A re-read for this (or for parts of it, see below) - the first steps toward establishing the BPRD title, which was in its heyday the best continuing series in comics. Not that there’s a lot of sign of that quite yet - BPRD doesn’t really become itself until John Arcudi comes along as scripter, though even in this volume the regular cast’s voices and outlooks are recognisable. And by the end of Volume 1 the equally essential Guy Davis has started his run on art, giving the monsters their fleshy,

So this first BRPD omnibus collects together: stories from: Hellboy - Box full of evil, Abe Sapien - Drums of the Dead, Hollow Earth, The soul of venice, Dark waters, night train, there's something under my bed and Plague of Frogs #1-#5As such this does feel a bit fragmented - we have tales of vampires, zombies, killer toys, ghosts, vengeful spirits, gods. The BPRD do seem to have their work cut out even without Hellboy. The lack of Hellboy with his laconic wit and Mignola's iconic art is keenly...

What starts as a solid collection of short stories and character studies quickly turns into a taut supernatural thriller. A promising opening chapter.

Who would have thought at the time that BPRD would turn into a comic just as good as Hellboy, especially when the first thing that happens is Hellboy leaves the BPRD. By the end of this, BPRD has turned into the Mignolaverse's version of the Justice League but with stakes. People die. A threat is introduced that follows this book for the next 10 plus years and it all ties back to the very first Hellboy story. Mignola has turned out to be a much better storyteller than anyone ever gives him credi...

(This review was originally published by GraphicNovelReporter.com on July 9, 2012)B.P.R.D. began as a simple experiment to focus on a core group of characters within the Hellboy universe independent of Hellboy himself. Characters that were once sidekicks (for lack of a better word), like the amphibious Abe Sapien and pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, were pushed to the forefront of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, granted their own spinoff title and a chance to sink or swim on their own me...

This book marks my first foray into Mignola's Hellboy comics since Conqueror Worm (serialized in 2001, collected in 2004, as best as I can tell).The omnibus is really the ideal way, for me anyway, to get into Hellboy. I enjoy the comics, but I'm not so attached to them that I want to read 2-4 trade paperbacks every single year. I'd rather wait and get a huge collection like this every 3-4 years. This book brings together Mignola's first BPRD serial, Hollow Earth (with Christopher Golden, Tom Sni...

I just finished reading through this from the library for the first time in 7 years. I previously read it in the Portland State University library as the individual volumes while I should've have been studying for OChem. This is a fantastic volume, building the Hellboy universe and spreading Mike Mognola's horror laced universe where all folk lore is fact. This starts with disjointed stories letting you know the characters before congealing in the beginning of the Plague of Frogs epic. The best

I think by now you will have seen that I have a liking for the works of Mike Mignola, well you are not wrong. The one issue I guess I have with comics and graphic novels is that unless they are a limited run or you are incredibly lucky to be able to read them from the first issue. I always struggle starting a series knowing that there is potentially a whole back story out there I will never know or be able to catch up on. Okay I know that true fans will tell me that its not necessary but for me

This book is great. It's Hellboy without Hellboy and that's not at all bad. Hellboy has walked off the job leaving Abe as the de facto leader of the BPRD's field squad. This also, to his chagrin, makes him kind of the moral heart and soul of the place. Neither seem to be jobs he wants and his love and respect for Liz Sherman (and Roger and eventually Johann) keep him around. There are some really interesting side stories here and while the art kind of jumps around more than I'd like in the Hellb...

This is a high quality book. The book itself and the paper and the ink are all really nice. I wanted to give it 5 stars because it is really good. But I gave it 4 because it seemed like the right thing to do. Awesome read though. Definitely gonna read the next one.

I honesty do not have the tolerance for a book where the only female agent with powers seems to be constantly sidelined or in the need of saving.In fairness, the Venice story was interesting.

While many series of varying quality are getting the 'Deluxe Hardcover Omnibus' treatment, few deserve it more than the 1600 page epic that has been retroactively dubbed the 'Plague of Frogs' cycle. Beginning as a spin-off series following Hellboy's departure from the 'Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense' (for Hollywood and Guillermo Del Toro's comic-to-film adaptation), it showcased talented writers and artists, providing an audition for the expanding Mignolaverse via single-issue tales....

If you're a fan of Hellboy, you should certainly read this series. And if you're not, you can still jump right in - some of the references might go over your head, but this series stands well on its own. Eldritch weirdness, mysteries and conspiracies, and a lot of blood and guts. What's not to like?

This was my first Mike Mignola comic ( I've seen the Hellboy movies) and I can see why he has such a huge following. That being said, onto the book itself :- Packaging : if you are a BPRD fan you simply have to buy this edition. The binding and the paper are of very high quality and this book deserves to be in every bookcase. It will stand the test of time and of multiple readings. This book could actually give the best Marvel Omnibus a run for their money...- Content : I am more mixed about the...

[Review of the whole Plague of Frogs arc.]Spin-offs are always a bit of a dicey proposition. For every well-received Frasier or Rhoda, there are many more that fail to capture that spark of interest that dazzled the audiences of their progenitors. The Tortellis, Just the Ten of Us, Joey. Every spin-off is something of a funambulist and over a variety of perils there are these fine lines they must traverse. Beyond the normal gamut of ways in which a new series might fail, spin-offs have additiona...

This was an excellent purchase. I don't like single-issue comics--too easy to damage, not great for re-reading--so I look for the graphic-novel bound versions as a rule. I'd read the books contained in this larger volume, but this compilation is even better because it contains some extra material and makes it easier to keep track of the story. This is important because the Plague of Frogs series is fairly complicated, if also fairly linear. It's a dark, archetypal fantasy story, with art that st...

This is what I originally wanted Hellboy to be.. and since there is some folks out there hyping him up to be the best comic creation in history, for a long time I believed that to be the case till I actually read it but it wasn't the guy with the stone fist, it was the rest of the Bureau that actually stole the show! So of course I had to get into the team up of the mis fits, and who'd a thunk it? It's incredibly good.Actually I am convinced now that all those hype people actually meant to say t...

The art is stunning, it's utter joy to be spending more time with BPRD and seeing how they move ahead without Hellboy.

Following the nice Multiversity reading order, I switched to B.P.R.D. omnibus Plague of Frogs vol. 1. It contains two books of short stories and the main story Plage of Frogs. There is a great mix of authors and artists on the short stories. Stories solely written by Mike are usually the best ones. The main short stories are great, Hollow earth by Smith, Sook & Mignola and Steward's coop is nice, Oeming and Steward's The Soul of Venice is great too (and very much in Mignola style). The rest vary...