With the release of the Hellboy Essential Collection, we open a new chapter in Vs. System history. The Essential Collection line was developed especially with the fans in mind. It’s a way to branch out from traditional Marvel- and DC-licensed properties and incorporate some of the coolest independent comic book properties into Vs. System. Essentially, ECs allow players to “splash” lesser known characters and myths into their Marvel- and DC­-based decks.

In the interest of hype and infotainment, I sat down during the winter break and re-read all my Hellboy trades in order to give to you, the Metagame.com reader, the following insights into the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (B.P.R.D.).

A Brief History of Clandestine Organizations and the Supernatural*

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense was founded in 1945 by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced “Broom”), who served as director until the late 1950s, to combat various occult threats created by Nazi Germany. The Nazis were quite fond of supernatural threats; one need only watch the Indiana Jones trilogy to figure that out. The membership of the Bureau reads like a “Who’s Who?” of paranormal investigators: Hellboy (“I hate Nazis.”), Abe Sapien (“I can breathe underwater.”), Liz Sherman (“I’m out of control!”), Roger the Homunculus (“My dad was a lump of clay.”), Johann Kraus (“I don’t have a body.”), Capt. Ben Daimio (“I was dead. Now I’m not.”), and human agent Sydney Leach (“Human Metal Detector!”). Initially based out of a military airbase in New Mexico, the Bureau later relocated to a custom-built facility in Fairfield, Connecticut. The Bureau is a private organization that receives funding from several major governments including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, France, and Italy.

Case History

One of the Bureau’s longest running cases took place in Seed of Destruction and continued into Plague of Frogs. During the invasion of the “frogmen,” the Bureau was the United States’ only defense against an onslaught of frog creatures unleashed by Grigori Rasputin. Though the frogmen originated on the East Coast, they spread west on both sides of the US-Canadian border, causing much havoc and destruction.

During the Conqueror Worm affair, Hellboy teamed up with Roger (the recently revived Homunculus) and Lobster Johnson (“Villains, beware my creepy claw!”) to take on Herman von Klempt and his “kriegaffes” (giant apes monsters) and space worm. This was Roger’s first mission as a full agent and the Bureau didn’t exactly trust him yet. They implanted a bomb inside his chest cavity without his knowledge, and Director Manning gave Hellboy the detonator with instructions to use it if Roger went rogue. Hellboy was of course pretty upset about this, but went on the mission anyway. After the Conqueror Worm fiasco, feeling betrayed by the Bureau, Hellboy left the department to wander the Earth, much like Jules from Pulp Fiction. Johann Kraus was brought on during Hollow Earth to replace him.

In The Dead storyline, the Bureau recruited a new field commander, Captain Ben Daimio, a recently resurrected Special Ops veteran with a taste for battle. While half the team was sent off to an abandoned weapons lab in Colorado, Kate Corrigan and Abe Sapien investigated a mysterious cult that might have had ties to the demonic frogmen who were tearing through the western United States. Along the way, Abe’s origins were finally revealed when he had a vision of his former life as the research scientist Langdon Caul. His visions included a secret meeting where he and his associates performed a ritual that released a jellyfish-like creature that bonded with Langdon and transformed him into Abe Sapien. His associates gathered him up, stuffed him inside a water-filled tube, and abandoned him without so much as a note of explanation or an expiration date. Jerks. With friends like these, right? Meanwhile, the Bureau moved its Connecticut facility to the weapons lab in Colorado. The team discovered that the Colorado facility was used to house Nazi scientists who defected after the war. Much as with all abandoned Nazi bunkers, the former Nazis left behind in this one a mountainous pile of secret files that the Bureau hoped to exploit. Let’s hope that their intentions are honorable and in the best interests of all mankind. . .

In The Black Flame, the frog monster invasion came to a head. A Nazi madman called the Black Flame propped himself up as the leader of the frogs (which is kind of awkward; really, who wants to lead a bunch of frogs?), and together they raised Katha-Hem, one of the 369 children of the Ogdru Jahad (whose origins we shall get into in the next article). The beastie ran rampant across the American heartland until Liz Sherman, using an ancient artifact to amplify her pyrokinetic powers, burned Katha-Hem to a crisp. The invasion came to an end when the frog monsters turned on the Black Flame (frogmen obviously aren’t very bright) and dragged him into a vast pit.

