B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #130-132: Nowhere, Nothing, Never

[Joker]

I think they've been putting the right people on the right arcs. Since it can't all be the guy who's work I prefer, I don't have any real complaints.

I just didn't like Crook. Good artist, but I hated the way he drew faces. Also, I partly blame The Devil's Engine, because I was not a fan of that arc, and he drew it.

[middenway]

Preview for the final issue of the arc.

[Septaryeth]

Looking back at one issue, where a team led by Johann was looking after a kid, it's kind of cold how Johann let him slipped out on his watch.
I remembered thinking back then, "Wow the dude is really losing it."

With more and more abnormal members leaving the bureau (especially after Abe's escape), Johann appears to become more distant from other people. Even with Liz back, this idea of being the only "freaks" in the team seem to only make him even more inhuman.
I wonder, will he break and lose his last piece of humanity at some point?

[middenway]

Looking back at one issue, where a team led by Johann was looking after a kid, it's kind of cold how Johann let him slipped out on his watch.
I remembered thinking back then, "Wow the dude is really losing it."

With more and more abnormal members leaving the bureau (especially after Abe's escape), Johann appears to become more distant from other people. Even with Liz back, this idea of being the only "freaks" in the team seem to only make him even more inhuman.
I wonder, will he break and lose his last piece of humanity at some point?

I look at it this way: When he "died" and became an ectoplasmic man, the emotions of everyone else got turned down, while his own got turned up. Over time, this is creating a bigger and bigger gulf between him and the rest of humanity.

Will he break? Maybe. To me, he seems to be fading away.

[dreadcthulhu]

So that was an interesting issue...

Johann's conversation with Spirit-Enos raised a few questions for me. Were Johann and Enos even talking? It seemed to imply that Enos spirit had either moved on already or had simply dissipated entirely. There were three things for me;

1) His 'ghost' knew things that Enos could not of known (the incident with the monk from Black Goddess) - even Johann recognised that.
2) He pointed out to Johann that if his spirit really was lingering in his body then there would of been almost no way Johann could of hijacked his corpse originally
3) Finally, he 'faded' away at the end of the conversation seemingly against Johann's wishes

So was that even Enos's ghost? Or something else entirely? Maybe even a figment of Johann's imagination? Or am I totally misreading this?

It was also interesting that while it seemed Johann had gone to find Enos's spirit in order to find absolution/forgiveness, he ultimately seemed to be there for his own purposes and needs; chiefly, his desire to understand why Enos had the Ichthys pendant.

[Skinkie]

So that was an interesting issue...

1) His 'ghost' knew things that Enos could not of known (the incident with the monk from Black Goddess) - even Johann recognised that.
2) He pointed out to Johann that if his spirit really was lingering in his body then there would of been almost no way Johann could of hijacked his corpse originally
3) Finally, he 'faded' away at the end of the conversation seemingly against Johann's wishes

My only thought for the first one is that when Johann uses his Ectoplasm to connect with spirits maybe the communication goes a little both ways, he connects with their spirit, and their spirit is given a direct link to him, so maybe it was able to read some of his current thoughts?

[Joker]

Yeah, I don't know entirely what happened, but it looks like Johann is going to rock the Sledgehammer suit!! Badass!!

[Kirby101]

My take was Johann created the Enos spirit from his ectoplasm. It wasn't Enos, just a way for Johann to come to grips.
Another jaw-dropping last page. The Sledgehammer suit came out of left field for me, but gave me big grin.

[Septaryeth]

That last page, wow.

No wonder why Dark Horse is saying Hell on Earth is coming to an end.
You get this tingling feeling that Liz and Johann are resolved; they are determined and made up their mind about what they should do.
Liz has finally accepted her inner flame while Johann decided to stop being a "ghost". The transformation is significant if you compare them to the start of the arc. If only we also have Abe and Hellboy with B.P.R.D. as well for some kind of crossover...that would be epic (though may also seem formulaic like a superhero gathering).
At the same time the Black Flame is plotting something big, much bigger than what the readers expected from a mere servant of the dragon.
Is he planning on usurping the dragon?


It's like a final confrontation between B.R.R.D. and Ogdru Hems/Jahad.

[awalk1227]

I'm amateur at best with Mignolaverse history, so let me know what has been proven and what's still up in the air:

Do the sledgehammer suit and the small artifact used against the Ogdru Hem at the end of Plague of Frogs use the same power?

If so, was there something significant about Liz channeling her power through the artifact when she destroyed the Ogdru Hem?

It seemed Liz was always able to "wake up" and free Roger when he was alive. I wonder if indeed there is indeed a link between Liz, whatever powered Roger, and the Sledgehammer suit. (I'm pretty sure at least some of this has been explicitly stated in the books, I just can't remember).

[Magda]

B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth # 131 is always interesting and tells the story in an original way by filling certain gaps in current history, that, in order to prepare readers for the return of Johann. The series is great, yet the previous issue was rather special, in any case I was wondering when reading the #130. We understand better certain choice after reading the #131. I like certain passages of history, there is a lot of nostalgia and poetry. The number starts with Nichols and Johann agents. I do not know why, but I had in mind a scene from the second movie Hellboy. Here, the character of Nichols tells us the last mission of the team. There was a fight with a cult as is often the case for several episodes since Hell on Earth. I love the work on the psychology of the characters, particularly concerning the death of Johann and Enos for example. The story is divided into parts with an emphasis on the conflict and part of the drama. The writer tease the future of the series for readers. It's really well written anyway and I am totally conquered. It's weird, creepy and you feel the despair and anger of each other. I look forward to reading the end of the story, I hope it will be excellent. The story is pretty solid. I really enjoyed this episode. The writer moves away from the style Hellboy including early works. However we find the same atmosphere. The story is good and it's never boring.

[middenway]

I'm amateur at best with Mignolaverse history, so let me know what has been proven and what's still up in the air:

Do the sledgehammer suit and the small artifact used against the Ogdru Hem at the end of Plague of Frogs use the same power?

If so, was there something significant about Liz channeling her power through the artifact when she destroyed the Ogdru Hem?

It seemed Liz was always able to "wake up" and free Roger when he was alive. I wonder if indeed there is indeed a link between Liz, whatever powered Roger, and the Sledgehammer suit. (I'm pretty sure at least some of this has been explicitly stated in the books, I just can't remember).

The Sledgehammer suit (vril energy suit, VES) and the Hyperborean artefact used by Liz in B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame both use vril, but while a VES draws vril through the use of Anum's Fork (the device on the back of the suit that looks like a tuning fork), the Hyperborean artefact does not. The artefact channels an existing source of vril, in this case, Liz. For Liz, the artefact allowed her to use her powers at a level she hadn't yet unlocked on her own and with a higher degree of control.

Roger, just like Frankenstein, was brought to life by vril. In fact, vril is in a lot of things. It is Hellboy's right hand, and it is possible it may be in Abe too. It's certainly in Agent Howards's sword.

I've written about Vril for Hell Notes, but it's quite out of date now. Still, it may answer some of your questions and possibly raise some too.