Monster Squad

B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground #5

Okay, the wendigo is loose, Ben Daimo has turned into a monster, and no one knows what’s going on. Johann Strauss, mourning the loss of his new body, contacts the spirits of the two strangers to the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense who were killed on the grounds. The first says that he’s a survivor of Daimo’s unit and reveals that Daimo is possessed by a jaguar demon. He had a plan to kill Daimo before he turned into a monster but wasn’t able to make it into the BPRD headquarters in time. The other spirit is a Chinese mystic who Daimo contacted periodically to conduct ceremonies to stave the demon off. It was Daimo as the jaguar demon who released the wendigo, but why? The story ends very abruptly as Daimo, temporarily free of the demon, faces the wendigo.

This issue has problems. It’s crammed to the gills with exposition, but it waves off the appearance of Lobster Johnson’s spirit with a “No one knows what happened,” and it does nothing to explain what’s been up with Liz Sherman’s depression and nightmares, which she’s now somehow free of. I’m sure they’ll explain these in future issues, but no one knows how far in the future that may be.

On the other hand, the flashbacks of the first spirit, the soldier who served with Daimo, are excellent. Johann’s reaction to the loss of his body is also very well-done. And I actually like the ending — it’s over so quickly, and we don’t actually learn what happens to either Daimo or the wendigo — but I like that little dose of mystery. Will we ever find out Daimo’s fate? Maybe someday, but for now, I’m enjoying wondering what happened.

Verdict: Thumbs up, with some reservations.