Dec 2, 2024
BPRD The Devil You Know - Ragna Rok (Vol 3 TPB) Cover by Laurence Campbell
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BPRD The Devil You Know - Ragna Rok (Vol 3 TPB) Cover by Laurence Campbell
BPRD: The Devil You Know ~ Ragna Rok - Chapter Five
Story: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie | Art: Laurence Campbell & Mike Mignola | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Clem Robins
Originally published by Dark Horse in BPRD: The Devil You Know #15 | April 2019
Collected in BPRD: The Devil You Know - Volume 3: Ragna Rok
Plot Summary:
Hellboy witnesses the end.
Reading Notes:
(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)
pg. 1 - I’m impressed overall in the sheer feeling of desolation that Laurence Campbell and Dave Stewart accomplish here. And it just gets better from there.
It’s also interesting that Hellboy, and Grey, aren’t quite sure what Hellboy is any more. Especially when you consider that he’s also apparently still down in hell. It’s like there are multiple permutations of Hellboy’s soul/spirit/whatever out there now.
pg. 2 - Phenomenal view of the Ogdru Hem ruling the Earth.
pg. 3 - Here’s where the desolation gets ramped up just by a change of colour. That shade of grey, the appearance of the Ogdru Jahad on Earth, this just reminds us that everything’s well and truly screwed for life as we knew it on the surface.
pg. 4 - But they’re dead. That’s a very neat twist that the big bad, the huge evil that has been looming in space since the beginning of the narrative, are reduced to nothing sometime between Hellboy’s second death and now. It’s unexpected to see one of the series’ primary antagonists, the prima facie moving force of evil throughout existence, just...gone.
pg. 6 - And to find out that it was all the machinations of the Osiris Club.
pg. 8 - That they did it with Hellboy’s severed hand fits in with the idea that his hand would bring about the end the of world. And that it didn’t quite matter if it was attached or not, the key would still unlock the Ogdru Jahad’s prison. Just that the end of the world didn’t quite occur how we thought it would, with the Ogdru Jahad taking over everything.
pg. 10 - I love the full colour coming back into Hellboy as he reattaches his hand.
pg. 11 - The destruction of their mansion is just magnificent.
pg. 12 - This is fitting. Both the shift to Mike Mignola’s own art to close out the story and the return of Hecate. She said that she’d be waiting for the end to be by Hellboy’s side for the finale.
pg. 13 - Also an interesting shift here. Going from fight to discussion.
pg. 15 - After all of the time that has passed during the reign of the Ogdru Hem, the fall of the Ogdru Jahad, that Liz is still alive is interesting. Though we’re not given an actual span, which may be shorter depending on how the Osiris Club’s story actually played out, it further ties into the idea that the Vril energy has been keeping her alive and keeping her relatively youthful. After all, she was born in 1962.
pg. 16 - The old world dying by fire, beautifully rendered by Mignola and Stewart.
pg. 20 - The synthesis between Hecate and Hellboy to give the life’s blood to the new world is a fascinating development. A transformation to bring about what’s next to come.
pg. 22 - I like that these frog people aren’t quite the same as the frogstrocities that we’ve seen since the Plague of Frogs. That they look more like Abe, and potentially have more of Abe’s disposition.
pg. 24 - This would seem to suggest that the cycle repeats. That a new version of the story told from Hyperborea to now may occur with the new race of man. Also, I find it kind of funny that Liz, the one character that Mignola didn’t necessarily know what to do with and was going to kill early on in the series, is the only one who definitely continues on into the future.
Final Thoughts:
The subversion of expectation while delivering exactly what was foretold is an interesting consequence of this finale. The end of the world comes to pass by Hellboy’s hand, Abe becomes the progenitor of the next race of man, and Liz takes on the role of the past priestesses of the Hyperboreans after unleashing the Vril energy across the world. It’s basically what we’ve been told was going to happen since the introduction of the larger end of the world mythos into the Hellboy narrative, but it’s not quite executed in how many of us probably thought it would play out.
To me, it’s one of the series that absolutely stuck the landing with a satisfying and entertaining ending. Whether you’ve only been reading Hellboy, BPRD, or everything within the universe, this is a well-told, well-executed ending that brings together the themes of destiny, transformation, and renunciation that have been running through the narrative since Seed of Destruction and pays them off beautifully. The story can potentially continue in extremely different ways, but this serves as a capstone to 25 years of storytelling.
d. emerson eddy wonders if frog scientists will try cloning Liz for a theme park; Lizassic Park.
