B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Transformation of J.H. O'Donnell

[Angilas-Man]

It really warmed my heart to have BPRD agents casually describe Hellboy stumbling across a monster and causing massive property damage. That's old-school.

[meorsomeone]

I really enjoyed this. It made one of the most interesting characters even more interesting!

One of the things I've always loved most in these series is the inclusion of real world historical figures like Dee, Cagliostro, etc. I like it because Mignola books always end up pointing me toward other things of interest, things that once your finished reading that you can go investigate ( I ended up tracking down and reading most of W.H. Hodge son's stuff because of it, likewise Wellman, or knowing what folklore books to look for, on and on.... sometimes I knew authors/figures before Mignola and team presented them but still, it's a little treasure trove of "go look at this!")

I loved the bit at the end, although I thought they were flies, good point on it having a similar look as the "angel" creature summoned by the mad scientist! I'd not have gotten that but then again, that "angel" had a big shield for a face, still, your right, it DOES look similar like supernatural cousins or something.
I tend to ramble but I just wanted to say this was a blast.
How cool was that library? not only did it have a hidden library inside it, but the hidden library had a hidden underground chamber, WOW!

While I was reading it occured to me that what O'Donnell was going through was a lot like an initiation into the old mystery schools, different in some aspects of course, but still it left me wondering if O'Donnell had just been initiated into a secret order?

It seems to me the reveal on the last page doesnt necessarily make him a baddie, is he locked into thesame kind of private struggle now that Daimo was?

I've only read upto the last BPRD TPB, I usually dont buy singles till they are collected but in this case I had to, so if my comment here seems weird please know that I dont know what the latest with Daimo is. As far as I know he's still kicking it in the woods where Abe left him.

I'm a terrible writer, please look past my spelling and grammer, i know.


last thought: Grey is seen in this kind of robe with a steel mask in the modern day stories, could it be that this is what his mask is hiding?

[Kelly Tindall]

I really liked the art.

[Kelly Tindall]

The more I think about this story, the angrier I get. O'Donnell doesn't do anything, he's suddenly got an air of tragedy tacked onto his character, and the Hellboy subplot means nothing. Why does the scholar have a mummy minotaur? Was the scholar evil or something? Are all the great minds of paranormal history now Ogdru Hem?

What is happening?

[thwhtGuardian]

The more I think about this story, the angrier I get. O'Donnell doesn't do anything, he's suddenly got an air of tragedy tacked onto his character, and the Hellboy subplot means nothing. Why does the scholar have a mummy minotaur? Was the scholar evil or something? Are all the great minds of paranormal history now Ogdru Hem?

What is happening?

Why did that random town out west have a dog that turned into Anubis? Why iron shoes? Why pancakes? And the list could go on...

Many of the elements of the best Hellboy stories are just full of the patently absurd, it's best just to accept it, smile and enjoy.

[Kees_L]

Why did that random town out west have a dog that turned into Anubis? Why iron shoes? Why pancakes? And the list could go on...

Many of the elements of the best Hellboy stories are just full of the patently absurd, it's best just to accept it, smile and enjoy.

I see what you'd be saying I suppose, (haven't started reading on O'Donnell yet, or either the posts detailing on such) but your examples might not necessarily merely point to the *patently absurd*, I'd think.
Because to folklore, which would basically be popular tales on the horrific or the uncommon both as just blatantly stuff thrilling throughout the ages. Like comics or pulpy books sort of.

And as such would each of your examples - to me at least - seem quite straightforward or captivatingly enticing to people? Like:

- everyone knows how mutty dogs would or could be a thing to run into out back, as how jackals would have been in midlle-eastern deserts (Anubis = the Jackal-faced weird old deity);
- pancakes would be a good or likely favorite food or dish to have, especially among the youthful?;
- quaint midgety demons or mannikins might do crazy stuff, like puttin' on really heavy shoes for sending off passers-by into a fright? Like poltergeisty naughtyness? Plus it would explain like dents in roads both as weird thud-like noises;

As if any such would make for good stuff to put into like imaginable books?

[Middenway]

Why does the scholar have a mummy minotaur?

I'd be more surprised if he didn't. He spent his life collecting occult stuff, there's bound to be something a little out there in his collection.

I get what you're saying though. You wanted answers, but instead you got more questions. This story was a tease, but I didn't mind that in the slightest. It's our first Professor O'Donnell-centric story, I was expecting questions. No we don't really know what any of this means, but our attention has been directed to it now so that we know this is something to look out for in the future. Was the scholar evil? I don't know. I don't even know how safe O'Donnell is around other people.

I enjoyed the story and I enjoyed the humour of the three different points of view. And I look forward to finding out more... eventually.

[Kelly Tindall]

I'd be more surprised if he didn't. He spent his life collecting occult stuff, there's bound to be something a little out there in his collection.

You'd be surprised if he didn't have a mummy minotaur. Exactly that one thing. Right.

I know you're being good fans here. This just wasn't a very good comic, guys.

[Middenway]

You'd be surprised if he didn't have a mummy minotaur. Exactly that one thing. Right.

I know you're being good fans here. This just wasn't a very good comic, guys.

I'm not being a good fan. If I didn't like the story, I'd say so (I'm not a fan of sycophancy). But I quite enjoyed this one.

And obviously I didn't mean I'd be surprised if the scholar didn't have a minotaur mummy. I meant I'd be surprised if he didn't have something really weird and crazy... Minotaur mummy falls into that category.

[meorsomeone]

The more I think about this story, the angrier I get. O'Donnell doesn't do anything, he's suddenly got an air of tragedy tacked onto his character, and the Hellboy subplot means nothing. Why does the scholar have a mummy minotaur? Was the scholar evil or something? Are all the great minds of paranormal history now Ogdru Hem?

What is happening?

i dont think it's about what O'Donnell does so much as what he is put through....
i'd say against his will but clearly it's a case of curiousity and the cat.

i may be off my rocker on this but i stand by my guess above, i think he's been put through an initiation.

[thwhtGuardian]

You'd be surprised if he didn't have a mummy minotaur. Exactly that one thing. Right.

I know you're being good fans here. This just wasn't a very good comic, guys.

I disagree, I think it was a very good comic. In fact, I'll go one step further than that; it was a great comic. It reminded me of every reason I was originally drawn to Hellboy, it was dark and gothic but not with out a streak of madcap, absurd fun. It's that balance of horror and humor that has always appealed to me and Transformation had it in spades.

[Gary_B]

I know you're being good fans here. This just wasn't a very good comic, guys.

And you're being a bad fan because you are judging/making assumptions about another fan for not having the same opinion as you.

[Kelly Tindall]

And you're being a bad fan because you are judging/making assumptions about another fan for not having the same opinion as you.

You're probably right. You're always the voice of reason, dude. I appreciate that.

I'm really frustrated with the entire line of books right now and I'm trying to communicate my frustration without coming across like a jerk.

[Gary_B]

You're probably right. You're always the voice of reason, dude. I appreciate that.

I'm really frustrated with the entire line of books right now and I'm trying to communicate my frustration without coming across like a jerk.

I get the sense that you're not the only frustrated fan right now. Lately there are more negative opinions being expressed here than I can remember reading. To each his or her own, but it sucks when something you love loses its sheen.

[Kelly Tindall]

To each his or her own, but it sucks when something you love loses its sheen.

Tell me about it!

I'll probably do the Bambi thing and say nothing at all from here on out. I might need to stop reading the book for a year or two and pick up a trade or two when the dust settles.