Abe Sapien #5 – Review

by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi (Writers), Max Fiumara (Artist), Dave Stewart (Colorist)

The Story: Abe discovers along with other survivors the dead body of a person he had a conversation with in the last issue as he tries to elucidate just what is happening in the area he currently is in.

The Review: When a creative team reach a certain height, one that seems to show the true potential of a title, it is usually great. Readers that follow a title or a character and that see it develop into something that they become invested in is something that is truly pleasant when it comes to reading any long work of fiction, be it comics or anything else for that matter. However, there are always time when the readers wonder if those in charge of such a feat can keep it up and continue their quality streak.

The latest issue of Abe Sapien, from my own perspective, was truly beautiful to read and look at, with a certain angle being covered that seemed endless in the ways it could be explored. Still, it was the first half of a two-part story, with this issue bringing in the conclusion to that philosophical and much more humane approach to the apocalypse. Does the second part actually continue the satisfying way Mignola and Arcudi approached their themes?

Abe Sapien #4 – Review

By: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi (Writers), Max Fiumara (Artist), Dave Stewart (Colorist)

The Story: Abe encounters some new people as he informs himself on how the world sees him and what is happening on a global scale.

The Review: Who could have thought, more than a decade ago, that Mike Mignola would be creating a whole universe as a result of the adventure of a single character, Hellboy? With so many potential, the Mignolaverse had been born when Mignola had created the B.P.R.D title spinning off from the adventures of his own creation. Since then, we have seen the development of a fascinating universe that has now a lot of angle covered, with Hellboy showing us the adventures of the beast of apocalypse we grew to love, B.P.R.D demonstrating us how much the world is kind-of screwed right now and Abe Sapien, which focus a lot more on the human elements of the Mignolaverse, an angle that was under-represented before.

I have to say, I rather like this approach to the character of Abe Sapien and to the world in general, which is put much more in focus in this issue than it had been in the first arc. What we get here is a protagonist that is unsure of his role in the world, how he is affected by it and how he did affect it throughout his actions. Showing us a main character full of questions and with a philosophical approach to things does wonder in making us invested, as Abe is much more like us despite what he looks like. How he interacts with others, how he ponders on such heavy subjects as identity and fate is something that is rather fascinating, which gives us a very different type of book in the Mignolaverse.

Abe Sapien: Dark And Terrible #3 – Review

By: Mike Mignola, Scott Allie (Writers), Sebastian Fiurama (Artist), Dave Stewart (Colorist)

The Story: Something hits the fan as the truth behind what is happening in the village Abe Sapien is in reveals itself.

The Review: Just who and what is Abe Sapien? That is the question that has plagued him ever since his birth and it has been a plot point that followed him throughout his development in B.P.R.D and that has been compelling enough to provide him with a title of his own. While we had part of the solution, we still had no idea just why Abe Sapien exists and neither does he, which makes for a rather interesting main motivation for our titular character.

However, this has not exactly been the focus of this three-issue arc, which has made us see just how the regular folks of the Mignolaverse had to adapt to the end of the world as they know it. It was a pretty intriguing and well thought-out idea that was presented in great fashion, yet it did not exactly seem like a story that could be only presented via Abe Sapien. It was much more akin to a traditional B.P.R.D story, which made the point of a series focusing on the rather popular character still a questionable matter.

Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible #2 – Review

By: Mike Mignola, Scott Allie (Writers), Sebastian Fiumara (Artist), Dave Stewart (Colorist)

The Story: As we get to know some of the reasons of Abe departure from the B.P.R.D, we can also see how some people reacts to all these changes that were brought with the war on frogs and the incoming apocalypse.

The Review: In a recent interview about his whole universe of comic, the one that turns around Hellboy and B.P.R.D, Mike Mignola revealed just how things would work out from now on and which title would show what. While the former would be more about its titular hero and how the afterlife might just change a tad after all that is happening in the real world, the latter would be much more about what is actually happening in the world and how the bureau wants to prevent things from going worse. With two very different directions from these two titles, where does that leave Abe Sapien and his adventures?

Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible #1 – Review

By: Mike Mignola, Scott Allie (Writers), Sebastian Fiumara (Artist), Dave Stewart (Colorist)

The Story: The B.P.R.D is searching for Abe Sapien, as some folks discuss how it feels to see the end of times and other such curiosities on a train.

The Review: It’s funny, in a way, to see how successful Mike Mignola has been with his first creator-owned character, Hellboy. First appearing in his own mini-series, the adventure of the beast of the apocalypse has seen the start of a much bigger thing: its own universe, with a sister title expanding it in ways that were really well done. B.P.R.D, in its own way, saw as much success as the main title, which now lead to a cycle of such with the birth of this title, Abe Sapien, dedicated to the supporting character first seen in Hellboy that has been developed to much greater heights in the narrative frame of B.P.R.D to become one of the most endearing character from what is now dubbed the Mignolaverse. However, does this character actually merits a title of his own, an ongoing nonetheless?