The Pull List – Rasputin: The Voice of The Dragon #2
Professor Trevor Bruttenholm continues his instigation of the super natural events caused by Grigori Rasputin involved with the Third Reich. In the previous issue, a reanimated corpse terrorized a pub that Bruttenholm was visiting. Bruttenholm reporting his findings of his investigating and his own account of encountering the undead go ignored by his superiors at the British Intelligence. After writing to his uncle Simon, who has his own connections to studying the super natural, invites Trevor to attend a seance to summon the soul of the recent reanimated corpse and reveal the identity of the figure responsible for the resurrection. As Grigori Rasputin prepares to depart for Paris to locate a tomb that contains great power, Trevor Bruttenholm gets closer to understanding the dark business of the spiritual world.
Issue two begins with Grigori Rasputin getting an update of his minions trying to locate a certain location in France. Ilsa Haupstein, a Nazi scientist and a cult follower of Rasputin makes an appearance for the first time in this arc. Haupstein will be part of the bigger over arching story of the Hellboy narrative, but for now is just a minor character that has only been serving Rasputin for a small amount of time. Rasputin is utilizing the Nazi resources, sending out scouts to do his bidding and taking up residents in the S.S headquarters in Germany. Writers Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson place Rasputin as a hidden puppet master, pulling the strings from a safe distance and choosing not to reveal himself until the right moment. Rasputin leaves a tiny trail for Trevor Bruttenholm to follow, such as the reanimated corpse that could only speak out cryptic clues on the current situation. Trevor Bruttenholm is not suppose to be the action ready hero, but a very intelligent and quick thinking man that applies his knowledge of the super natural and blind luck to solve his situation. In the first issue, Bruttenholm struggles to deal with the reanimated corpse and receives him from a friend who used a quick head shot to put the corpse back down. In this issue, Bruttenholm curiosity leads him into another dangerous encounter that he managed to survive with some quick reactions. He action sequences shows exactly the kind response a non-adventurer handling a big adventure. As the series is ramps up the dangers, Trevor Bruttenholm will begin to transform into the wiser, calculated person he would late become.