“Ragna Rok”
B.P.R.D. The Devil You Know #11 (December 2018)
Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Laurence Campbell and Dave Stewart
Dark Horse Comics
BPRD: The Devil You Know ~ Ragna Rok - Chapter Four
Story: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie | Art: Laurence Campbell | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Clem Robins
Originally published by Dark Horse in BPRD: The Devil You Know #14 | March 2019
Collected in BPRD: The Devil You Know - Volume 3: Ragna Rok
Plot Summary:
Abe, Liz, and Hellboy confront Rasputin. Howards and Fenix try to lead the few remaining survivors deep into the underground.
Reading Notes:
(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)
pg. 1 - Another check-in here with another bit of recurring characters throughout the narrative, in the members of the Osiris Club. What exactly they’ve been doing during and since Hellboy in Hell is unclear, but they seem to be arguing amongst themselves now.
pg. 2-3 - So too with the church proclaiming the Ogdru Hem as being a fulfillment of whatever from God. These guys are still nuts. I’m somewhat surprised this particular religious cult wasn’t more prominent throughout the narrative.
pg. 4 - And our alien buddies who wanted to kill Hellboy. It is interesting that at least two of them have come to realize that trying to kill Hellboy was a mistake and that the Visitor made the right decision to let him live.
pg. 5 - I suppose just throwing yourself at the giant, mega-powered Rasputin is one game plan.
pg. 7 - Though it’s absolutely insane as to how some of the characters are kind of punked out. It’s fitting, it shows as to just how devastating and hurtful this final battle is, but it also feeds into Liz’s previous fear of a seemingly meaningless death. That such a central figure could be taken off the board pretty much immediately. It also helps underscore that this is the end. Everyone that you love, all your favourites, are likely going to die.
Though, I do have to say, that the art from Laurence Campbell and Dave Stewart is stunning. Like the end to Hell on Earth, this is epic. The “CRACK” from Clem Robins is heartbreaking.
pg. 8 - Overall, I love the pacing of this. We’ve got the top two tiers telling the story of the battle between our heroes and Rasputin, and in the bottom the flight through to supposed sanctuary deep underground. Not just in the symbolism of above and below, but it reminds us of what Abe, Liz, and Hellboy are fighting for. And that what lies below isn’t free from danger.
pg. 9 - Also, this...speech, I suppose, from Rasputin about the various permutations of the end is interesting. It fits with what we’ve seen before in Witchfinder, Frankenstein Underground, and elsewhere through the Hellboy universe about different groups getting different ideas of the end. Yet, I also feel like some of it might be a bit meta, about possible different endings to Hellboy as a whole.
pg. 11 - Hellboy also getting his butt handed to him by Rasputin is kind of hard to see.
pg. 12 - Made more interesting when Liz just completely lights him up. Though you’d probably do well to think that this is kind of a Friday the 13th scene. Just when you think the monster is dead, it rises back up and...
Again, this artwork is just stunning.
pg. 12 - There’s also kind of a theme of sacrifice that we see, both in Abe, Hellboy, and Liz’s fight with Rasputin and in Howards’ approach to the Ogdru Hem and little winged frog demons blocking the survivors’ path. Maybe the fight is futile, but they have to fight it in order to buy the others time.
pg. 13 - This is different. It feels like Liz is actually talking to Anung Un Rama here. Hellboy’s dead and gone. Anung Un Rama is dead and reborn. To take care of finishing off the Dragon. It feels to me at least that the end of the world isn’t exactly what we thought it was.
pg. 14 - Also, the duelling colour schemes depending on who is dominant during the battle is a very nice touch from Dave Stewart.
pg. 15 - Is this the end of our incredible hero Howards?
pg. 16 - Anung Un Rama vs. the Dragon. This clash is incredible.
pg. 17 - The Kirby Krackle...
It’s also just amazing how this plays out. Hellboy...disarmed. Abe seeming to leak eggs, it’s just not at all what you’d necessarily have thought when thinking of how the final battle would play out and yet it feels exactly like how it should play out.
pg. 18 - You need to experience this page on your own in print. Just incredible.
pg. 20/21 - A nice friendly face to welcome the survivors to Hyperberum. Also, the fall just feels so desolate.
pg. 22 - After that, what comes next?
