B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Return of the Master #3
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writers: Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Artist: Tyler Crook (cover by Ryan Sook)
Colors: Dave Stewart
Let’s be honest for a moment. Everyone loves to hate Nazis. They make a perfect villain, and especially with a story that dates back to the WWII age. This issue presents a story from that past time, when a few of the more elite Nazis that were in the occult division met up and decided that if the “master” was killed, they would have a way to resurrect him. This is what’s currently going on within the Zinco building that houses a body for the soul of the Master when they find it. The problem is, it has already been found by the man, Lazar, who utterly decimated the airport last issue. As the team in the hills is pursuing him, they start to be attacked with more and more ferocity as they get closer to their objective. Will they survive long enough to find Lazar? In the meantime, Lazar is using his newfound powers to reanimate dead members of the army of the dark.
This issue felt like a volcano that’s about ready to erupt. You have the Nazis cooking up their plan, Lazar in the hills amassing an army of his own, and the BPRD stuck in the middle. Back at the BPRD headquarters, Fenix is trying to adjust to life there. Johan and Agent Devon try to explain things to her, and that part of the story was very essential, because it needed a moment’s respite from the crazy action out in the field. Mignola and Arcudi are definitely cranking it up a notch as this story seems like somebody just lit a fuse to a bomb!
The team of Tyler Crook and Dave Stewart are getting it done on this title, and have been for a while now with the BPRD books overall. You see the pages flow from one to the next, panel to panel, and that’s saying something. The cover by Ryan Sook is great, too, and he’s another piece of the puzzle that’s been killing it, as well. If you add up the stories, the artwork, and the characters, the BPRD books are one of the best options on the shelves, period! Do yourself a favor and give it a shot. Go grab some of the trades, or better yet, grab the first four volumes of the BPRD hardcovers that have recently been released (check with your Diamond distributor). Rating 4/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
