A seaside town has found itself claimed by a horde of long-gone sailor ghosts.  But what has motivated the dead to come to Canada? Your Major Spoilers review of Hellboy and BRPD: Ghost Ships of Labrador #1 awaits!

HELLBOY AND BRPD: GHOST SHIPS OF LABRADOR #1

Writers: Mike Mignola and Rob Williams
Artist: Laurence Campbell
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Clem Robins
Editor: Kath O’Brien
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: November 12th, 2025

Previously in Hellboy and BRPD: Ghost Ships of Labrador: Many years ago, sailors from all over the world came to the shores of Labrador in search of the bountiful whaling there.  Many of them ended up getting smashed up on the rocky shores, leaving more shipwrecks than people today.

INTO THE MISTS

Hellboy and BRPD: Ghost Ships of Labrador #1 starts off with a quick history lesson of Labrador, but then shifts into the present as hordes of ghosts appear and begin to scare off the locals in order to settle in themselves.  This brings BRPD agent and exorcist, Agatha, to the town.  While investigating, she disappears, which prompts Hellboy and Abe to arrive on the scene.  They check out the town and come across two chatty ghost sailors, whom they are able to trick into telling them that a ghost named Yaino has taken a leadership role and is holed up at the tavern.  Hellboy and Abe go there and take the fight to the ghosts.  There, they discover Agatha, who isn’t as excited about the pair’s arrival as they expected her to be.  Suddenly, something else captures their attention, and the real reason why the ghosts have come to Canada is revealed.

A BLEND OF SPOOKY AND FUNNY

Hellboy and BRPD: Ghost Ships of Labrador #1 doesn’t waste a lot of time or has a lot of fat to trim, but even so, this issue feels light on content.  We get a little bit of a spooky ghost story, but not a lot of it; some good old-fashioned Hellboy punching, but not enough, and Abe is sort of not really a factor at all.  Oddly enough, the best part of this issue is two side characters, a pair of ghosts who provide much of the comic relief in this issue.  To be fair, this is just the first issue of the miniseries, and it seems like the intention was to end on a big cliffhanger, which it does, and it’s a good one, but even with that qualifier, this feels more like the first half of one issue, not a whole chapter on its own.  The tone here is good, though, and there is a delightful combination of sarcastic humor and an interesting take on ghosts.  It just would have been nice to see more of this tone, enough to make you feel like you got your money’s worth.

PROPER LOOK, ALTHOUGH A LITTLE MUDDY

The look in Hellboy and BRPD: Ghost Ships of Labrador #1 definitely fits the story.  There’s lots of mist and limited light, which is exactly what you want in a book featuring so many ghosts and taking place on the seaside. There’s a choice when it comes to the looks of the ghosts that doesn’t quite work, though.  Basically, the ghosts look kind of splotchy, which makes it hard to get any details about their facial expressions.  On the other hand, the lighting effect they use on the spectral characters is effective and gives the look that these characters aren’t fully interacting with the world but are layered on top of it, which feels fitting for sailors emerging from the afterlife.

BOTTOM LINE:  JUST NEEDS MORE

In terms of look, tone, and plot, Hellboy and BRPD: Ghost Ships of Labrador #1 has everything going for it.  There’s a decent balance between horror elements, action, and humor.  The look is strong and fitting, with only a few odd artistic choices that don’t work perfectly.  The problem is that there just isn’t enough comic here.  Things move quickly, and by the end of this issue, it feels like not enough has actually happened.  There’s nothing glaringly bad about this book, but it’s hard to justify buying it on its own right now.  3.5 out of 5 stars.

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Hellboy and the BPRD: Ghost Ships of Labrador #1

70%

70%

Not Giving Enough

Hellboy and BRPD: Ghost Ships of Labrador #1 does almost everything right and hits all the right notes. The problem is that it ends too soon, without giving the reader enough meat to chew on.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  7
• Coloring

  7
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0