Lobster Johnson: Metal Monsters of Midtown #2

Review by Paul Fiander

Writer: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi
Artist: Tonci Zonjic
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Cover Artist: Tonci Zonjic

Mike Mignola is a canny devil, his number one creation in the form of Hellboy is a superstar in the comics world. Many creators would have sat back and used this amazing persona in everything they created. Mignola though used Big Red as a jumping off point to create an ensemble of the weird and wonderful including the BPRD, Abe Sapien and Lobster Johnson. The Lobster appeared in the pages of Hellboy but while he went off to the far flung reaches of the world Mexico and even Hell, the Lobster generally stays in a less than conventional 1930’s New York.

This is where we find him in this story, hence the “Midtown” in the title. In fact the title did a better job of kerning you know what's hairdressing then any review could ever do. The Metal Monsters of Midtown are causing havoc and with the Police powerless it's up to the rather brutal vigilante to try to clean up the mess they are making. What's great about this issue is the failure at times of our hero, he is under pressure but keeps a clear head enough to try to delve into the monster's creation. This kind of detective work is fun and gives the issue a slower pace in the middle pages that helps you to catch your breath after a frenetic opening.

Art wise Tonci Zonjic is drawing his arse off, the monsters look fantastic. Their size and shape are a great throwback to the 1930’s idea of modern technology. This helps give the story a grounding in the era that is hard to ignore. Add to that the cars and clothes and you literally feel the 30’s come alive. The colours are down by the always perfect Dave Stewart who at this point is seemingly a ever present fixture left the Mignolaverse. This knowledge of the characters and the world help to give the art a cohesive feel no matter who is drawing. This could be seen as a criticism but I appreciate the work he work he does and it does make each story feel connected.

With shared writing credits Mike Mignola and John Arcudi work seamlessly in creating a compelling story that has a unique feel while being grounded in the 1930’s. Lobsters cases are always fun to enjoy and Metal Monsters of Midtown is no different. We just have to wait another month or so to find out how it all ends.