B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know, Vol. 2: Pandemonium

B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know

by Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Sebastian Fiumara

Hellboy has returned to earth and reunited with the B.P.R.D. to help lead the push against one demon's quest to turn New York City into a new Pandemonium.

With the demon Varvara gathering followers from all over the country to do her bidding and create this new Hell on earth, the B.P.R.D. tracks her to New York, where she calls other demons of Hell to her side and transforms her cultists into an army of demons and zombies to take down the agents standing in her way.

Collects B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know #6-#10.

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

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2019

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 1 out of 5]

I have a bad habit of requesting galleys I’m not really that interested in purely because they’s freeeeeeeeeeee! Though I used to be a huge fan of all things Mignolaverse so I saw this and, even though BPRD hasn’t been good in years, my old self made me go for it because why not? It’s freeeeeeeeeeeee! And look, Hellboy’s back for no reason! Oh, you stupid man…

So consider this my farewell to all comics Hellboy-related. BPRD: The Devil You Know, Volume 2: Pandemonium is 100% fan service. The old band’s back together: Hellboy, Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, even Manning and Roger put in appearances! Why? Because fan service/nostalgia! Isn’t Hellboy dead? Yup – don’t expect any explanations beyond fan service/nostalgia!

And because Mike Mignola/Dark Horse are out of ideas. What makes me think that? Everything about this storyline. Newly reassembled BPRD gotta punch newly assembled bad guys – demons, monsters, hell, whatever - who want to take over the world zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…. I’d hoped Varvara, the creepy little Russian girl, had a better motivation than the stereotypical bad guy plan to “take over the world mwahaha”, particularly given the years she’s appeared in the background of these books, waiting for her chance to pounce; but no, she just wants to take over the world mwhahaha. Unengaging crap doesn’t begin to describe the uninspired material.

Most of the original BPRD/Hellboy books are fantastic and are well worth a read. This latter day stuff is the palest of the pale imitations – don’t bother. I mean, who could find this repetitive, formulaic, unimaginative and downright boring rubbish interesting?!

(Stares at other glowing fanboy reviews)

I’ll get me coat…

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hellboy's back. The BPRD go to confront Varvara and her demon horde. John Arcudi was definitely missed in this. Scott Allie's storytelling sometimes left me confused and wondering why things happened. It felt like there was a missing panel or two at times.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Big Red Cheese is back * but the gang have barely a moment to take this in before the poo-poo hits the propellor once more. I enjoyed this one a great deal, although there's a palpable air of despair permeating it's pages. There's also a character death I really wasn't happy about...

* Hellboy, not Captain Marvel.**

** Not a spoiler: he's on the cover and it mentions his return in the advertising blurb.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like it's running out of gas. You can only top yourself so many times before there's nothing left, and it is definitely starting to feel that way. Also, I haven't been a fan of the oblique storytelling in these volumes for some time--it always feels like there's a panel missing here and there that would fully clarify just what the heck is going on, who these people are, why we should be concerned, etc., etc. The artwork isn't bad--Sebastian Fiumara has been doing a great job on this title for quite awhile now. Still, it seems like the end is finally in sight and it's about time.

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hellboy returns to help the B.P.R.D. fight the darkest forces they have ever faced. The story is quite dark as humanity faces potential extinction. What takes place is a true hell on Earth situation.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5

The middle volume of the finale is very strong and places the characters for the final battle. I'm happy Mike Mignola has offered this as a short run compared to the other series. At this moment we deserve an ending and that's exactly what this volume sets in motion. The first volume successfully returned Abe and with this being a spoiler free review you only need to look at the cover to know Hellboy returns. I honestly had thought Hellboy's exit was covered with Hellboy in Hell, which was a an epilogue style conclusion. Obviously wasn't the case.

Why the 5?

