GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Comic Review: B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism #2 | I Smell Sheep

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Comic Review: B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism #2

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism #2 Writer: Mike Mignola, Cameron Stewart
Artist: Cameron Stewart
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover Artist: Viktor Kalvachev
Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror
Publication Date: July 25, 2012
Format: FC, 32 pages


Field agent Ashley Strode attempts to purge a demon from a 100-year-old exorcist, utilizing a deadly rite that sends both of them into a spiritual hell.
*Owl demons!
*Featuring the origin of Ota Benga from B.P.R.D.: 1947.


So, Exorcism #1
had B.R.P.D. agent Ashley Strode venturing into a dreamland alongside a former consultant for the Bureau, Ota Benga, to face-off against an imprisoned demon. It just so happens that the prison is Benga's mind. Ashley has agreed to release this demon from Benga's mind in exchange for the exorcism of a lesser demon possessing a young boy in rural Ohio. Free the demon, save the boy--and hopefully stem the tide of hellish occurrences on Earth. You now, that ol' chestnut.

Ashley's paranoia and off-kilter handling of the situation helped make the story engaging, especially since the story boiled down to an abbreviated dungeon crawl. But the demon she and Benga face, Marquis Andras, didn't really resonate as a villain beyond the idea that "demon=bad." A demon that looks like a giant barn owl on steroids was pretty cool, I admit, but unless the demon has a prior history in this universe I'm not sure readers are really going to marvel at it beyond its appearance.

As for the rest of Ashley's journey it plays out as character growth. She's not the same agent as when she began, and her naivety towards the demons becomes hardened considerably by the time she has to return to the farm in Ohio and contend with the possessed boy.
Reading the two books back to back helped me a lot in enjoying the story, and Ashley Strode is a character I would definitely enjoy seeing more of down the road, as she is basically my eyes and ears in the Hellboy universe. Exorcism isn't a red-letter outing, I'm going to wager, but fans of the series should find a fun, frightening diversion here. And the scene with the goat is worth checking out all by itself.

3 Sheep





Guest Reviewer: Gef Fox
rabid reader, wrabid writer
Wag The Fox: a den for dark fiction
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