Suffer my spoilerific claw!

[TRK]

So.. today I got my Lobster Johnson nr1 and I've got to say it is a lot better than I expected it to be. I didn't really like what I saw in the preview but as you get into the story it becomes a lot more interesting, the "robot" on the cover for instance, I thought that he would have been one of the bad guys and Lojo's "crew", I always imagined him as a more solo operating guy.
But what are your thoughts about Lojo#1??

[rhboyd]

LOVED it!

I know I'm biased, but finally getting the chance to read the book was glorious!! I loved it's pulpy humour, it's old-school dialogue... I loved the story, even in it's first issue infancy.... Kudos to the team!!!

Great work!!!

luv,
-r!

[Jack Zodiac]

I always feel disappointed when I find a Mignola book that isn't drawn by him until I open it up and find that the artist he chose to work with was every bit as dedicated to the feeling of his stories as he was. And Jason's art is right up there with Guy Davis and Mike's own. His art was perfectly '40s-pulp with nice, think inking, and as always Dave Stewart's colors set the tone excellently.

Ever since I saw him for the first time in Conqueror Worm, I thought Lobster Johns was one of the most ridiculously-awesome characters created in comics in decades. He had the look and feel of a mysterious pulp serial hero fighting Nazis with some psuedo-mystical form of creative justice, like The Shadow. And this book was incredible as we got to explore his background deeper to find a ragtag crew of street urchins helping him in his crusade for justice.

Dark Horse is stealing most of my attention between Darkness Calls, the new B.P.R.D., and now this. I love it.

[TBolt]

Freakin' Sweet!! Loved the idea of LOJO having a crew of guys ala The Shadow or Doc Savage. Hope Mike has a few more series in mind for this guy.

[Todd H]

So far so good. I'll wait for the story to flesh itself out some more before deciding if I love it or not. But so far this book has a really strong start.

It's like Batman meets Indiana Jones!

[Eric M]

God bless Mignola for comin' up with Lobster Johnson.

I reached a point where I had all of LJ's dialogue memorized from Conq Worm/NightTrain/Killer in My Skull, etc.

It doesnt even seem real that this book should be on the shelves.

Anyone else have the LJ statue from Electric Tiki or was I the only one who shelled out the cabbage for it?

[Myron L]

Absolutely digging issue one !!! Great pacing, Armstrong definitely fits the Hellboy Family in terms of art...AND....best of all....

I got my letter printed in LOBSTER JOHNSON #1 !!!!(BWAH HA HA , Neil)

Look for my shout-out to all you peeps,too...especially Jonell.
;)

-Myron

[Neil Hill]

I've gotta eat crow here (like any good fan should) and say that Jason Armstrong really impressed me on Iron Prometheus, much more than I thought he would. I'm not yet ready to call him the second coming and have him unseat any of my current favorites, but his stuff is growing on me.

Overall, great first issue! Mike's in true form, Jason was great, and Dave Stewart should be given a medal for being (probably) the best colorist currently working in the industry- and that you can take to the bank!

[ultramandingo]

It doesnt even seem real that this book should be on the shelves.


........yeah its kinda wrong , just the name- lobster johnson ............. sounds kinda dirty , like cleavlend steamer

[rhboyd]

Way to step up to the plate, Neil... I'm proud of ya!!!

TOLD you Jason rocks... but man... just WAIT!!!! This book gets better and better!!!

Just for fun... here's a piece from Jason's initial submission that I coloured up just for the heck of it. I don't think he'd mind me sharing...

http://www.ronboyd.com/ImageHost/JA-Lobster-rb-sm.jpg

cheers,
-r!

[TRK]

That drawing is really beautiful. I hope we get more "full shots" of LoJo in the next few issues.

[Neil Hill]

Thanks, Ron. I knew at the time I was doing it that it was difficult to judge an artist based on 2-3 pages of uncolored artwork, so hopefully (in my original comments) I left enough room in what I'd said so that I could retract my initial reluctance to accept his work once I'd seen the final product. :D

Also, great Armstrong piece there, Ron! Very kinetic and colored well.

I guess the best thing I can say at this point is that I'm greatly looking forward to LJ #2! If I weren't, then there'd be something to be concerned about- at least for me.

[TBolt]

I noticed in the lettercol, the editor mentions that the Companion is due out in October. Any truth to that?

[Poe Ghostal]

I noticed in the lettercol, the editor mentions that the Companion is due out in October. Any truth to that?
None whatsoever ;) May 2008, my friend.

As for Iron Prometheus--I loved it. Maybe Mignola can write this kind of stuff in his sleep, but I thought it was a blast. A great return to the feel of those early Hellboy books like Wake the Devil.

[parrish]

I loved it. It was worth the wait. I thought the art/story flowed very well. I can't wait for the next issue.

[bobbykro]

not much of a talker my self , but "ah" those ole pulp days ....love the story , "fantastic art".. the M crew are fantastic.. putting out the best comic reads.. nuff said

[Gary_B]

I enjoyed it a great deal. I don't have much more to say other than "I like that suit"!

[Kelly Tindall]

I love it!

It's like Mike read every issue of The Goon and then decided that a psychotic, anti-social version of The Shadow needed to show up and start shooting everyone, and it's great.

This is going to be one of my favorite books of the year, I can tell. Awesome work, everyone.

[Sparky]

Lobster Johnson does the Ally McBeal dancing baby cha-cha in celebration!
http://www.phobe.com/chacha.gif

TASTE THE CHA-CHA OF THE CLAW!

[Myron L]

LMAO !!!!
Sparky....you are just TOO much!

[Eric M]

Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!

The Greatest Thing Ever!!!!!!!!!!

Lj Gots Rhythm!!!!!!!!

[el seth]

It was pretty great.

The Lobster pretty much knows everything that goes on.

