B.P.R.D. Vampire #2
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writers: Mike Mignola, Gabriel Bá, & Fábio Moon
Artists: Gabriel Bá & Fábio Moon
Colors: Dave Stewart
The issue begins with Anders and Professor Broom looking over an ancient map. They settle on an ancient area that supposedly housed a few rituals that involved Hecate, and some vampires. This is where Anders must go. Once Anders arrives via train, he’s met by a woman that is part of the museum run by the Communist Party. She explains the history behind the woman Anders inquires about (Princess Eleonora), and by the end of the conversation, Anders is wondering if he’s in the right place. The next day, Anders and his guide start out OK, but then when things take a turn for the worse, that’s when you’ll see some of the other things that Anders has been seeing through dreams or memories. And believe me, it is not a pretty sight!
The story progressed slowly compared to the first chapter. A lot of dialog with very little action was also slowed by a deep look at the family history of the Princess. It seemed slightly unnecessary, but didn’t make the book seem terrible, just slow at times. The scenes in the village were creepy for the most part, and that helped bring the book up a little bit. Not a bad issue overall, but certainly a very slow pace, and too much in the family history segment. Hopefully the next issue will have a decent bit of action sprinkled in, or at least enough to break up the slower pacing if that’s the case again.
The art really was another aspect that helped pick this book up tremendously. The two brothers did a fantastic job with this and the first issue as well. Between the village, the characters, and the backgrounds, this is a sound book artistically that has a lot to get excited about. The scenes that flashed between Anders’s mind and reality were probably the best, but even the panels of conversation looked sharp. Dave Stewart’s colors really did the pencils justice, but that’s just another day at the office for him. Solid cover, too, and we can always rely on that with issues of BPRD! Rating 3/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