I'm a sucker for this series and just when I feel it's done, it pulls me back in. I read volume 1 and 2 together and I'm slightly annoyed volume 3 was late to the library due to CONVID-19. The Devil You Know is almost over but the Hellboy universe is far from over with the large amount of spin-off stories coming out. This is the right time to end this long storyline. Mike Mignola has other stories to tell. Volume 2 ends of a killer cliff-hanger and volume 3 can't come soon enough.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that everyone is back together again, the story was a lot smother and flowed. Though at this point in the story after all the years you would think the people in this story would be harder to trick. Sure they are fighting evil demons from hell but still seems the heroes would have more of a clue. Oh well it was still a good read.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I buy that everything was always going to happen this way, but it also feels like it's happening a little faster than anyone ever intended.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hellboy is back, fresh off killing satan and leaving the capitol of hell, Pandemonium. Varvara is trying to bring pandemonium to earth, creating a new breed of zombies to destroy humanity. The gang is back together (Abe, Hellboy and Liz). Rasputin is working from behind the scenes to control it all (it’s always that freakin guy!)

[Benedict Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

LISTEN just because most of this review is a complaint doesn't mean I don't like the comic, I think it's well crafted in general. I just am not enjoying the plot points. They're not BAD. They're just not the kind of stuff I enjoy and I understand it's not fair to expect all Hellboy comics to be short ghost stories so I'm not dinging it stars for that.

Anyway:

'HEY FOLKS, IT'S YOUR OL' PAL RA-RA-RASPUTIN'

Varvara was my favourite little pal of Bruttenholm's and I'm not enjoying her working with nazis and the sudden ~parental revelations. I feel like I'm being punished.

I was also right to be anxious about the characters I liked.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why or how Hellboy is back, but I guess he has to be there too to see everything come to its final end.

I hope it's a final end, at least. The series had a good run, but it's petering out and repeating itself by this point. Everything has to end, and best things end relatively close on top.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

EL FIN DE TODO !!!, la tierra se va al carajo, todo es aniquilación, mounestruos por aca, por alla y la humanidad corre sus ultimos momentos...

LO BUENO: Todo termina, y termina a lo grande, te duele ver coo mueren la gran mayoria ( GRAN ) de los personajes, a veces sin epica, pero se siente fluido y organico, hay epica, y un arte que se agradece, sobre todo en las paginas de Mignola.

LO MALO: Lawrence Campbell es un gran artista, pero hay unas paginas que se siente tan extraño, como tan a la carrera, por ejemplo en la pela final contra Rasputin , hay paneles epicos y paneles que parecen hechos a la carrera, con lios de perspectiva. La historia final, que si bien es hermosa, y dibujada increiblemente por Tim Sale, siento que no cuadra...ah, y se siente la falta de Jhon Arcudi, y se siente mucho, y por mas que busco, no se porque no trabajo en este volumen.

[Nate]

Hellboy’s back on Earth, helping the B.P.R.D. launch its attack on Varvara and her demon horde. As with the first volume, the storytelling here is fractured. I sometimes had trouble following the action, like panels are missing. And the deaths (or near-deaths) elicited little to no reaction from me. Chalk it up to poor writing. Although Allie does manage a pretty funny exchange between Hellboy and Abe when they land in war-torn NYC:

“Guess I haven’t been to Manhattan in a while.”
“Ha. Just isn’t the same, is it?”
“God damn Giuliani...”

Elsewhere, this series feels more and more like a misfire as it stumbles toward its inevitable conclusion. A real shame.

[Keith Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty good but definitely ends on what can best be described as a "you cannot be serious; this was not necessary" moments. Bringing back the guy who many long volumes ago accepted the fact that he wasn't going to be there at the end just to bring the guy back was dumb. Really, really dumb.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next TPB is the final TPB (I imagine there will be lots more set earlier in the timeline though) so unsurprisingly this is both epic and dark. With Hellboy returned from Hell, the BPRD fields an all-star team (Ashley, Abe, Hellboy, Fenix) to attack Varvara's new hell-kingdom in NYC.
It's pretty grim (I'm curious, given the apocalypse is supposed to be inevitable, how Mignola will pull out a happy ending) but it does feel a little choppy in spots, like they were rushing to wrap everything up.
Fingers crossed we get the finale we deserve.

