B.P.R.D., Vol. 9: 1946

B.P.R.D.

by Mike Mignola, Joshua Dysart, Paul Azaceta (Illustrator)

In the wake of the Second World War, Professor Trevor Bruttenholm -- occult investigator and guardian of the infant Hellboy -- founded the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense to investigate and defuse the remains of the Axis's sophisticated occult-warfare projects and potential Soviet threats. Now, with the help of a handful of war-weary American soldiers and their erstwhile Soviet allies, Bruttenholm unravels the mystery of the Nazi Occult Bureau's greatest and most threatening initiative: Project Vampir Sturm.

Collects B.P.R.D.: 1946 1-5

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2008

About the author

Mike Mignola was born September 16, 1960 in Berkeley, California and grew up in nearby Oakland. His fascination with ghosts and monsters began at an early age (he doesn't remember why) and reading Dracula at age 13 introduced him to Victorian literature and folklore from which he has never recovered.

In 1982, hoping to find a way to draw monsters for a living, he moved to New York City and began working for Marvel Comics, first as a (very terrible) inker and then as an artist on comics like Rocket Raccoon, Alpha Flight and The Hulk. By the late 80s he had begun to develop his signature style (thin lines, clunky shapes and lots of black) and moved onto higher profile commercial projects like Cosmic Odyssey (1988) and Gotham by Gaslight (1989) for DC Comics, and the not-so-commercial Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (1990) for Marvel. In 1992, he drew the comic book adaptation of the film Bram Stoker's Dracula for Topps Comics.

In 1993, Mike moved to Dark Horse comics and created Hellboy, a half-demon occult detective who may or may not be the Beast of the Apocalypse. While the first story line (Seed of Destruction, 1994) was co-written by John Byrne, Mike has continued writing the series himself. There are, at this moment, 13 Hellboy graphic novel collections (with more on the way), several spin-off titles (B.P.R.D., Lobster Johnson, Abe Sapien and Witchfinder), three anthologies of prose stories, several novels, two animated films and two live-action films staring Ron Perlman. Hellboy has earned numerous comic industry awards and is published in a great many countries.

Mike also created the award-winning comic book The Amazing Screw-on Head and has co-written two novels (Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire and Joe Golem and the Drowning City) with best-selling author Christopher Golden.

Mike worked (very briefly) with Francis Ford Coppola on his film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), was a production designer on the Disney film Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and was visual consultant to director Guillermo del Toro on Blade II (2002), Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). He lives somewhere in Southern California with his wife, daughter, a lot of books and a cat.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Buttenholm is in postwar Berlin, trying to recover all of Hitler's occult experiments before they fall in the wrong hands, but so are the Soviets. Varvara is heading up the Soviets and she's the creepiest little girl imaginable. She's like a doll come to life to murder you in your sleep. Paul Azacleta's art didn't always work for me. He needs to work on his use of shadow some but those last two issues he draws some fun, inventive, Nazi experiments come to life.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This origin story was dark!

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

1946 takes a sharp detour from the previous volumes of B.P.R.D. by taking several steps backwards, to earlier days of the organization. Hellboy is still new to the world, and Bruttenholm is still in charge. Naturally, it's set in post-war Germany, and it's full of Nazis and monsters and pulpy action. It's like a Hellboy-verse checklist. And it's good fun to read. Plus it introduces a very interesting, very creepy character: Varvarya, the little girl who isn't either.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berlin, 1946. A wasteland after the Allies have destroyed the remains of Hitler's Third Reich, and a couple of bookish-looking chaps appear amid the wreckage with a strange purpose - they are there to investigate the occult side of the Nazi regime. The US army are hesitant, even mocking, at first, until Professor Trevor Bruttenholm and a colleague unearth some startling experiments that involved vampires. Their investigations lead them to abandoned factories and mass graves, underground laboratories, talking heads and cyborg-gorillas. The usual then.

Mike Mignola and Josh Dysart take a break from the main BPRD storyline of the war on frogs to make Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced "Broom") the hero of a side story from the early days when Hellboy was a child and BPRD has just been created. And man, does it work well! It reads like a supernatural detective thriller with some pulp elements thrown in. The action builds up nicely, while the character that never was in the Hellboy books, Trevor Bruttenholm, is given a real backstory and feels like a real person.

