WWII B.P.R.D.: 1947

After the overwhelming praise from fans and critics alike for B.P.R.D.: 1946, Mike Mignola and co-writer Joshua Dysart return to the Hellboy universe for B.P.R.D.: 1947, a five-issue miniseries continuing the early exploits of the fledgling Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense and its founder, Trevor Bruttenhom—occult investigator and guardian of the infant Hellboy.

In 1946, the Nazi Occult Bureau's Project Vampir Sturm threatened to destroy the fragile peace following the end of the second World War. A year later, the B.P.R.D. learns that there are creatures far older—and far more dangerous—than the Nazis' creations, as a lone vampire nobleman ruthlessly hunts the survivors of the Third Reich.

"I'm really excited about this one. In the 1946 series, the B.P.R.D. was just two guys and one of them died. In 1947 we see the humble beginnings of the Bureau we know and love today," said writer Mike Mignola. "We meet new agents (some of whom will actually survive) and we see more of young Hellboy. We start to see where his personality comes from. And there are Vampires (my favorite creatures) as we have never seen them before in the Hellboy/B.P.R.D. world. And Josh and I get to work with Gabriel and Fábio, who really are geniuses. I can't wait to see what they do."

"This is a unique tale, needing a unique approach, and bringing Fábio and Gabriel into the family of Hellboy artists is really exciting to all involved," said editor Scott Allie. "Their work is amazing, and we're giving them an epic gothic tale, a moody and shadowy nightmare unlike anything they've done, and darker, scarier, and more mysterious than anything we've done in such a long format."

"We've crafted a more open story this time around," explains cowriter Joshua Dysart. "Lots of dreamy, fantastic imagery and lots of muted character beats. I've been a fan of Fábio since I first read De:Tales. I can't wait to see them dance on this thing."

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and critically acclaimed writer Josh Dysart plot out the next chapter in the history of comics' greatest paranormal investigators, with art by sequential heartthrobs Gabriel Bá (Umbrella Academy) and Fábio Moon (Sugarshock). B.P.R.D.: 1947 arrives on shelves in June 2009.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008