B.P.R.D HELL ON EARTH: The Abyss of Time: Part 2 of 2
Dark Horse Comics
2013
What’s up, everyone! Randall here with the Ungrownups (www.ungrownups.com) and I’m reviewing the upcoming issue of B.P.R.D HELL ON EARTH: The Abyss of Time: Part 2 of 2, published by Dark Horse Comics, and scheduled for release on February 13, 2013.
One of the things I love about life is that life is full of infinite stories. Every time I think I’ve heard it all, I hear something new. This edition of B.P.R.D proves to be yet another new story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
To be honest, the bright colors of our normal superheroes on a cover usually get my attention when I’m looking for a new read. What can I say…I’m easily distracted! Which brings me to a point; this is not a comic book that I would normally pick up. The dull blue/grey feel of the comic does very little to catch the readers attention. With the Hellboy name attached to the cover, however, I felt compelled to read on.
This story takes place prior to the B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #102. It recounts the story of a sullen William Wallace type hero (Dennar) as he leads his men into a mysterious forest to finish off an enemy. There are apprehensions from the men, but that is quickly put away. Dennar’s warriors choose honor over fear by following Dennar.
Mignola and Allie really got it right! Immediately you are presented with a character that has so many parts. Within the first three pages, you learn that Dennar is a leader of men. He is held in high respect. His father died in battle. He appears to be fearless. The art by James Harren complements the dialogue very well. Dave Stewart’s crafty uses of blues create an environment in which battle weary men are able to express fear and courage. It is clear that these men have just finished a tough battle. Even without seeing the previous part of this story, I can already tell you that the battle they fought was tough, if not near impossible. We then see out soldiers venture into the forest where a strange person encounters them. Harren and Stewarts depiction of this character help to enunciate the lack of normalcy in this character. In an, otherwise, silent world, this character creates more noise than any other character. Another panel shows an elder. The elder looks tired. I feel the tiredness in this character! Shout out to Harren and Stewart for creating characters that were worth taking the time to get to know.
Before I lose your interest, because of my over obsessive rant on the characters, let me delve into the story a bit more. The story has a sense of eeriness to it. Not an eeriness of Halloween, but one of impending doom. I though to myself that I would put the comic book down at anytime. I never put it down. In fact, I reread the comic 2 more times! The story ended quickly as it finished by jumping back to a different (but connected) story. More action and then it’s over. Even as I write this, I’m still asking for more. I keep going back to reread pages and the dialogue. I feel like there’s got to be a part of the story I missed. It’s not that I didn’t understand the story. I just wanted to read more.
There are not many negatives that I can say about this comic. Perhaps, I felt a tad bit cheated with the length of the pages. For $3.50, I think I wanted more pages. Then again, who am I to complain about $3.50? It’s such a small price to pay for a good story. Also, while I knew that this story wasn’t going to feature Hellboy, I was also hoping that he would show up somewhere. Perhaps they could have put him in a background shot or something (might have just lost some cred, but I like easter eggs like that!)
My fellow Ungrownups and Geeks, I conclude by saying that this story is one that you should pick up for your collection. It has all the elements of a good read. Good story, solid dialogue, and great artwork. Kudos to the Mignola, Allie, and the crew for a job well done! Much in the same way that I found this story, it is likely that by you having this in your collection that someone else will stumble upon this story…and forever remember it!–RLA