[Jawa]

Absolutely loved it. The art was incredible, it reminded me a lot of Darwyn Cooke but without ripping him off. The story was pulpy fun. I'm really looking forward to the second ish.

[Jankenstein]

It's a good thing Sparky uses her powers for the Forces of Good!

[Brisco]

I love it!

It's like Mike read every issue of The Goon and then decided that a psychotic, anti-social version of The Shadow needed to show up and start shooting everyone, and it's great.

This is going to be one of my favorite books of the year, I can tell. Awesome work, everyone.

Maybe you should say a MORE psychotic, anti-social version of The Shadow, because The Shadow, in his pulp incarnation, is pretty freakin' psychotic! AND anti-social! But I, too, LOVED how "Shadow" LoJo turned out to be. It was really cool to see that he had a team of agents working for him, just like The Shadow. And the same habit of disappearing on them. I was really looking forward to this book anyway for Mike, LoJo, and the Hellboy connections, but now I see that it also fills that terrible void left by the absence of any Shadow comics on shelves in over a decade!
Brisco

[Jankenstein]

I rather liked it as well! Jason Armstrong's art reminds me a bit of Guy Davis.

Question: Does anyone know if Dark Horse still has The Shadow comic book rights?

[Sir Lord Harris Chesterton]

LoJo was damn-near perfect. I love the fact he's got a whole crew with him.
I simply can't contain my excitement for the next ish...

[Maija]

This book is a helluva lot of fun. The only thing funner, I'd say is this:


http://www.phobe.com/chacha.gif

TASTE THE CHA-CHA OF THE CLAW!

Thanks, Sparky. My sinuses needed to be rinsed out with coffee.

[jnapper]

Sparky, you are killin' me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Maija]

The Lobstercave is Wizard's Lair of the Week! (http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/005901825.cfm)

[Neil Hill]

The Lobstercave is Wizard's Lair of the Week! (http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/005901825.cfm)

That was actually a pretty decent non-pontificating and unpretentious review by a couple of guys who really seemed to like the book, and don't seem to be weighed down by a starstruck sense of 'everything Mike does is purest gold' mentality Thanks for the link, Maija!

[rhboyd]

I just want to express in public how proud and happy I am for Jason. He's been in the comic book trenches for YEARS... hitting those deadlines and putting passion into every line!

Whether it was on the big guns, or on his own projects, his love of the medium is always present, and I am SO thrilled for him that you all are digging this book!!!!

Congrats Mr. Armstrong... you've totally earned this!!!
luv,
-r!

[Poe Ghostal]

I rather liked it as well! Jason Armstrong's art reminds me a bit of Guy Davis.
It reminds me of a cross between Davis and Michael Avon Oeming. I like it, though.

[Neil Hill]

I just want to express in public how proud and happy I am for Jason. He's been in the comic book trenches for YEARS... hitting those deadlines and putting passion into every line!

Whether it was on the big guns, or on his own projects, his love of the medium is always present, and I am SO thrilled for him that you all are digging this book!!!!

Congrats Mr. Armstrong... you've totally earned this!!!
luv,
-r!

It's always nice when the guy who's worked dillegently in the trenches unsung for years finally gets his/her moment to shine and show the world what they can do.

Personally, I hope this is just the first of many Hellboy universe collaborations that we get to see with Jason on art chores.

[Kelly Tindall]

Me too, Neil.

[Doc Thunder]

Hello all -- wow! Jason Armstrong checking in -- I'm glad everyone's enjoyed the first issue of Lobster Johnson. It's a thrill to work with both Mignola and the Dark Horse staff every month. Thanks for all your comments and feedback. I can't wait for you guys to see how crazy things get NEXT issue ...

Jason :)

[Jankenstein]

So do you feel like a kid in a candy store, Jason? ;)

[Kelly Tindall]

Thanks for stopping by, Jason. The book looks just super. I've never read a comic that you drew before, but I'm definitely going to check out your earlier work. I have been impressed.

[Eric M]

Hello all -- wow! Jason Armstrong checking in -- I'm glad everyone's enjoyed the first issue of Lobster Johnson. It's a thrill to work with both Mignola and the Dark Horse staff every month. Thanks for all your comments and feedback. I can't wait for you guys to see how crazy things get NEXT issue ...

Jason :)

Dude, you have knocked this one out of the park!

I cant even imagine the pressure that you must be under to take on the HB universe and deal with the legion of fans that hang on every Mignola line stroke.

Lobster Johnson is a very special book and I think I can speak for everyone on this board that you have made us very happy!

[Neil Hill]

Dude, you have knocked this one out of the park!

Oh no, a sports analogy! :D And on a comics related site where most of us haven't played sports since grade school P.E.! j/k

Yeah Jason, you really impressed the heck out of me, and I'm notoriously picky when it comes to artists. Great job!

[Doc Thunder]

Aw shucks -- thanks for your support guys! Working with Mignola and Allie IS like raiding the candy store -- that Dave Stewart makes everything I draw look ten times better.

Kelly T, I've actually been pretty busy with a European publisher working on "Braceface" comics (based on the cartoon -- good luck getting them on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, unless you're in Montreal) for the last three years, and of course, Ferro City from Image :)

Jason

[Kelly Tindall]

Jason, I know all about Braceface... The Teletoon show with Alicia Silverstone? I'm from Canada so I know all about it.

I had no idea they had gotten you to do some comics, though... If it's anything like Sam Hiti's totally awesome Lemony Snicket comics, I'd love to check them out.

[Jankenstein]

Oy! I had no idea there were any Lemony Snicket comics.
Learn something useful here on a regular basis! :)

[Todd H]

Oy! I had no idea there were any Lemony Snicket comics.
Learn something useful here on a regular basis! :)

This forum hurts my wallet on a daily basis.

