Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1956

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. #5

by Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Mike Norton (Illustrator)

Follow Hellboy's adventures with the B.P.R.D. before Seed of Destruction !

Pressure is mounting within the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense to uncover the Soviets' secret plans for recovered Nazi occult weapons. But a suspicious cover-up leads one agent off the radar in search of answers. meanwhile, demonic Soviet occult leader Varvara pushes her team to follow her own whims, and Hellboy is sent on the mission that led to his infamous misadventures in Mexico. But even more clandestine plots are at work--both inside the B.P.R.D. and out!

This trade paperback collects Hellboy and the 1956 issues #1-#5, the one-shot Hellboy vs. Lobster The Ring of Death , and bonus sketchbook material. Joining Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, three stellar artists (Yishan Li of The High School Years , Michael Avon Oeming of Attack on Titan , and Mike Norton of Battlepug and Revival ) follow three adrenaline-fueled storylines that intertwine toward an explosive finale! Also includes the double-barreled one-shot featuring Hellboy as a villain in a Lobster Johnson luchador movie, with art by Mike Norton and Paul Grist!

Collects Hellboy and the 1956 issues #1-#5.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Comic Book, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy

168 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 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

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's not really a complete story here. It's more about what was going on at the BPRD while Hellboy was down in Mexico being a Luchadore. It's really a prequel to the original BPRD series, setting up things with the Colorado base and Varvara while Prof. Bruttenholm investigates the military. It's not bad per se, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who hasn't read the entire Hellboy run and previous BPRD series already.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a bad story. But I really am not enjoying this spy stuff. It is just awkardly written. Professor Bruttenhom is an idiot, he left his home country for American but now he is abandoning his job at the B.P.R.D. to run his off the books spy ring. The people he left behind to run the B.P.R.D. are kind of fish out of water trying to run the place without him and it is painful to watch. The only reason they survive this mess is the evil Russian Porcelain doll of a cute precocious Child saved them.

This volumes cover art promised more Hellboy in Mexico and failed to really deliver, that was what people wanted to see. Getting to watch Hellboy watch his own movie was fun. Wish someone comforted Hellboy over the loss of the dog. If they had it is implied we could have done something about the end of the world.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a bit of a letdown. Hellboy suffers a loss and goes into a tailspin, running off to Mexico to drink himself senseless, and the book is split between showing what he's doing and the real adventure, which is happening without him. I liked that adventure very much, and I felt the story hammered home Hellboy's grieving through alcohol poisoning way too hard. I also felt the rest of the B.P.R.D. was way too cavalier about Hellboy's absence. They had no idea where he was, and that didn't set anyone to worrying?

There are some moments of brilliance here, but overall the emotional payoff doesn't land the way it could have. Enjoyable, still, but not great.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't bad, but you really have to be a Hellboy fan to appreciate it. The story basically fills in some of the gaps of what was happening to everyone else during Hellboy's Mexican adventure. As such, Big Red is hardly even present in his own story. One thing I did like was that each separate story thread had its own artist. I guess Michael Avon Oeming has done Hellboy/BPRD work before, but I must have missed it, because I was thinking his style is a natural fit. He tackles the thread dealing with Varvara and the Russian Special Sciences Service. Another thread has Professor Bruttenholm traveling to Colorado to discover the location of what will become BPRD headquarters in the future, but which is now a secret base. And the third thread has a female BPRD agent who can touch people and see visions, stumbling on Varvara and becoming determined to uncover who or what she is. One issue has Hellboy facing off against Lobster Johnson in a black and white luchador movie. Then there are a couple of mini-stories. If there's a weakness to this, it's that there isn't a single, unifying story as there has been in past series.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Especially given the prominent placement of Hellboy on the cover, I wasn't expecting this one to focus so much on what was going on at the Bureau while Hellboy was on his "lost weekend" in Mexico, though it was probably a good call. The rotating roster of artists threw me for a while, but I got used to it before the end.

[Drew Canole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a bit rough to get through. Who are these giant BPRD fans that can follow this story with all the references and backgrounds? I'm just a bit lost on what's going on and why I should care.

Maybe in a few years after I've completed a re-read of the original BPRD titles I can revisit this and appreciate it more.

