B.P.R.D. Plague of Frogs

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense

I'm a big fan of graphic novels. The problem here, is that while there are a lot of graphic novels out there, there aren't that many good ones, at least to me. In my mind, a good graphic novel has two key elements:  A well thought out, well written storyline with solid, indepth characters; and fantastic artwork that allows the story to come alive and even inspire the imagination.  Those are two large orders to fill, so it's not surprising that while I'm a big fan of graphic novels, I don't actually read a lot of graphic novels. 

One of the best series that I've been following for a few years now is B.P.R.D. from Dark Horse Comics.  It's a spin off of Mike Mignola's Hellboy series, but has come well into its own over the years.

 

B.P.R.D.  is the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, a secret government agency charged with protecting America and the world from the occult and supernatural.  The ongoing story lines and the characters themselves span from modern day America all the way back to Victorian England. The books are filled with ancient secret societies, Nazi cults, folklore, Lovecraftian monsters, sinister plots to take over the world... you name it, it's there.  It's a modern take on a the pulp stories of the 30's and 40's and even includes occasional appearances by the long deceased Lobster Johnson, a 30's era pulp hero who would fit in well with the likes of The Shadow.

Dark Horse Comics has started releasing their B.P.R.D. Plague of Frogs storyline in hardcover volumes, collecting several of the graphic novels in reasonably priced, well bound editions. Even if you're not a fan of comics or graphic novels, I would highly recommend B.P.R.D. to anyone who is a fan of pulp fiction, Lovecraft, and weird fiction in general.  They're very well written, highly engaging, and wonderfully entertaining.