This is a review of B.P.R.D. Volume Three: Plague of Frogs. This graphic novel marks a turning-point in B.P.R.D. history (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense), as the series turns from a Hellboy-inspired monster-of-the-week comic into a violent, apocalyptic slugfest. Read my reviews of the first two volumes here and here.
A fungal growth is discovered at Cavendish Hall, the site of Hellboy’s first published adventure (Seed of Destruction). The fungus is taken to a lab, where it experiences a growth spurt, blossoming into what resembles an enormous white, fleshy penis. Which is interesting, because that’s what it is – the delivery system for the bacteria, or virus, or fungus. Once infected, the victim transforms into an enormous, rampaging frog-monster. Luckily, the fungi is safe behind sturdy glass and every precaution is being taken so there’s no way the glass can break and – oopsie daisy!
Looking for clues, the B.P.R.D. visits the town of Crab Point MI, home of the New Temple of Mysteries. They get more than they bargained for, as Crab Point is overrun with rampaging frogs. Roger the golem is killed by a frog-monster, in a brutal scene that goes on for pages. Roger is a construct and thus isn’t alive to begin with, but the reader’s face is rubbed in it. Liz Sherman, the sole offensive member of the group, sort of gains control of her pyrokinetic abilities. Johan Kraus possesses a dead dog. Fishman Abe Sapien is speared in the back by a crazy prophet and has a vision quest wherein his origins are revealed, back in the days of Honest Abe Lincoln.
This is one of the best horror comic storylines I’ve ever read. It continues the Hellboy tradition of having B.P.R.D. missions go horribly wrong. The first example I can recall is Hellboy donning a jet pack, so that he can soar through the air – and watching him plummet hundreds of feet to the earth. Although Roger is revived, this volume sounds the clarion bell: NO ONE IS SAFE. Prophetic words.
Recommended for Hellboy and horror comic fans!
Abandoned Places 