Once again, we have a Hellboy/BPRD spin-off that delivers the goods Mike Mignola's universe always promises. Abe Sapien embarks on his first solo adventure in the pages of The Drowning, a comic book that follows the normal Mignola formula for success: action, strange and wonderful creatures, intrigue, and fantastic artwork. With this mini-series, Mignola has brought the mighty pen of Jason Shawn Alexander into the fold, and his artwork is a perfect fit for the BPRD's resident aquatic agent. Issue #1 is a quick read that rapidly envelopes the reader into Abe's adventure, as he sets off to recover a mystical object that is thought to have been submerged for the last 100 years. I've been reading Hellboy/BPRD comics for the last four years, so I'm generally satisfied with everything produced by Mignola and company. However, sometimes I find myself emotionally distant from the material I'm reading, and this first issue of Abe Sapien is an example of this reaction. Everything is technically solid, as Mignola scripts with his usual exuberance and Alexander illustrates an Abe that jumps off the page. But issue #1 reads in a very straightforward fashion, leaving me wanting more to jump start my enthusiasm for this mini-series.

The issue starts off with some flair, though. Using a quotation from a 17th Century sea song, the issue opens with an action-packed ship invasion by Sir Edward Grey, a special agent of Queen Victoria and an occult detective. Like Samwise storming the orc fortress in the Return of the King, Grey takes out a whole crew of ghoulies before sticking a mystic blade into a Queequeg lookalike in a casket (Possibly a vampire?). Cool way to start, huh? Well, this kind of action goes by the wayside as we’re transported from 1884 to 1981, to the BPRD Headquarters where Abe is taking it easy in his fish tank, ready to take on an assignment. He gets his chance, though he seems to be a little discouraged that the job is to swim down to a sunken ship and recover an old blade. You ever see that episode of Robot Chicken where Aquaman is listing his traits as a super-hero? Abe must feel like that... Anyway, back to the ship! We all know that the blade won’t be the only thing down there, don’t we? A mysterious sorceress causes an octopus and an eel to attack Abe and his partner as they approach the ship, leaving us with a cliffhanger that poses a couple of questions for the series. Why is this sorceress protecting an object that’s been underwater for almost 100 years? Or has the blade been taken already? Really, I don’t see this series as being a mystery so much as it is a showcase for Mignola to show off a fan favorite character doing his solo thing. We've had so many revelations about Abe during the various BPRD series' that we haven't really seen him in all-out action too many times. So I think as long as Hellboy fans check their brains at the door for this mini-series, there will be a lot to love about The Drowning.

One of main things to love is the terrific artwork by Alexander, who captures Abe's look and the mood of the story so far perfectly. The underwater scenes at the end of the issue, with the undulating rhythm between the sorceress and the sea denizens, is perfectly executed with rugged linework and appropriate kinetic energy. It's mentioned at the end of the issue that Mignola discovered Alexander's artwork in a story he drew featuring the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and I was definitely reminded of the film with these last pages of issue #1. Alexander is a talent I hope to see more of in future Hellboy/BPRD installments.

Basically, if you’re a fan of anything Mignola, you'll pick up this series anyway, and you won't be disappointed in the least. For readers unfamiliar with the Hellboy phenomenon outside of the movies, you'll enjoy the action and the intrigue, as well as the fantastic artwork. The Drowning #1 is not going to wow any comic book reader, but it is a solid tale told by one of the great storytellers in graphic fiction today.

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