[Lacee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must be in the minority here, but I though Pandemonium was awesome! It could be that Messiah was so "meh" that it made this installment look like a masterpiece. Either way I really enjoyed this one. The dialogue wasn't as disjointed, though it was still a little choppy in a few panels. The characters actually feel like themselves, probably due to the upgrade in writing quality. The art is much more consistent and legible, and even beautiful at times, and I have to be honest, I'm a sucker for any Mignola panels! It was wonderful seeing Roger again in Mignola's style. I'm glad Hellboy is back, though not fully himself. His reemergence reminds me that though the B.P.R.D has been more consistent for me than Hellboy's arc, there was always a void without him. It feels right, having (most) of the old gang back together. Devon is dead, HURRAY!! I'm so happy that punk a** bit the dust. Though I feel that Ashley had more fight in her, I felt the same way about Kate in Hell on Earth. After that reveal in the last few pages I am ready to complete this finale. I'm curious to see how they are gonna wrap this up!

[Adan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more because I know it’s headed to its conclusion (plus, Hellboy’s back!), but the storytelling was so disjointed and rushed. It seemed like they were trying to call back to every piece of lore from the past 25+ years of Hellboy, BPRD, and Abe Sapien comics (and even some Witchfinder and Lobster Johnson stuff, I’m sure) in five issues. The constant jumping from location to location, present to past, and reality to visions made the whole thing very difficult to parse. I will say that opening artwork from Mignola and that last page reveal almost made up for it. But no, it was far too difficult to read. Maybe it will read better when I reread everything from the beginning once it’s all over.

[Lukas Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This did not feel like a BPRD book. It didn't feel like a Hellboy book. I'm not sure what this was. They are crashing together all the story lines in a way that doesn't feel organic. It feels so rushed at points that it's really hard to figure out who we are following, what characters are dying or what is happening. I hope they slow it down a bit, but the other volumes are so clear and good this may just be the typical 'cross over' filler book that is giving us the details we need to follow along with the bigger story.

[K De · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing effort by the creative team. The multiple stories are not effectively presented in a coherent manner. A annoying literary device of having each story time stamped that marks each chapter. The artwork is simply not up to previous efforts. Hopefully the conclusion of the story will redeem this disappointing effort.

[Joseph R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hellboy is literally back from the grave as the B.P.R.D. heads to New York City. That's where the little Russian girl/demon Varvara is gathering remnants of humanity in the hopes of recreating Pandemonium. Pandemonium was the capital in Hell, though Hell has been mostly emptied out after Hellboy killed Satan back in his Hellboy in Hell days. Hellboy has a slow boot-up as the heroes gather to take down Varvara. She has brought along Hellboy's old enemies Kroenen and Von Klempt, hinting at the arrival of another long dead and forgotten character.

This book starts with a couple of pages of Mignola's art as Hellboy is summoned back out of Hell (where he seemed to be taking it easy). Hellboy's unease as he leaves the afterlife is only hinted at. He's reluctant to get back into field work though he's in full swing by the end of this five-issue story arc. While it is fun to see Hellboy back, it's also a little disappointing, like a movie franchise that keeps going after they have a great ending to their story. Bringing back the old enemy only reinforces my impression that they've run out of ideas. Maybe they can pull it together for the finale.

Mildly recommended.

[Brian Rosenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know Volume 2

Finally, Hellboy returns to the B.P.R.D.

NYC – The Russian illegitimate daughter of Rasputin, Varvara and her German allies Kroenen and Von Klempt plot. Varvara wastes no time, beckoning not just demons but the damn Earls of Hell themselves.

Ashley Strode, the B.P.R.D’s resident Exorcist does what she does, has contact with Varvara, and puts a bullet in the cranium of a captured Possessed human. End of exorcism.

Meanwhile, Kroenen share his doubts with Von Klempt about their allegiance with Varvara.

Varvara soothes Kroenen’s fears by incinerating him.

The skies above NYC are alive with demons.

The B.P.R.D strike and suffer some significant losses in the conflict.

Big reveal with the final page. Hellboy says, “Son of a Bitch.” He got that right.