[Doc Thunder]

Yah -- Sam Hiti's "Tiempos Finales" was a great read - I dig the larger format and the limited pallet -- solid blacks and impressively expressive line work -- reminds me alot of Paul Pope's work on THB. Both those guys sure can draw. I have to confess I've never seen the Lemony Snicket stuff, though. Was it just as great?

Back to work for me -- must finish the inks for Lobster Johnson #4 this week! No spoilers from me guys, you'll have to ask Rachel, or stay tuned -- :)

Jason

[Neil Hill]

No spoilers from me guys.

Jason

A collective "OHHHH MAAAAAN!!" goes up to the heaven's. :D

[Maija]

Poor Rachel. Isn't she under enough pressure? :rolleyes:

Nice to meet you Jason. I take it you are a fellow Canook?

Good job on the Lobster. I'm looking forward to this series.

[Brisco]

So what do you think Scott meant in the lettercol when he said about the lateness of Darkness Calls:

"We could've gotten an inker, but I think you'd all rather have Duncan's art the way it was meant to be seen. We did what we could, and we've come up with something that will help on the next series-- something I think Hellboy readers are gonna love."

What's he saying there? 'Cause it KIND of sounds like he's hinting that Mignola is going to ink Duncan's pencils on the next series. We've all read Mike's thoughts on himself as an inker of other people's work, but those sentiments are based on his early Marvel days... It worked well when he inked those back-up stories, "Abe Sapien Vs. Science" and the original LoJo one... (Did he ink both of those?) I can't quite picture how the combination would work out. (It's much easier to imagine Duncan inking Mike than the other way around.) Of course it would be GREAT to see Mike getting involved in the art again in any capacity, but I'm really enjoying Duncan's own inks on this one.

Then again, perhaps I'm TOTALLY misreading Scott's hints. It could be a very diferent something they've come up with! Anyone got ideas? Or has it even already been announced and I missed it?

Brisco

[edhopper]

Loved it!!
What was so amazing about this book was how Mike and Jason introduced us to the Lobster Johnson World and his Doc Savagesque cohorts in the midst of a fun pulp romp, without slowing down the pace or confusing the reader.
I really Liked Jason's drawing (I found his inks a little loose for my taste, but that's just a personal preference more than a criticism.)
I bought this because i trust Mike to put out a good book, but I can't believe how much I want the next issue.
After only one issue I can actually say, we need a LJ ongoing.

[Kelly Tindall]

I think you're misreading, Brisco. I'm quite sure they mean something else.

[Hellboy Animated 101]

anyone seen Tad lately?

[Neil Hill]

anyone seen Tad lately?

Physically no, but he posted recently in the BatCon thread. :)

[Neil Hill]

Then again, perhaps I'm TOTALLY misreading Scott's hints. It could be a very diferent something they've come up with! Anyone got ideas? Or has it even already been announced and I missed it?

Brisco

I took it to mean the possibility of Mike drawing a sequence or two from the story, but this is naturally just a complete guess on my part.

[Brisco]

I think you're misreading, Brisco. I'm quite sure they mean something else.

Could be (most likely!), but speculating is fun! What's your guess on the something else, Kelly?

Brisco

[Maija]

speculating is fun!

Hey Kids!
It's Lobster Johnson's
PUZZLE PAGE!!
Can you find your way through the SEWER MAZE?! Look out for cannibals!
What's that burnt into the thug's forehead? CONNECT THE DOTS to find out!
Feel the mental pinch of the CLAW CROSSWORD!
Can you find the SECRET WORD?

*Last month's answer: FICTION?

[Neil Hill]

Ha, that's great, Maija!! You're highly creative and probably a great dancer.

[Jankenstein]

Now where's the Secret Decoder ring?

[Maija]

I wonder how difficult/expensive it would be to make a cheap metal Lobster Claw decoder ring as an SDCC giveaway? I'd wear mine all the time!

EDIT: I've discovered that they were ususally badges rather than finger rings. (http://www.mwotrc.com/rr2005_08/decoders.htm) Imagine one of those babies with a Lobster Claw in the middle!

We could send each other secret messages! :eek:

[Neil Hill]

I wonder how difficult/expensive it would be to make a cheap metal Lobster Claw decoder ring?

We could send each other secret messages! :eek:

Sounds like this may be a job for some of our more 'crafty' board members.

[el seth]

"Remember to... buy more... Dark Horse.... what the crap?!"

[Neil Hill]

"Remember to... buy more... Dark Horse.... what the crap?!"

"A crummy commercial!? Son of a b*&%!" :p

[Todd H]

I wonder how difficult/expensive it would be to make a cheap metal Lobster Claw decoder ring as an SDCC giveaway? I'd wear mine all the time!




http://www.clubmez.com/usa/detail.aspx?ID=20
Someone sculpt that into a claw!

[Sparky]

"Remember to... buy more... Dark Horse.... what the crap?!"

Hehehehe, I'm gonna wash your mouth out with soap, young man!

I'd make a buncha these, but I already have another Lobster Johnson craft project in the works right now...

[rhboyd]

eek!!!

What could it BE?!?!?!?!

-r!

[Todd H]

Ok I have this on good authority. I probably shouldn't show it to you because it shows the outcome of the series buuuuuut.

Vigilante hero opens chain of restaurants at the Jersey Shore.
Taste the deliciousness of The Claw!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/RavenTwyst/Tastetheclaw.jpg

I drove to the Shore today specifically to pull of this gag so give me some credit mere people!

[Jankenstein]

I knew we should have used Lifebouy.


Sparky! What are you making? :D

I'd loooooooooove to have one of those Hellboy Oven Mitts!

[Eric M]

Ok I have this on good authority. I probably shouldn't show it to you because it shows the outcome of the series buuuuuut.

