B.P.R.D. Omnibus, Volume 6

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #4-6

by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Tyler Crook (Illustrator)

With Hellboy gone, agents missing, and Abe Sapien in a coma, the B.P.R.D are on their own.

America's monster problem explodes, society crumbles, and Liz Sherman rejoins the fight, as Nazis seek to bring Rasputin back to finish what he started when he first conjured Hellboy!

In this new collection, relive the terror of Hell on Earth as it explores those all too human teams left behind to confront the primordial predators now prowling the Earth.

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is joined by a host of talented writers and artists in this latest volume of the B.P.R.D. omnibus series!

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

480 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2023

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

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the less-than-stellar Scott Allie stories, a strong ending by the stalwart John Arcudi saves the collection.

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a ton to like in these three volumes. It focuses a lot more on the human BPRD agents and how they survive among the "freaks" at the bureau in a world gone bad. James Harren and Tyler Crook provide some really bangin' art. I'm liking the overall look of the book a lot more than when Guy Davis was on board. By the end of this, things are looking really bleak for humanity, especially when you consider how many humans are actively helping these monsters.

[Alberto Palomino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empiezo bien el 2022, con retraso lector. Supuestamente AIDP debería ser la primera lectura del año, por una de mis tradiciones lectoras. El problema es que estamos a Marzo y esto debería haberse finiquitado a mediados de Enero… ay. Pero bueno, quitando este desajuste, el disfrute que tengo cuando vuelvo a entrar en el Mignolaverso no lo consiguen muchas lecturas. Y estoy dispuesto a esperar a cada Enero para degustarlo.

Este séptimo volumen nos sigue introduciendo en la saga de “El Infierno en la Tierra”, donde observamos los últimos coletazos de la humanidad antes de su inminente fin. Este tomo que más bien es de transición, no escatima en sufrimiento y malrollismo. Que nadie se confié, puesto que como ya dijo Mignola en el volumen anterior, nadie está a salvo. La pérdida que hemos tenido en este tomo, aunque no sorprende puesto que concluye una trama que se había abierto en volúmenes anteriores, no deja indiferente. Te pones a pensar en los tiempos del primer volumen, con todos los amigos de la Agencia reunidos y ves cómo ha evolucionado todo hasta el presente tomo y compruebas el tono apocalíptico que tiene esta saga.

Este tomo contiene: El motor del diablo y La larga muerte, El Horror de Pickens County y otras historias y El regreso del maestro. El motor del diablo no está mal, pero sin duda el plato fuerte es la larga muerte. Ese combate entre el Wendigo y el Leopardo rojo es brutal. El Horror de Pickens County y otras historias me ha recordado a los viejos tiempos, cuando eran todos relatillos de Mignola cortitos y concisos. Un poco de frescura y una parada al gran arco argumental. Y en el regreso del maestro volvemos a la trama general y además con el regreso de la corporación Zinco que dejamos en el tintero, y la Llama Negra. Un buen cierre final que deja con ganas de más. En el apartado grafico tenemos la mayor variedad de dibujantes que ha tenido AIDP, podría considerarse una crítica, pero en mi caso no, porque si algo tiene el Mignolaverso es que casi nunca defrauda en este apartado. Descubriéndonos a dibujantes muy buenos y variados que van muy en sintonía con el tono gótico-épico de Mignola. Si me tengo que quedar con uno, ese es James Harren, calité.

Ahora a esperar a Enero de 2023 para continuar las desventuras de esta Agencia y sus estrafalarios miembros. Creo que ya en el siguiente tomo hay que leerlo en paralelo al Integral de Abe Sapien, puesto que esas dos series se complementan mutuamente en ese punto de la trama, pero esa es otra historia.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another collection of B.P.R.D. comics which concerns the human agents confronted with a world that is seemingly changing into hell. There a guest starring Hellboy in a flashback and of course there is a return of Rasputin.
A really nice collection of horror comics based upon the Hellboy world as created by Mike Mignola with some really disturbing visuals and on occasion disturbing stories.

