Customer Reviews

B.P.R.D., Vol. 5: The Black Flame

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is easily one of the best if not the best BRPD book out to date. Lets get over the whole deal with Mignola and Hellboy and stop acting like this book isnt good enough on its own. To be honest the stories here are better than any of the Hellboy tales and Guy Davis is a wonderful artist who has taken over the reigns on these characters and made them his own. Im honestly amazed to see 2 bad reviews from people who claim to be fans of these characters. Stunned in fact since this a great book and I cant see how anyone who liked the other BRPD books didnt think this was great, its a great effort.

Though these BPRD collections may seem to be stand-alone (they each collect a 6-issue mini-series of the same name), they really must be read in order starting with Volume 3 for the entire Plague of Frogs storyline. I started with Volume 4 because I found it cheap and wanted to give Guy Davis a chance, quickly fell in love, and have now just ordered Volume 6 (after having bought and read through Vol. 3 and 5).

Guy Davis' art really adds a lot to this story. He designs these nightmarish creatures very well, and really nails the scale necessary for these terrors. The colorist, Dave Stewart, cannot be overlooked for his contribution, either; his palette serves Davis' style very comfortably.

Story-wise, I'm hooked. This is an epic story in terms of scale and impact on our heroes, and it's a good sign when I keep finding excuses to spend money on the next trade ASAP after finishing the last. The Black Flame in particular adds some interesting stuff to the overall. First off, I was unaware of the deeper connection shared by Roger and Liz up to this point. Sure, I knew that they had both swapped "life-force" in the pages of Hellboy, but I didn't know that that meant they had some sort of constant psychic link. This link is revealed when Liz senses something is wrong with Roger when he's off hunting frogs.

Also of interest is Roger's sudden gung-ho (and surprisingly effective!) leadership, modeled after team leader Ben Daimio. Why does Roger suddenly adapt his attitude and demeanor, and how does it make him an actual leader? Liz notes that Roger took after Hellboy when he was still around, so now in Hellboy's absence Roger has adapted Daimio's character instead.

Which, of course, again makes me wish Hellboy would make an appearance (or even stay a while!). I miss Hellboy's presence just as much as the actual BPRD team does; he is one of the strongest characters in that universe and he added a totally unique dynamic to the decision-making and outlook of the team. There are no rules that say Hellboy can't be in the BPRD book, so let's have him visit, yeah? If he can guest-star in all sorts of other books (Savage Dragon, Ghost, Goon, etc.) surely he can guest star with his own ex-team. You'd think with such an epic event going on, he'd be drawn to it anyhow, especially since it involves his history and destiny.

Back to The Black Flame. Another interesting aspect of the story is Daimio's reaction to Roger's situation at the end. I'm itching to hear more of his back-story, because you know there's some good stuff to tell. He's not quite the mystery that Lobster Johnson is (since we've seen more of his personality), but still: the scar, his "death," his military history. We don't know anything yet!

I recommend this trade only if you're planning on picking up Vol. 3-7 to get the entire story. It's great stuff, and you gotta get the whole picture.

If you've come this far, you know what Hellboy and BPRD is all about, so onto Black Flame. It's probably the most action intense Hellboy story of all time, with oodles of pages of our heroes blowing frog demons to tiny pieces with very large guns. The scale of the story is impressive, and by the end of it the whole world realizes they are in some deep, deep trouble, hammered home by the death of a favorite character. It's got all the snappy dialog, character development, and 'feel' of prior stories turned up to 11. Some may say this story is too militaristic, but I disagree. Is the battle of Armageddon any less of a story than the ones Mike Mignola usually draws on? Plus, it's cool to see normal human BPRD agents carrying on the good fight which is rare indeed. Mankind makes its stand against the frogs here and now! So what are you waiting for? Read it!