Vigilante hero opens chain of restaurants at the Jersey Shore.
Taste the deliciousness of The Claw!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/RavenTwyst/Tastetheclaw.jpg

I drove to the Shore today specifically to pull of this gag so give me some credit mere people!

"Here is the lobster-roll".........

"Beware my lobster bisque".......

[Gary_B]

I drove to the Shore today specifically to pull of this gag so give me some credit mere people!

Your level of commitment is formidable.

[Sparky]

I drove to the Shore today specifically to pull of this gag so give me some credit mere people!

Dude, you have to go back and take a picture in front of the sign while dressed up like Lobster Johnson.

[Maija]

Oh crap, Bellygrub, I was going to give you wild kudos for your efforts but Sparky has just upped the ante! :)

[Jankenstein]

Do not, however, mention the words "Johnson" and "Lobster" in the same sentence to the restaruant management, especially if they ask you what you're doing taking pictures outside the establishment.

[Gary_B]

Do not, however, mention the words "Johnson" and "Lobster" in the same sentence to the restaruant management, especially if they ask you what you're doing taking pictures outside the establishment.

Excuse me while I scrub my brain and the inside of my skull with harsh chemicals to erase that image from my mind.

[Todd H]

Dude, you have to go back and take a picture in front of the sign while dressed up like Lobster Johnson.

You know if I can get the goggles right I could probably pull off a ghetto Lobster costume. It's the off season so the streets of LBI will be empty soon. Hmmmm.

[Maija]

Excuse me while I scrub my brain and the inside of my skull with harsh chemicals to erase that image from my mind.

I'm picturing some kind of snack basket menu item with a seafood dipping sauce.:p:D

*passes more harsh chemicals to Gary*

[TRK]

Preview for Lojo#2 is up

www.darkhorse.com/profile/preview.php?theid=14-577

[Todd H]

Preview for Lojo#2 is up

www.darkhorse.com/profile/preview.php?theid=14-577

Looks like it's going to be another great issue.

And lobster's line fits my picture perfectly. "Eager to taste justice..."

[Jack Zodiac]

"Eager to taste justice... from the Lobster's claw!"

God, I love that stuff.

[Asa]

drove to the Shore today specifically to pull of this gag so give me some credit mere people!
Thanks Heeheee. Thats so kooool.

[Neil Hill]

Looks like it's going to be another great issue.

And lobster's line fits my picture perfectly. "Eager to taste justice..."

I wholeheartedly agree! I only glanced at that first page (so as to ensure the element of surprise), but even from that first page one can tell this issue is going to be the bees knees! :D

[Juno Reactor]

This past Friday, I went to a comic shop for the first time in a decade to pick up the new Hellboy TPB. Previously, I had got all of my trades online through Amazon, or at stores like Barnes & Noble and Waldenbooks. However, when the big stores didn't have the trade early, my hand was forced, and I went to an LCS.

I was back at the shop today, browsing their Batman wares for my brother's upcoming birthday, when I decided, on a whim, to buy LoJo #1. Why the hell not? It was only three bucks! And after reading it cover to cover, I had to rush here and gush about it. Looks like I'm not the only one!

This issue was PERFECT, and judging from the preview posted for #2, it only gets better. What phenomenal artwork! I still haven't quite warmed up to Guy Davis on BPRD, but Armstrong here does everything Davis does right and nothing he does wrong. Armstrong's brushwork is so clean and precise, yet natural and kinetic. I love it. Props also must be given to the colorist for his eye-popping, shadow-drenched coloring of 1930s NYC.

And the writing! The concept here is elegant, sublime pulp; there's something magical about the combination of yetis, cannibals, nazis and steampunk technology. And Lobster Johnson himself is so friggin' cool. I'm staring at my Mezco figure of him with a whole new appreciation.

One question: can we expect the full five-issue run of "The Iron Prometheus" to be collected into a trade paperback at some point? Do you think this is reasonable to expect? A story of this quality really deserves to be compiled in book format, and knowing that we'll get a TPB at some point will allow me to better enjoy the monthlies by reading the hell out of them and not worrying for their condition when I loan them out.

- JR

[Todd H]

One question: can we expect the full five-issue run of "The Iron Prometheus" to be collected into a trade paperback at some point? Do you think this is reasonable to expect? A story of this quality really deserves to be compiled in book format, and knowing that we'll get a TPB at some point will allow me to better enjoy the monthlies by reading the hell out of them and not worrying for their condition when I loan them out.

- JR

I would imagine they'd be collected into a BPRD graphic at the very least. However I don't see why they wouldn't collect the series into a trade. It's big enough. Rachel?

[Doc Thunder]

Juno, I too have a Mezco Lobster Johnson action figure (actually two; one in my studio and one at work) and he IS truly inspirational. (Although I have to admit he doesn't speak to me or anything, but he does jump around making gun shooting noises when no one's looking.) Not inspirational enough to make me dress up like him in front of The Lobster's Claw, but you get the idea.

(ahem -- bellygrub -- cough cough)

Thanks for coming on board and reading Lobster Johnson -- I also think Dave Stewart's work is incredible -- I haven't had a chance to tell him in person his stuff is great :) I totally dig Mr Mignola's dialogue -- I'm having a great time working with the Dark Horse crew.

Jason :)

[Juno Reactor]

Hey, I have a question about a certain panel. I'm a lil' confused by something, but maybe you guys can help me out.

It's near the end of the first issue, when LJ is talking about the warehouse he discovered. It's the panel depicting the building, with the line, "I checked it out. It looks abandoned." What confuses me here is that in the lower right-hand corner of the panel, we see the back of what appears to be Jim Sacks, but that wouldn't make sense because it's LJ's flashback (judging by the sepia tone, and LJ's hands pulling back the boarded windows in the following panel), and because Jim never heard of the building before then.

