The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (the B.P.R.D. or BPRD) is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

al organization in the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

work of

Mike Mignola Mike Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', '' Abe Sapien'', '' Lobster Johnson'', '' Wit ...

, founded by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

governments, charged with researching the

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

and

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

, and defending against their dangers. The B.P.R.D. originally appeared in the ''

Hellboy Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers ...

'' comics and has since been a major part of its expanded universe. In 2002,

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

launched the ''B.P.R.D.'' comic series, and in 2014 the '' Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.'' series.

Fictional organization history

The B.P.R.D. was founded in 1945 by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm to combat various

threats uncovered in operations against

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. It initially had strong links to the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and was based at a military airbase in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, but in 1947 later relocated to a custom built facility in Fairfield,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. It maintains strong links to various branches of the

US military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six Military branch, service branches: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States N ...

to this day. It is a private organization that receives funding from several major governments (mostly the

and

, although other countries including

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

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. Over the years, the Bureau has added several agents with "enhanced skills" to its ranks including

in 1952,

Liz Sherman Elizabeth Anne "Liz" Sherman is a fictional character appearing in the ''Hellboy'' comic book series created by Mike Mignola. A firestarter, she becomes a ward of the B.P.R.D. at age 11 after burning her family to death in a traumatic accident ...

in 1980, and

Abe Sapien Abraham Sapien, born Langdon Everett Caul, is a fictional character introduced in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He takes his name from "''Ichthyo sapien''", the fanciful species designation chosen for him by his co ...

in 1981. The B.P.R.D. is a well known and respected organization that has excellent relations with most international governments and

United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

agencies, with the exceptions of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

The ''Plague of Frogs'' Cycle

The Bureau was the United States' only defense against an onslaught of frog creatures (originally featured in ''Seed of Destruction''). Though the "frogs" began operating on the East Coast, they spread west on both sides of the US-Canada border. To cut costs, the Bureau moved from its traditional headquarters in Connecticut to an abandoned research facility in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. This facility was last used to house Nazi scientists who defected to America after World War II. As such, the facility contains vast quantities of secret files that the B.P.R.D. has yet to explore. The frog monster invasion reached its peak during the events of ''The Black Flame'' during which a

Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

madman adopted the persona of the World War II era supervillain the Black Flame and insinuated himself as the leader of the frogs. Together they raised the gigantic Katha-Hem (one of the

Ogdru Hem The Ogdru Hem are fictional supervillains in the Hellboy universe. After awakening, the demonic Ogdru Jahad gave birth to the 369 Ogdru Hem. The Ogdru Hem are essentially weaker versions of their parents, but even so they wield unimaginable pow ...

, the 369 spawn of the Ogdru Jahad) which ran rampant across the American heartland until Liz Sherman used an ancient artifact to amplify her

pyrokinetic Pyrokinesis is the purported List of psychic abilities, psychic ability allowing a person to create and control fire with the mind. As with other parapsychological phenomena, there is no conclusive evidence in support of the actual existence of p ...

powers a thousandfold. After Katha-Hem was destroyed, the frog monsters dragged the Black Flame into a vast pit and the invasion appeared to come to an end. A series of incidents—featured in ''The Warning'', ''The Black Goddess'', and ''King of Fear''—saw the Bureau threatened by both an alliance of the frogs, the Black Flame, and creatures from the Hollow Earth, united to bring about an apocalypse and the birth of a new human race; and also the villain Memnan Saa, who abducted Liz in an attempt to use her powers to conquer the Earth so he could prevent the Apocalypse. This crisis saw half of

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

destroyed, the Bureau discredited in the eyes of the American military, and Abe Sapien revealed to be an example of the next stage of the frog's evolution. Finally, Liz Sherman exhausted all of her powers in destroying the underworld alliance. This inadvertently caused massive volcanic disasters across the world, devastating

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

and causing the destruction of

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

(wiping out the nations of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

), and also causing the rise of a large, immobile monster in California, spewing out a gas across America and Mexico that mutates people. In the wake of this new crisis, the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...

drafted the Bureau to work directly for them, with "blank cheque" funding. A vision of the future shown in ''King of Fear'' showed the apocalypse had triumphed over this larger, more heavily armed B.P.R.D.