A welcome addition to the world of Hellboy even if he no longer features in the stories even if memories of Hellboy are still alive among the agents of B.P.R.D.

[Maksym Karpovets · Rating 4 out of 5]

Якщо преший том якось зовсім не додавав надії у цю серію, то другий все змінив. Події розвиваються динамічно, старі персонажі повертаються, а світ знову на межі знищення. Словом, повертається атмосфера катастрофи й лавкрафтівського жаху, яка була в циклі про жаб. Якщо перший том більше був великим прологом і пригадуванням попередніх подій, то вже тут нема довгого розкачування, а вже від першої арки події розвиваються надзвичайно інтенсивно.

Історія фактично починається з того моменту, де вона закінчилась у попередньому томі. Обрадовану тінейджерку Фенікс мають довезти до штабу Бюро, але, звісно ж, дорогою відбувається атака кажаноподібних великих монстрів. Герої наші на межі, пробують забарикадуватись від чудиськ і, здається, що трагічний кінець неминучий. Звісно, що їм вдається вибратись і Фенікс на місці, але загроза не зникла. У цій арці цікавими є стосунки між Ендрю Девоном та Фенікс. Не знаю чи буде Міньйола/Аркуді розвивати цю лінію далі, але мені сподобалось таке поєднання.

Паралельно вмикається арка The Long Death, де частина команди потрапляє до лісу, розслідуючи звірячі вбивства. Там ми зустрічаємо вже двох наших знайомих, яких зустрічали раніше. Усе чудово малює Джеймс Гаррен (особливо варто звернути увагу на битву, там динаміка просто неймовірна), а обкладинки від Дункана Феґредо - це окрема тема. Загалом, тематично арка не дуже дотична до основної історії, але як окрема, цілісна арка із закриттям попередньої лінії, то її не варто оминати.

Чудесний ван-шот The Pickens County Horror із рваним, нерівним малюнком Джейсона Латура. Не скажу, що це суперважлива історія, але вкрай атмосферна з нагнітанням атмосфери та відчуттям клаустрофобії. Що тут виразно, то це робота зі звуками, які ледь не вишкрябані на панелях. Такий підхід у стилі манґи (де звуки мають візуально-лінгвальну природу, а простіше - текст/звуковий ефект виражається через зображення) цікаво виглядає, хоча яскраві кольори, місцями дуже кислотні, можуть декого засмутити.

Далі слідує ще один ван-шот, геніальна історія The Transformation of J.H. O'Donnell від мого фаворита Макса Фіумари. Історія про те, як колись давно Гелбой привів професора О'Донела до бібліотеки некроманта, де вони знайшли цікавий артефакт. Після цього професор стає консультантом у Бюро, але ця історія показує, чому він такий дивакуватий і місцями взагалі неврівноважений.

Нарешті, останні дві арки повертають нас до основної історії про чергову загрозу світові. Умовно їх можна поділити на дві, або й навіть три частини: історія про експедицію у Норвегію (із відсиланням до історії про більш давні доісторичні часи, яка мене приємно вразила) та поверненням духу Распутіна в нове тіло (із паралельними подіями у Бюро та світі). Перша історія динамічна, жорстока й стосується Лазаруса, який, наскільки я зрозумів, стає черговим антоганістом в циклі. Натомість технічне повернення Распутіна до нашого світу виглядає більш спокійно, але дуже тривожно. Концепт нового тіла для Распутіна дуже моторошний, що особливо цікаво побачити в додатках, як він трансформувався від ідеї Міньйоли до більш точного й цікавого бачення Джеймса Гаррена. Усе закінчується цікавезним твістом, який просто змушує бігти й читати наступний том.

