The Pull List – Rasputin: The Voice of The Dragon #1
Writers Mike Mingola and Chris Roberson, and artist Christopher Mitten are revealing more about the mystic Grigori Rasputin in Rasputin: The Voice of The Dragon, a five part mini series that delves into the past of the Hellboy universe. Set in the early years of the WWII, Rasputin: The Voice of The Dragon explains Rasputin introduction to the Third Reich and the rise of paranormal activities during the war. Following the increase of strange encrypted messages from the Germans is Professor Trevor Bruttenholm, a British intelligent agent with an interest in the supernatural and the eventual founder of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD). Bruttenholm’s curiosity of the super natural leads himself on the trail to uncovering the occult side of the Nazi party.
In the first issue, Grigori Rasputin proclaims his purpose in life is following the visions given to him by The Dragon, an ancient being that has empowered many human vessels through out time and Rasputin seeks to understand more about the visions. In country sides of England, Trevor Bruttenholm finds the decryptic messages that talk of ghost and ancient spirits to be alarming, and sets off to find what the Germans plan to do with it in the war. As Bruttenholm finds more leads, more strange phenomenons appear before him.
The lore of Hellboy has a vase history of taking different time periods from it’s universe. Mike Mingola has taken the Hellboy series to expand beyond the titular character and has given various characters their own focus adventures. Rasputin: The Voice of The Dragon puts the spotlight on Rasputin and a young Professor Trevor Bruttenholm. These two characters are responsible for the summoning of Hellboy into the human realm and greatly effect a majority of the plot in almost every Hellboy story. Long term fans of the Hellboy series should take a look at that this prequel story that sets up the beginnings of Project Ragna Rok, the Nazi occult project that accidentally Hellboy to Professor Trevor Bruttenholm. Rasputin: The Voice of The Dragon starts off lite on the lore and the use of the super nature, so first time readers can easily pick up issue 1 with little knowledge of the series and get right in the meat of the story. There is much to uncover in the time before Hellboy appears and Rasputin still remains a mysterious figure that made him a real life legend.