While the story keeps your attention, flows quickly and has a great deal of action, it is hard to understand without having some previous experience with the B. P. R. D. The world is being overrun by an enormous number of sentient, large creatures that look like frogs. Humans have to date been unable to grasp their organizational structure as well as their methods of communication.
The story opens with Captain Benjamin Daimio leading an assault/reconnaissance team into an old sewage plant. Their mission is to learn what they can about the frogs, although they are forced to kill a large number of them as they move down through the ancient catacombs.
The head of the Zinco Corporation is a freak for Nazi memorabilia and he has had the R & D department working on an armored suit that turns him into "The Black Flame". Wearing this armor, the frogs worship him and he organizes them so that they are able to launch a coordinated attack across the United States.
However, his plans for conquest go awry as his actions inadvertently lead to the awakening of Katha-Hem, a powerful creature capable of changing the world. The US military attacks the creature but their best efforts don't even slow it down. By using a magic talisman and with some help from an ill-defined mystic, B.P.R.D. member Liz Sherman is able to destroy Katha-Hem and for the moment the nation is once again safe.
I found it difficult to follow this story, part of that is due to the fact that I have no experience with the storyline. However, a large part of my problem is because there is no explanation of the source of the powers. One of the best characteristics of Marvel Comics was that they always attempted to give an explanation of the powers of the heroes as well as their limitations. No attempt is made to explain items such as the mystics and the power of the talisman; everything just works as and when needed with no background given.

"The Black Flame" continues the Frog War saga the BPRD are waging against these Lovecraftian horrors and adds a new character. A wealthy industrialist who collects Nazi memorabilia fashions himself a suit that he believes will allow him to control the hordes of frogs and bring about the resurrection of a god like creature called "Sadu Hem". He calls himself the Black Flame and brings about a near Armageddon on a major city with his recklessness, and a major character in the series dies.

The book continues the ongoing battle of the ever growing hordes of frog monsters versus the increasingly beleaguered and desperate BPRD. Well written by Mike Mignola and illustrated by series staple Guy Davis, the book is interesting by turns and is a great addition to the expanding storyline of this fantastic series. A good read.

While Hellboy is certainly Mike Mignola's grand creation, any reader of those stories will agree that just as much fun is to be had from the supporting characters. Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, and Roger the Homunculus have all contributed substantially to the Hellboy universe, and it's always good to see them get a chance to shine. The BPRD books give them that chance, as Hellboy has left the Bureau, and these remaining characters, plus a few new faces, serve as a sort of paranormal strike force. But even then, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. In fact, my main problem with the BPRD books is that they are coming out too frequently - since 1995, we have had only 6 collections of what I consider "true Hellboy" (excluding the 2 Weird Tales volumes, written and illustrated by creators other than Mignola). Compare this with the 5 BPRD collections that have been released since 2003... quite an imbalance there. Of course, as Mignola only fills writing duties on BPRD, he can churn out more work, but still, let's get away from these guys for a while and have more of big red! The BPRD needs a rest, and BPRD: THE BLACK FLAME makes it apparent.

BPRD: THE BLACK FLAME is essentially part 3 of the story begun in BPRD: A PLAGUE OF FROGS. Yep, those froggy-looking monsters first seen in HELLBOY: SEED OF DESTRUCTION have returned, this time by the thousands, and in their wake comes the titanic Katha-Hem to turn the world into a wasteland. The BPRD pulls an all-out take-no-prisoners search across America for the frogs, and if they can't stop Katha-Hem, then the only option left is to go nuclear - but can even that stop one of the Ogdru Hem? Guy Davis provides the pencils for yet another BPRD story arc, and while it's always good to see his work, I am not as enthused about his handling of these characters as I once was. Mignola's art style contributes so much to the mood of these stories, and while few can do creepy better than Davis, I feel he's more suited to period pieces like Sandman Mystery Theater or The Marquis (but, his design for the Black Flame character is superb). As for the writing, it's a lot of guns, grenades, explosions, and machismo, moreso than any other Mignola story I've ever read... well, actually, Mignola shared writing duties with John Arcudi, and I think Arcudi's contribution is what doesn't feel right about this story. It's too loud and grandiose, and by the end, the team is on the brink of ruin. While Mike Mignola's stories do deal with topics on a fairly large scale (creatures/gods from the outer dark trying to return from obscurity or enslave mankind), they tend to have a claustrophobic feel that suits them perfectly. BPRD: THE BLACK FLAME is like watching Jerry Bruckheimer at the helm of a Mike Mignola feature - and good night, let's hope that never happens.

The war against the frog monsters has ratcheted up, and casulaties are being taken left, right, and centre, including one of the B.P.R.D..

Both the organisation and military support are getting slaughtered, and they have to find a way to take out one of the Ogdoru-Hem, as well as deal with the crazed nazi guy and his Black Flame skull head armor, who thinks he can control everything.

I've been following BPRD since the very beginning and feel that I can say with all sincerity, that this series gets better and better with each new story! The TPB's are absolutely the way to go if you don't frequent comic stores (which I do). So do yourself a favor and purchase all of the TPB's, kick back in an easy chair with a stock of time set aside, and enjoy these bad boys to your hearts content!