Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense
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| Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense | |
 B.P.R.D. by Guy Davis |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
| First appearance | Hellboy: Seed of Destruction (1993) |
| Created by | Mike Mignola |
| In story information | |
| Type of organization | Government intelligence agency |
| Base(s) | Research facility in Colorado |
| Leader(s) | Director Tom Manning Professor Trevor Bruttenholm |
| Agent(s) | Johann Kraus Liz Sherman Abe Sapien Kate Corrigan Captain Ben Daimio Hellboy Roger the Homunculus |
The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is a fictional organization in the comic book work of Mike Mignola, charged with protecting America and the world from the occult, paranormal and supernatural. It maintains the services of several supernatural persons, including Hellboy. The BPRD originally appeared in the Hellboy comics but has also been featured in many stories under the BPRD title.
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[edit] Bureau history
The BPRD was founded in late 1944 by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm to combat various occult threats uncovered in operations against Nazi Germany. It initially had strong links to the USAAF and was based at a military airbase in New Mexico, but later relocated to a custom built facility in Fairfield, Connecticut. It maintains strong links to various branches of the United States Armed Forces to this day. It is a private organization that receives funding from several major governments (mostly the United States and United Kingdom, although other countries like Canada, Japan, France, and Italy have been mentioned).
Professor Bruttenholm served as director until the late 1950s when he stepped down to return to field work. The current Director is Dr. Thomas Manning. Since the 1970's, additional paranormal agents have joined the ranks, such as Liz Sherman, Johann Kraus, and Ben Daimio. This has become necessary to maintain the high profile of the Bureau, especially in light of the departure of their flagship agent, Hellboy, in 2001. In spite of being a member of the team, Hellboy only makes an appearance in one B.P.R.D. title, The Universal Machine #4.
The BPRD is a well known and respected organization that has excellent relations with most international governments and United States government agencies, with the exceptions of China and the CIA. The Bureau was the United States' only defense against an onslaught of frog creatures (originally featured in Seed of Destruction). Though the 'frogs' originally began operating on the East Coast, they spread west on both sides of the US-Canadian border. To cut costs, the Bureau moved from its traditional headquarters in Connecticut to an abandoned research facility in Colorado. This facility was last used to house Nazi scientists who defected to America after World War II. As such, the facility contains vast amounts of secret files that the BPRD has yet to explore.
The frog monster invasion reached its peak during the events of The Black Flame. A Nazi madman called the Black Flame insinuated himself as the leader of the frogs, and together they raised Katha-Hem (one of the Ogdru Hem, the 369 spawn of the Ogdru Jahad) from the ground. The mountainous beast ran rampant across the American heartland until Liz Sherman used an ancient artifact to amplify her pyrokinetic powers a thousandfold. After she burned Katha-Hem alive, the frog monsters dragged the Black Flame into a vast pit and the invasion came to an end.
[edit] Appearances in other media
- The Bureau, as portrayed in the 2004 film Hellboy, differs from the agency in the comics in several ways. In the movie it is a secret United States Government Agency, created by Roosevelt to combat Hitler's growing mastery of the occult, strongly affiliated with the FBI; several personnel are federal agents, including Manning and new character Special Agent John Myers. The Director is still Professor Bruttenholm, who refers to the bureau as "the ones who bump back", in reference to "things that go bump in the night". The BPRD uses the motto "In Absentia Luci, Tenebrae Vincunt", Latin for "In the Absence of Light, Darkness Prevails".
- It is hinted that the base may be related to the legendary military base Area 51: the number 51 appears on the walls.
- In the film Blade II, Blade's young assistant, Scud, wears a shirt bearing the B.P.R.D. logo. Guillermo del Toro, who directed Blade II, is a fan of Hellboy, and would go on to direct the Hellboy movie.
