Part Two of A Cold Day in Hell is upon us. Does it deliver the down-to-earth monster action this title is known for? While not quite as entertaining as the previous issue, it’s still a load of fun.

Here’s the official description from Dark Horse:

Paranormal activity in Russia heats up as demons from Hell participate in the battle against the zombie director of the Russian occult sciences service in order to free a high-ranking devil imprisoned on Earth.

I guess it’ll be good to name my major criticism with this issue, the lack of Varvara. Despite getting a pretty interesting flashback last time and a fantastic cover here she is absent from the story. I was waiting for her to make an appearance, none of that. I hope she’ll appear in future issues. That aside, this issue stars Agent Giarocco, whom gets some of the beast lines and scenes. There isn’t much in the way of giant monster action, but there’s some zombie/possessed people action and a pretty intriguing plot of demons growing restless in Hell.

Mike Mignola and John Arcudi takes the spotlight away from the Director and puts it on Giarcco. She is pretty cool around, a fun focus for her tough-as-nails personality. (The dialogue with her and the Russian guy is priceless.) The opening might be the most interesting part, I like how the story shows us things from bad guys’ point of view. The pacing is great, there’s plenty of shoot ’em up action and the story moves along nicely. The lack of Varvara hurts the issue slightly, but it was still great read thanks to the scope and writing.

Peter Snejbjerg’s art is perfectly fine here. There’s not too much to say, it’s pretty much the same as last time. It isn’t highly detailed, rather it has its own unique look that works. The zombies look creepy and the dead monsters look fantastic. The cover is quite incredible, one of the best I’ve seen in awhile. It’s simple but effective, the tentacles give it a look of eeriness. A shame Varvara didn’t show up though!

Overall, a solid issue of B.P.R.D. It’s not quite as awesome as the first part of A Cold Day in Hell, but it’s still fun. Giarcco is an enjoyable character and the dialogue is often funny. The action is good…and the only thing really hurting the comic is the lack of the main antagonist, but you should be reading the series nonetheless.

4/5

My name is Daniel (@Destroyer_199), the main guy for comic reviews here at Unleash the Fanboy. I was born in 1995 in the Big Apple, spent my formative years in Staten Island, and currently reside in the awesome state that is New Jersey.