B.P.R.D. Garden of Souls #3

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B.P.R.D. Garden of Souls #3
By Geoff Hoppe
May 23, 2007 - 21:36

Dark Horse Comics
Writer(s): Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Penciller(s): Guy Davis
Colourist(s): Dave Stewart

Hell's snowglobes.

In this third issue of the “Garden of Souls” story arc, Abe Sapien meets the men from his past life, Captain Daimio searches frantically for Abe, and Johann uncovers a disconcerting factoid about Daimio’s granny…

Guy Davis has been penciling B.P.R.D. for years now. A change would be welcome. It’s not that Davis is unskilled. His monsters are totally beliveable, and he can make machinery look as eerie as a haunted house. Still, his people are rough, and difficult to look at. In Davis’ hands, Liz Sherman loses her femme fatale qualities and looks more like an otaku on the final day of an anime convention. The only character he’s at home with is Johann, and while he draws the German psychic with aplomb, it doesn’t compensate for thirty-two pages of awkwardly drawn humans.

Mignola and Arcudi's decision to draw Daimio’s story into the occult history of the Pacific theater is a welcome development. Some of Mignola’s best material (visually and thematically) is his pulpy interpretation of the real-life Nazi fascination with the occult. Now, Mignola and Arcudi finally try their hands at the Japanese side of WWII. Bravo, boys.

Years of vague, Lovecraftian mysteries surrounding the origins of Abe Sapien are finally addressed in this issue. Abe still can’t remember his past, but his friends remember him, and something about their warm welcome is unsettling.

Worth the money? Yes, because the layout is still great, and the usual Mignola atmosphere is there.