Lots of action. I would have preferred more scenes with Abe, Liz and Hellboy meeting each other again after such a long absence. I also would have liked to have seen an additional issue or two devoted to the big New York battle. The action sequences seemed rushed. Love the cover art.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a little better than the previous book, as Hellboy returns to the BPRD to help stem the new threat. This ramps up the threat and kills off a couple major characters as they try to take down Varvara and her minions. There's some character work going on too, with the big three (Hellboy, Abe, and Liz) trying to reconnect after their various paths take them in different directions. We get some pretty big action moments (the last third is basically one big fight scene), but there's still a lot of names and faces that haven't ever matched up for me.
The art works a bit better, though, as the artists get more monsters to draw, and the action sequences read pretty well, even with a scattered population. Ultimately this feels like a penultimate book, raising the stakes and setting the stage for the final conflict. As such, it doesn't stand very memorably on its own, but feeds into its finale smoothly.

[Zare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hellboy returns back to BPRD at the time when he is needed most - Hell is literally taking over the earth and nobody is sure who stands behind it all.

In a final move against the demons BPRD jumps into the fray only to find out they are encountering something that is way over their head.

Hellboy seems somewhat deflated - it is as if he just wanted to find peace after he took over the mantle of master of Hell and he managed to thwart the aspirations of destroyers to take over the earth. Only to be brought back to world of living to see that his sacrifice actually meant nothing - somehow dark forces managed to raise Hell on earth after all.

Ending was surprising (considering Varvara always seemed self-centered) and I cannot wait for follow up volume (Ragnarok).

Recommended to all fans of Hellboy and mystery/eerie/mythology stories.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hellboy has returned from Hell. Abe Sapien stands evolved. Liz Sherman is one with the fire. Our Big Three of the Mignolaverse reunite to take on the demon Vavara and her hordes head-on. And yet...a]what should be a triumphant return-to-the-good-old-days romp is nothing of the sort. There is a deep despair in the proceedings; our heroes have all been deeply transformed by their adventures, and they know better than we do that nothing good awaits them at the end of this. To know that, and to know that in the Mignolaverse that which breaks stays broken, and that this is the penultimate volume to the entire Hellboy/BPRD extended cycle carries a kind of ominous tone we never see in comics. We know the end is coming, and we are not ready for it. We never are. That’s the point.

[Óscar López · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hellboy is back among the living! This series is picking up speed and is so good... It's the end of days, humanity is rising from the ashes after a literal hell on earth, just to fall into the clutches of the sweetest-looking demon ever: Varvara, my favorite.

Superb artwork and memorable characters underscore an epic saga that took 15 years to conclude. Ragnarok is coming, closing both the B.P.R.D and Hellboy storylines. The future is uncertain, but one thing is undeniable - this has been one HELL of a trip!

[Jake Kilroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This goes from building up the finale to laying out the foundation of the final showdown. Just wild to witness all things coming to a fiery end, at breakneck speed no less. There are a lot of moving parts and I naturally have questions, but explanations and answers aren't really necessary for all this to work. You just know the universe well enough to agree with its most confounding mechanics, and it's as brutal as ever in the 11th Hour, though less fun this round given the severity of what's to come.

[J.W. Donley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Another major character from the early days of Hellboy has returned. I'm not sure how I feel about this latest resurrection in issue 10. I'm also really sad now that I've heard that there are only 5 more issues in the total Hellboy/B.P.R.D. timeline. I want more. The stories that fill in the earlier years just don't have the same punch that the main timeline holds for me.

I am very curious to see how they pull off the final 5 issues. It will be quite a feat to wrap everything up.

[Koen Claeys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked a comic book written by Scott Allie. Nothing really makes sense, dialogue is still shit but... now the rollercoaster is finally rolling towards the end after endlessly dragging uphill it's actually a bit of a fun read despite of everything. Fiumara's fabulous artwork is certainly a big plus.
Next up : my final trade paperback 'from the pages of Hellboy'.

[Iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Таки та. Повернення старого ворога та протистояння у Нью-Йорку вже воз'єднаної стартової команди, що тепер знає відповіді на усі запитання, є дещо передбачуваним,але від того не злим. Та й малюнок є шикарним.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is so dark, so awful, so horrific that they aren’t fun to read. I feel like they’re heading to a finale of, “A fraction of mankind lives in a hole while chaos reigns above.”

Real life is awful enough right now. This is not what I’m looking for in my comix.