The setups are fantastically creepy, particularly the abandoned factory where all the vampire experiments took place. Another main character, a possessed little girl, is chilling as well. The artwork isn't Mignola's but is unmistakably Dark Horse territory with heavy shadows and piercing lights. Also the vampires are written/drawn properly, as terrifying and savage as they should be rather than poncy Twilight makeovers.

It's an excellent addition to an already superb series and having read the follow up, 1947 (with 1948 in the works), this is shaping up to be the best part of the BPRD saga. Don't miss out on an excellent horror comic book from a modern master, 1946 is a wonderful read.

[Orrin Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a long time to get to this, but not for any particular reason.

I'll admit that I've not enjoyed the various B.P.R.D. comics as much as I do the regular Hellboy titles. That said, this one is probably one of my favorites of them.

There's more straight-up horror in 1946 than I'm used to seeing in most titles from the Hellboy universe, and the art is full of wonderful panels and reveals. I don't know how much input Mignola had in the actual progression or pacing of the story (from the sounds of the notes in the back, not much), but someone absolutely nailed how to build suspense and shock using sequential images. Even the glimpse we get a cybernetic giraffe(!) is creepy and awesome.

And the backup story has a completely great monster. What more could you ask for?

[Camilo Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y estaba pasando de largo por esta magnifica obra,porque la creia muy menor pero me sorprendio, y mucho.

El Profesor Bruttenholm acaba de adoprtar a Hellboy y la segunda guerra mundial esta en sus estertors, y EL BPRD esta empezando y es apenas una oficina, termina metindo en una misión con manicomio abandonado.vampiros, demonios, niñas escalofriantes y soldados de gatillo facil, ¿algo mas?, ah si, Gorilas soldado controlados por un cerebro en una jarra.Puro pulp al estillo Hellboy en una obra potente, un guión cuidado y muy entretenido, con un arte precioso, oscuro ,cargado de horror y cosas escondidas en las sombras.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an interesting spinoff that wasn't what I expected. The clues to the core franchise are there and Rasputin makes a tiny appearance towards the end. This was a strong book that develops the professor and from the outlook, there are more stories to come. This franchise is growing bigger with each storyline and with the reboot of the Hellboy film franchise, we may see a new cinematic universe. The only issue is the overly convoluted storyline that isn't suited to the introduction of a new era of characters.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early days of BPRD, Berlin just after the war, soviets and americans searching for rest of Nazis' occult research and any leads of Hellboy's origin. You can never go wrong with Nazis and occult. Story works even though there are no known characters. Art wasn't my style, but after the while you get used to it.

[Otherwyrld · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title suggest, the story is set in the early days of the B.P.R.D. and features Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced Broom)as the main protagonist. In this story he travels to post-war Berlin to try and seek any information about his young ward Hellboy. He finds himself stymied at all turns by a similar Soviet paranormal group let by the mysterious child/demon Varvara.

The two groups come together to uncover the horrific story of Operation Vampir Sturm, Hitler's attempt to create a vampire army that he would use to unleash on the world in the event of the fall of the Third Reich. Along the way you get cyborg gorillas, a head in a jar, an old vampire that can turn into an owl, and an experimental rocket designed to send the newly born vampires to America.

It's all very weird and dark, but in the end I felt that it just tried too hard to throw as many ideas into the mix and see what stuck. The mystery of who Varvara is could have been spun out a little bit more as well, but as it is she is a truly creepy creation.

Whilst this story is listed as volume 9, it and its two sequels (1947 and 1948) are self-contained and could be read at any point. Neither does it require any prior knowledge of either Hellboy or the B.P.R.D. so it could be used as a stepping on point for new readers, though some people may be put off by the storyline.