[OmniBen · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 1.75/5
To say that I am disappointed would be an understatement of monumental proportions. Especially when you consider the great deal of time and expense I went to track down this, the missing piece in my Mignola verse hardcover collection. This book eluded me for so long, and was so ludicrously overpriced (especially in relation to it's quality), that it was a well known whale amongst the collecting community. It's all so ironically hysterical that it turned out to be so awful.
The Hellboy series proper was magnificent. This, being the first thing I've delved into since completing Hellboy, is already doing significant damage and tarnishing the stellar reputation that series earned. I'm not sure how Mignola can go from producing such excellence to such dross without batting an eyelid. But I would rather throw my dogs off a bridge than have my name attached to this utterly un-redemptive waste of paper.
We get one good story in this, somewhere around the middle and rather ironically, featuring Hlelboy. The art and narrative is excellent, recalling the atmosphere and themes of that much better series. It is literally the only edible thing, trapped in the centre of this shit sandwich. Awful, cartoonish art, terrible dialogue, forgettable characters. Not to mention being about as impactful as a cotton ball cannon at five hundred yards. I'd rather read the dictionary, in Chinese, whilst trapped in a porta potty, in the middle of summer. Weak sauce, bro. 1.75/5


OmniBen.

[Freder · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was put off by the apocalyptic direction that the series had taken. Then I looked at the real world around me: a gibbering, drooling idiot in the White House, disasters everywhere, whole towns wiped of the face of the earth -- suddenly, these comics start to seem sane and sensible. While Guy Davis is greatly missed, Tyler Crook and a few others still manage to keep this visually arresting, with strong recurring human characters.

[Zardoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first volume, but I’m hoping the return of the Nazis in our demon infested world will lead to a better story in the future. The writing seemed a little haphazard moving between to many different locations. It looks like these plot lines will converge in the third volume.

[Mauro Luengo Ramírez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si el anterior número se quedaba corto, este toca todos los temas de forma genial. Tienes roadtrips por carreteras postapocalípticas repletas de monstruos, científicos nazis, peleas de monstruos, criaturas antediluvianas con mucho tentáculo e historias que parecen sacadas de un relato de Lovecraft.

Este número avanza la historia de los personajes presentados anteriormente, cierra algunos arcos y presenta personajes nuevos. Además añade algún plot twist de esos que te dejan con la boca abierta.

En general la historia toca muchos palos pero se mantiene centrada y cuenta lo que tiene que contar. A los lápices tenemos a un excelente James Harren que crea unas escenas de acción super dinámicas, un Tyler Crook que no me termina de convencer para esta serie, y alguna historia suelta en la que destaco los dibujos de Max Fiumara con sus personajes feos y ese terror velado entre claroscuros. Como siempre las portadas corren a cargo de Mike Mignola que nunca decepciona (además este número cuenta con una serie de cubiertas de monstruos que harán las delicias de los fans) y esta vez se añaden portadas del fabuloso Duncan Fegredo que tampoco se quedan cortas.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

A drop in quality in comparison to the first Hell On Earth omnibus, but only because this is the one with a whole midsection of Scott Allie stories. They aren’t even his worst, they’re atmospheric at least, but they have the characteristic faults of a slow set-up, no real resolution, and dialogue which is naturalistic but doesn’t actually communicate much of anything. The guy is not only a creep, he’s a creep who was extremely bad at his job!

Fortunately the other three, longer stories, with John Arcudi scripts and art by Tyler Crook and James Harren, are all absolute bangers. The Devil’s Engine is a thriller focusing on Agent Devon and new character Fenix as they board a train full of refugees (from the monster apocalypse that’s in constant progress) with disastrous consequences. Tightening the scale now and then, letting one or two characters deal with a couple of monsters, is a smart move as contrast to the wider scale madness elsewhere, and this story is one of the tenser, more exciting examples, helped by the fact that at this point the reader is likely very doubtful about Devon’s reliability.

This is one of the things that made BPRD such a terrific team book in its heyday - in the face of armageddon its characters are very much not OK, with grudges, resentments, fears and personal issues a huge and realistic problem amidst the constant monster fighting. The second story, The Long Death, focuses on ghostly mainstay Johann Kraus and his long-running quest for revenge against the former teammate who destroyed his chance to get a new body. Kraus is undoubtedly one of the “good guys” but his selfishness and self-righteousness put his fellow agents at dreadful risk, and that propels the conflict as much as the pair of hellaciously dangerous monsters they’re facing. Harren draws this one, with some spectacularly bloody and effective fight scenes.

