Story by Mike Mignola & Scott Allie
Art by Karl Moline
The Dead Remembered, a tale of B.P.R.D.’s history set in the early ‘70s and featuring an origin story of sorts for everyone’s favorite pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, concludes with Liz and her new friend Teddy venturing into the haunted woods to pursue the ghost that Professor Broom is attempting to exorcise from the house of his friend Father Vafides.
From issue 1, The Dead Remembered’s tale of the spirit of a woman persecuted in the Salem Witch Trials has taken a back seat to a story of Liz’s history and character. In issue 3, however, Liz’s presence feels more like the catalyst for the ghost storyline’s resolution, and little time is spent on her as a character of any depth. She’s represented more as a spoiled and petulant teenager than a tortured one, and there’s very little growth to be found.
The negative impact of shifting the focus of the arc back to the ghost story is compounded by the fact that its conclusion is mostly unsatisfying. One of the book’s key action beats happens off screen and the book’s “twist” – while not entirely predictable – just felt… unimportant. There’s no real impact to its revelation, and it draws attention away from what should be the book’s core.
There’s virtually no character development present in this book. That’s forgivable for the side characters (even Professor Broom), but for Liz it’s disappointing, especially since the arc is supposed to be about her. I was hoping that this story would conclude with a deeper look into the events that shaped the Liz we know today, but somewhere near the beginning of this issue her story faltered and never recovered.
In the end, issue #3 rounds out The Dead Remembered as a rather inconsequential B.P.R.D. ghost story. It fills some time, but never really fills in any gaps.