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

More espionage, trying to figure out what each country knows or plans to do with the mysterious glassy mineral that comes out of atomic testing and waste. This side of the story is just okay.

Hellboy goes to Mexico because his childhood dog died and goes on a raging bender. This is very sad and helps explain that Mexican gap year. RIP Mac, you were a good dog.

[Mattthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really loving these. Hellboy is a cool, fun read. And Hellboy himself is a highly likeable character. Looking forward to reading the next one.
Highly Recommend.

[Lacee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume didn't get interesting until around the middle of chapter four. It's become quite clear they are going to drag this storyline out for as long as they can and I couldn't care less. I'm not a fan of the espionage stuff, it just doesn't work here. I'm not sure if it's the writing or just that it's Hellboy and I want, I don't know... MORE Hellboy! I've liked some of the B.P.R.D. stuff in the past but if it's not Plague of Frogs or Hell on Earth more than likely it was a miss. B.P.R.D. 1946-1948 was just not for me and I feel as though they are leaning more into those plot points. So if you liked that series this may work for you.

1956 still kept me entertained somewhat and I understand we've already seen a lot of Hellboy's antics in Mexico by this point but I'm gonna need more Hellboy in the next installment. I'm going to need this storyline to pickup and just get on with it already. At this point in the story they can't really walk back the espionage stuff but I hope it's better executed in the next volume.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely found this to be the most enjoyable Hellboy and the BPRD so far. I didn't expect it, but this volume tugged at my heartstrings a little bit, and by the end of it actually had me gut laughing. I thought it was an interesting choice to make each issue have 3 different art styles for the 3 story lines we were following. It almost made them feel more separate, which is okay, but it was weird when one character from the most simplistic artstyle was in the most detailed.

Hellboy almost made me cry in this issue, I want so much for our boy to have a friend to talk to because boy does it seem like Mac's death is hitting him hard. Red's time in Mexico (while also having some hard times) was a really fun time to read. I loved that he stumbled into being a movie actor, only to make a total drunk clown of himself that had to be saved in editing. I was in stitches that there were literally 2 shots of Hellboy as the devil, and the rest of the shots in the fake movie was another guy in the same costume with a big glove on his hand. ❤️ Amazing stuff.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Dark Horse & Team Hellboy do it again! Another home run, knocked out of the ballpark. Another TKO! I don’t think any group of people working on a shared universe style of comic book, book series, TV & film franchise or whatever medium you want to compare this with have been able to deliver so consistently a high level of entertainment quality ... EVER! Just when I think they can’t possible maintain this quality for another volume, they do. Suspense, action, drama, intrigue, mystery, espionage, humor, thrills, chills ... you name it, these comics have got it in spades. Comics really don’t get better than this.

[Wouter Dhondt · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for the Ring of Death story. But the rest is very good as well.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 2 out of 5]

A step up from the thoroughly beige 1954 and 1955 volumes - I briefly considered a third star - but this is still mostly colouring in the margins of better stories. Hellboy is largely offscreen having his Mexican adventures (well worth reading elsewhere) which is good for the comic as it means it can’t waste any time on drab punch-outs. But even so precious little happens! If you want to see Bruttenholm be an incompetent spy or learn how Varvara got in the jar, you can but be warned: Chris Roberson takes the dullest routes to get there.

[Абрахам Хосебр · Rating 4 out of 5]

Можливо, це один із найнезвичайніший томів циклу. Перш за все, що монстрів, як таких нема. Навпаки - він повністю присвячений боротьбі між людьми. Новий виток отримує тема окультної війни. Геллбой вперше зіштовхується зі смертю друга і це ще одне пояснення його мексиканського запою.
Бонус вкінці - фільм знятий в мексиці з Геллбоє і Лобстером-рестлером.

[Etain · Rating 4 out of 5]

That too was quite enjoyable. Felt a lot like a classic bprd Story with just the right about of varvarra and just the right amount of hellboy.
Onde again reminding me how much I need to read "194x"
The Mexican wrestler story was a fun bonus.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. #5
Rating: 3 stars - I liked it

This volume is basically a prequel to the main B.P.R.D. storyline, which most people end up reading first. The focus of this volume is one the expansion of the B.R.P.D. personnel, Professor Bruttenhom’s personal investigation of military activities, the introduction of the Colorado base, and Varvara’s capture.