So, who is that in the lower right-hand corner? Is that actually LJ, despite what appears to be the metal collar and armor of Jim, or is that perhaps one of the bad guys walking back to their hideout, suggesting that they're building similar technology? I'm sure I'm misunderstanding something here.

This is the only naggin' little detail I have. Hopefully somebody can explain it, and hopefully Rachel will tell us whether an LJ TPB is probable.

- JR

[Jack Zodiac]

I think it's another Iron Prometheus suit. The panel before that shows the Tibetan monster guy and a few shadowy figures walking behind him.

[Jankenstein]

The only bad part about the preview is....

What Happens Next???? :cool:

'Twould appear the VRIL suit may have some unanticipated effects on the wearer judging from that last panel.

[Juno Reactor]

My lil' brother (he's 13, I'm 21) read LJ #1 today. I was sitting at the computer doing homework, and he was sitting behind me on my bed reading the book. Every few minutes he'd laugh and quote something, like Bill's commentary on cannibals, or point out how awesome something was, like the Lobster's mark. By the time he was done he was itching for what happens next, and being the mean person I am I showed him the preview to #2 -- he yelled "Ninjas!" with delight -- and now his wait is as painful as mine! We both can't wait to dive into the next installment and see where this amazing story is headin'.

Now I just need to convince my other brother (soon to be 18) to give it a try. He's not too keen on trying new things, and since the cover doesn't say "Batman" he's not too quick to embrace it. But I swear, if he'd at least try it, I know he'd love it...

And Jason: you and The Lobster were meant for each other. I swear, your artistic command of the character and his world is so natural, so confident that I never once thought, "Gee, it would've been so cool if Mignola drew it." Quite frankly, I wouldn't want this story drawn any other way. Keep up the fantastic work!

And finally: Rachel! Will this be collected as a trade someday? I sure hope so!

[Kelly Tindall]

Juno, I will bet you fifty thousand dollars (of somebody else's money) that this will be collected into a trade paperback.

[absenter]

I'm picturing some kind of snack basket menu item with a seafood dipping sauce.:p:D

*passes more harsh chemicals to Gary*

You salts need ter be intreedukesd to me dutch uncle, yar ye do.

[Rachel Edidin]

I would imagine they'd be collected into a BPRD graphic at the very least. However I don't see why they wouldn't collect the series into a trade. It's big enough. Rachel?

Yup, it'll be collected. Look for the TPB about six months after the final issue.

[Neil Hill]

As you said in a previous post Rachel, apropos to nothing; I noticed that my LCS only had one copy left of Iron Prometheus when I was there yesterday. I was half tempted to purchase it and just give it to a friend. Perhaps I still will if it's there the next time I pop in.

[Juno Reactor]

Yup, it'll be collected. Look for the TPB about six months after the final issue.
Awesome! Thank you so much for letting me know! Now I can enjoy the monthlies more knowing that I don't have to worry for their condition as much, since the definitive format will be coming next year (approximately July of '08, I take it -- right in time for my August birthday).

You could've withheld the info and made me buy back-up copies out of paranoia, boosting sales, but you did the ethical thing, saving this poor college student a lot of space and money. I appreciate it!

Now then, back to eagerly anticipating the next issue. October can't come soon enough!

-JR

[Sir Lord Harris Chesterton]

Preview was better than I hoped for, that panel where LoJo guns down 4 or so of those ninjas on one go made my day. I couldn't help but utter "awesome" in a totally nerdy way everytime I clicked "Next Page".

[absenter]

I think they're setting up a return of Lob Jon's ghost to appear in the BPRD of the present.

My evidence. Dude with the snakes (was so excited to see him). Who is that dude with the snakes!??

[Maija]

The snake dude can't be a coincidence.

The story was a little on the mysterious side, but I expect all will become clear as things progress.

Meanwhile, Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus #2 soundtrack:

PANG PANG
SHOOMP
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
SHKOW
BLAM BLAM
BLAM BLAM
SHKOOOW
POOF
CLICK
KRANG KRANG
WOOOOOOOOSH
BRANG
CREEE
CLACK
SLAM
SKRENCH
KONG
PANG
SQUEE
SSSSSS
FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
SWISH
KLUD
KUNG
HSSSS
PANG
WUMP
KANG
BZZT
BRAM
BRAM
BLAAM
KRACK
CHOMP
PLING
KLUNK
BOOM
BRABOOM

THUD






(awesome!)
:)

[Maija]

Oh yes and "The True History of Lobster Johnson" featuring the artwork of Guy Davis kicks a pile of ass, both in the art and the writing. Really nicely done.

[Eric M]

the tru history of the Lobster is brilliant. I dont know if anyone here is a fan of pulps, but the history reads like the history of The Spider.

[Doc Thunder]

Actually Maija, when I do roughs to show Mr Allie and Mr Mignola what the pages might look like, I draw in as many sound effects in as possible -- some Mr Mignola's, some mine. The roughs read very much like your soundtrack :)

Glad you liked the book -- Jason

[Gary_B]

Fun!

"The only thing you are going to see, doctor, is the burning hand of overdue justice"

Oh yes and "The True History of Lobster Johnson" featuring the artwork of Guy Davis kicks a pile of ass, both in the art and the writing. Really nicely done.


"His raw enthusiasm could not compensate for his almost complete lack of writing ability"

Hahahahaha!

[parrish]

I thought issue 2 was just as awesome as the first one! I was going to quote my favorite 2 lines, but Gary Bolt beat me to it!

