B.P.R.D. 1948 #5
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writers: Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Artist: Max Fiumara (cover by Dave Johnson)
Colors: Dave Stewart
This little peek into the life of Trevor Bruttenholm back in 1948 has been quite an eye opener. We see that he fell in love with someone that ultimately kicked him to the curb over a disagreement regarding some green slime in the middle of the desert. He seems to have been really cut deeply by this one. All that aside, Anders is going off the deep end, and now it’s so bad that two of his fellow soldiers have been mutilated by the ravenous beasts that are roaming the desert. Lost love, the death of two of his men, and the pressure of being the top dog at the BPRD seemingly have him on the brink of a nervous breakdown.
What a great series this was from Mignola and Arcudi. The action was there, as always with a BPRD book, but the dialog, and the Professor’s relationship with Anna was absolutely amazing. You really got a sense that the professor was hurt very deeply by this woman. It honestly looked like he was quite smitten with her, but when they disagreed philosophically, she became hostile towards him, and then to make matters worse, she went out on a date with one of the soldiers. This, thrown in with the action out in the desert, made this book/series a can’t miss.
Max Fiumara and Dave Stewart made quite a great team on this series. Add the covers by Dave Johnson, and you’ve got a book worth checking out just by looking at the artwork. The artwork doesn’t differ a ton from previous BPRD artists, but it does, ever so slightly enough to be unique. The pain you can see on the face of the professor is probably the most effective way Fiumara differed from other artists, and that single adjustment was perfection.
Speaking of covers, Johnson was a real difference maker with his in this series. Each and every one of them had its own identity and made the books jump off of the shelves. It’s honestly been a while since a series could have easily sold just based off the covers alone. The mostly black and white covers had just a touch of color that made them absolutely brilliant. Rating 5/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