The ''Hell on Earth'' Cycle

In the wake of the events of ''King of Fear'', the world enters an apocalyptic era as natural disasters and vicious monsters crawl out of the Earth. Society is pushed to the brink of madness as many new cults arise to worship the creatures, while other supernatural forces begin shifting their plans in response to the global chaos. The B.P.R.D. agents face their own struggles during this time - Johann claims revenge on Ben Daimio for the destruction of his new body, while Abe is shot in the head by a panicked psychic girl named Fenix. Fortunately for the B.P.R.D., they gain new allies as well in the form of the Russian Special Sciences Service (S.S.S.), with their director Iosif Nichayko. Unfortunately, Zinco and the last remnants of Project Ragnarok inadvertently resurrect a new and more powerful Black Flame, who proceeds to take control of New York and reawaken many slumbering Ogdru Hem all over the globe. Abe recovers from his near-fatal wound in time to see the world in an even worse state than last he saw, and he goes AWOL from the B.P.R.D. to go on a journey of self-discovery. Liz regains her powers and rejoins the B.P.R.D., while Johann transfers his spirit into the WWII Sledgehammer suit and together they fight the Ogdru Hem as they run rampant. Eventually they take on the new Black Flame in New York, but their victory only proves hollow as one of the seven Ogdru Jahad lands in Kansas, spawning an army of Ogdru Hem as it tears its way across the land. Johann ends up sacrificing himself to defeat the dragon, paralyzing all the Ogdru Hem around the world and giving the world a moment of peaceful respite.

B.P.R.D. Agents

Enhanced Talents Taskforce

* Hellboy/Anung Un Rama, Cambion (a half-

Demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

) * Abraham Sapien, amphibious man * Elizabeth Sherman,

* Roger the Homunculus, artificial human *

Johann Kraus Johann Kraus is a fictional character in the comic book series ''Hellboy'', created by Mike Mignola. He is featured in the comic book '' B.P.R.D.'', published by Dark Horse Comics. Kraus is a disembodied ectoplasmic spirit with psychic abiliti ...

, ectoplasmic physical medium * Captain Benjamin Daimio, were-jaguar * Panya, ageless

mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fu ...

* Fenix Espejo, psychic * Ted Howards (Gall Dennar), warrior with a Hyperborean sword * Susan Xiang, psychic * Josephine T. Gant, psychic * Garrett Omatta, psychic

Human Agents

* Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, former director (deceased) * Dr. Tom Manning, director * Dr. Kate Corrigan, liaison to enhanced talents agents * Dr. Howard Eaton, occult specialist, assistant to Prof. Bruttenholm * Professor James Henry O'Donnell, occult specialist * Andrew Devon, field agent * Sal Tasso, field agent * Carla Giarocco, field agent * Ashley Strode, exorcist and field agent * Pauline Raskin, former field agent * Joseph Vaughn, field agent * Rebecca Gervesh, field agent * Agent Nichols, field agent * Agent Enos, field agent * Rachel Turner, London field agent

Allies

* Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder, a witch hunter who had his own spin-off series *

Lobster Johnson Lobster Johnson (also known as The Lobster or The Claw) is a fictional character featured in the ''Hellboy'' and ''Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense'' comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. He was created by Mike Mignola. Within th ...

, a vigilante ghost * Michael Mathers, also known as The Visitor, an extraterrestrial assassin sent to Earth to kill Hellboy * Alice Monaghan, a young woman, who was kidnapped by fairies as a baby, then saved by Hellboy, retained some magical abilities and now works as a

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...

* Iosif Nichayko, a Russian zombie super soldier and Director of the Russian Special Sciences Service * Daryl Tynon, a human hunter who was turned into a

wendigo Wendigo () is a mythological creature or evil spirit originating from the folklore of Plains and Great Lakes Natives as well as some First Nations. It is based in and around the East Coast forests of Canada, the Great Plains region of the U ...

* Varvara, a little girl possessed by a demon and former director of the Special Sciences Service

Publication history

The Bureau made its first appearance in the pages of the ''Hellboy'' miniseries '' Hellboy: Seed of Destruction'' (4 issues, March–June 1994) and was a major part of the comic until Hellboy leaves the B.P.R.D. at the end of '' Conqueror Worm''. At this point the ''B.P.R.D.'' series began, following the agents of the B.P.R.D. such as Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, Roger and Johann Krauss. ''B.P.R.D.'' was once considered a "series of miniseries", with each story reading as a stand-alone story easily enough, but over time, an overarching story began to develop. When a new story cycle began, the series was retitled ''B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth,'' then two years later when the series hit its 100th issue, it was restructured as an ongoing monthly comic. This was done for many reasons, most notably to make the reading order simpler to the uninitiated.

