Abe Sapien appears in his brand new ongoing series. After coming out of his coma to a brand new world, Abe heads out to try to chase some leads on an incident in San Diego. Will be successful or does the B.P.R.D. have other plans for the runaway agent? More after the jump!
ABE SAPIEN DARK AND TERRIBLE #1
Writer: Mike Mignola & Scott Allie
Artist: Sebstián Fiumara
Letterer: Clem Robins
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Editor: Scott Allie
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics, Inc.
Cover Price: $3.50
Previously in Abe Sapien: Nothing! New Abe Sapien series! Though it would help if you have at least read B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth: A Cold Day in Hell #1 and B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth: Gods #1-3.
OH BRAVE NEW WORLD WITH SUCH MONSTERS IN IT!
Abe Sapien, having awoken from his coma after being shot by the psychic Fenix, goes out in the world to stop the further spread of the sea-born monster menace. Hitching a ride with a few vagrants escaping the hell-beasts, Abe is now fleeing with the B.P.R.D. hot on his trail. Also, fun with satanic rituals!
Once again, Mike Mignola has proven that he will not hold one’s hand when reading his books. This book assumes you have read previous issues of the B.P.R.D. storyline that pertain to Abe and his most recent history, such as why he was in a coma, why he’s surprised by the all the monsters escaping to the surface, etc. Coming to this without the basics will be a bit disorienting.
This book is an interesting look at the inner turmoil of not just Abe, but the B.P.R.D. as well. Already stretched thin, the loss of Abe only causes inter-office politics to heat up. While interesting, it would have been nice to see a bit more Abe in the book that bears his name. He really doesn’t show up until the last fourth of the book or so. Though, even then, nothing is really explained beyond his being on the run.
It’s a really big gamble to begin the series this way. If someone were to come to this book with no previous forays in the B.P.R.D. or even the Hellboy series, it could be a bit off-putting. Yet, it’s a safe bet that if one were to stick it out until at least issue two, all will be explained. Or at least expanded upon.
GRIT, GRIT, AND MORE GRIT
Whenever I think of Mike Mignola, I automatically think of his art with Hellboy. Obviously, since Fiumara is the artist, that’s not the case here. And that’s fine. These books are very gritty and kind of dirty. Given that this is a book taking place in a world where monsters and hell-beasts have crawled to the surface, the art fits. There’s a lot of penciling and hatching as far as the overall illustration goes.
The actual reveal of Abe Sapien was a nice panel, as were all other panels featuring him. For a merman type entity, this sort of “gritty” art really made the character more fluid—to unintentionally use a pun—and alive. All of his panels seem to have movement to them and, given that he’s fighting in most of them, this is important.
BOTTOM LINE: GIVE IT UNTIL ISSUE TWO
Slow to start, this book is one of those that you really need to hold out until maybe the second issue. Like the Hellboy series, Mignola and Allie have the chance to take their time and make a cohesive story, one where they can focus on a much grander plot than they normally do in the typical mini-series. Hopefully, thanks to that, they will be able to delve into Abe’s story further in the next issue. Overall, Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible #1 earns three stars out of five.
[rating:3/5]DID YOU READ THIS ISSUE? RATE IT!
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Coolio and gritty.