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Hellboy and the BPRD: 1953: Beyond the Fences #1

Story by Mike Mignola and Chris Robertson

Pencils by Paolo Rivera, Inks by Joe Rivera

Colors by Dave Stewart, Letters by Clem Robins

Hellboy and I have a lot in common.  We both really like pancakes.  We’re both kind of gruff but lovable once you get to know us.  We were both summoned to Earth by the sorcerer Rasputin.  No, I’m just kidding.  I’m actually not that lovable even after you get to know me. But the rest is all true.

In Beyond the Fences #1, Hellboy, Susan Xiang, and Jacob Stegner are sent to investigate a series of missing children.  Reports of a mysterious creature put the case on the BPRD radar, and a strange mineral confiscated from a shifty scientist that causes Sue to see visions of monsters certainly points to something supernatural at play.  But while everyone is focused on monsters, Hellboy considers the peripheral details.  And this is why I love Hellboy.  Even on a team of unique investigators, his different perspective on things is as important as his superhuman strength or his Right Hand of Doom.    

The Hellboy comics universe is extensive.  His story begins in the 1940s, so there’s a lot of ground to cover.  Plus, he’s picked up quite a few friends along the way, so you can really keep busy reading Abe Sapien and various spin-offs chronicling the adventures of the BPRD crew.  Some titles are numbering in the hundreds, and it’s easy to get a little overwhelmed if you fall behind.  What makes these Hellboy and the BPRD books so great is that they don’t require an encyclopedic knowledge of origin stories and mythology, because most of that stuff hasn’t happened yet.  The 1953 stories function like monster-of-the-week shorts, vignettes of Hellboy’s early career with the Bureau, so you can pick them up and enjoy them without needing to catch up.  

Tia Vasiliou is a Digital Editor at ComiXology.  She also really likes waffles.