B.P.R.D., Vol. 9: 1946
*Starred Review* Turning the clock back again to reveal another B.P.R.D. cast member’s early days, Mignola fills out a scenario by Joshua Dysart, calls in an artist, Paul Azaceta, new to Mignola’s Hellboy world, and, man, does this baby burn. In the spotlight here is Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense founder Trevor Bruttenholm, normally seen as a picture on the wall in B.P.R.D.’s main story. In Berlin shortly after the war, he and his assistant are looking for Nazi research into the occult. His Soviet analogue is also investigating, and he must cooperate with her to find anything. She, of course, is not what she seems, which is weird enough already, since she appears to be a little blond girl of the Victorian era who takes her dolly with her everywhere. Accompanied by soldiers of their respective nations who distrust their opposite numbers utterly, the investigators uncover the remains of a Nazi doomsday scheme involving nasty, ugly, stinking vampires. Unfortunately, the remains are revivable, and thereby hangs a tale that ranks with the best horror adventures in any medium. Azaceta’s figuration perfectly embodies this tale that oozes the dual darkness of Nazis and vampires. --Ray Olson