While Hellboy is featured on this cover, he plays a very small part in this volume because he has gone AWOL and is drinking in Mexico. We do get some short scenes with his drunken months in Mexico where we see him be a luchador, an actor, but mostly just the start of his alcoholism. This volume definitely shows the start of his mental health issues and lack of support he feels with his family and the B.P.R.D..

For the artwork, I didn’t really love the style for Varvara and her storylines. Something about that style didn’t really work for me with her character, I think it is because I am used to the more detailed version of her in previous stories, and I liked that better.

Overall, this was a good prequel but also a bit disappointing at the lack of Hellboy storyline, especially since he is so prominent on the cover.

Trigger warnings: death of a pet briefly mentioned at the beginning, alcoholism, death

You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was wondering how they'd fit this volume into a year of Hellboy's life that's well documented. The answer, it turns out, is that while he's off adventuring and drinking in Mexico, Professor Bruttenholm begins investigating the international occult espionage he learned about the previous volume.
The spy stuff, and the different cast from later stories (Susan Xiang most notably) gives this series its own arc, separate from future adventures. I like that. However this volume is more of an installment than a stand-alone: stuff's happening, but it doesn't really pay off (so will it resolve in 1957? 1958?). Even so, I liked this more than most of the reviewers.
A bonus story shows us one of the legendary LOBSTER JOHNSON luchadore films, which the series has alluded to in the cast.

[Óscar López · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another weak addition to this series. This time around the focus is on B.P.R.D.'s office politics, Bruttenholm's dark secrets, Varvara and more details of Hellboy's drunken blur in Mexico.

Please stop the adventures in Mexico, that part of Hellboy's life has been told over and over again and is not that interesting to begin with! Also, it's quite discouraging that each issue is drawn by three different artists with very different styles, and not all of the same high quality as we would expect.

I believe this series has been spiraling down for a long time now, Mignola should put an end to it already and instead focus on short adventures of Hellboy's early years, as in the golden days of the comic.

[Zare · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is plain and simple story filler. In the whole story of BPRD and conflict to save the world this TPB is good for showing how Varvara actually got sidelined in Russian BPRD counterpart organization.

For everything else we get little more insight into Hellboy trying to be more human (than suggested by his appearance) and what exactly happened on his AWOL trip to Mexico.

Art is good (as is case with this entire series) but story is just a filler.

Recommended to those who like to have complete series (like yours truly :))

[Sohan Surag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shouldn't have had this under the Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. series since its more of the hiatus at the B.P.R.D HQ than about Hellboy or the B.P.R.D. agents themselves. But then again, there isnt any other series where they could have squeezed this in. Nonetheless this actually sheds light on the times when Hellboy had been 'missing in Mexico' and expands on the lives of Susan, Trevor, Varvara and Hellboy himself. Worth a read if youve been following BOTH Hellboy and B.P.R.D. and DO NOT pick this up if you're new to Hellboy or the Mignolaverse.

[Storm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this one but it was ALL over the place, without much detail in them and none of the story lines actually being engrossing except for the one featuring the little blonde girl. Not sure if it was just the content or my high expectations but this one left me feeling very frustrated. Even the ending sucked and I'm normally a lot more tolerant.

The Ring of Death short with Lobster Johnson really saved this from a lower rating. It was half in black and white but still a fun read.

[Adan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This didn’t have very much Hellboy in it as this takes place during the same time as Hellboy is having his Mexican adventures (i.e. getting drunk and staying that way for like four months, but also fighting ghosts and vampires and becoming a luchador to fight Camazotz), so instead we got a lot of what the rest of the BPRD was getting up to at this time. The answer is a lot of clandestine shenanigans involving both the Soviet supernatural division under Varvara, and the American military.

