Spun off from Mike Mignola's popular Hellboy
series, this second collection of weird investigations by the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense contains five tales concerning the fantastic encroaching upon the mundane world. The B.P.R.D.'s four seasoned field agents include a cynical gill-man; an alluring telekinetic; a disembodied psychic empath; and a hulking, childlike homunculus. This group's bizarre assignments propel them all over the globe to situations that only investigators of a paranormal nature could handle. This lushly illustrated volume finds the team involved with a twisted Italian vampire's plot to imprison the spirit of Venice for his own evil ends; the unrestful ghosts of three executed witches; a ghost train from WWII whose passengers relentlessly pursue an aged Nazi saboteur; a malevolent variation on Monsters Inc.
; and a possessed psychic with the power to raise the recently dead. As an added bonus, a sketchbook section reprints character designs by participating artists, including Michael Avon Oeming, Guy Davis and Cameron Stewart, offering a fascinating glimpse into the creative process. This compilation of five strong horror yarns brims with respect for readers' intelligence. (Sept.)
Forecast:
The book's inclusion of a new story written by Mignola and illustrated by Stewart (Catwoman) should boost sales.