Final Thoughts:
This is just sheer, incredible comics storytelling. It’s sad to see characters that you love beaten to a pulp, beaten down, and die, but the why of their death in some cases remains to play out. To see whether or not it is a meaningless death to feed into Liz’s fears or if it stands for something. Here, we’re kind of left to make up our own minds about how we feel, whether it’s an anticlimactic letdown or if it’s a beautiful and heroic sacrifice to allow for the soul of humanity to survive. I’m personally of the latter mindset. Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, Laurence Campbell, Dave Stewart, and Clem Robins deliver a damn near perfect comic here. To me, this is exactly the kind of epic battle that I’d expect to see at the end.
Though, it is called Ragna Rok. With an end, what will be the new beginning? The Norse myth was always about Ragnarok being a cycle. How will the new age of man play out?
d. emerson eddy is currently enjoying a khachapuri.
BPRD: The Devil You Know ~ Ragna Rok - Chapter Three
Story: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie | Art: Laurence Campbell | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Clem Robins
Originally published by Dark Horse in BPRD: The Devil You Know #13 | February 2019
Collected in BPRD: The Devil You Know - Volume 3: Ragna Rok
Plot Summary:
Abe, Liz, and Hellboy continue their trek back into the heart of New York City to confront Rasputin. Howards, Fenix, and the remaining BPRD agents on the airship attempt to make it to the tunnels at Cavendish Hall. And Nichols surprisingly is still alive. For the moment. All while the Ogdru Hem frolic and cause havoc across the globe.
Reading Notes:
(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)
pg. 1 - The rest of the Ogdru Hem apparently coming to the surface for the party is terrifying. There’s a very nice tone here set for the final moments of humanity on Earth.
Also, just look at the design for this opening beast. Tentacles and teeth.
pg. 3 - This discussion of the end is sobering. Reminding us of how much they’ve managed to accomplish, but that Rasputin might be too much.
pg. 3-4 - Also, I love that soft, hazy colour approach that Dave Stewart uses for Alice and the faerie realm where England wound up.
pg. 5 - Likewise that the little demons that were possessing people are now essentially little winged frogstrocities. It’s like a combination of all of the horrors that the heroes have faced all across the Hellboy universe into one seemingly unstoppable force.
Also interesting that Nichols survived. At least for a little while.
pg. 8/9 - The immensity again of the Ogdru Hem here is incredible. This thing seems bigger possibly than even the one Dragon at the end of Hell on Earth. It seems like only a matter of time before the rest of the Ogdru Jahad play into this somehow (other than just through a conduit like Rasputin).
pg. 10 - Epic crash. Downing the airship feels like the last gasp for those who’ve survived so far from the Bureau.
pg. 11-12 - Another one falls.
pg. 13 - And this one’s interesting. Here Hellboy almost seems wistful and regretful that the destiny that has been continuously projected onto him since the very beginning in Seed of Destruction seems to have bypassed him. It’s kind of a weird turn since he had rejected it constantly. I guess it’s one thing to consistently be told that you’re special, destined to great or terrible things, and then see all the potential pass you by.
pg. 14 - Also a bit of a seed here making you wonder why Rasputin was interested in Fenix. As another one falls. Sadly not many members of the Bureau left.
pg. 16 - They just seem to be getting picked off one by one. Not the best final stand for the agents.
pg. 18 - Even Bruiser’s working on helping. Good dog.
pg. 20 - The end seems like it’s not only occurring to the regular flesh and blood agents, but we’re saying goodbye to Fenix’s ghost sister as well. Makes you wonder if she’ll just be “normal” if there’s any kind of future.
pg. 21 - That “ROOOAAR” from Clem Robins that seems to be coming from within the caves is not necessarily a good sign. Further making you think maybe they’re walking into a trap rather than salvation.
pg. 22 - The tension is real.
Final Thoughts:
The end of Hell on Earth there was a feeling of victory, but it was ultimately just prolonging the end a little bit. The Devil You Know changed the game back to an approximation of what was initially happening with the Plague of Frogs. Only much, much worse for the planet.