The final and longest story, Return Of The Master, moves the overall status quo forward (as usual, not in the BPRD’s favour). The plot is an effective bait and switch - a rogue cultist and a secretly Nazi corporation both want to bring back arch-villain Rasputin, and a BPRD squad heads to Scotland to stop the former while the agency unwittingly helps the latter. The actual outcome of all the scheming is a solid twist, but the star here is Crook, who draws the hell out of Scottish moorlands full of mutated wildlife and horrific giants, like a Hellboy take on Attack On Titan. A marvellous balance of character development, tense plotting and outrageous violence: just what you want in a BPRD story.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 not the best in the series, but a lesser B.P.R.D. is still better then most of comics out there.

[Jack T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probs my fav volume of bprd

[Devin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well this was disappointing.

This book mostly consists of short stories that barely progress the plot. The new BPRD member Fenix is beyond unbearable. Think CW teenage girl cranked up to 11. The stories are mostly bleh minus one that involves Hellboy.

I am not happy with the direction of this series so far it is a major dip from Plague of Frogs.

Please god let it get better

[Jinji · Rating 4 out of 5]

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth Volume 2!!! Ok ok ok, I fucked this up again. Apparently, I should have read the Hell on Earth volumes 1 and 2 first, before moving on to the Abe Sapien Dark and Terrible. But hey, after missing out on the Plague of Frogs (still need to look for volumes 3 and 4), everything’s kinda fuzzy for me on this series. Anyway, after the events in Russia, Johann is back in the US, with a certain air (see what I did there?) of distraction. He now dreams, and his social skills seemed to worsen from before. This became apparent when he actually left a whole squad unprotected and suffered terrible losses.

Fenix, after shooting Abe, is now being escorted to BPRD HQ by Agent Devon. The trip however proved that Fenix’s “feelings” are actually true powers but are severely out of tune. She is now due for some disciplinary action for shooting Abe, and a training session with Panya to improve her “feelings.”

In an undisclosed place, the Nazis (fuck the names, I’m not even going to bother with it) are trying to revive their long-lost boss, Rasputin. They do have a big problem though, they can’t seem to find a good body worthy of their master’s soul. Luckily for them, there is one, but it’s in the BPRD HQ.

This is a really wonderful adventure story, but it opens a lot of questions. Can’t wait for the next one!!!!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More B.P.R.D excellence as humanity scrambles to survive the apocalypse. This series can best be summarized as "and then things got worse." Abe and Liz don't have much of a presence here, so we get a bigger focus on Johann and the field agents, some whom we haven't seen for a while.

The Devil's Engine is a hectic flight across apocalyptic America.

The Long Death is the best story in this collection. Johann hunts for Daimio. A lot of long running arcs resolve here with a brutal fight as the climax.

The Pickens County Horror and Others covers a few shorter stories like a field mission to South Carolina that goes ugly and digging into a minor character's past. The first two offer some tantalizing questions (vampires?!) and appearances (Hellboy) but otherwise not very memorable. I did like The Abyss of Time which has a call back to Edward Grey and follows a Paleolithic story that drives in that humanity's fight for survival is a cycle that has repeated over the centuries.

The Return of the Master covers a Nazi/corporate scheme to resurrect Rasputin. Big plot mover of a story involving the BPRD, Scotland, and the Russians. While The Long Death was a personal, brutal story tying several long running characters, this one has horrifying global consequences. Very memorable. Humanity really can't catch a break.

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

La historia avanza...y parece que fuera lento, pero de repente ZAS, toma velocidad y pum , toma el apocalipsis.

