Since DC scored a huge success by retooling its entire line and starting over with #1 issues in its "New 52" initiative, Marvel followed suit (in its own gradualist way) with Marvel NOW!, which involves the renumbering of a number of key series coupled with creative changes.  Now along comes Dark Horse Comics to buck that trend and make an "honest ongoing" comic out of B.P.R.D. (Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense), the Hellboy spin-off, which has always been seen "as an ongoing series of miniseries."

 

Starting in October with what would have been B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Return of the Master #3, Dark Horse is renaming and renumbering the book as B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #100: Return of the Master #3 of 5.  Dark Horse vows to make this renumbering permanent with all subsequent B.P.R.D. issues following with sequential numbers.  The story arcs will still be designated in the subtitles, and the individual story arcs will be published in graphic novel collectons.

 

Dark Horse editor Scott Allie explained to Comics Alliance: "The reason to make the change was in part based on how many times (retailer) Brian Hibbs told me 'Well, really B.P.R.D. is an ongoing,' and he’s right. Another part of the reason is that as we’ve moved in to doing more short stories—two or three-issue stories—we’ve got those new #1 issues too often... Depending on how retailer rack, you could have two or three B.P.R.D.’s on the shelf at the same time."