This walk that Abe, Liz, and Hellboy are taking through to Rasputin feels a bit like Stephen King’s The Stand to me. This doesn’t feel like a chance to beat Rasputin and everybody lives. It feels more like a confrontation to fight for the soul of whoever might survive. Another little piece of time for humanity to continue on in whatever form comes next. Similar to how Hellboy’s battle against The Queen of Blood in the Arthurian trilogy didn’t physically save England, but allowed the spirit of England to continue on, along with Alice, in whatever kind of summerlands form its taken now.
d. emerson eddy is solving a crooked rhyme.
BPRD: The Devil You Know ~ Ragna Rok - Chapter Two
Story: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie | Art: Laurence Campbell | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Clem Robins
Originally published by Dark Horse in BPRD: The Devil You Know #12 | January 2019
Collected in BPRD: The Devil You Know - Volume 3: Ragna Rok
Plot Summary:
As the Ogdru Hem rise bigger and more brutal than ever across the world, we learn what happened in the fall of Sir Edward Grey. And a long time ally of the Bureau becomes a tasty snack for more risen vampires.
Reading Notes:
(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)
pg. 1 - Bruno’s looking a little worse for wear. You wonder what might have been if he hadn’t have unceremoniously dumped Kate out of the blue. Where they both would be. Whether they’d still be alive. It’d certainly be better than a sad drunk in a graveyard.
I quite like how at least some of the loose ends are being tied up all throughout The Devil You Know. Touching base with various aspects that have been important all through the main Hellboy narrative.
I also love how Laurence Campbell and Dave Stewart handle the rain here. The lines really add to the feel that Bruno is broken up.
pg. 2/3 - Also this double page spread is ominous. More vampires rising up in Germany and the Ogdru Hem coming back up across the globe, bigger and badder than ever.
pg. 4 - Abe and Liz wondering what it means that Rasputin basically ignored them as they fled New York almost feels like they’re giving in to defeatism.
pg. 5 - So too with Hellboy. The darkness and shadow that Campbell uses here just makes it feel all so very, very sad.
pg. 6 - This explanation for what Rasputin is now, and how he came to be through exorcising Varvara, sets up an even more terrifying endgame.
pg. 8 - Grey absorbing all the energy of the other magic users is an incredible visual.
pg. 9 - This is interesting. On the one hand, you still seem to have Grey trying to bring down Rasputin, on the other, he’s become tainted and his words don’t match his actions.
pg. 11 - It makes you wonder about the advice that humanity can only be saved by travelling underground. This has been one of the ideas that we’ve seen floated during Abe Sapien and Frankenstein Underground, along with the little girl shaman’s entreaties to go to Hyperberum. But there’s doubt.
pg. 13 - May as well at least try to save some of the people some of the time.
pg. 15 - The kid certainly seems sure about it.
Although, the placement of Cavendish Hall on one of the coordinates further makes you kind of second guess whether or not this is the correct action.
pg. 17 - Other than the fact that the dreams have probably stopped, it makes a bit of sense that those going to New York to find Varvara would still be doing so. Though, it does make you wonder about their overall importance.
pg. 19-20 - This is one of the weirdest confrontations ever. Though you do kind of get the impression that Liz and Fenix aren’t likely to see one another again.
pg. 21 - Also, this series just continues with dispensing with sometime beloved characters in the most trivial ways. It seems like so many people are succumbing to Liz’s fears, that their deaths will be meaningless.
pg. 22 - Poor Manning seems like he’s being left to die alone, in the dark, under the heel of an Ogdru Hem.
And Liz, Abe, and Hellboy should probably have a backing track of “Ease On Down the Road” or something.
Final Thoughts:
There are some interesting bits revealed here, making you wonder whether or not you should trust things being told to us at face value, or to interpret them with a hint of suspicion. There’s a seed of doubt here planted about Sir Edward Grey’s actions, working with Rasputin maybe, as to whether we should really trust his behaviour afterwards. If we should interpret them as him trying to atone for the evil that he’s done in order to do good, or if there’s another game at play. It makes you second guess a little kid’s smile.
d. emerson eddy is dancing barefoot. Heading for a spin. Some strange music draws him in. Makes him come on like some heroine.
BPRD: The Devil You Know ~ Ragna Rok - Chapter One
Story: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie | Art: Christopher Mitten & Laurence Campbell | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Clem Robins
Originally published by Dark Horse in BPRD: The Devil You Know #11 | December 2018
Collected in BPRD: The Devil You Know - Volume 3: Ragna Rok
Plot Summary:
The sad fate of Rasputin’s bastard daughter, Varvara, is revealed. Mega-Rasputin raises the Ogdru Hem and drowns New York City. And more fall.
Reading Notes:
(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)
pg. 1 - I’ve said before that I love Christopher Mitten’s layouts. I’ll say it again, because I love Christopher Mitten’s layouts. They remind me a bit of how Mike Mignola himself approaches a page, in regards to the tiers and break down of the columns and panel progression, but with an added little oomph on many pages with the grid overlapping an establishing shot that often bleeds to the edges of the page. It just looks amazing.
pg. 2 - There’s kind of an interesting turn here for Varvara’s adoptive father, first noticing that he’s relatively humble, happy, and accepting in his lot in life. His love for his family and so.
pg. 3 - Also, this flashback tends to reveal that Rasputin was an asshole long before he was hacked to pieces, shot, and drowned.
pg. 4 - Here’s the start of the turn for Yuri. When he finds out that Varvara’s real father is Rasputin he starts mulling over the fact that he could possibly get rich from this. It almost seems like the mere idea of Rasputin is enough to infect and corrupt people.
pg. 6 - That’s further reinforced by the fact that he’s taking his sick wife and daughter through the cold Russian--not just Russian, but Siberian--winter to see the mad monk. Who does that?
pg. 7 - This just seems incredibly poorly thought out.
Although, an odd bit that could just be due the fact that many artists utilize similar faces, but did you notice that Yuri kind of looks like some of Mitten’s depictions of Trevor Bruttenholm. It may just be me reading way too much in to things, but this could be the genesis of why Varvara has at least some kind of affection for Bruttenholm later.
pg. 8 - Again, Rasputin is an asshole. His complete disregard of his daughter is kind of nasty.
pg. 9 - That’s got to be terrifying to witness. Also, there’s kind of a parallel here of Rasputin giving Varvara his father’s bloody coat with him doing similar with Crimson Lotus and her father’s armband.
pg. 11 - The happenstance of Yomyael coming across the ruins of Varvara’s family and jumping hosts is interesting.
pg. 12/13 - And we’re back in to the present day fight, picking up right at the end of Pandemonium. These pages are just gorgeous. Laurence Campbell is a master at portraying the sheer immensity of these events.
pg. 15 - ♫ The frogs are back in town. The frogs are back in town. ♫
That it has to be Hellboy to face off against Rasputin, even as Rasputin seems to be embodying the negative energies of the Ogdru Jahad, seems to bring destiny full circle. Their fight was one of the things that kicked off the plague of frogs, what will happen when they have to fight again? Or does it even matter now, is everything screwed anyway? Like with the demons being supplanted again by frogs, it gives the appearance that the end of the world by Ogdru Hem was fated. Their defeat by Johann really was just a stopgap for survival.
pg. 17 - The rest of the BPRD continuing to try to keep of the crickets almost feels futile.
pg. 18 - Scheduling a full retreat seems like the only thing that makes sense. Though it looks like we’re losing Nichols and another agent to the floods of New York here.
pg. 20 - Another quick death for one of the longstanding characters. Both Von Klempt and Kroenen seems to be wiped off the board arbitrarily. And confirmation that the demon Liz was fighting did get done in.
pg. 22 - It almost feels like the death of hope.
Final Thoughts:
The opening chapter to this third act is stunning. Easing us in with an explanation for who Varvara was initially and how she came to be possessed by Yomyael is enlightening and tragic, beautifully delivered by Christopher Mitten and Dave Stewart. Mitten’s style serves as a nice contrast against the feel of the present day art through the series from Laurence Campbell and Sebastián Fiumara, while also giving a bit of visual consistency out of Rasputin: The Voice of the Dragon.
And then we get the blockbuster action of the rise of Rasputin in the present day with some of the most incredible artwork in the Hellboy story to date from Campbell and Stewart. The fall of New York while the agents attempt to flee is immense. Even after the ruins that the city has come to under the Black Flame and then Varvara, its fate can still be worse. And it just makes you wonder, what’s left?
d. emerson eddy does not recommend drowning.
hell on earth