by Vince Brusio Liz Sherman leads a crew through monster-infested ruins, and meets a demon to direct her through danger in B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know #1 ( MAY170066 ) from Dark Horse Comics. Co-writer Scott Allie tells all about this new series he's working on with Mike Mignola . Lovecraftian monsters are about to get really interesting in a story that's full-throttle. B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know #1 ( MAY170066 ) is in comic shops July 26. ********** Vince Brusio: The premise for B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know #1 is that Lovecraftian monsters once plagued the Earth. Could you give us a short primer for that doomsday scenario? What did that devastation look like? Scott Allie: In Hellboy stories like “Goodbye, Mr. Tod” and Conqueror Worm, we learned about a race of enormous prehuman monsters called the Ogdru Hem, which had been mostly driven out of the world. Over the years different people tried to bring the Ogdru Hem back to increase their own personal power. When the Bureau thwarted one attempt near the center of the earth, around 2010, Liz Sherman ignited a fire that unfortunately woke all the Ogdru Hem, and loosed them and their own monster spawns on the surface of the earth, nearly wiping out civilization, leading to cults popping up all over the world. That’s where the series B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth started, while the Bureau fought back against the monsters, ultimately defeating them by the end of the series. Vince Brusio: So what exactly is the B.P.R.D.’s involvement in this new Lovecraftian nightmare? What new premise are you and Mignola expanding upon in this series? Scott Allie: When The Devil You Know starts, the Ogdru Hem appear to be dormant, but it’s unclear if they’re dead. The B.P.R.D. learns that one of the cults has a scheme to take control of the wildly destabilized world, and we begin with the Bureau's fight to uncover the head of the cult. Vince Brusio: What did the homework look like for artist Laurence Campbell when he was picked to draw this series? How adept was he at conjuring images from the first stage of pencils? Scott Allie: Well, over time Laurence had become the main artist on the last B.P.R.D. series, so he really knew what he was doing. But he’d seldom drawn Abe, who’ll be important to this series, and Ashley Strode, the exorcist character that Cameron Stewart had developed. She plays a central role. We also needed Laurence to design a bunch of new technology. In coming up with the story, Mike and I were tailoring things to what we like to see Laurence do, what we know he does so well. We always try to approach the books with that in mind. Vince Brusio: What is Liz Sherman up against — physically or psychologically — as she embarks on this rescue mission? What new variables have entered into the life vs. death equation? Scott Allie: Liz's best friends are all either dead or, in the case of Abe, missing. She’s disconnected, in part because she’s more powerful than ever, and can’t relate to the regular soldiers that comprise the B.P.R.D., with Hellboy, Abe, and Johann all gone. She doesn’t work well with others, and they’re all very aware of it. She’s not entirely without allies, though. Vince Brusio: What makes The Devil You Know unique as compared to other B.P.R.D. stories? Scott Allie: Mostly things I don’t want to spoil—but one major way is that we’re tackling one big threat, and running straight at it. No side stories. No mini-arcs. Mike and I grew fond of the two- and three-issue stories, and I loved writing Abe Sapien around that idea, but this one barrels straight ahead without detours. We’re just going right for it from issue #1. ********** Vince Brusio writes about comics, and writes comics. He is the long-serving Editor of PREVIEWSworld.com, the creator of PUSSYCATS, and encourages everyone to keep the faith...and keep reading comics.