[Karly Noelle Abreu White · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the massive buildup in the last few volumes, there is a slight jolt when you realize that 1946 is about the BPRD of the last, specifically, in the year, 1946 (see what I did there?). Still, this is a great installment, filled to the brim and overflowing with nothing but macabre pulp. This follows the adventures of Professor Bruttenholm in the early days of the Bureau, investigating immediate post-war conditions in Berlin, with the shaky aid of Varvara, a strange little Russian girl who drinks whiskey and wards off vampire lords. There are such memorable aspects in this as Nazis (so many), vampires made from the formerly insane, plots for the end of the world, heads in jars, and yes, gorillas. It's been too long seen we've seen a decent hyper intelligent gorilla in these parts. This is a fun, if unexpected collaborative effort between Joshua Dysart, who tries to bring some weight to the story, and Mignola, who of course, refuses to be anything other than tongue and cheek for too long.
Paul Azeceta's gorgeously detailed artwork keeps the tone deliciously macabre, and compliments the otherwise occasionally ridiculous premise so that it feels like a genuine work of art.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit that I have read quite a few of the Hellboy and BPRD books over the years. Now the obvious way is to read them as they are published - however and I will try my best to avoid spoilers that has now run its course.

However that is not to say that new material is not coming out far from it - so now I am on a mission (I will let you know how i get on) where I am trying to fill in the gaps and where possible read them in the order the stories are set - hence they early years are my current focus.

So here is the first of the 1940s stories and as you can guess there is little of the young Hellboy present (in fact most of the time he is only referred to) but you can still see the style and story coming out - I think this is going to be an interesting way forward

[Gav451 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read. The story was creepy and the art evocative.

There was real darkness at the heart of this tale and the sacrifices made were harsh. I really enjoyed the fact that there were consequences for people who were actually saved from vampirism and the feeling that the darkness was paused rather than stopped. There is one story arc that was grim indeed.

The supporting characters in this book are all very strong as well and the art is unique and effective.

I enjoyed this a lot.

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

B.P.R.D. adventure taking place in post world war - II era, and starring Professor Trevor Bruttenholm.

There are many events that take place in an asylum, and the environment and build up is truly haunting and creepy. The setting of the story does feel like a breath of fresh air, and the character of Varvara was very interesting, indeed.

However, BPRD 1946 doesn't offer the charms, the Hellboy series is known for.

[Julian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reminded me of an extended version of the stories found in BPRD Vol. 2 The Soul of Venice and Other Stories. We get another "break" from BPRD's continual war on the frog monsters (which haven't actually appeared in awhile but are usually brought up once per volume). This collection chronicles the first big mission of the BPRD in the ruins of post-war Germany.

Nothing in this volume was particularly new, unique or entertaining and the last two issues seemed to take on a completely different tone than the rest of the storyline. In the first half of the book Trevor Bruttenholm arrives in Germany and tries to piece together what he can about Hellboy's origin but is quickly tied up combating the products of one of the Nazis' final experiments. This plot is basically a re-hash of any vampire spawn/swarm movie or comic out there (which is also not dissimilar from all of the apocalyptic zombie scenarios out there). What always made Hellboy and the BPRD unique was the cast of characters, their humor and interactions as well as the stories themselves which always seemed to be light-hearted and self-aware. BPRD: 1946 loses most of these elements: it isn't funny when it tries to be (and ooooh, it tries - especially with the new character "Varvara") and all the pulp elements feel tacked on at the last second. It's like the writers tried to make the story more like they thought a BPRD story should be (that is to say, this mostly reads like a collection which is trying really hard to be set in the BPRD/Hellboy universe). The plot, the first half being mostly serious about the victims of the Nazi T4 program who have been transformed into monsters, takes a complete turn for the worse as von Klempt (a villain familiar to those who have read Hellboy) appears with his usual robot-gorilla monsters. When von Kemplt came around the corner I laughed, for the first and only time while reading this volume, not because it was funny but because the story had become so redundant and ridiculous at that point. I could hear the writers say "Wait, it's almost over so we need to throw in a familiar villain right now!"

All of the characters in this volume are forgettable: The soldiers, Bruttenholm's friend (ie. the redshirt), Trevor himself. The only interesting character is Varvara (the Soviet version of Bruttenholm) but her dialogue, in trying to mimic a Russian who is trying to mimic English comes of forced and, usually, silly. The conclusion itself is one of the worst I have seen from these books, far worse than the common mystery power or object saving the day (and the whole world), everything just blows up and Trevor wakes up later: just like in the Hobbit - if the Hobbit didn't really explain anything later.