Now where can I buy pages?!?!?! :D

[Maija]

Actually Maija, when I do roughs to show Mr Allie and Mr Mignola what the pages might look like, I draw in as many sound effects in as possible -- some Mr Mignola's, some mine. The roughs read very much like your soundtrack :)

HA! Well the book is a hoot. I hope it's as much fun to draw as it is to read. The sound effects fill me with glee.:)

"His raw enthusiasm could not compensate for his almost complete lack of writing ability"

Hahahahaha!

This also killed me. The whole thing is pitch perfect.

[Jack Zodiac]

"Assassins. Eager to taste justice from The Lobster's Claw!"

Nazis. Cyborgs. Ninjas. Giant snakes. This book kicks seven kinds of ass. And the Fu Manchu villain is perfect for a pulp book like this.

[Phrenic]

I'm LOVING this series so far. It just feels right, every element is working together very well.

Question for Jason: The issues I grabbed today seem to have your signature along the bottom of it. Did you sign a whole whack of them?

[Doc Thunder]

Phrenic,

I did indeed sign a number of copies at the Silver Snail -- I'm always happy to help George and Tim (and Cody! Hi Cody!) do business.

Yay Comics!! :)

Jason

[Phrenic]

Sweet! Lucky me :)

[Sparky]

I must get another cat and name it KLUD.

[Neil Hill]

Oh yes and "The True History of Lobster Johnson" featuring the artwork of Guy Davis kicks a pile of ass, both in the art and the writing. Really nicely done.

I agree with you, Maija. I thought this added tid-bit made an already kick ass issue all the more so!

Wow, where to start? There were so many things to truly enjoy with a smile about this issue. Mike seems to knows this character very well, how to pull out his best traits, and have the most fun possible with each issue- always leaving the reader wanting for more, naturally. I won't labor over every new story point brought up or the recent mysteries revealed, but I will say that I've just added Lobster Johnson right alongside BPRD as my second favorite comic currently available on the comics rack!

That being said, I am sorry to report that when compairing Darkness Calls to both BPRD and Lobster Johnson, something is lacking and or not functioning quite as well as it could be. Granted, DC is an entirely different 'beast' playing by different rules, but as far as pure enjoyment and satisfaction at the end of each issue is concerned, for me it's all wrapped up in Duncan's artwork and not necessarily the story as its transpiring (see Maija's exhaustive series examination in the Darkness Calls discussion thread). I wish this weren't so, but now having LJ and BPRD available to compare DC to, DC is left in the somewhat wanting category.

Anyone else agree or disagree?

[TRK]

I agree with Neil, I think it is due to the fact that we experience a greater variety of emotions with KG and IP against a more serious DC.
Bassically KG and IP are funnier.

[parrish]

Anyone else agree or disagree?

I think it comes back to personal taste and the fact that DC is such a different beast then the other two, like you said.

IP is just such a fun read, with DC I have to soak in more.

[Gary_B]

The snake dude can't be a coincidence.

The story was a little on the mysterious side, but I expect all will become clear as things progress.

Meanwhile, Ladies and Gentlemen, I present the Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus #2 soundtrack:

PANG PANG
SHOOMP
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
SHKOW
BLAM BLAM
BLAM BLAM
SHKOOOW
POOF
CLICK
KRANG KRANG
WOOOOOOOOSH
BRANG
CREEE
CLACK
SLAM
SKRENCH
KONG
PANG
SQUEE
SSSSSS
FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
SWISH
KLUD
KUNG
HSSSS
PANG
WUMP
KANG
BZZT
BRAM
BRAM
BLAAM
KRACK
CHOMP
PLING
KLUNK
BOOM
BRABOOM

THUD






(awesome!)
:)


Hey kids, here's a word to work into our conversational vocabularies -onomatopoeia.

noun
using words that imitate the sound they denote

"Issue #2 of Lobster Johnson sure was onomatopoeically rich".

And if that doesn't suck a big chunk of the fun out of #2 I don't know what will.

[Maija]

Hey kids, here's a word to work into our conversational vocabularies -onomatopoeia.

noun
using words that imitate the sound they denote

"Issue #2 of Lobster Johnson sure was onomatopoeically rich".

And if that doesn't suck a big chunk of the fun out #2 I don't know what will.

You're lucky I'm not in Victoria because I'd have to drop by and give you a swirlie, you dweeb. :p

[Gary_B]

You're lucky I'm not in Victoria because I'd have to drop by and give you a swirlie, you dweeb. :p

Swirlie? Is that Noogie's younger sister?

[Neil Hill]

Oh, and Jason's artwork in the latest issue of LJ? Absoultely and incredibly fantastic!!

I still have a difficult time imagining a point when I had any issue with his artwork at all. It's perfectly suited to this type of story, and I wouldn't mind one lick if LJ became a series of mini-series in the ongoing vein that BPRD has mined so well. Even a break between series wouldn't bother me, and that's saying something! :)

[Doc Thunder]

Thanks for the kind words Neil! :)

Back to work for me, I'm almost finished my roughs for this latest issue of Lobster Johnson :)

Jason

[heckblazer]

"Oh yes and 'The True History of Lobster Johnson' featuring the artwork of Guy Davis kicks a pile of ass, both in the art and the writing. Really nicely done."

I agree with you, Maija. I thought this added tid-bit made an already kick ass issue all the more so!


It was certainly more informative than the secret orgin of Screw-on Head. :)

[Jack Zodiac]

What more do you need to know about a character than "he's a robotic talking head who takes orders from President Abraham Lincoln?" I think that sums it all up right there. Lobster Johnson? Insane Nazi-hatin', monster hunting, pseudo-mystical vigilante. With kickass catchphrases!

[Maija]

Swirlie? Is that Noogie's younger sister?
Hehehe... DIY swirlie: stick your head in the toilet and flush.


I would never do that to you. :rolleyes:

[gdeo]

new cover...http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0710/05/lobsterjohnson5.htm

[Jankenstein]

...
...
....

[Jankenstein]

Hi.