James Harren se suma al carro de BPRD y hace unas paginas simplemente geniales, dándonos una pelea simplemente excelente, llena de sangre , lagrimas y dientes, dejándonos frios .El equipo sigue de a poco, avanzando, aprendiendo y sufriendo mientras aprendemos un poco mas de la llegda del dragón, el retorno dle maestro y el surgimiento de un mal que cobija toda la tierra, todo parece que va para mal .La historia del cavernicola me encanto y me senti leyendo una historia de Conan con esteroides y mucho terror. Gran, gran comic.

[Javier Prado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tramas intermitentes, personajes principales que mueren de repente, saltos cronológicos constantes (y más teniendo en cuenta que cada volumen suele tardar un año en salir)... y aún así me encanta esto. Sí que es verdad que este tomo ha estado más bien flojo comparado con el arco pre-infierno en la tierra, pero qué maravilla de amalgamas lovecraftiana-nazi-nórdico-mitológicas. Lo mejor: las historias cortas que aparecen en medio.
3'75

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid volume. First bit is pretty episodic, but it all builds to an incredible ending that seems to be setting up the end of all life on earth? These are some serious stake, folks! A bunch of different artist, all great, and all do a really great job of standing on their own while maintaining a "house style".

There's so much going on in these, it's kind of the opposite of the HELLBOY IN HELL sequence that felt more dreamy. Looking forward to seeing how this all goes.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woof. So things just keep happening to our protags. A friendly clash to the death, the dead rising and to everyone's happiness, even more giant monsters!
BPRD continues being a blast, with big revelations and even bigger consequences. The world is not looking good right now.
It was nice to get a Hellboy flashback issue or two, we haven't seen big red for awhile. I also was a really big fan of the flashback issue where we go back to the rise of man and their fight with the Ogdru Hem.

[Andy Zell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've expressed before how much I love BPRD, and this volume continues to be great for the series. I especially like how Mignola and his collaborators Arcudi and Allie take their time in telling the stories. There's action, but the overall plot unfolds gradually. I also like how the story spends lots of time with some of the human members of BPRD, not just the super-powered members.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sí que AIDP se caracterizó desde su primer recopilatorio por contar con un estilo más "serializado" que la saga troncal de Hellboy, donde es cierto que se originó una línea argumental central para el personaje fetiche de Mike Mignola. Pero esto se dio a lo largo de varias décadas donde el personaje protagonizaba o historias sueltas o algún arquito argumental de pocos números que al rematar la Tormenta y la Furia ya sí se podían ver como un conjunto sólido. El concepto de AIDP como una organización encargada de lidiar con las amenazas y asuntos paranormales, mágicos y/o demoníacos a los que no podía atender Hellboy (sobre todo tras su fatal enfrentamiento con la Reina de Sangre), con un grupo de personajes (algunos ya bien conocidos en los años previos de publicaciones de Hellboy como Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, Roger el homúnculo o Kate Corrigan y otros de nueva hornada) más diversos. Abría más el abanico de una obra totalmente coral que fue ya desde su inicio presentando una trama algo más profunda y coherente que la sempiterna pero difusa profecía del Destino de Hellboy como Bestia del Apocalipsis de una durmiente fuerza de devastación cósmica encerrada en los límites de la realidad conocida. A lo largo de los diferentes arcos argumentales previos a la nueva era de la cabecera conocida como Infierno en la Tierra. Pudimos sentir la lectura de AIDP como "temporadas" similares a una serie de televisión. Lo cual solo se ha asentado más con el nuevo horizonte planteado en Infierno en la Tierra, donde esta "serie comiquera" sigue alcanzando un estatus de "prestigio" al poner a sus personajes en situaciones cada vez más intrincadas y que otorgan grandes evoluciones personales como no podría darse si nos centrásemos tan solo en un personaje. Los secundarios y personajes de apoyo también cobran su parte de relevancia al ser en su mayoría elementos humanos tratando de lidiar con el ya potencial Fin del Mundo. Las tramas se vertebran aún siguiendo una línea argumental bien clara, por lo que el conjunto se siente más vibrante y absorbente en su lectura. Incluso en este recopilatorio que se atreve a dejar un pequeño ciclo de historietas o miniseries con "sabor clásico Mignoliano". Que reinventan tramas y conceptos de la narrativa clásica "Pulp" incluso dejando caer a Hellboy a modo de cameo.

