Hellboy and the BPRD: Saturn Returns #3: It’s Practically Solved

The conclusion to Saturn Returns is here! It’s a multilayered issue that will certainly have longtime fans of the series excited with a complex story deeply woven into the lore of Hellboy. However, can it overcome this narrative weight to remain enjoyable?

There are a lot of moving pieces going into the final issue, so the answer to that questions isn’t necessarily all that clear. We are juggling to different stories going into the third issue of this series, but due to Hellboy venturing off to find Liz we open up yet another plot line in the first few pages. The creative team is adept at this type of storytelling, but this decision gave the impression that there was just too much to wrap up in such a short time.

As the story reaches its climax and we finally begin to understand more about Liz’s struggle and the monster terrorizing Tatosnok Falls, it feels like an explosive revelation is just around the corner. But then we find ourselves starting to wrap up the story with a bit of insightful reflection, and while it’s appreciated, I couldn’t help but feel like there was a missed opportunity for something more grand to occur.

These are minor complaints to most, because the creative team is just so excellent on this series it’s difficult to not enjoy the story that is unfolding. The artwork is uniquely fluid for a Hellboy comic but not in a bad way. I found myself enjoying it more and more as the series continued. While Hellboy is of course the highlight, Agent Kinsley is so strongly depicted that I wanted to see more of her. This paid off simply because she had such a great role in the story.

Was I hoping for a little more from the explosive conclusion to Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Saturn Returns? Probably so. But what’s interesting about these stories is they always find a way to still really entertain you even when they aren’t anything at all what you would have expected. After completing issue #3, I just had to go back and read the story in its entirety. That was a different experience entirely and helped me to understand the real strengths of this issue.

Go pick up all three issues and binge them in one sitting. You won’t regret it.