The only real redeeming quality of this book is the art - both the penciller and the inker did a great job on this title. Too bad the story didn't match their talent.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s start with some background for those unfamiliar with Mike Mignola’s universe of horror. Rooted in “Hellboy,” but extended through various high-quality affiliated series, this world is host to old gods and occult terrors. Imagine a world where desperate Nazis tried to win the Second World War by stockpiling vampires and summoning demons, and you pretty much have it.

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.) is charged with keeping these nightmares in check, often at the expense of their own lives and sanity (echoing the influence of H.P. Lovecraft). The group has operated since the Second World War, and the series hops between that time and the present day, in arcs written and illustrated by Mignola and/or collaborators.

This installment, written by Mignola and Joshua Dysart and illustrated by Paul Azaceta (with Mignola doing covers) is set in Berlin at the end of the World War Two. B.P.R.D. head Trevor Bruttenholm is racing the Russians to unravel the dark mysteries the Nazis may have uncovered. He’s assigned a group of five grunts to help him along. They’ve fought their way across Europe and are only interested in going home…until they realize the threat represented by the sinister things the Nazis left behind.

On the whole, it works. It’s well-plotted and well-characterized, with the soldiers dropping more of their skepticism with each round of weirdness. It’s connected to the large, barely comprehensible universe that Mignola has constructed. Azaceta’s art is excellent, equally adept at distinguishing soldiers in uniform and conjuring glass-brained gorilla superbeasts. He maintains the thick, menacing lines and alien shapes that Mignola has established as the house style.

The story has a few problems. The threat level is never entirely clear. Partly due to some choppy combat scenes, our heroes escape what seems to be sure doom with just a few nicks. The final chapter verges on camp too, with an escalation that seems to undermine B.P.R.D.’s grand stakes.

But B.P.R.D. 1946 is a dense, engaging tale of terror. Anyone who enjoys helplessness in the face of some great unknown will find much to like here.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best collections in the series, partly because while it benefits from reading earlier stories, it stands more or less alone. It's (surprise!) 1946 and Professor Bruttenholm is desperately searching Nazi occult archives for information on his new charge Hellboy. This brings him into contact with a leftover Nazi experiment in vampirism, a Nazi cyborg scientist and Varvara, a Russian demon who looks like Shirley Temple (not as funny as it sounds, she's creepy as hell). Very good.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much as I like the story, I prefer reading about Liz and Abe and company. It's still good to see Bruttenholm in action, since he dies very early in the Hellboy series, and I enjoyed the tie-in with characters and ideas from that series as well. And, of course, the appearance of the sublimely creepy Varvara.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to know more about the support characters or the agency in the Hellboy storyline here is where to start. Great reads, Very recommended

[Ripley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a flashback trade to Prof Broom's days wgen Hellboy is just a child. It's really good but i prefer the current bprd cast so it sucked to read cases without them.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Professor Bruttenholm backstory, creates this sort of occult focused Indiana jones vibe. He is much less daring or dashing but equally fearless.

Ends up in a broken Germany to research the nazi obsession with the occult. Finds a vampire program that used an asylum as a test tube- the blues used to create the large swarms of vampire beings was great, really stood out.

Overall a just fine read. I love Hellboy and all this stuff so I enjoy the stuff that is just okay well enough to continue on.

[Adam Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the volume 9 on the side fool you, this is the best point to start reading BPRD. A slightly post-War World War II adventure featuring the founder of BPRD (and the guy who raises Hellboy), vampires, demons, Russian soldiers, and a ragtag group of American soldiers.

You can read this having never read any of Mike Mignola's stories and have no problem following the story. And if it's not for you, you can put it down after, imagining it's all been wrapped up in a nice little bow.



I would recommend this to people interested in reading the Hellboy Universe but who haven't dipped their toes (or hooves) in it yet, people who enjoy World War II related scifi/horror (there must be a ton of people who fit this description based on the sheer volume of WWII scifi/horror available), Hellboy fans, people who liked 30 Days Of Night but wish it had Nazis in it, X-Files fans, people who loved Baby Doll from Batman The Animated series but wish she spoke Russian, and people who wish the owls in Harry Potter turned out to be mythological murderers out to avenge dead vampires.

