Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Secret of Chesbro House #1

The first issue of the two-issue tales takes us back to 1983 where Hellboy and Madame Zemperelli work together to investigate a haunted mansion for the B.P.R.D. Along for the ride are Carter Stroud (the great-great-grandson of the mansion's builder who was known for wild orgies and the disappearance of his 16 year-old daughter before cutting off his own head and jumping into the fireplace) and Carter's fiancé Serena Wilkins (neither of whom believe the house to be actually haunted).

The séance confirms the house is indeed haunted not by one ghost but at least two as the gossip about the mansion's hauntings are proved true.

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Secret of Chesbro House #1 offers a solid opening with a creepy setting and a group of strangers each with a bit of information about the house and its history. The reveal of the ghosts, first the headless father and later the daughter, offers a bit of a twist to what Hellboy was expecting just in time to leave a cliffhanger for the concluding second-half of the tale.

[Dark Horse, $3.99]

• Title: Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Secret of Chesbro House #1 (of 2)
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden
• Artist: Shawn McManus