[edit] Characters
[edit] 'Enhanced talents' agents
- Hellboy, Beast of the Apocalypse (left Bureau)
- Abe Sapien, amphibious man
- Liz Sherman, pyrokinetic
- Roger the Homunculus, homunculus (deceased, insomuch as a homunculus can be deceased in the human sense)
- Johann Kraus, ectoplasmic physical medium
- Captain Ben Daimio, team leader (undead, still technically deceased)
- Sidney Leach, psychically detects and manipulates metal (possibly retired)
- Panya, ageless mummy
- Lobster Johnson, ghost (technically deceased)
[edit] Human agents
- Dr. Tom Manning, director
- Dr. Kate Corrigan, liaison to enhanced talents agents
- Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, former director (deceased)
- Dr. O'Donnell, occult specialist
- Mr. Bud Waller, field agent (deceased)
- Mr. Clark, field agent (deceased)
- FBI Special Agent John Myers, Hellboy liaison (movie version only)
- Mr. Garrett Omatta, psychic
- Mr. Wilson, pilot (turned into a frogman, presumed deceased)
- Mr. Jim, techie
- Mr. Izzy Kemper, cult expert and linguist, possibly mind reader
- Dr. Arnold Platt, scientist (deceased)
- Possibly The Finn, a friend of Hellboy's
- Dr. Roddel, scientist
- Dr. Cobb, scientist
- Dr. Hoffman, scientist or psychic
- Mr. Lloyd, mechanic
- Mr. Josh Ecton, psychic
- Mr. Helton, field agent
- Mr. Navarro, field agent
- Mr. Swanson, field agent
- Pauline Raskin, Psychic
- Mr. Ferguson, field agent (deceased)
- Mr. Musgrove, field agent (deceased)
- Mr. Holcombe, field agent (deceased)
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Miniseries and one-shots
- B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth (conclusion published June 5, 2002)
- B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice (May 14, 2003)
- B.P.R.D.: Dark Waters (July 23, 2003)
- B.P.R.D.: Night Train (September 17, 2003)
- B.P.R.D.: There's Something Under My Bed (November 19, 2003)
- B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs (conclusion published July 7, 2004)
- B.P.R.D.: The Dead (conclusion published March 30, 2005)
- B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame (conclusion published January 25, 2006)
- B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine (conclusion published August 02, 2006)
- B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls
- B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground
- B.P.R.D.: 1946
- B.P.R.D.: War on Frogs
- B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man (one-shot)(June 18, 2008)
- B.P.R.D.: The Warning
[edit] Graphic novels
- Hellboy: Seed of Destruction (tpb collects Seed of Destruction #1-4, Titan, 2002 ISBN 1-84023-537-3, Dark Horse, 2004 ISBN 1-59307-094-2)
- Hellboy: Wake the Devil (tpb collects Wake the Devil #1-5, Titan, 2002 ISBN 1-84023-540-3, Dark Horse, 1997 ISBN 1-56971-226-3, 2004 ISBN 1-59307-095-0)
- Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others (tpb collects The Wolves of St. August, The Corpse and the Iron Shoes, Almost Colossus, Dark Horse Presents 100 #2, and Christmas Special, Titan, 2002 ISBN 1-84023-538-1, Dark Horse, 1998 ISBN 1-56971-349-9, 2004 ISBN 1-59307-091-8)
- Hellboy: The Right Hand of Doom (tpb collects Dark Horse Presents #151, DHP Annuals -1998 & 1999, Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead, Gary Gianni's The Monstermen, and Hellboy: Box Full of Evil #1-2, -Titan, 2002 ISBN 1-84023-539-X, Dark Horse, 2004 ISBN 1-59307-093-4)
- Hellboy: Conqueror Worm (tpb collects Conqueror Worm #1-4, 2002, Titan ISBN 1-84023-541-1, Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-699-4)
- Hellboy: Weird Tales Vol. 1 (tpb collects Weird Tales #1-4, Titan, 2004 ISBN 1-84023-783-X, Dark Horse, 2003 ISBN 1-56971-622-6)
- Hellboy: Weird Tales Vol. 2 (tpb collects Weird Tales #5-8, 2004, Titan ISBN 1-84023-997-2, Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-953-5)
- B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth and Other Stories (tpb collects Hollow Earth #1-3, Abe Sapien: Drums of the Dead: Abe Sapien versus Science and Lobster Johnson: Killer Inside My Skull, 2003, Titan ISBN 1-84023-582-9, Dark Horse ISBN 1-56971-862-8)
- B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice and Other Stories (tpb collects The Soul of Venice, Dark Waters, Night Train and There's Something Under My Bed, 2004, Titan ISBN 1-84023-931-X, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-132-9)
- B.P.R.D.: A Plague of Frogs (tpb collects A Plague of Frogs #1-5, 2005, Titan ISBN 1-84023-931-X, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-288-0)
- B.P.R.D.: The Dead (tpb collects The Dead #1-5, 2005, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-380-1)
- B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame (tpb collects The Black Flame #1-6, July 2006, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-550-2)
- B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine (tpb collects The Universal Machine #1-5, January 2007, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-710-6)
- B.P.R.D.: Garden Of Souls (tpb collects Garden Of Souls #1-5, January 2008, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-882-X)
- B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground (tpb collects Killing Ground #1-5, May 2008, Dark Horse ISBN 1-59307-956-7)
[edit] Others
- Hellboy (motion picture, 2004)
- Hellboy 2 (motion picture, upcoming)
- Hellboy Sourcebook and Role Playing Game
- The B.P.R.D. Declassified, TV special that aired on the FX Network in 2004
[edit] See also
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