain kind of county. I'll let you guess, reader:
A) Urban
B) Hillbilly
Just based on name alone. Take a stab. You'll nail it.
But then, get this! Neighboring county? Transylvania County! I can't be the only idiot who had no idea that there was a Transylvania County. Think about it. When you go get a library card, how awesome is that? "Which county do you live in sir?" Then you throw your cloak over the bottom half of your face. "Transylvania!" Then lightning crashes. Or "Lightning Crashes" by Live plays in your head, either way.
The school system in Pickens is rated an A-, which is a pretty big deal for the area. However, let's look at some of the school names:
Hagood Elementary: That sounds like a witch name.
Ambler Elementary: Watch out. For at midnight comes...The Ambler.
Six Mile Elementary: Eminem made a movie about this, I think.
And get this: Shoeless Joe Jackson? Ghost in Field of Dreams? From Pickens.
Overall, seems like BPRD picked a good, spooky county to investigate. Granted, seems like maybe the neighboring Transylvania county would be the best spot, but I guess it's a little on the nose for your average haunting.
A) Urban
B) Hillbilly
Just based on name alone. Take a stab. You'll nail it.
But then, get this! Neighboring county? Transylvania County! I can't be the only idiot who had no idea that there was a Transylvania County. Think about it. When you go get a library card, how awesome is that? "Which county do you live in sir?" Then you throw your cloak over the bottom half of your face. "Transylvania!" Then lightning crashes. Or "Lightning Crashes" by Live plays in your head, either way.
The school system in Pickens is rated an A-, which is a pretty big deal for the area. However, let's look at some of the school names:
Hagood Elementary: That sounds like a witch name.
Ambler Elementary: Watch out. For at midnight comes...The Ambler.
Six Mile Elementary: Eminem made a movie about this, I think.
And get this: Shoeless Joe Jackson? Ghost in Field of Dreams? From Pickens.
Overall, seems like BPRD picked a good, spooky county to investigate. Granted, seems like maybe the neighboring Transylvania county would be the best spot, but I guess it's a little on the nose for your average haunting.
May 4, 2024
I'm shocked to hear so many readers disliked this little break from the Ogdru Jahad. I absolutely loved it! After reading the Devil's Engine and The Long Death, I felt reinvigorated in this series (Hell on Earth specifically). The horror had come back! I feel like these short stories are an homage to the original horror of Hellboy. How many HB stories in that 13 volume series were short stories? There's a plethora of them and not every one has to be directly connected to the main storyline to be a good story. I really liked the art in these stories and it actually felt creepy at times. I liked the break from the busy, but that's not everyone's cup o'. Skip it if you want, read it if you like spooky stories in the Mignola-verse.
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November 4, 2020Three one shots with ambiguous endings, all of which could show how the world ends. The 'Pickens County Horror' shows a 'family' of vampires waiting for the previously mentioned vampire apocalypse, but something else seems to have gotten them first. 'The Transformation of JH O'Donnell' gives Prof O'Donnell a backstory, and shows a cabal of undead magicians who worshipped the old gods prophesied to return and destroy the world. And in 'The Abyss of Time', a field agent gets thrown back in time to when the decedents of said old gods tried to rise again before.
None of the stories really get a definitive ending, but hopefully it will end of relating back to the main storyline.
None of the stories really get a definitive ending, but hopefully it will end of relating back to the main storyline.
November 3, 2023
This volume is without a doubt side stories with the intention of setting up some new rules in the hell on earth arc. The first story of this anthology (the Pickens county horror) is an ok setup but definitely the least interesting of the three stories. Loved reading the origin story of the mad linguist and the abyss of time is one of my favorite bprd stories so far. What an exciting, unexplored corner of the pages of Hellboy. The Hell on Earth series is turning out to be much better than I anticipated.
September 12, 2020
Every once in a while, a Mignolaverse trade paperback simply collects a few I associated one-shots together so they don’t get lost in the official chronicle of things. This volume of Hell on Earth is such a thing. The stories don’t feel particularly meaningful, and are not the strongest material we’ll likely see in this series, but I would still rather a B-game BPRD trade than a trad elf almost any other title.
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