My name is Scott.

And I'm a Lobster Johnson addict.

It all began with that oh-so-innocent looking pamphlet at the local house of literature. Little did I know it would begin a downward spiral into the underworld of Awesome, Pulpy Goodness, and Onomatopoeia.

And God help me, I'll do it again next month, too!

[Todd H]

I just finished issue two last night. All I can say is...wow. I'm hooked. I think the artwork has gotten even better too.

I really hope there will be another series.

And Jason...any chance you could pop over to DC and take over on the Spirit when Darwyn Cooke leaves? You'd be perfect for that book!

ps- I too want pages!

[Rachel Edidin]

Hey kids, here's a word to work into our conversational vocabularies -onomatopoeia.

noun
using words that imitate the sound they denote

"Issue #2 of Lobster Johnson sure was onomatopoeically rich".

And if that doesn't suck a big chunk of the fun out of #2 I don't know what will.

NO! There's a difference between onomatopoeia and sound effects, and you're using the former to refer to the latter. Onomatopoeia only refers to actual words that imitate the sound they denote, like hiss, rumble, mutter, or boom. That a combination of letters is used to phoenetically indicate a sound does not make it onomatopoeia.

</language geekery>

[Maija]

Swirlies for all! :D


I would like to submit that "swirlie" is an onomatopeoia.

SSSSSSWWIRRRRlIESSHHSHHSHSHgarlgesputter

See? And I added a couple of onomatopeoiae at the end for good measure.



*goes to flush head in toilet*

[Jankenstein]

Perhaps if we stuff the ballot box ....umm.......carefully orchestrate our efforts... Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus #2 just might become a leading candidate for Book of the Year by the Onomateopeoiaec Society. ;)

[Gary_B]

NO! There's a difference between onomatopoeia and sound effects, and you're using the former to refer to the latter. Onomatopoeia only refers to actual words that imitate the sound they denote, like hiss, rumble, mutter, or boom. That a combination of letters is used to phoenetically indicate a sound does not make it onomatopoeia.

</language geekery>

Nerd!!!

Are you seriously saying that SKOOOW, PLING and KLUMP are not actual words and that they don't imitate the sounds they denote?

[ultramandingo]

.......as in the works of Don Martin

"............It was typified by a sameness in the appearance of the characters (the punchline to a strip often was emphasized by a deadpan take with eyes half open and the mouth absent) and by an endless capacity for newly coined, onomatopoetic sound effects, such as "BREEDEET BREEDEET" for a croaking frog or "FAGROON klubble klubble" for a collapsing building."

.....also

"'GLUP! GLIK! SPLORP! SLOOPLE! CHOMPLE! GARK! SKLORSH! GLUK! KLOONG! KAPLAM! SPMAM! POONG! BOONG! KLOON! PLAM! FLADDAP! SLURK! GLUP! DRIPPLE BLIT. SHPLIPLE! DROOT! GLORT!''

[Eric M]

Oh yes and "The True History of Lobster Johnson" featuring the artwork of Guy Davis kicks a pile of ass, both in the art and the writing. Really nicely done.

Did Mignola write this? I assume so but just wondering.....

[Rachel Edidin]

Did Mignola write this? I assume so but just wondering.....

You assume correctly!

[Jankenstein]

That article was a perfect endcap! Can we expect anything similar in future issues, Rachel? :)

[Rachel Edidin]

That article was a perfect endcap! Can we expect anything similar in future issues, Rachel? :)

There are three Secret History articles; they'll appear in #2-4.

[Matt Strackbein]

There are three Secret History articles; they'll appear in #2-4.

Hey, Rachel,

Assuming there'll be art for each article, is Guy Davis the only artist that will contribute? If not can you say who else will...?

[Kelly Tindall]

I liked it a lot.

Lobster Johnson #2 would have been the best thing about my train ride home tonight, except it wasn't wearing a lovely filmy dress, red lipstick, and three-inch heels.

[Maija]

except it wasn't wearing a lovely filmy dress, red lipstick, and three-inch heels.
Who-hey-in-the-what-now?

What C-Train were you riding?

*Braces for Sparky photoshop of Lobster Johnson in a lovely filmy dress, red lipstick, and three-inch heels.*

[Jack Zodiac]

I liked it a lot.

Lobster Johnson #2 would have been the best thing about my train ride home tonight, except it wasn't wearing a lovely filmy dress, red lipstick, and three-inch heels.

Gee, thanks. I thought the heels drew attention to my hairy ankles, though.

[Kelly Tindall]

What C-Train were you riding?

Downtown, between Third Avenue and City Hall. I figure she was heading the the Telus Convention Centre for some big to-do.

And if that was Lobster Johnson, I'll eat my hat. There's no way to hide big boots and black leather pants under stems that slinky.

[TRK]

Preview is up at dark horse.

www.darkhorse.com/profile/preview.php?theid=14-578

[Neil Hill]

Preview is up at dark horse.

www.darkhorse.com/profile/preview.php?theid=14-578

This series has definitely eclipsed Darkness Calls on the importance scale for me. Perhaps I'm most overjoyed by that because this series literally snuck up on me. After seeing a quick preview during SDCC I was less than impressed. Now I find myself on the edge of my seat each month waiting for the continuing adventures of these characters.

On a side note; if this series doesn't get the 'series of mini-series' treatment by series end, well, there's a little less justice in the world- claw justice!!

[Todd H]

Hey! Hoboken, NJ. I'm headed there tonight to help the Mrs Grub's brother move into his new loft.

Hehe neat. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for goggled vigilante's!

Oh and I agree Neil. This series deserves more...series! And if so I hope they keep Jason on it. From this preview it looks likes he's becoming more comfortable with the book.

[Rachel Edidin]

Hey, Rachel,

Assuming there'll be art for each article, is Guy Davis the only artist that will contribute? If not can you say who else will...?

