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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 741
EAN num: 9781595821850
ISBN number: 1595821856
Label: Dark Horse
Manufacturer: Dark Horse
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 144
Printing Date: September 24, 2008
Publishing house: Dark Horse
Sale Popularity Level: 22934
Studio: Dark Horse
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Product Description:
A century ago, paranormal investigator Edward Grey fought and destroyed a powerful warlock off the coast of the island of Saint Sebastien. In the early 1980s, the B.P.R.D.'s newest agent was sent to retrieve the warlock's remains. But Abe Sapien is ill prepared for the dark forces that block his way. Written by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, and featuring the haunting art of Jason Shawn Alexander (Damn Nation, The Secret, The Escapists), Abe Sapien: The Drowning is the story of Hellboy and B.P.R.D. mainstay Abe Sapien's very first solo adventure.
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Rated by buyers 
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Abe Sapien, the lexicon of knowledge and the dispatcher of Rasputins the world over, has not always been the way we know him. In 1981 he was, in fact, a field rookie and nobody knew how he would perform. His very first mission carried him to a little island called Saint-Sebastian (not to be confused with the one off the coast of Spain), to recover a ritualistic dagger from the body of a warlock named Vrooman because the BPRD thought the dagger could be inherently valuable to them. The thing they didn't count on was the fact that Vrooman had secrets of his own, they the island had a horrid past, and that Abe would be walking into something that would ultimately hit the island like a plague and consume souls like moths in flame.
Personally, I was happy to see a little more Abe out there to look at because I have long wondered what the Ictho-Sapien's past was like. In Drums of the Dead we saw a little piece of what he was, and in the Hellboy Companion it talks about Abe in a bit more detail. Still, Abe is an enigma and enigmas are fun to watch unravel - and especially so when Mike Mignola is doing the frame-by-frame. As the mission comes to a head and Abe finds himself confronted with a few oddities, we see the "thing" from his past and are reminded again of the name he had for a time. This is what I like about Mignola's presence - first, anything that he wants to happen can happen and, secondly, he makes great pieces of literature. Mignola actually said that he never considered himself a great writer because he tells his stories with pieces. If only he could see the thing in the mirror.
One thing I was a little torn by was the guest artwork. I liked Jason Alexander and thought some of his characterizations were quite good, but I did not like the things he did with Abe. When he constructed the body profile, for instance, it looked too gaunt and too - I hate to use this word - normal for my tastes. This happens when you have quests, however, and when you get accustomed to a specific way of doing things. Since Mignola is the mind that brought us Hellboy and the others, it is hard to shake the people he gave life in his way. Still, Alexander did good work and did not disappoint by making things too cartoony or too bland.
Anyone reading along with Hellboy might like this, anyone taking in BPRD will like this, and anyone that is interested in adding on will enjoy it as well. A newcomer's book this may not be - I'm not sure because of the movies and all plus the story is about Abe and maybe you like Abe. I recommend it highly, enjoyed the read, and say "buy it but know it as well."
Rated by buyers 
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Another great story from Mignola, but not drawn by him. He abandoned drawing BPRD a long time ago, brought on a new artist for Lobster Johnson, and finally gave up drawing Hellboy itself.
The story follows Abe on his very first solo mission and, of course, things get FUBAR. Ancient wizards, demons, witches, and sea monsters all appear. The story shows Abe resolve to get the job done right even when he is given an easy way out. It shows the tough job the BPRD crew has keeping the world safe paranormal foces.
With Abe Sapien, Mignola brings aboard another great artist to help him out with telling stories. Alexander has a very loose style (straight inking with no pencils) that almost looks painted in grey before being expertly colored by Dave Stewart. If Mignola continues to use amazing artists, I'm fine with him giving up art duties in favor of fleshing out the Hellboy universe.
It is a little more wrapped up in its own mythologies than the looser and more action oriented Lobster Johnson and the latest Hellboy and BPRD stories. A little more action and cutting the back story down a bit (almost an entire chapter, alone) would have quickened the pacing a bit.
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