B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #120 Review

By Harrison Rawdin on Tuesday, June 17th, 2014

Even with just flashback featuring the red monkey, should fans buy this? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

A blackout causes panic at B.P.R.D. headquarters as Kate comes face to face with the ghost of a satanic veteran.

* From the pages of Hellboy!

I think it’s safe to say: at this point if you’re looking for horror done right than this is without a doubt a comic book to watch. The forces behind the tales from this franchise know exactly how to challenge the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense while giving its audience understandable instances that should spark fear. You might think they’d do that with over the top monsters but we’re basic and they don’t need them. This latest entry is nothing less than terror magic, if such a term even exists.

Mike Mignola and John Arcudi work together to spin this yarn full of blackout madness. As soon as the light goes out there’s tension, as the plot follows a simplistic line of succession that dances around inarguable predictability. Even so from the first to final page the authors make it clear that there’s a supernatural threat here with one of the characters locked in its cross-hairs. And it’s from that truth with smart dialogue as its companion that the entire piece gains weight and earns the right to be on your pull-list this Wednesday.

Beyond the written word it’s the visual component that really sells this adventure. Laurence Campbell perfectly delivers a moody atmosphere full of sensory details and drenched in darkness. Through a steady hand guided by sure pencil strokes and devilishly clever colors done by Dave Stewart, the entire package feels locked in place as this comic gains legs. I daresay that in many ways the art delivered within this book manages to outshine the text itself.

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #120 is a superb romp that proves that even with a seemingly innocuous premise that the creative team and this title still have more than a few tricks up their sleeves. Needless to say it easily comes recommended.