 

 

Hellboy: In the closing days of World War II, off the coast of Scotland, a young demon child was summoned to our plane of existence by a group of Nazi fanatics as part of a ritual to end the world. Professor Trevor Bruttenholm rescued the child and named him Hellboy. Hellboy was adopted by the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense and raised to adulthood in the United States, where he became the world’s premiere paranormal investigator. Hellboy’s demonic origins account for his extraordinary strength and limited invulnerability. Hellboy’s right hand, referred to as The Right Hand of Doom, is made from hellfire-hardened red stone. Hellboy often uses the Hand as a blunt instrument because it is nigh invulnerable. He likes to bludgeon demons and giant monkeys about the head and shoulders. The actual purpose of The Right Hand of Doom is a bit more complicated. It is the “key” that shall open an inter-dimensional doorway to Hell and set loose the Dragon, Ogdru Jahad, during the end times. Hellboy’s true name, Anung Un Rama, actually means “Beast of the Apocalypse.” In order to safeguard humanity, Hellboy must remain constantly vigilant against the forces of evil (The Thule Society) who would seek to corrupt and use him. 

Professor Trevor Bruttenholm: Bruttenholm, a member of the British Paranormal Society, was brought in as an advisor to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt when the Allies realized that the Nazi-led Thule Society were attempting to forge an alliance with the “forces of Hell” in order to win the war. Bruttenholm was on the scene when the Nazis brought Hellboy into this world, and he rescued him from their evil clutches. Sensing the young Hellboy’s need, Bruttenholm took him in and raised him as a son. When the U.S. government started the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, Bruttenholm and Hellboy quickly joined up. For many years, they worked together to fight supernatural threats to the nation and the world.

Abe Sapien: Abe is an icthyo sapien who was discovered in an abandoned hospital in Washington DC. Abe got his name from the date scrawled on a tiny slip of paper attached to the water-filled container in which he was found (still with no expiration date). The date was April 14, 1865, the day of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. He was revived and quickly joined the Bureau as one of their oldest agents. Among his most notable natural abilities, Abe can breathe underwater and is resistant to the crushing pressures of the ocean. He is proficient in hand-to-hand combat and is an excellent marksman. Did I mention he can breathe underwater? Abe is so much cooler than Aquaman.

Liz Sherman: Liz was a normal child until her pyrokinetic powers first manifested themselves on her eleventh birthday. The unfortunate incident that followed claimed the lives of at least thirty-two people, including her entire family. The Bureau took her in and taught her to control her powers. With their help and the help of some monks, Liz gained complete control over her flame, including the ability to shape and project it. Liz has quit and rejoined the Bureau numerous times, but always comes back because she just doesn’t fit in anywhere else. Some say it’s because she has a secret crush on Abe Sapien.

Roger the Homunculus: Roger’s unconscious body was found in the ruins of Czedge Castle in 1996. The abandoned creation of a medieval alchemist, Roger is a homunculus, an artificial being “created from blood and herbs, stewed in a jar, and then incubated in horse manure.” Okay, that’s just gross. So basically, he’s a walking pile of manure. Roger has super strength and the ability to absorb vast amounts of power through the hole in his chest, kind of like a living battery for supernatural energies. Roger eventually joined the Bureau (after almost killing numerous Bureau agents) and fights alongside Hellboy, Abe Sapien, and Johann Kraus.

Johann Kraus: A psychic of considerable power, Kraus’s essence is made up of an ectoplasmic substance that houses his spirit. He maintains physical form through the help of a B.P.R.D.-designed containment suit. Without the help of the suit, his spirit would dissipate and become lost forever. Kraus joined the Bureau after Hellboy went on a leave of absence. In his short time with the Bureau, he has become one of its most valuable members. Plus, he’s a really visually interesting character.

Kate Corrigan: Dr. Kate Corrigan was a professor of History at New York University when she was recruited into the Bureau in 1994. In 1995, she was appointed to Director of Field Operations when Professor Bruttenholm was murdered. Corrigan oversees the Bureau’s super-powered agents, and although she enjoys field work she is usually too busy with operations to become physically involved in most missions. Corrigan enjoys a special relationship with Hellboy. He considers her one of his closest friends and usually confides in her when he’s feeling blue.

That’s it for this time. Come back next time for a look at the bad guys: The Thule Society.

DIE NAZI SCUM!

Required Reading:

1. B.P.R.D.: Hollow Earth & Other Stories
2. B.P.R.D.: The Soul of Venice & Other Stories
3. B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs
4. B.P.R.D.: The Dead
5. B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame
6. B.P.R.D.: The Universal Machine

* Biographies assembled with the help of Wikipedia.