September 15, 2010
Whereas?1946, the last B.P.R.D. origin story, published in 2008, was a self-contained and complete story arc, this volume feels more like the beginning of what promises to be a year-by-year chronological tracing of both the organizations early days and Hellboys childhood. The focus is on a group of grizzled soldiers knocking about post-Nazi Germany, squaring off against vampires and other ghastly terrors. Back home, a wee Hellboy just wants to play catch with his adoptive father, Professor Bruttenholm. Twin-brother artists B and Moon swap scenes back and forth, and both prove ideally suited to envision Mignolas playful occult-horror universe.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)