[Jake Kilroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just like seeing Hellboy and the BPRD doing stuff, whether it's present day or back in the '50s. Some of this only makes sense if you've read other Hellboy arcs—Hellboy with the three lucha libre brothers in Mexico, most notably—but it moves things along. It may feel akin to a context piece, but I dug the goods.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Hellboy gets drunk and makes a wrestling movie in Mexico..changes within the BPRD.

[Panda Laveur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un tome de transition plutôt décevant, on sent le besoin de sortir quelque chose pour sortir quelque chose... Une intrigue mollassonne qui m'a ennuyée, pour la première fois avec le Hellverse

[Joseph R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

1956 is a transition year for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense They are getting more funding, which means hiring more agents and getting better equipment. The small staff has been overworked since WWII ended, so the influx is welcome. Well, mostly welcome. Director Trevor Bruttenholm is a bit concerned with the new hires who are mostly law enforcement transfers. The paranormal research may be out of their league. More concerning is where their true loyalties lie...with the B.P.R.D. or their previous agencies (including CIA and FBI)?

Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, the Special Sciences Service (the Soviet equivalent of the B.P.R.D.) is also struggling with larger government interference. The Politburo wants the SSS to produce results, especially in developing weapons. SSS head Varvara (the demon girl from previous stories) is less interested in bureaucratic nonsense and keeps a tight and terrifying grip on the Service. She is keeping tabs on Bruttenholm and seems more connected with Hellboy's fate as Destroyer of the Universe than with the success of the Soviet programs. Her story runs parallel to the B.P.R.D. story, with the back half of each chapter set in the former Russia.

The story here is less compelling than in other volumes. Things move forward at a snail's pace, with little action and only punctuated moments of drama. The cloak and dagger stuff just isn't exciting. Some developments happen toward the end of the story, including the return of Hellboy from Mexico, but they are not a big payoff. Having separate artists and visual styles for the parallel stories is an interesting choice.

The final story in the book presents one of Hellboy's Mexican exploits--co-starring in a luchador film as The Devil, which is fun but inconsequential.

Mildly recommended. This is a narrative connector piece for larger stories but is not all that interesting in and of itself.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A "filler" volume, "Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1956" sets the context for Hellboy's "lost year" in Mexico. The book follows three linked storylines.

- Hellboy's portion mostly involves him feeling unappreciated, which leads him to jet off to guzzle tequila and toss around his lucha libre buddies south of the border.

- Little girl/demon Varvara leads a Soviet occult division, but her mercurial leadership (and penchant for igniting underlings) prompts her group to consider she may be more of an obstacle than an asset.

- Finally, Trevor Bruttenholm is trying to unravel shady business around dark magic in the higher echelons of U.S. government. This leads to a bit of spycraft--and a surprisingly moving SNAFU--even as his colleagues try to tease out the lies Bruttenholm is telling them and the dark forces he may be linked to himself.

While the Hellboy portions can feel deliberately unfocused, the other storylines are starting to bring together threads from earlier volumes. This edition feels more focused and harder edged than other installments.

[Marc Pastor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bé, al final s'ha desinflat una mica la cosa. Les diferents agències tampoc han donat tant de joc. Ha estat bé, però podria haver estat molt millor. Però això hauria acabat afectant a la història posterior, que ja coneixem, és clar.
Com a curiositat, cada trama té un dibuixant diferent. Alguns força correctes, algun (el de Rússia), directament mediocre.
Les historietes finals, els one-shots de Hellboy a Mèxic, tenen la seva gràcia i l'aroma típic de Hellboy. Mignola mignolejant.
I també m'agrada el capítol dedicat al Bogavante Johnson (personatge que normalment em deixa fred, però que aquí és lluitador de lluita lliure mexicana).

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I quite liked this storyline and given my mixed reception of Hellboy spin-off novels, this is worthwhile. Mignola has a vast library of character's here and he ensures the storyline covers parts of the mythology.

Why the 3.5?

I think the rating is spot on and has balanced for a 3.5 overall. It's not great, but it's interesting. I wanted more in the end and as a long term fan of the series, it's interesting to find more background information.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad - the Hellboy and BPRD series offers an interesting back-catalog look at some of Hellboy’s earlier adventures. But this volume falls flat, feeling more like connective tissue that has to be done and gotten out of the way so we can get along to a more important story.