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B.P.R.D.
B.P.R.D., Vol. 12: War on Frogs
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense's ongoing war against the frog monsters explodes in five short stories set before Roger's death in B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame.
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2010
10 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mignola
1,864 books2,529 followersMike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.
In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.
Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.
Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 26, 2019
These short stories actually take place during BPRD: The Black Flame and make for a better read as part of that story. The omnibuses place the stories in the proper order for a more enjoyable read.
I do like how Roger is so impressionable. We see him start to emulate Capt. Daimo as the stories progress, turning into a grizzled John Wayne type. Reading between volumes 4 and 5 also show why Abe is such a whiny little moper in this. At this point, I'm not even going to talk about the art. Either you like Guy Davis or you can't stand him.
I do like how Roger is so impressionable. We see him start to emulate Capt. Daimo as the stories progress, turning into a grizzled John Wayne type. Reading between volumes 4 and 5 also show why Abe is such a whiny little moper in this. At this point, I'm not even going to talk about the art. Either you like Guy Davis or you can't stand him.
October 24, 2017
This volume is a collection of really good short stories about BPRD fighting the frog monsters, but it is a victim of confusing ordering. These short stories are actually meant to be read together with B.P.R.D., Vol. 5: The Black Flame, and it makes absolutely no sense if you read it between volumes 11 and 14 (13 is a separate story, too!). To remedy that, I highly recommend reading BPRD in these fantastic omnibus editions: B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs 2. The stories there are reshuffled in the correct order when necessary, and they are really affordable if you get the paperbacks. And they collect the entire thing in just 4 volumes instead of 12!
Anyway, due to its unfortunate ordering in single volumes, I can see why many of my friends here rated this collection lower than it probably should be. But with proper context, these stories really expand upon the story in The Black Flame, and get much more weight — for example, we see why Abe is the way he is in volume 5, and we get some useful background info on other characters. Oh, and Revival is just a damn cool short story all on its own. Overall, I really liked it, and I think it's a worthy and necessary addition to the series.
First read: November 10, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 24, 2017
Rating: ★★★★・
Anyway, due to its unfortunate ordering in single volumes, I can see why many of my friends here rated this collection lower than it probably should be. But with proper context, these stories really expand upon the story in The Black Flame, and get much more weight — for example, we see why Abe is the way he is in volume 5, and we get some useful background info on other characters. Oh, and Revival is just a damn cool short story all on its own. Overall, I really liked it, and I think it's a worthy and necessary addition to the series.
First read: November 10, 2015
Rating: ★★★★・
Second read: October 24, 2017
Rating: ★★★★・
May 26, 2018
5 short stories varying from mediocre to good.
May 14, 2022
War on Frogs is a collection of 5 short stories, each starring a different member of the B. P. R. D. Each one is highly entertaining, equally gruesome and able to connect the readers with the characters.
3.5/5 stars
3.5/5 stars
January 4, 2014
This is actually a series of short stories, set throughout the war with frogs. So dead, vanished, and changed characters show up as they were in the past. Most of the stories are really good, and it was nice to see Roger again. And it was quite something to see the contrast in Liz between the way she used to be and the way she was at her lowest point in the series.
November 25, 2015
This is a collection of short stories from various earlier periods of the BPRD timeline. I usually enjoy short story collections and this one was... OK, I suppose. It certainly wasn't outright bad but all the tales, barring the final story, were quite mediocre, if I'm honest. I'd've probably given this book two stars if it wasn't for the fifth and final tale, which was head and shoulders above the others.
This is the first BPRD collection I've given less than four stars. One for BPRD completists only, really.
This is the first BPRD collection I've given less than four stars. One for BPRD completists only, really.
August 5, 2012
Standalone stories of BPRD characters in various battles with the frog creatures. Some are better than others, and none are as good as the earlier Hellboy books, but it still makes for enjoyable reading.
August 8, 2025
Having to jump around with my reading because the one library copy is checked out, what other nerd is reading BPRD right now! I still love this series, one of the best comics I’ve ever read.
This is a collection of standalone frog plague stories where each character gets some side of the incoming frog plague. Liz meets her BPRD crush and helps save her, Abe loses a squad who go out on their own, Roger checks back into the ruins of cavendish hall, Daimo hunts down a frog cult led by a little girl and my god Johann has one of the best single issue BPRD stories I’ve ever read. He sees the ghosts of a group of frogs they kill and tries to lead them to the afterworld. I can’t recommend that issue enough- truly amazing artwork and a story that will stick with me.