Stories

''B.P.R.D.'' began as a series of miniseries, but it also had an ongoing numbering on the inside cover of its issues. For the 100th issue the internal numbering shifted to the front cover as the series became a monthly ongoing comic.

Collected editions

''B.P.R.D.'' trade paperbacks

Most of the ''B.P.R.D.'' comics have been collected by

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

trade paperbacks A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) book ...

''B.P.R.D. Vampire'' trade paperbacks

In all ways this appears to be another regular ''B.P.R.D.'' trade save for the details on the spine that indicate it is the first in a new line. Only one has been published so far, but there are plans for more in the future.

''B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth'' trade paperbacks

There is also a series of trade paperbacks collecting the ''Hell on Earth'' cycle:

''B.P.R.D. The Devil You Know'' trade paperbacks

There is also a series of trade paperbacks collecting ''The Devil You Know'' cycle:

Omnibus editions

Dark Horse have also released a series of omnibus editions:

In other media

Films

The Bureau appeared in the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

film ''

'' and its

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

sequel '' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'', both directed by

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born October 9, 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and actor. He directed the Academy Award–winning fantasy films ''Pan's Labyrinth'' (2006) and ''The Shape of Water'' (2017), winning the Academy Awards for Be ...

, where it differs from the agency in the comics. *In the film it is a secret

United States Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that ...

, created by

Roosevelt Roosevelt may refer to: *Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), 26th U.S. president * Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945), 32nd U.S. president Businesses and organisations * Roosevelt Hotel (disambiguation) * Roosevelt & Son, a merchant bank * Rooseve ...

to combat Hitler's growing mastery of the occult, and strongly affiliated with the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

. Professor Bruttenholm claims that the BPRD fought the Occult Wars that ended in 1958 with the death of Adolf Hitler. *Several personnel are federal agents, including

Manning Manning (a.k.a. Mannion, Manning) is a family name. Origin and meaning Manning is from an old Norse word — manningi — meaning a brave or valiant man; and one of the first forms of the name was Mannin; another cartography was Mannyg ...

and new character Special Agent John Myers whilst 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 Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "In the Absence of Light, Darkness Prevails"—though this motto is grammatically incorrect—Luci should read "Lucis" for the desired meaning. *In '' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'', the Bureau's existence is confirmed when Hellboy reveals himself to the media after battling vicious tooth-fairies. The film reveals there is a German branch where Johann was stationed until he became the new director of the US branch. * In the '' 2019 reboot'', the Bureau is a public multinational agency. *It is hinted that the base may be related to military base

Area 51 Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. A remote detachment administered by Edwards Air Force Base, the facility is officially called Homey Airport ...

as the number 51 appears on the walls.

Television

''The B.P.R.D. Declassified'' was a TV special that aired on the FX in 2004.

Roleplaying game

The B.P.R.D. appeared in the '' Hellboy Sourcebook and Role Playing Game''.

In popular culture

* In the film ''

Blade II ''Blade II'' is a 2002 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Blade, directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by David S. Goyer. A sequel to ''Blade'' (1998), it is the second installment in the ''Blade'' franchise, foll ...

'',

Blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

's young assistant, Scud, wears a shirt bearing the B.P.R.D. logo.

, who directed ''Blade II'', is a fan of Hellboy, and later he directed the film adaptation and its sequel. * In the comic shop in ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...

'', the B.P.R.D. comic is prominently and repeatedly featured. * In the show '' Hawaii 5-0'' a ''B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: New World'' poster is on the wall of Dr. Max Bergman's (played by

Masi Oka is a Japanese actor, producer, and digital effects artist who became widely known for starring in NBC's ''Heroes'' as Hiro Nakamura and in CBS's ''Hawaii Five-0'' as Doctor Max Bergman. Early life Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, to Setsuko Oka. Hi ...

) apartment.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bureau For Paranormal Research And Defense Hellboy Dark Horse Comics titles Horror comics 2002 comics debuts Characters created by Mike Mignola Fictional government investigations of the paranormal Fictional paranormal investigators Fictional occult and psychic detectives