AIDP cuenta con una muestra de estilos artísticos algo más variado, pero cuyos diferentes talentos se escogen con sumo gusto para las características de cada historia o arco argumental. Así tenemos en el Motor del Diablo y el Retorno del Maestro, ese estilo "base" de Tyler Crook que se centra más en los personajes y sus expresiones e interacciones en el marco apocalíptico de este nuevo mundo. Se deja desatar los lápices y plumas del energético James Harret cuando las monstruosidades del Hellboyverse se muestran más salvajes y sangrientas. Jason Latour y Max Fiumara ofrecen esos respiros con las "historietas clásicas" ya sea con un tono más atmosférico y de suspense, o que enfatice la "acción Pulp" y monstruosas extravagancias de estas historias.

Es increíble cómo las aventuras de un "Chico Demonio" dieron pie a uno de los universos comiqueros más monumentales del medio. Donde incluso el concepto más sencillo "prestado" a colaboradores y conocidos de Mike Mignola, puede dar a pie a una longeva cabecera que ha remodelado el mundo ideado por su autor original.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really torn on how to rate this one, as it has some very high highs, some low lows, and a bunch of confusing and sloppy stuff in between. I think overall this feels to me like the nadir of the Hellboy/BPRD saga thus far, the first volume I've read where I actually was bored and frustrated by some of the stories and plot machinations.

The final arc of this collection is by far the best, most propulsive, and most consequential, finally feeling like the whole "Hell on Earth" that has been promised by the title for 2 entire omnibus volumes is coming to fruition. Wheels are starting to turn after all this time, and it feels like the long, dragged-out table setting of these first two volumes is over and things are kicking into gear.

But besides that story, I wasn't thrilled with much else in this book. By this point the character progression has ground to an almost literal halt. Fully nothing is going on with Abe and Liz, and the new character, Fenix, is a frustratingly-written stick-in-the-mud who refuses to grow or even physically move forward. Every 10 pages she's either whining or trying to run away, despite the fact that the writers very clearly want me to find her deeply important. I've read enough BPRD at this point to have faith that she will become consequential, but at this point she's a character I fully hate seeing on the page.

As for Johann, he's getting a lot more "screentime" this go around, which is nice to see. But I can't say that it feels very satisfying. His giant, long-lingering hatred of Captain Daimio is finally addressed in this volume, but, despite incredible art in that storyline, I found the payoff severely underwhelming. Mignola & Arcudi have been setting up mysteries surrounding Daimio, Darryl the Wendigo, and Johann for almost the entire BPRD series. Questions begging to be answered, threads begging to be resolved. And in this volume it all just kind of... stops. I almost think they got so far ahead of themselves with all the Hell on Earth plotting that they forgot about Daimio altogether, only to have the fandom remind them that it needed to be addressed. It ends with such a "Welp, that's over" quality that I kind of couldn't believe it. There's even a panel in this that is meant to be very shocking that I fully could not decipher. Had to look up what was going on in it on Reddit. Not great! The whole thing very much feels like Chekov's gun just didn't go off.

We also get introduced to several human characters this volume who feel like they're going to matter in the long run, but their character designs and personalities are so indistinct that I had no idea who I was looking at half the time. Really hoping they get a lot more attention or a lot less in future volumes.

So, yeah, I don't know. Definitely didn't love this one, but didn't hate it by the end. I just miss the propulsion of the original Plague of Frogs saga and the meaningful character interactions and building drama/mystery. I'm hoping that stuff will return now that it feels like the train's back on the tracks, but we'll see I guess.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a big volume, with a lot going on in it, so I've decided to write a bit about each of the stories in it. And I'm going to stick a spoiler warning on the whole thing, just in case.

