Writer: Mike Mignola, Rob Williams
Artist: Laurence Campbell
Letterer: Clem Robins
Colorist: Quinton Winter, Dave Stewart
Cover Artist: Laurence Campbell
Intro:
If you’ve read the B.P.R.D. Comics then you may have learned that Agent Howards of the B.P.R.D. found a powerful sword in a temple in Chicago, which turned him into a mighty warrior. This sword is the Hyperborean Sword, a weapon belonging to an ancient race of beings. However, Howard’s finding this sword was no accident.
This four-issue mini-series will not be one for new fans, but instead, a continuation of lore for diehard Hellboy/ Mignolaverse fans.
Plot:
From the ancient warrior Gall Dennar to Sir Edward Grey, to the B.P.R.D.’s Agent Howards, the iconic Hyperborean sword from the world of Hellboy has landed in many influential hands. And this has been no accident. Trace the sword’s path through the adventures and encounters that finally brought it to Ragna Rok, at the end of the world, and witness the sword’s journey through history.
Story:
Okay, so admittedly I have not read far enough into Hellboy and The B.P.R.D.’s lore in order to fully grasp what was going on in this new add-on to the Hellboy universe. According to my research, some of these events have already been seen in previous comics, as the story falls after “B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know”, like so many other Hellboy/Mignolaverse expansion stories.
The script seemed jumpy to me, and I was easily lost as to what exactly was happening. One minute an Agent of the B.P.R.D. is fighting a giant monster with the sword, the next minute I see a tribe burning their chief who isn’t dead. Only for him to rise and leap off the fire to take back control. I feel like there could have been some way to somehow let new readers grasp the concept a little easier, as some fans like myself, did not know the book was simply going to throw us in without explanation, expecting the reader to already know. I mentioned I haven’t read much of Hellboy’s many stories so I thought grabbing some one-shots and mini-series might have been a good place to carry on my dive into this whole universe but this one has certainly taught me that there’s much more to know before reading some of the smaller projects.
If you’re still new to the world of Hellboy then perhaps it’s best to leave this one out of your reading list until you’ve sunk your teeth into the rest of the stories before this.
If you are a die-hard Hellboy and B.P.R.D. fan then you will no doubt love this new story from Mignola and Williams.
Art:
One thing can be said about this new story though, it is certainly accompanied by some stunning visuals. The art is done by Laurence Campbell and whilst it maintains the heavy inks of Mignola’s own art that we so often see in the Hellboy comics, Campbell is able to maintain his own visual style that has been seen in his previous work. Every panel is filled with great detail from the characters to the backgrounds as you flick through page after page, it makes for one hell of a gallery to portray the story.
Conclusion:
As stated above, this is a beautiful-looking book, but as far as the story goes, it is not one for new readers to dive into and instead requires a knowledge of the previous Mignolaverse lore in order to fully enjoy the comic as a whole.
Rob Williams has stated that “each issue introduces a new character and reveals their journey as the sword-bearer as that weapon passes through time. And we get to enjoy a few old B.P.R.D. favourites along the way.” So again, if you’re a die-hard Hellboy fan then you’re in for one hell of a ride I’m sure.
Media Mallrat 
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