This is a collection of standalone frog plague stories where each character gets some side of the incoming frog plague. Liz meets her BPRD crush and helps save her, Abe loses a squad who go out on their own, Roger checks back into the ruins of cavendish hall, Daimo hunts down a frog cult led by a little girl and my god Johann has one of the best single issue BPRD stories I’ve ever read. He sees the ghosts of a group of frogs they kill and tries to lead them to the afterworld. I can’t recommend that issue enough- truly amazing artwork and a story that will stick with me.
July 14, 2015
Right in the middle of war on frogs we get some insight on some characters.
So far, the War on Frogs storyline has been amazing. We've gotten insane action, wonderfully dense world building and intimate small character moments. This trade focuses on characters however with mixed results:
World: The world is still amazing. I did however, felt mixed about the art. These stories were mostly single issue stories about different characters during the War on Frogs so it's understandable that there are many different art styles. This is clearly a preference thing and yeah...I had mixed feelings. The world building is still very strong, with emphasis on how widespread the war is with the different locals. All these stories gives us a deeper and more immersive feeling of the war itself. There is however little building in terms of mythology but rather just an expansion of the world. It's good, but world building is clearly not the focus of these couple of issues.
Story: Many small character and setting stories. I particularly liked the faith healer story because of the Guy Davis, but the story itself was also fun and showed a side of Daimo and crew and their struggles or lack thereof of worrying about collateral damage. These pieces are insightful in their character study (which I will get into below) and the pacing is brisk. The single issue nature of these tales makes for a very fast read but also because of their nature comes off as vignettes.
Characters: More time is focused here. With the single issue nature of many of the tales here, their purpose being to focus on a particular aspect of characters. Daimo and Roger and others are focused here and as I said above it gave us some small snippets of character building. I did feel that I would have wanted them to go deeper into the characters like they did with Abe and also Johann in the previous trades, but for what they were, these tales were fun and insightful.
Somewhat of a lull between the bigger world building and dramatic arcs, it served as a little bit of a breather (even set in the midst of war) for the crew of the BPRD. It is fun and needs to be read, but yes, don't expect the grand dramatic stories from previous trades.
Onward to the next book!
So far, the War on Frogs storyline has been amazing. We've gotten insane action, wonderfully dense world building and intimate small character moments. This trade focuses on characters however with mixed results:
World: The world is still amazing. I did however, felt mixed about the art. These stories were mostly single issue stories about different characters during the War on Frogs so it's understandable that there are many different art styles. This is clearly a preference thing and yeah...I had mixed feelings. The world building is still very strong, with emphasis on how widespread the war is with the different locals. All these stories gives us a deeper and more immersive feeling of the war itself. There is however little building in terms of mythology but rather just an expansion of the world. It's good, but world building is clearly not the focus of these couple of issues.
Story: Many small character and setting stories. I particularly liked the faith healer story because of the Guy Davis, but the story itself was also fun and showed a side of Daimo and crew and their struggles or lack thereof of worrying about collateral damage. These pieces are insightful in their character study (which I will get into below) and the pacing is brisk. The single issue nature of these tales makes for a very fast read but also because of their nature comes off as vignettes.
Characters: More time is focused here. With the single issue nature of many of the tales here, their purpose being to focus on a particular aspect of characters. Daimo and Roger and others are focused here and as I said above it gave us some small snippets of character building. I did feel that I would have wanted them to go deeper into the characters like they did with Abe and also Johann in the previous trades, but for what they were, these tales were fun and insightful.
Somewhat of a lull between the bigger world building and dramatic arcs, it served as a little bit of a breather (even set in the midst of war) for the crew of the BPRD. It is fun and needs to be read, but yes, don't expect the grand dramatic stories from previous trades.
Onward to the next book!
March 10, 2013
I'm a short story reader and writer, and I love the graphic novel format. So I was likely predisposed to like this volume of BPRD. Or maybe its just the fact that it was so well-drawn and well-written. Mmm?
Of course, like any other work in the BPRD series, there are plenty of juicy shoot-em-up scenes of frogs being blown into quivering technicolor bits. And there is much of the usual grim, determined, hard-nosed characterizations that one would expect from a bunch of super-freaks who have been (condemned, or blessed?) to play out their days hunting down and killing a host of pseudo-cthulhoid monsters.
