Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible #1
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writers: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie
Artist: Sebastián Fiumara
Colors: Dave Stewart
As seen in the last issue of BPRD, Abe Sapien has come out of his coma, and after seeing a TV screen showing the current monstrosities ravaging the Earth, he decided to take off. His mission, we don’t yet fully understand, but we do know that Abe isn’t one for lying around waiting for others to take action. We actually don’t see much action in this issue as far as Abe is concerned, though. The BPRD is having a meeting with its senior leaders, and this leads to Kate and Devon having a bit of a stand-off concerning Abe. If you recall, Devon saw Abe get shot and pretty much didn’t do anything about it. He and Abe were on the outs because Devon thought Abe had something to do with the Plague of Frogs. Devon seemed a little more concerned with Abe’s well being, rather than his motives this time around, but also pointed out that when Abe is unconscious, he remembers more about his vague origins and what his purpose might be. So the fact that he was in a coma for the last few moths, is very intriguing.
This issue was the triumphant return of the best agent of the BPRD. They still need to get Liz Sherman back to complete the awesomeness, but this was a great start, no doubt about it. The part that consumed the majority of the book was of a bunch of hobos riding on a train, and talking about what’s happened recently. This seemed like a bunch of filler, but when Abe appeared, that all changed. When a first issue doesn’t reveal a ton of info, it can mean two things. One, it’s going to be a long drawn out story that might bore some people. Or it could mean that the best it yet to come.
The artwork was up to the usual standards for sure. You get a very serious, and scary looking Abe. That’s due to the mysterious nature of his mission, no doubt. The hobos on the train are exactly what you’d expect, making it feel like the story is real and going to get serious. Abe is drawn and colored to be a lot scarier than usual, and that purpose might be to just have a different look, or because something sinister is on the horizon. Rating 4/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
