I’m gonna get a 3 Stooges-style poke in the eyes for this, but as much as I love looking at Mike Mignola’s abyss of ink, I…no, wait. I should rephrase that in a less awkward way. Umm..I like his art. But as much as I like his art, and because of that, feel that I should like Hellboy as a comic…I just don’t. I find Hellboy borderline boring and despite my many attempts to like it, I put it down and read something else. I know I’m the minority with regards to this, but tough-titty-toenails for me, the cheese sits alone.

I’m not sure what Lobster Johnson has to do with Hellboy, or what his deal is, exactly, but much like Orangina, this issue was a perfect blend of crisp, pulpy goodness. Our man LobJohn has so little face time in this issue, he’s more apparition than man, but his presence is felt throughout, if only in anticipation. Native American ghosts, prohibition-era Mobsters, a sassy reportstress with fantastic gams,  and a man cloaked in shadow who’s only line is “NEIN”? These are the ingredients to a well-crafted mystery…fondue? Omelette? Mystery..Lasagna! Well, whatever your favorite food, this is it. As long as you like the ingredients above, I suppose.

And the art! Tonci Zonjic does a stellar job here. Despite a sparsity of  detail, every emotion is felt, every action realized, and without the “laugh-track” of the sequential art world: speed-lines. Let’s face it, it’s no easy task to draw an action scene without a series of perspective forced lines to indicate motion, while keeping the panels from feeling static or stagnant. *coughcoughAlexMaleevcough*

Now the question remains, am I going to enjoy Lobster Johnson’s character once I discover more about him, or if I’m just into the mystery presented, but I’m certainly excited to see more of him.  Well-written, beautifully illustrated in a classic style and it’s got me hungry for more. Well played LobJohn…well played.