The Lobster!

Lobster Johnson #1

Oh, man. This is one big fat shot of happyjuice.

Lobster Johnson is a pulp-style crimefighter who made his first appearance in a Hellboy comic back in 1999. In all of his previous appearances, he’s been a ghost, but this series is set in 1937, back in the Lobster’s heyday. In this first issue, the Lobster defends a man named Jim Sacks, who has acquired a high-tech suit of armor that shoots electricity. The Nazis want him, a mysterious band of evil monks want him, an oversized shapeshifting Yeti wants him. We also get to meet the Lobster’s assistants, a bunch of specialists similar to the Shadow’s various assistants, as well as some of the dastardly forces arrayed against our band of heroes.

Verdict: Thumbs up times about 20. I’m a sucker for pulp adventure, and this one has a pulp hero fighting a big angry Yeti, shooting Nazis, and scaring the crap out of sleazy underworld thugs. It’s got a guy wearing an electrified super-suit. It’s got cannibals in the sewers. It’s got spooky Chinese girls who prophesy doom. It’s got diabolical Fu Manchu villains. And we’ve got another four issues of this delicious cherry-filled awesome pie ahead of us. If you ain’t got it yet, go get it now, ’cause you won’t wanna miss out.