But what shines in these little vignettes is the humanity of the BPRD team and, more importantly, the humanity of those who they hunt - the frogs themselves. Can you feel sympathy, even empathy, for a thorn-tongued, fanged amphibian demon-thing even as you cut it down with a assault rifle? Well, when you realize , the answer is an emphatic "yes!". And it's precisely this realization that affects several of the BPRD team members in a, yes, I'll say it, touching way, that pushes this volume beyond a mere telling of macabre war stories and into the realm of the profound. Not all of the stories are of the same poignancy, but none are duds, either. And in war, you can't afford to shoot duds.
Of course, like any other work in the BPRD series, there are plenty of juicy shoot-em-up scenes of frogs being blown into quivering technicolor bits. And there is much of the usual grim, determined, hard-nosed characterizations that one would expect from a bunch of super-freaks who have been (condemned, or blessed?) to play out their days hunting down and killing a host of pseudo-cthulhoid monsters.
But what shines in these little vignettes is the humanity of the BPRD team and, more importantly, the humanity of those who they hunt - the frogs themselves. Can you feel sympathy, even empathy, for a thorn-tongued, fanged amphibian demon-thing even as you cut it down with a assault rifle? Well, when you realize , the answer is an emphatic "yes!". And it's precisely this realization that affects several of the BPRD team members in a, yes, I'll say it, touching way, that pushes this volume beyond a mere telling of macabre war stories and into the realm of the profound. Not all of the stories are of the same poignancy, but none are duds, either. And in war, you can't afford to shoot duds.
October 4, 2016
Whilst I found this collection enjoyable, it wasn't as good as other B.P.R.D. collections such as 'plague of frogs' and 'the dead'. The quality of the art for the most part is rather good and it is interesting to see a few artists different takes on the B.P.R.D. This collection isn't bad, it just isn't as good as it could be.
June 7, 2017
Just before the end of this big and evil rise, we get an interlude that covers some holes and gets us back to my favourite part of these books; tight short stories that continue to move the bigger arc. And character development...
October 1, 2018
A collection of unrelated stories from each BPRD member past. They are not necessary for the main story development but they will help you see the right atmosphere of ongoing war and that not everything is just black and white.
December 11, 2018
This is more back story on the war against the frogs. It's good but I'm starting to lose interest in the whole frog thing. I wish they would move on to another story arc.
May 26, 2010
I'm a die-hard fan of Hellboy and, to varying degrees, all its spin-offs. Of the bunch of them, the ongoing B.P.R.D. series is the one that does it for me least often, though even it is frequently truly great. War on Frogs is sort of a departure even for it, as it's a series of one-shot stories focusing on different characters and told at various points throughout the B.P.R.D.'s ongoing, well, war on frogs, done sort of in the style of old-fashioned war comics.
Sadly, it left me a little cold. There's some great stuff. I love the covers, of course, especially the cover for the collection itself and the cover for chapter two. And I enjoyed the last story quite a bit. But mostly, this one wasn't a favorite of mine.
Sadly, it left me a little cold. There's some great stuff. I love the covers, of course, especially the cover for the collection itself and the cover for chapter two. And I enjoyed the last story quite a bit. But mostly, this one wasn't a favorite of mine.
July 6, 2010
A kind of a breather before writers John Arcudi and Mike Mignola wrap up the story, and multiple plot threads, from the BRPD's war on the frogs and demons from a nether realm (not as cliche as it sounds). This installment let's us take a look at the BRPD's more mundane agents with a look back at some of the war's smaller events.
May 15, 2018
Very nicely written mini series that ties into the long running plot line running through the Hellboy universe. Good entertaining read. Recommended
December 24, 2018
Una serie de viñetas cortas y retrospectivas sobre episodios sueltos de la Guerra contra las Ranas. Es mero relleno, pero es relleno de calidad.
May 25, 2019
Frogs. Frogs. Frogs. Frogs. Frogs. Frogs.
March 23, 2021
Short stories from War on Frogs storyline, although interesting and providing different angle on events, somehow lack drive.
April 2, 2023
Čekal jsem vyvrcholení trilogie 'Spálená země', ale dostal jsem knihu krátkých povídek o boji úřadu s žábami (nějak jsem tentokrát vynechal anotaci) . Úvodní zklamání ale brzy nahradila spokojenost. Ty povídky jsou opravdu dobré a občas i příjemně znepokojivé. Jen mě napřed zmátlo, že v nich vystupují Roger a kapitán Daimio. Na začátku každého příběhu je sice datace, ale já nesleduji, kdy se odehrává hlavní časová linie. Když jde o minulost, tak tam musí být 'Před XYZ', ne jenom datum. Jinak jsem ztracený.