The Devil's Engine: Good story and art, but doesn't advance the overall story much. The main story has Fenix and Devon taking a train and not getting very far. Then, there's a subplot with some stuff going on at Zinco. And that's it.
The Long Death: Again, good storytelling and good art. This one has agent Johann Kraus going after Daimio and bringing Daimio's story to a conclusion. (Probably. This is comics, so you never know...) This could have been helped by a bit more recap, since I didn't quite remember the specifics of Daimio and the wendigo and all that. The final fight was well-executed, but a little over the top.
The Pickens County Horror: Short story. Spooky, but I didn't quite understand the ending. And if there was a point to it, I didn't get it.
The Transformation of J. H. O’Donnell: This one actually had Hellboy in it, so that's cool. (It's a flashback story, with a framing device in the current continuity.)
The Abyss of Time: Another short story. At first, I thought this might be the start of something ambitious, but there's not much to it. It's basically a big caveman fight.
The Return of the Master: This is a longer arc, and gets us back into the "main" story. A lot of stuff happens in this, but in the end, it's mostly just setting things up for whatever comes next.
Overall: For a nearly 500-page volume, there's very little advance in the overall storyline here. By the end, we still don't know what's up with Fenix. Abe is still in a coma (or whatever it is). Johann has some stuff going on, but we're not sure what. And Liz makes a very brief appearance. It's a little frustrating. There's some really good art in here, and some good storytelling, but I'd be happier if I felt like it had really gone somewhere.
There's a one-page intro that gives a bit of recap and background, so I appreciated that, but it's not quite enough. I would have appreciated some endnotes, maybe, with references to where we've seen certain characters before, and a bit more detail on the overall backstory.
The sketchbook section in the back is fairly long, and has some cool and interesting stuff in it.

[Nate]

I thought this was a slight step down from the first collection. This one consists mostly of shorter stories focusing on various characters fighting Ogdru Hem around the world. These are some of the bloodiest, scariest B.P.R.D. stories ever, which is a plus in my book. Not all the stories are great though - some feel like insignificant sketches, starring low tier characters that I’m likely to forget. The main cast being largely sidelined doesn’t exactly thrill me. On the other hand, there’s stellar art throughout the book: Tyler Crook, James Harren, Jason Latour, and Max Fiumara bring the heat.

I really like the first two stories. “The Devil’s Engine” follows Devon and Felix heading to B.P.R.D. headquarters and running into trouble along the way. In “The Long Death,” Johann dangerously leads a team to the Pacific Northwest where he gets closure on the Daimio situation. Both stories are revealing character pieces with brutal bursts of action, and more than a few creepy images. The following few shorts don’t do much for me; we get a story about some southern vampires, backstory of the crazy B.P.R.D. professor, and a boring, extended look at prehistoric humans fighting Ogdru Hem. Not only are these stories forgettable, but they’re less exciting than the ones surrounding them. This series has produced some good short stories in the past. Sadly these don’t measure up.

“The Return of the Master” is a bit better. We finally learn what that body in the tank is all about, while the global repercussions of the Ogdru Hem are further revealed. I was surprised by the return of two villains in this story, and while I’m not totally convinced of their presence, I’m interested to see where Mignola and Arcudi take them. The action is this story is also fantastic. Felix is starting to annoy me though. There are hints as to her purpose in B.P.R.D. but she’s little more than an angsty teen throughout the book. I also think there’s too much going on in this story.

So, not as good as the first book, but some cool developments. Like I said, I miss Abe and Liz, though it seems they’ll be returning soon. The scope of the story gets bigger here and I doubt Mignola and Arcudi will let up.