[Pavel Pravda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zajímavá povídka. V rozbombardovaném Berlíně jsou ruské i americké vojska a profesor Trevor Bruttenholm musí navázat spolupráci s ruským okultním týmem, aby vyřešil další z okultních nacistických hrozeb. Ta historka je poměrně dobře odvyprávěná a má dobrou hororovou atmosféru. Co tu knihu ale dělá opravdu zajímavou, je velitelka ruského týmu. Je to natolik zajímavá postava, že doufám, že se s ní ještě setkáme. Bonusová povídka, která vznikla pro Free Comics Day je docela povedená.

Co se týká výtvarné stránky knihy, tak oproti tomu, na co jsme zvyklí z předešlých knih, to je slabota. Zejména ze začátku. Potom ale dojde na oblíbené mignolovské propriety, začne to být zábavné a já jsem tu kresbu přestal řešit. Dokonce se mi začala místy i líbit. 

[Ed]

Like Season 1 of the 1970's Wonder Woman television serial, this graphic novel has Nazi bad guys, with an appearance or two by Der Fuhrer himself. But Lynda Carter never had to deal with the "secret weapon" at the heart of this chilling tale, which apparently is inspired by the actual Nazi obsession with the occult. There's a lot goin' on in this WWII-era story, a Hellboy connexion, a ragtag group of American soldiers, a most bizarre Russian protagonist--I'm tempted to say a whole lotta shakin' goin' on, although it doesn't really apply, except to echo my previous phrase about a lot goin' on. Creepy fun. Me want to read others in this series.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This B.P.R.D. story looks back to a young Professor right after the fall of Germany and its filled with demons, vampires, and monsters. This was classic B.P.R.D. horror/action even though its before Hellboy, Abe, Liz, and crew are around and it was so good. The plot begins with a basic B.P.R.D. investigation and escalates from there. Varvara is a fantastic character and I always love reading young Professor. I liked Azaceta's art but at times I thought it was a little rushed and colored too dark. Overall, an entertaining read that is a must for Hellboy and horror fans.

[Jesse Patts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this one actually kinda rips. My favourite so far of the non mainline BPRD and hellboy material. Seeing Varvarra and the early Russian paranormal league makes me love her character more. (Making it hurt more how underwhelming the devil you know was)

I’m kinda sick of Herman von klempt showing up all the time, but I suppose it’s fun to see more connections to the Nazi space program from conquerer worm. Anyway, this one works where others don’t for me (like the Rasputin comic, or rise of the black flame) because the character interactions are good and there’s genuine horror.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

The backdrop of this story is really promising. In the aftermath of World War II, the United States and the USSR are fighting over the occult research of Nazi Germany just as they were looking at German rocket scientists.

The art for this volume was not my favorite. It was a bit heavier in the lines and didn't have the same atmospheric quality some Hellboy titles have. There were a couple of panels that stood out, but a lot of the action was very muddled.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite B.P.R.D. volume--I missed the usual characters, as they're really the reason I like this series so much. Still, I enjoyed this story of the early days of the B.P.R.D. And Varvara? Totally creepy in a weird china doll sort of way. I'm looking forward to the return of Abe, Johann, Kate and Liz in the next volume though.

[Koen Claeys · Rating 5 out of 5]

'I've had enough of this horror show!!!' someone cries out near the end of the story. I was thinking the exact opposite. Mignola teams up with Joshua Dysart (I love his run on 'Unknown Soldier') and they seem to bring out the best of each other. To make the horror, spiced up with some dark humor, come to life Azaceta's art was added to the mix, resulting in a damn fine comic book.

[Bill Coffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, this is just a kickass story of the fledgling BPRD’s efforts in the aftermath of WWII to stop a Nazi vampire doomsday project. But this also lays important groundwork that will emerge much later in the cycle—the collaboration between a Trevor Bruttenholm and his questionable Soviet allies, chief among them.

[Canavan · Rating 2 out of 5]

✭✭