B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: End of Days by Mike Mignola and othersB.P.R.D. Hell on Earth (vol. 13): End of Days by Mike Mignola (writer), John Arcudi (writer), Laurence Campbell (art), Dave Stewart (colors), Clem Robins (letters).

With Johann in the vril-powered suit of armor, the B.P.R.D. now has on hand a great resource for taking on monsters. Johann commands almost as much power as Liz. Liz has taken the time to get back to gardening back at the B.P.R.D. headquarters now that Johann used the armor to stop the monsters that were getting close in Colorado. But events are escalating around the world. Fenix, who goes into a trance with Panya as her guide, has an epileptic fit witnessing even more tragedy to come, and she slips into a coma. Also at headquarters, the mad professor starts babbling about the seven that are one, the ogdru jahad on earth, and other prophetic concerns. There’s a lot going on in this volume, and the art is fantastic, particularly the scenes with the large monsters and the scenes in which Johann and Liz take those monsters on.

It’s not long before Liz has to leave her gardening behind and get back into the field as an agent of destruction, joining Iosif and Johann on a mission, but things don’t go as smoothly as they’d hoped. There’s one giant monster in Kansas, looming large over even all the previous large monsters, that neither Liz nor Johann can take down. They both deplete all their energy on the mission.

Back at the base, Fenix is in a coma, and from what Panya can tell, she is connected to the Black Flame and the giant monster in Kansas that Johann and Liz could not defeat. There’s a giant web of forces at work, and Fenix is tied into that web because of her psychic sensitivity.  To take down this network, Johann and Liz join up with an old “friend” of Abe’s, and with a new weapon devised by him, they enter again into battle. But will the powers they have be enough to overcome the Black Flame? The battle with the Black Flame is full of action, and the art is perfect in depicting this long conflict. Plus, in the aftermath of the battle, Iosif makes a major decision and risks his life. A lot happens in this volume, and to me, it’s a five-star book. Highly recommended.

Author

  • Brad Hawley

    BRAD HAWLEY, who's been with us since April 2012, earned his PhD in English from the University of Oregon with areas of specialty in the ethics of literature and rhetoric. Since 1993, he has taught courses on The Beat Generation, 20th-Century Poetry, 20th-Century British Novel, Introduction to Literature, Shakespeare, and Public Speaking, as well as various survey courses in British, American, and World Literature. He currently teaches Crime Fiction, Comics, and academic writing at Oxford College of Emory University where his wife, Dr. Adriane Ivey, also teaches English. They live with their two young children outside of Atlanta, Georgia.