[Václav · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4,6 for a nice mix of artists and both topics more "Hellboy-ish" and "BPRD-ish")
I admit - I don't like these big, open epics cataclysmic events. I didn't like it back in the final frog days and sure I do not like it now. But here we are, and I know this is my personal dislike so I do not let it influence the rest of my opinion...
...because this book is great. We got Zinco and its plot, we got Fenix (which I detest very much and Arcudi likes to explore how much, but it's more the archetype/trope she's built on than based on the story itself, which is good). We got The Long Death, a very awaited story, the perfect end for one (well, more than one) line. We got Pickens County, excellent horror done very right with fitting art from Jason Latour. Great job indeed. We got J. H. O'Donnel, short but visually intriguing thanks to Max Fiumara, who also has a great Hellboy. And I loved Abyss of time. Awesome story with perfect art. Harren (who more resonate in Hellboy/Mignola's mood but still keeps me hinting at Guy Davies) did well on Long Death. But this, this is just a perfect fit. This one I will remember for quite a time.
Of course, there is plenty of Tyler Crook in this book. It literally starts and ends with it. And he's great at his job on BPRD.

Reading this book was bliss. Well, the last 90 pages weren't that much, because they are just bonuses in form of sketches and pages (and a few covers, which I would love to have much more than any sketch). But luckily as with Mignolaverse is common (and not very common anywhere else), they have a sense and mostly they have notes. Interesting ones.

I look forward to the next one, but unlucky me, in reading order I skipped Hellboy Library 6 somehow and I do need to go back. And you can guess, I don't mind going back to that.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me awhile to get to this one, since I kind of lost interest in the series; though once I set down to read it, it went fast enough. Sadly, I always look forward more to the ends of these books with their concept sketches and commentary more than most of the book itself. This one had a nice middle section of apparent side stories (vampires, a backstory to Professor O'Donnell featuring Hellboy, an agent caught in a dream of a past life as a caveman fighting horrors) that I enjoyed more than the longer stories at the beginning and end advancing the metaplot. But I wonder if my dissatisfaction with the series may be baked into the DNA: Hellboy stories also had a cavalierly destructive tendency, but Hellboy himself was largely indestructible so it was fun to go along for the ride, seeing the mashup of folklore and weird fiction, learning more about the strange lore of the setting, and seeing Hellboy's blue-collar stoicism in dealing with it. But the whole thing feels very different when the characters are squishy mortals who keep dying and overall do a terrible job of actually defending against the inhuman forces arrayed against them, and where the only people shown to have plans and actual capabilities are the villains.

[Jack Reickel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection had some good moments sprinkled in, but the chaos of both the content and the creative teams made it a less entertaining read than the previous tomes of BPRD. It wasn't that the art was ever bad, and there were some beautiful art moments -- but with key characters changing looks and disappearing and reappearing much later much differently, there was less of that narrative continuity in the reading experience. Still a good read, still moving a good and GRAND story forward, but I feel like in hindsight, the story could've gotten to the same point(s) through a more satisfying delivery.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.7]
This was gory and good. Better art than in previous BPRDs I’d say. James Harren in particular. I will follow him for more. It feels like Mike Mignola was more active in this volume, making the stories tighter and more interesting than usual. They were also shorter and more self contained, which is both good and bad. Later issues were more in line with the other BPRDs, with a lot of dialogue in mundane settings, and with less interesting characters. It was spreading too thin between many storylines and none of them went anywhere.

I think this is one of the better volumes in the series, and I hope we can stay on this track for the upcoming ones as well

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection features some great stories and some of the best art in the series.

The Devils Engine: this one continues the story found in much of Volume 1. There’s some solid set pieces.

The Long Death: Incredible, energetic art from James Harren. Some of his best work.

The Pickens County Horror: this single issue is jam packed with story, and, while I liked the art, it was a little confusing.

The transformation of JH O’Donnell: Max Fiumarra has such a unique style, and this story was simple but great.

The Abyss of Time: another badass story with incredible art by James Harren.

The Return of the Master: this story caps the collection with a return to the characters and storylines set up in omnibus 1 and the devils engine. Shit finally hits the fan.

[Silvere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things continue to go from bad to worse for humanity in this B.P.R.D. Omnibus. The horror writing is really good and the art style suits the genre. The beauty of this series is that no character is truly safe, so the main characters suffer the same stakes as the countless civilians being assaulted by supernatural terrors. A lot of downer endings, but this collection does end on a glimmer of hope. I cannot wait for the next volume.