Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1952 (2014-2015): written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi; illustrated by Alex Maleev and Dave Stewart: Mike Mignola's Hellboy goes on his first mission in this graphic novel, accompanied by a team from the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.). Weird things are happening in a small town in Brazil. Evil monster monkeys. Disappearances. That sort of thing.
It's an enjoyable story, scripted by perennial B.P.R.D. writer John Arcudi and illustrated in a mostly realistic style by Alex Maleev. You know, and monkeys. There's a bit of continuity stuff that I'll be damned if I remember what it's about. I probably need to read all of Hellboy again and all the volumes of B.P.R.D. I haven't read. That's like a job! I don't think this would work for someone without at least some familiarity with Hellboy. It is an enjoyable diversion with a number of nicely choreographed battles. Recommended.
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1954 (2016-2018): containing:
Black Sun: written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson; illustrated by Stephen Green and Dave Stewart: An assignment to the Arctic to investigate a mysterious monster plunges Hellboy into a battle with... flying saucers? Looks that way! A nice diversion.
The Unreasoning Beast: written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson; illustrated by Patric Reynolds and Dave Stewart: Almost an X-Files episode, if Hellboy worked for the FBI. Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. investigate a vengeful ghost monkey in suburban America. Enjoyable stuff, though illustrator Patric Reynolds is maybe a bit too realistic to maintain supernatural dread.
Ghost Moon; written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson; illustrated by Brian Churilla and Dave Stewart: Hellboy gets dropped into a John LeCarre spy scenario by way of some sort of soul-eater and a bunch of traditional Chinese demons who are perhaps not the problem but part of the solution. Brian Churilla's pleasantly cartoony style reminds me of the animated Hellboy movies.
The Mirror; written by Mike Mignola; illustrated by Richard Corben and Dave Stewart: A short from Hellboy creator Mignola and horror-comic legend Richard Corben involves a magic mirror and a lesson to Hellboy on how to deal with the supernatural. Slight but beautifully illustrated.
Overall: Recommended.
Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea (2017): written by Mike Mignola; illustrated by Gary Gianni with Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart: Beautifully illustrated in an almost classically fine 19th-century style by Gary Gianni, Into the Silent Sea occurs during Hellboy's time spent walking the Earth and especially the oceans of the Earth somewhere back around midway through Hellboy's main arc. What we have here are ghost ships and crazy monsters from the haunted deep. It doesn't take long to read, but one can profitably linger upon or return to Gianni's fine linework. Recommended.
Gojira (1954): written by Takeo Murata, Ishiro Honda, and Shigeru Kayama; directed by Ishiro Honda; starring Akira Takarada (Ogata), Momoko Kochi (Emiko), and Akihiko Hirata (Serizawa): Gojira/Godzilla is a colossal prick in this American release of the Japanese original. There's no Raymond Burr here to explain things, as he was added to the mass release/re-edit of Gojira known as Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956). Instead, we get what is often a traditional horror movie, occasionally an intermittently shocking disaster movie.
There's also a love story, some commentary on atomic bombs and atomic testing, a doomsday weapon called The Oxygen Destroyer (what a band name that would be!), and a lengthy prayer/song sequence. Gojira is all monster here. It's sometimes forgotten that Gojira is naturally 150 feet tall, though the atomic tests that awoke him probably gave him that deadly radioactive fire breath.
Some effects don't work at all, most notably a sequence in which jet fighters engage Gojira with some hilariously inaccurate firecrackers meant to be missiles. Other effects still work, though, especially those involving the devastation of Tokyo and the pitiful fates of those caught on the ground by this new God of the Atomic Age. Where are the heroic Mothra larvae when you need them? Recommended.
