After what feels like a lifetime, we are finally wrapping up “Get the Lobster!” Does the book deliver a smoking claw to the forehead? Find out below!
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Illustrated by Tonci ZonjicThe Lobster engages in a firefight with a madman in a biplane on top of a zeppelin!
David: This week gives us the finale to Get the Lobster, the latest LoJo mini from Mike Mignola, John Arcudi and Tonci Zonjic, and Brian, I’m curious if this issue was as tainted by the fractured release schedule for you as much as it was for me. What did you think of this concluding chapter?
Brian: Well, David, I actually was more thrown off by the release schedule for the last issue than I was for this one. This was, more or less, non-stop action, so it was easier to fall right back into the swing of things, without needing to recall too many plot details. I was able to, more or less, just fall back into the rhythm of the book, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I presume, based on your comments, that you had more difficulty than I did.
David: Nah, it’s a straight forward comic. Some of the characters were foggy, but generally it was pretty smooth. However, because it was a two month gap between release, I feel like anything that was supposed to hit me with any real weight didn’t. This was yet another LoJo mini that followed the usual LoJo playbook of “starts strong, finishes way too late”, except in this one’s case, it was doubly late: two issues and a couple months so.
As a super light read, this book was fun-ish with great art, but honestly, if it weren’t for the tangential connection to the Mignolaverse, I’m not entirely sure I’d read Lobster Johnson any more because of its frustrating predictability and its perpetually drawn out nature. I mean, was there anything about this issue that stood out for you as a particular wow moment to really hook you? Because besides the art, this ultimately was a pretty standard LoJo adventure.
Brian: The only thing that differentiates this from other LoJo stories were the hints at his past and the sort of insane ability to fight through pain/injury. I feel like the final scene, of him surviving the wreckage, was the furthest down the “maybe the Lobster isn’t just a normal dude” path we’ve gone thus far, visually, and mixed with the character’s lineage being discussed elsewhere, I would say this is the most supernatural LoJo has ever been, at least in dealing with the title character.
David: Well, he was a ghost previously in Mignolaverse comics, so I don’t know if I’d call it the most supernatural it’s ever been. He’s always been able to fight through over the top amounts of pain and injury, and while the last page really hit visually, it still wasn’t enough to really make the issue stick with me.
The amazing thing about this issue is the two big set pieces – the car chase scene and the zeppelin scene – were better used in previous LoJo stories, with the former taking place earlier in this series with the two wrestlers on the run and the latter being featured in Caput Mortuum. The only things that made this feel any different were Cindy Tynan’s story closing (in bubbly and unfulfilling fashion) and the hand being delivered to the mob boss which, frankly, didn’t really mean anything to me (this is the moment Mark scoffs at my terrible knowledge, I’d wager).
Honestly, the fact that this comic could have had no words and been absolutely fine is both a compliment to Tonci Zonjic’s art and incriminating to the lithe nature of the comic. I don’t know, man, this comic was just…unsatisfying.
Brian: The hand was of the supposed Lobster ancestor, methinks, but I could be mistaken there.
I wouldn’t call it unsatisfying, but I understand where you’re coming from. The LoJo books are starting to feel a little like the same old song and dance, but they are a song and dance I tend to enjoy. This is the AC/DC of Mignoalverse books: you know exactly what is coming, but it is a pleasant experience each time.
Continued belowTonci Zonjic’s art, I think we can both agree, is what keeps us coming back. I don’t know what else we can really say about his art – it is perfectly suited to the time period, and he executes each panel with such precision and accuracy that you almost forget to marvel at its brilliance.
David: I think you’re right on the hand front, and I like the AC/DC analogy, although I’d go with a Red Hot Chili Peppers one: you dig it for the first while, but eventually it wears thin and you’re over it. I may have just committed musical blasphemy depending on your opinion of RHCP.
And agreed on Tonci. The weird thing is some artists are really talented illustrators and others are gifted storytellers, but he combines the two so well. That’s why that “the story would work without words” was a compliment for him. He’s such a remarkable visual storyteller, the comic hardly even needs any words to convey the story because he does such a good job of it with his art. He’s really one of the most talented artists in comics.
Do you have anything else to add before we grade?
Brian: The Chili Peppers were never really my thing, so no offense taken.
I don’t have too much more to add, other than I fear that our concerns about the series are going to be remain active concerns, simply because this seems to be a series the Mignolaverse team really loves to play around with, without too many differences, series to series. The hand bit at the end gave me hope that the next mini would be a little different than the last few, but we’ll see.
Because of the strength of the art, this gets a 7.0 from me. What about you?
David: I’m going to give it a 5.0. This is a pretty average comic bolstered by phenomenal art and negatively impacted by an extra month of wait. LoJo loses its mojo far too fast for my taste, and more than ever, I wish they’d stick to one-shots and shorter minis for him.
Final Verdict: 6.0 – A mixed bag, for sure, but featuring some phenomenal art.