Když jsem v tiráži knihy viděl, kolik kreslířů na knize pracovalo, tak mě to lehce vyděsilo. Většinou to nevěstí nic dobrého. Guy Davis odvádí na Ú.P.V.O. fantastickou práci a očekával jsem, že kdokoliv jiný bude jen krok k horšímu. Nyní musím říci, že i hostující kreslíři umí a jejich kresba byla v těchto povídkách příjemným osvěžením.
Když jsem v tiráži knihy viděl, kolik kreslířů na knize pracovalo, tak mě to lehce vyděsilo. Většinou to nevěstí nic dobrého. Guy Davis odvádí na Ú.P.V.O. fantastickou práci a očekával jsem, že kdokoliv jiný bude jen krok k horšímu. Nyní musím říci, že i hostující kreslíři umí a jejich kresba byla v těchto povídkách příjemným osvěžením.
September 29, 2017
This whole series is fast on action- mostly blowing up or shooting millions of frogs per action sequence, or burning them if liz sherman is involved, and then slows for the character progression and exposition. It is nice to have a saga play out over years and by going light on the exposition while still making sense it really draws you into the War part of the War on Frogs, while building the emotional impact of each battle scene. Abe dealing with his lost ghost wife and liz and johann fighting over roger's evolution are character highlights- as always the humanity of the 'monsters' in the BPRD team is only gained if fought for or extended by another, and that is the fascinating idea at the heart of the Hellboy universe for me.
February 28, 2024
I loved these one shot stories. I've been reading the omnibus version of bprd, so volume 4 goes to volume 12 before heading back to 5. This makes sense with the timeline, so I really enjoyed the restructuring for the omnibus series. I can image some frustration or confusion if reading these in release order, but I've yet to finish the series, so maybe it still makes sense. Regardless, our little peaks into the depths of each of the main members of the squad are emotional and insightful. I love seeing Roger transform throughout this story. Worth the read just for his issue in Cavendish Hall... Yes, THAT Cavendish Hall.
February 5, 2018
Probably closer to a 3.5 than anything else. This is a bunch of one-off stories featuring the BPRD shooting, blowing up, immolating, etc. the frog monsters from the past several stories with a few surprises along the way. The Johan story is good and creepy, and the Liz Sherman story is kind of sweet (and also creepy), but for the most part this just feels like a lot of filler and loose ends getting tied that didn't really need it.
June 20, 2019
The story in these jumps back a bit, to the time directly after B.P.R.D., Vol. 5: The Black Flame showing further efforts against the frog monsters. Lots of action, with all the cast getting to lead some action adventures.
This one doesn't advance much in the way of plot, but it's a breezy read.
This one doesn't advance much in the way of plot, but it's a breezy read.
August 14, 2019
A selection of short stories that take place before the big showdown starts in the previous volumes. They are all interesting stories. The stories also show how even though the B.P.R.D. was killing frogs they were not killing them all and they were getting stuck in a routine. It shows how they were missing clues about how things were going downhill for the world when they somehow thought they were winning.
December 25, 2022
Probably one of my favorite BPRD volumes. Typically Hellboy books are either one of two types: a miniseries with one big story, or a collection of one-shot standalones. This is sort of halfway between, being composed of standalone stories that are all components of a larger operation (the titular war on frogs). The stories are all pretty fun and unique. I particularly enjoyed the final one about Johann and frog ghosts.
September 23, 2017
This is an interesting short collection focusing of each member of the team. Some of the storylines are better than others but they still provide a little insight into each characters back story. Not essential to the bigger arc but it feels little gaps and adds some interesting hints that the converted haven't lost all humanity.
September 12, 2020
After the breathless pace of the story in the previous two volumes, this volume, which steps away from the action to tell a set of individual stories about our main characters from earlier times, feels out of place. The stories are excellent, and all is well done, but the volume in general feels like an unnecessary pause in the cycle. But, it’s the BPRD, so what’s not to love?
January 28, 2021
Žabí válka se vrací v čase zase o kousek zpátky, do začátků žabích problémů. V pěti povídkách se tak dozvídáme o individuálních misích některých členů Ú.P.V.O. a zároveň se tu taky nakousává problematika lidí proměněných na žáby. Každý sešit kreslil jiný autor včetně několika hellboyovských "nováčků", ale všichni dobře zapadají do Mignolaversa.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews