What do you think?
Rate this book
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Vol. 11: Flesh and Stone
Things seem to be going well for the BPRD. With their alliance with the military, they now have all the munitions they need and, compared to what they faced in New York, an easy mission to clear a small town. But the town has strange connections to Howards's past as a prehistoric warrior, and more than its share of monsters. This volume collects B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #125-#129.
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 6, 2015
5 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,826 books2,564 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
February 3, 2016
So Flesh and Stone is another treading-water BPRD volume in this increasingly unimpressive Hell on Earth arc.
Whether you care or not, Howards’ origins are revealed (he’s the dude with the sword on the cover). He’s a character who suffers from Darth Maul syndrome in that he’s got a cool weapon in lieu of a personality so it’s hard to shiv a git. He, Johann and a group of faceless BPRD agents fight more forgettable Kaiju in Nowheresville, Middle America. Wow, so exciting - never seen the BPRD do that before! Oh wait that's all they do, all the time!
Black Flame’s stomping around NYC doing nothing, some more generic mad scientist types are conducting pointless experiments, and Director Nichayko’s gloomy (having made it this far I know how he feels!). Liz meanwhile is planting a garden and Fenix is giving her gardening tips.
For fuck’s sake…
Guys, you’re two volumes away from finishing Hell on Earth - is it too much to ask that you wake up and at least attempt to build up to a sort of climax? I mean, gardening - GARDENING!? Why aren’t all the characters mobilising to defeat the Kaiju menace/Black Flame/Zinco Corp. once and for all - or how about just deal with one major threat?!! Why are only some doing that while others are putzing around doing nothing. Is there no plan and if so, why not - how many volumes do you need? And, as for the ones who are doing something, are you seriously just going to have them fight one instantly forgotten Kaiju after another, the same way they’ve been doing for the last however-many-volumes - have you really got nothing else to offer!?
Two more volumes to go in this joke of a series. Just fucking end it already.
Whether you care or not, Howards’ origins are revealed (he’s the dude with the sword on the cover). He’s a character who suffers from Darth Maul syndrome in that he’s got a cool weapon in lieu of a personality so it’s hard to shiv a git. He, Johann and a group of faceless BPRD agents fight more forgettable Kaiju in Nowheresville, Middle America. Wow, so exciting - never seen the BPRD do that before! Oh wait that's all they do, all the time!
Black Flame’s stomping around NYC doing nothing, some more generic mad scientist types are conducting pointless experiments, and Director Nichayko’s gloomy (having made it this far I know how he feels!). Liz meanwhile is planting a garden and Fenix is giving her gardening tips.
For fuck’s sake…
Guys, you’re two volumes away from finishing Hell on Earth - is it too much to ask that you wake up and at least attempt to build up to a sort of climax? I mean, gardening - GARDENING!? Why aren’t all the characters mobilising to defeat the Kaiju menace/Black Flame/Zinco Corp. once and for all - or how about just deal with one major threat?!! Why are only some doing that while others are putzing around doing nothing. Is there no plan and if so, why not - how many volumes do you need? And, as for the ones who are doing something, are you seriously just going to have them fight one instantly forgotten Kaiju after another, the same way they’ve been doing for the last however-many-volumes - have you really got nothing else to offer!?
Two more volumes to go in this joke of a series. Just fucking end it already.
July 12, 2022
The main story focuses on Captain Caveman Howards. We get a lot of flashbacks but it's unclear how or if they will affect the current story other than Howards can now use some magic stones. I like that they are broadening the BPRD cast and showing how normal agents are affected by the return of the Ogdru Hem, but I couldn't care less about this enigmatic caveman mofo. Just throw him in some action scenes and move on. The art is really good and Dave Stewart's colors really pop.
July 10, 2016
This BPRD arc delves into the origins of Agent Howards... or perhaps the reincarnated power that resides within him... or perhaps both. If you don't care for the character, and he is pretty enigmatic so it could be hard to get a handle on him, then this volume won't do much for you. Personally, I find the mystery surrounding Howards fascinating, so I really enjoyed this one.
About half of the story is comprised of flashbacks to the prehistoric time when Howards' predecessor (ancestor?) walked the Earth and I thought these scenes were very well done. Both past and present day sections were action-packed, intriguing and well-illustrated by James Harren. That guy gives good monster.
I also liked the interlinked covers that combined to make one long image. Nicely done.
About half of the story is comprised of flashbacks to the prehistoric time when Howards' predecessor (ancestor?) walked the Earth and I thought these scenes were very well done. Both past and present day sections were action-packed, intriguing and well-illustrated by James Harren. That guy gives good monster.
I also liked the interlinked covers that combined to make one long image. Nicely done.
September 26, 2018
Hell on Earth keeps going surprisingly strong towards the end of its run. Flesh and Stone is a bit slower than the last two volumes, focusing more on one the most recent additions to the team, agent Howards. I can't say that I'm entirely sold on him as a character beyond that he does have a cool sword and he can use it really well, but I still really enjoyed this volume. Howards' links to the past are really intriguing, and I'm curious to see where this particular storyline is going.
Also, just a remark — it's a weird feeling to see a comic book about the end of the world happening on Earth and see not just your stereotypical Manhattan being destroyed, but also Volgograd, of all places:
That's a really cool and also unsettling image of a half-destroyed Motherland, with the city overtaken by horrifying giant monsters. you don't just see stuff like that in any random comic book. Kudos to Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, James Harren and the rest of the BPRD team for acknowledging that the rest of the world also exists, not just the good ol' USA — it makes this apocalypse feel that much more authentic, at least to me.
Also, just a remark — it's a weird feeling to see a comic book about the end of the world happening on Earth and see not just your stereotypical Manhattan being destroyed, but also Volgograd, of all places:
That's a really cool and also unsettling image of a half-destroyed Motherland, with the city overtaken by horrifying giant monsters. you don't just see stuff like that in any random comic book. Kudos to Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, James Harren and the rest of the BPRD team for acknowledging that the rest of the world also exists, not just the good ol' USA — it makes this apocalypse feel that much more authentic, at least to me.
May 6, 2016
Wow caveman fights are awesome!
That was a really good arc and wow the quiet moments were also great.
World: The art was great, the motion, the colors the monsters, it's everything I love about this series, plus a caveman fight. The world building was great, we get more glimpses of Howards which is great (we had O'Donnell last time not this...weee). The world building in New York and also Russia was also great, many small pieces that further the awesome Mignolaverse!
Story: Great! Caveman Howards is awesome and having Enoes was also great, these new cast members really get to shine in this arc and also further the world building this story is great. I can't say much but it seems things are just slowly getting to a head and eventually it will be greatness.
Characters: Many great character moments within the action packed story. I especially enjoyed the quiet scenes with Liz and Fenix giving us a great bit of levity. Russia with Iosef was also wonderful with the slow progression of it linked with the Hellboy story, great.
I'm using a lot of great but that's what it is, it's great. Read it!
Onward the to the next book!
That was a really good arc and wow the quiet moments were also great.
World: The art was great, the motion, the colors the monsters, it's everything I love about this series, plus a caveman fight. The world building was great, we get more glimpses of Howards which is great (we had O'Donnell last time not this...weee). The world building in New York and also Russia was also great, many small pieces that further the awesome Mignolaverse!
Story: Great! Caveman Howards is awesome and having Enoes was also great, these new cast members really get to shine in this arc and also further the world building this story is great. I can't say much but it seems things are just slowly getting to a head and eventually it will be greatness.
Characters: Many great character moments within the action packed story. I especially enjoyed the quiet scenes with Liz and Fenix giving us a great bit of levity. Russia with Iosef was also wonderful with the slow progression of it linked with the Hellboy story, great.
I'm using a lot of great but that's what it is, it's great. Read it!
Onward the to the next book!
July 7, 2016
Actual rating 2.75 stars.
I may be getting a little burnt out on the Mignolaverse (I say as my most recent Amazon cart is filled with Lobster Johnson, Frankenstein Underground, and Sledgehammer).
I thought this book was going to be all about Agent Howard/Gall Denner, and it was, but a majority of it was in present day, and I greatly prefer the flashback scenes.
Aside from than, the Russian plotline was okay. The one following ZinCo/The Black Flame was the most interesting (flashbacks aside), especially the last few panels involving them.
I may be getting a little burnt out on the Mignolaverse (I say as my most recent Amazon cart is filled with Lobster Johnson, Frankenstein Underground, and Sledgehammer).
I thought this book was going to be all about Agent Howard/Gall Denner, and it was, but a majority of it was in present day, and I greatly prefer the flashback scenes.
Aside from than, the Russian plotline was okay. The one following ZinCo/The Black Flame was the most interesting (flashbacks aside), especially the last few panels involving them.
April 29, 2016
After the epic events of the last volume, this volume is much quieter, for the most part. The main story is a BPRD squad dealing with a town and a couple of creatures in the vicinity. Johann and Enos and Howard and others have some bad luck in their dealings with what ultimately is a pretty low-end story. The issues are a little schizophrenic, with a couple pages thrown in dealing with different characters (Liz is growing plants, the Black flame is scary, etc.), with one of those (the Russian front) having some of the best parts of the book. The art is well done, more detailed than Mignola's old style, but ultimately the main story, building Howard's back story as it deals with current infestations, doesn't really do very much. It's not bad, but after the last volume, it's a bit too muted.
October 12, 2015
This is a weird one. Really a bunch of seemingly-unconnected story lines picking up after the events of Reign of the Black Flame, delving more into the inner lives of characters like Agent Howards and Iosif. The end result is a book that feels weirdly small and personal, while still covering a hell of a lot of ground. The bits dealing with Howards' past are a welcome return, and James Harren's art is, as always, wonderfully frenetic, and he gets to cut loose a few times, including a fantastic two-page spread and some nice visions of hell.
January 11, 2020
4.5
Flesh and Stone returns to the larger arc and 5 issue structure. This is more mythology styled storyline and continues to add further characters to the series. This volume is more action driven, compared to the last few volumes.
Why the 4.5?
I think the next few volumes will the same, setting up things for the closing storylines. This okay and they continue to surprise with mythology depth and new character focus. Mike Mignola could've continued Hellboy focused books for years, but I tend to enjoy the B.P.R.D volumes more. This volume was well constructed and seeing I only have 4 volumes left, it's nice to see things starting wrap up.
Flesh and Stone returns to the larger arc and 5 issue structure. This is more mythology styled storyline and continues to add further characters to the series. This volume is more action driven, compared to the last few volumes.
Why the 4.5?
I think the next few volumes will the same, setting up things for the closing storylines. This okay and they continue to surprise with mythology depth and new character focus. Mike Mignola could've continued Hellboy focused books for years, but I tend to enjoy the B.P.R.D volumes more. This volume was well constructed and seeing I only have 4 volumes left, it's nice to see things starting wrap up.
October 4, 2017
The Black Flame is back! Seriously this dude will not die. He only appears in a few panels and doesn’t have any action scenes in this book though. This book mostly focuses on the one dimensional, Conan the Barbarian wannabe Howards, and the mysterious girl that Iosif has locked in a jar. I hope she will end up being a good villain, but this series is taking way to long to build up to anything remotely interesting. I hope the climax pays off big time because these books just aren’t doing it for me.
March 6, 2017
Whenever I see James Harren as the illustrator for BPRD I know it'll be good, just for the fact that he's a brilliant artist, he really makes stories dynamic and vastly more enjoyable.
Luckily in conjunction with this, the writing was brilliant this volume which makes me a happy reader as everything came together really well!
Luckily in conjunction with this, the writing was brilliant this volume which makes me a happy reader as everything came together really well!
July 30, 2020
Розкриття Говардса та його "становлення імбою" було хорошим, як і вихід на світло агента Еноха, тим часом як Ліз та людина-акваріум просто лишаються стабільними в усьому світовому триндецю.
Серія аж ніяк не здає, не жаліє ані людей, ані персонажів, ані світ.
Серія аж ніяк не здає, не жаліє ані людей, ані персонажів, ані світ.
June 27, 2020
This entire volume is a direct sequel to the events of An Abyss In Time. Howards, considered by his BPRD comrades to be a Berserker, is in high demand by every team leader. Unfortunately, he is not very good at following orders, and basically does what he wants, when he wants. So you might ... be safe close to him, if his goal is the same as yours. Technically. In the meantime, Howards is experiencing the life of his magic sword's previous wielder, with surprising consequences.
Arcudi again shows why he's great. Small interactions like Kate remarking to Johann that Howard is no longer a pariah after Johann's latest mission, only to be told by Johann that "Nothing succeeds like Success. And he WAS successful." Simple. Pithy. And Profound. Great writing like this makes me love Johann more, even with all his idiosyncrasies.
Shout out to James Herrod for the fantastic artwork, I particularly loved his depiction of the Black Flame, he just looks so COOL.
Arcudi again shows why he's great. Small interactions like Kate remarking to Johann that Howard is no longer a pariah after Johann's latest mission, only to be told by Johann that "Nothing succeeds like Success. And he WAS successful." Simple. Pithy. And Profound. Great writing like this makes me love Johann more, even with all his idiosyncrasies.
Shout out to James Herrod for the fantastic artwork, I particularly loved his depiction of the Black Flame, he just looks so COOL.
July 28, 2024
And so on to the final 5 books of the Hell on Earth story arc that was destined to be the ultimate triumph of Hellboy - until he made other decisions.
How we see the powers that are left behind (and make no mistake they are cosmic in proportion) now start to position themselves for the final show down. So as you can imagine the destruction and chaos are kept at a pace - however there are still pockets of what pass as normalcy - and it here that the story starts to play out.
I think for me what I enjoy most is that since the world is swept up in events it is all too easy to do broad strokes but instead you see personal details and personal struggles going on which for me helps ground you with the characters. This investment I think helps bring home the enormity of what is going on.
How we see the powers that are left behind (and make no mistake they are cosmic in proportion) now start to position themselves for the final show down. So as you can imagine the destruction and chaos are kept at a pace - however there are still pockets of what pass as normalcy - and it here that the story starts to play out.
I think for me what I enjoy most is that since the world is swept up in events it is all too easy to do broad strokes but instead you see personal details and personal struggles going on which for me helps ground you with the characters. This investment I think helps bring home the enormity of what is going on.
February 19, 2023
Story continues as BPRD finds itself engaged with what looks like latest wave of monster invasion. We are given more information on Howards (agent that dell in coma after getting in contact with the ancient sword relic).
While this does look like a filler (Blackflame stumping around New York notwithstanding) I like when story meanders a bit. I guess I would be upset if I followed this regularly (same way I would get upset with the TV shows) but reading collected volumes after a time distance makes this (at least to me) an enjoyable read.
Things are heating up and although BPRD now has "license to kill with prejudice" invasion of hellish creatures might be something they and Earth might have true problems recovering from.
Recommended to series fans, but if you are expecting story development, twists and turns you might miss this one out, I dont think you will actually miss anything crucial.
While this does look like a filler (Blackflame stumping around New York notwithstanding) I like when story meanders a bit. I guess I would be upset if I followed this regularly (same way I would get upset with the TV shows) but reading collected volumes after a time distance makes this (at least to me) an enjoyable read.
Things are heating up and although BPRD now has "license to kill with prejudice" invasion of hellish creatures might be something they and Earth might have true problems recovering from.
Recommended to series fans, but if you are expecting story development, twists and turns you might miss this one out, I dont think you will actually miss anything crucial.
September 12, 2020
This volume offers an extended look at the prehistoric backstory of Agent Howards/Gall Dennar, an unexpectedly valuable late addition to the BPRD roster. What works best here is what works best for the entire series: a willingness to tell stories in their own time, to not rush things, and to let us soak in the at,o sphere and the setting of the story so we are not always made to feel like we are merely surfing the leading edge of a plot rushing toward resolution. This is a world worth dwelling in.
December 7, 2016
I'll just make a BPRD related confession:
I was explaining to my partner what a homonculus was, which I knew about because of Roger the Homonculus, a BPRD fan favorite.
And when I was talking about what happened to him and what he asked Johann for, I almost started crying.
That does not happen in this volume. But that is all.
I was explaining to my partner what a homonculus was, which I knew about because of Roger the Homonculus, a BPRD fan favorite.
And when I was talking about what happened to him and what he asked Johann for, I almost started crying.
That does not happen in this volume. But that is all.
November 2, 2025
A BPRD story tying to the Hyperborean blade and the mysterious and quiet Howards. I really liked this story and felt like Howards was not up to snuff of the other agents but he really came out looking cool and feels important. I am enjoying this series a lot, the world ends but they don’t stop trying to fight.
April 7, 2019
B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Vol. 11: Flesh and Stone is a fun, fast-paced chapter in the Hell on Earth series. Artwork by James Harren is fantastic and veteran comic-book writer John Arcudi delivers another cracking story. Highly recommended for fans of the series.
July 2, 2017
Meh. Els nous personatges, que fan tota la fila de ser un relleu a l'AIDP clàssica, no m'interessen gaire. La història sembla que no avança. Un capítol de farciment.
July 15, 2017
This volume wasn't quite as strong as some of the others, but still full of creepy goodness.
May 19, 2018
A bunch of unconnected, not particularly exciting stuff happens. The reader becomes, and stays, lost.
December 14, 2018
James Harren's art is wonderful ! The story didn't disappoint.
June 16, 2019
Agent Howards is my new favourite character.
December 26, 2019
Howard the slayer as I have come to call him is the star of this one and what a character he is or has become.
February 5, 2022
3.5 stars, I liked the art and there were some good bits, but in general it just did not stand out.
October 26, 2022
Excellent story. We finally pick-up where things were left off in NYC and with the BPRD caveman story. Awesome stuff!
January 13, 2025
These things are too dire. I’m grinding now.
February 22, 2026
Pieces continue to move into place while the BPRD continues to have small victories in a losing war. Always nice to see more of Howards.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews