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Saturday 6 February 2016

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Volume 12: Metamorphosis Review (Mike Mignola, Peter Snejbjerg)


Johann leads a BPRD crew to their favourite location, Nowheresville, USA, where they encounter yet more idiot humans pointlessly protecting and worshipping monsters. He fails to take into account their feelings and does something insensitive. Also, Sledgehammer 44! 

I’ve said it about the last few BPRD books because it’s true and Metamorphosis is no different - it’s more of the same crap. Same bad stories and same paper-thin plotlines that are subplots at best. It’s amazing that so little can be stretched to make another volume but Mike Mignola and co. keep managing to pull it off. 

Metamorphosis is made up of two arcs: Nowhere, Nothing, Never (which ironically describes most of the series) and Modern Prometheus, the latter of which I’d say is the only one worth reading if only for Julian Totino Tedesco’s art. The arc features Sledgehammer 44, a series I read one issue of before giving up on, but the visuals of seeing this super-powered armour fighting the Black Flame in his Hugo Boss (it’s true, that company actually made the Nazis’ outfits!) SS gear over the European skies was pretty cool. 

That’s about it though and really, another invincible tough guy who punches things real hard? It’s just more evidence that Mignola’s long been out of ideas and, at this point, is circling back on himself. 

I had thought (hoped) this would be the penultimate volume in the Hell on Earth arc but unfortunately I was mistaken - it’s gonna drag on and on until who knows when. It may not be the end of the arc but it’s the end for me! I’m not going to keep reading one miserable volume after another - it’s too disappointing and disheartening. I’m done! I leave the BPRD to the hardcore fans who can somehow stand this sub-standard fare and keep these guys churning out more. 

BPRD was a great series about, oh, twenty books ago? It’s certainly metamorphosed since then and not for the better!

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth, Volume 12: Metamorphosis

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