Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Illustrated by Tonci ZonjicWhen a tribe of phantom Indians start scalping policemen, Hellboy’s crime-fighting hero Lobster Johnson and his allies arrive to take on these foes and their gangster cronies!
Whenever there is a new release by Mike Mignola and crew, David Harper and Brian Salvatore take a look at it and let you know what they think. This week, we get to travel back in time to the time when women were dames, the East Side of Manhattan wasn’t a bustling highway on the East River, and crustaceans could inspire fear. That’s right, it’s time to review Lobster Johnson: The Burning Hand #1!
Keep reading after the cut to see what we thought, and be warned, there are very minor spoilers in play here.
Brian: So, here we are in a new year, with an old friend, Lobster Johnson, starring in his second solo miniseries. Before we get into this one, where does good ol’ LJ rank on your list of favorite Hellboy/BPRD characters list? Was the initial mini a favorite of yours?
David: I really enjoyed the original Lobster Johnson mini. It’s definitely a good one, and every appearance he’s had has been great. That said, I wouldn’t say he’s one of my all-time favorites from the cast. He’s a good one, but I’m more of an Abe Sapien/Roger/Johann Krauss guy. What about you?
Brian: As we’ve established, I am far more of a touch and go reader of the Mignola-verse than you are, and so this was my first extended view into the Lobster-sphere.
David: Oh, wow! Get on that! The Iron Prometheus is good times!
Brian: I know, I know…one of these days, I’m just going to splurge, take a toy or five out of my unborn child’s hands and drain my bank account on the entire BPRD collection. But until that time, I have this fine new mini to tide me over.
David: Well, with that in mind, how did you enjoy your first experience with the claw that gangsters fear?
Brian: This seems to be a broken record in these pieces that we do, but I loved every panel of this comic.
David: Isn’t it obnoxious when you read these comics and they are unwavering in their quality?
Brian: The best kind of obnoxious – but this book just knocked me on my ass. Did you love it as I did?
David: I really enjoyed it. It was a really, really solid issue, and Tonci Zonjic was a fantastic fit with the art. That said, I sometimes think the Mignolaverse books suffer in my mind (sort of like The Walking Dead or Invincible) in that they are so consistently good that I never really think of one as significantly better than the other. Does that ever happen to you with books?
Brian: I can definitely see that – because (up until recently) it wasn’t a series I picked up every month, when I would dive into a mini, I would be consistently pleased. And sufficiently blown away. So let’s get into this – you’ve already mentioned the art, by Zonjic. I thought it fit the story like a glove.
David: Oh of course. I think the reason why is it combines with one of the other standout aspects of this story in my mind. This issue, while it has the beginnings of it, isn’t really supernatural oriented yet and focused mostly on the crime/pulp angle. And we know Zonjic excels with that style, which helps him be such a great fit.
Brian: Yeah – and I think the lack of supernatural elements helped this story as well, for two reasons. First of all, it sets this apart from the usual BPRD/Hellboy tale. And, on top of that, by introducing those potential supernatural elements and then dashing them by revealing them to be just a put on, it allows the story to be rooted in the real world, something these stories sometimes lack.
David: Well, but that’s just for a first issue. At least to me, with the minion in the white hat with his ties to “that mystic (he) mentioned,” it’s likely we’re going to see more very soon. There’s always a little bit of that in every Mignola book, but for this issue only, with the superb female reporter character (Cindy) taking more of a lead role and Lobster just orbiting her, I think this is a fantastic start. It all feels very pulpy so far, which is basically what Lobster Johnson is supposed to be. He’s effectively, in the minds of a lot of BPRD, a fictional character. An urban legend.
Continued belowBrian: Right, and his appearances here really reinforces that.
David: Have you ever read anything with Tonci Zonjic’s art in the mix?
Brian: I haven’t; I’m a bad reader, apparently.
David: Haha, I sass, but seriously, he hasn’t done a lot. He’s a phenomenal artist, and like I said he’s a perfect fit for this type of book. I really like that, at least for this issue too, Lobster sort of lived in the shadows. It was a great choice by Mignola and Arcudi. What else did you really love about this book, Mr. Superfan over there?
Brian: I’m a sucker for pulp/noir stuff, so that was right in my wheelhouse. But I think my favorite element was what you mentioned – Lobster exists in this book like a phantom, and while being absolutely essential to the story, remained in the shadows. It let Cindy take center stage, and let the story take shape before really integrating him in. This would be a ballsy move for, let’s say, a number one issue from Marvel or DC, but for this book, it helped set the tone and establish what this comic was going to be all about.
David: Exactly. In a lot of ways, it’s a great first taste for you as a newcomer to the world of Lobster Johnson too. His little cameos make him all the more engaging, and by the time you actually meet him, good and proper, you’ll already be invested. It was a clever choice by Mignola and Arcudi, as well as a nice throwback to the pulp genre.
Brian: Word.
David: One of my favorite things about these little ancillary minis that they put together is that they aren’t about continuity or advancing stories that ultimately go nowhere or anything like that. They’re just about telling good stories. And that’s something the teams that work on these books do about as well as anyone
Brian: It also fills in the gaps that naturally occur in any series. I’ve been reading Batman comics for 20+ years, and I feel as if I know only the tip of the iceberg about Batman’s adventures. By going back and filling in these little stories, it does absolutely nothing in terms of “aha!” moments, but it gives satisfying little detours for characters that people love, and lets the stories take center stage. Or, put otherwise, exactly what you said.
David: Haha! But expressed in a new, fantastic way! Just like Team Mignola always does! Well, let’s throw down a grade. It’s completely apparent we both are fans of this. What are you going to give it?
Brian: Well, we didn’t take our own advice from last time and get crunked up before reading this, so I will have to, again in a super boring fashion, give this a 9.
David: I’m going to give it an 8.5. I really enjoyed it, but not as much as B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Russia #4, so in an attempt to make my grading scale make sense it must come in lower! Great book, but damn, these always are. Still, it’s good to be positive about books we love, right?
Brian: Based on your logic then, I’m bumping up to a 9.5, since I dug this JUST a bit more than Russia #4. That said, we average out to a 9, which I feel is fair.
David: Well, you don’t have to follow my logic!
Brian: I need to follow someone’s, and yours seems as good as the next guy’s.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy right this second for crying out loud!
