Review: Lobster Johnson: Iron Prometheus Mignola & Armstrong

This Book Is About

My Thoughts On This Book

Lobster Johnson is set in the 1940s and has everything a good pulp novel needs; super soldier armor, sinister magic, nazi scientists, gangsters, oriental intrigue, monsters, an evil cult, the silent and grim hero, and damsels in distress.

What grabbed my eye with this story was the title. I love lobsters (as an animal, not an entree) so how could I not pick up a comic where the title character is a pulp hero named Lobster Johnson. Especially when he wears orange goggles and has a special glove that lets him brand a lobster claw onto the foreheads of his fallen foes.

That’s just so COOL!

The Lobster is the silent hero in black but, unlike batman, he has a backup crew and a secret headquarters in the sewers. It’s so awesome that, for once, we have a vigilante who actually doesn’t go it alone but who has a support team complete with muscle, a scientist, a radio operator, and a doctor.

I really enjoyed Lobster Jonson: The Iron Prometheus and found myself reading the whole thing over again each time I tried to just flip through to find pages to scan for this review. The book is fast-paced, action packed, and gritty in a noir-ish kind of way. There’s enough supernatural things thrown in to remind the reader they’re in the Hell Boy universe.

The Plot

It’s hard to sum up the plot of the Iron Prometheus volume.

So, Professor Kriakos has invented a super soldier armor powered by an energy originally harnessed by a lost, ancient people from a mildly cthonic uptopia. While the Professor, his daughter Helena, and Jim Sacks are testing the power armor when their laboratory is attacked. The Professor and his daughter are captured, but Mr. Sacks escapes in the steel suit.

The story opens with a fleeing Mr. Sacks sneaking home only to be set upon by giant ape who turns into an amulet-wearing man. The Lobster, who’s only there because he’d found Sacks’ name and address on a German agent’s body, comes to the rescue. The two flee through the basement and onto a boat through the sewers just in time to escape a full scale assault on the building by a group of thugs. They raft through cannibal territory and meetup with the rest of the Lobster’s 4-man team and plot.

After investigation, the Lobster discovers the ape-man is from an ancient cult serving the Emperor of the World. Events lead to such exiting items as an evil prophesy, a talking brain in a canister, giant snakes, torture, nazi submarines, curses, ghosts, and exploding buildings. In other words, lots of fun.

Coloring & Other Pretty Things

The coloring is great overall and I like how the colors are muted blues and sepia tones to give it an in-the-past feel. I also really dig how each scene has a predominant color. Something you see in movies like House of Flying Daggers. It builds mood and helps the transition of scenes and locales.

The artwork is really good, too. Even though Lobster Johnson is only written by Mike Mignola (the creator of Hellboy), and not drawn by him, the illustrations have a graphic style and 2-D coloring that comic fans have come to expect from any project involving Mr. Mignola.

Rating & Levels For This Book

I Give This Book 3 Vikings out of five	Violence Level 3 Burning Huts out of five	Romance Level 0 Hearts out of five
# of actual vikings in book: 0 What do these levels mean? »	Humor Level 1 Smile out of five	Lust Level 0 Kisses out of five

Author and Publishing Information For This Book

Author & Book Details Title: Lobster Johnson Volume 1: Iron Prometheus Author(s): Mike Mignola (Author), Jason Armstrong (Illustrator), Dave Stewart (Colors), Clem Robins (Lettering) ISBN#: 9781593079758 Genre(s): Pulp adventure graphic novel Edition Reviewed: First edition paperback trade Illustrations: Color Page Count: 140 Part of a Series: Yes, this is volume 1

Publishing & Copyright Details Publisher(s): Dark Horse Comics Copyright: 2008 In Print: Yes Original Language: English Published in Other Languages: No Find a Local Comic Shop » Find a Local Book Store »

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