It's all Guy. :)

[absenter]

Has anyone noticed that Dr. Eiss, the crackpot, German expatriate from BPRD: The Dead, was hired to "develop the work of Professor Gallaragas and his experiments in alternative energy sources"?

Further, he mentions that it's "ironic" that he's in America working on Gallaragas' studies. :confused:

Curious...

[TRK]

I stumbled across something interresting, you know the monster on the last page of the preview, we might've gotten a mignola drawn version of him in the sketches section of the right hand of doom TPB!

[Stojmo]

Yao,
I must say that Dave Stewart truly is awsome.

The pale, or bleached, tone of coloring in Iron Prometheus, really seals the deal when it comes to that 30's feel. It doesn't stick out, sure, unless one looks for it, but yeah.
And also in the other titles, his contribution is as important to the whole as anyone elses.

Stupefying!

[Doc Thunder]

Mr Stewart's work IS extremely well done -- I dig the "colour texture" stuff and the subtle washes he is doing with the line art I'm doing for "The Iron Prometheus" -- good stuff :)

Jason

[Eric M]

this book just keeps on rolling and crushing everything in its path! Seeing LJ getting patched up is priceless! Check out the True History.....page with the old image of Vic Williams as the Lobster from Conquerer Worm.

Brilliant

[el seth]

Wow, I did not expect LJ to tie into Hellboy and BPRD so heavily.

Also, the comic is just pain awesome.

[heckblazer]

I only wish it came out last week. Buying an issue of Lobster Johnson while dressed as Lobster Johnson would have been too perfect.

How everything in Hellboy, LJ and BPRD is getting tied together is pretty nifty; using vril energy is a particulalry clever way to combine the wacked-out mad science and weird supernatural stuff. It does make me wonder if the next BPRD series will feature Nazi flying saucers in Antarctica...

[Neil Hill]

In complete contrast to my recent review of the final issue of Darkness Calls; could this Lobster Johnson book get any better!? I friggin' love this thing, from the pages it's printed on, to the characters, and everything else humanly possible! Don't change a g-damn thing, other than to make it a series of mini-series. ;)

Thanks, Mike, Scott, Dave, and whoever else is involved with this book. BPRD and LoJo are the two best books on the racks today!

[Neil Hill]

Also, the comic is just pain awesome.

"Pain" awesome? That's an interesting turn of phrase. I assume that's a good pain to which you refer? ;) :D

[Gary_B]

It does make me wonder if the next BPRD series will feature Nazi flying saucers in Antarctica...

That would be cool...

http://www.burlingtonnews.net/nazi_13.jpg

[Neil Hill]

That would be cool...

http://www.burlingtonnews.net/nazi_13.jpg

Seconded!!

[The Xenos]

Vril? What the? Anyway, the series is yet another awesome addition to the Hellboy world.

[BKole]

I gotta say, I love everything Hellboy. Literally everything, on my last spending spree, i got myself the Dragon Pool Novel, Heroclix and Vs System cards.

But Lobster Johnson series isn't reaching the top of my reading pile like BPRD and Hellboy is. I dont know why. Its not that i don't like it, It really isn't. Theres just something about it that doesn't have me crying for more.

Maybe it's the way I read it, maybe its my taste. I buy every issues because it's fun but it's not making me go "OOOH! Read that now!" Like i hoped it would.

I suck.

[heckblazer]

Vril? What the? Anyway, the series is yet another awesome addition to the Hellboy world.

"It's what the Atlanteans used to power their spaceships" is a pretty good description. Vril energy first appeared in the Bulwer-Lytton novel The Coming Race (online here (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1951/1951-h/1951-h.htm))(yes, Bulwer-Lytton was the guy who started a book with “It was a dark and stormy night” (http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/)). In the book the narrator discovers an ancient underground master race called the Vril-ya that harnessed the incredible power of vril energy to run their advanced civilization. Theosophists and other occultists decided that the book was really thinly non-fiction about the survivors of Atlantis. After WWII there’s been a conspiracy theory that an inner circle of the Thule Society called the Vril Society had rediscovered the secrets of vril energy and used it to create flying saucers to evacuate surviving Nazis to a secret base in Antarctica.

This all goes to show that some people think real life is a comic book. :)

[Maija]

This was pretty fun, though I found the action a little confusing towards the end.

Holy crap but The True History of Lobster Johnson is worth the price of admission. It's not merely funny, it's a completely believable pulp history with a remarkable amount of humanity in just two pages.

The Coen Brothers* filming The True History of Lobster Johnson would make me pee my pants. Oh crap I am going to camp out at the cinema right now because it has to happen if there is any justice in the universe.

*or Tim Burton

[Maija]

BTW a little birdie told me to check out BPRD: The Dead issue 2 page 18 panel 3 lower right corner!

[Doc Thunder]

It's been a great ride -- I've just turned in the last of the line work for Lobster Johnson #5. I feel priviledged to have worked on such a great book with such a great team. Kudos to the Dark Horse crew for keeping the reins held tight and thanks to Mr Mignola for having me along.

I'm lined up to do some work for Joey Cavalieri at DC in the near future and some other projects while I keep my ear to the ground for any future projects from Dark Horse -- thanks for the keen interest in this great series. You guys sure a dedicated bunch of fans -- awesome! Thanks to YOU!

I'll be checking in every once in a while -- I love all this Hellboy stuff :)

Jason Armstrong

[Eric M]

It's been a great ride -- I've just turned in the last of the line work for Lobster Johnson #5. I feel priviledged to have worked on such a great book with such a great team. Kudos to the Dark Horse crew for keeping the reins held tight and thanks to Mr Mignola for having me along.

I'm lined up to do some work for Joey Cavalieri at DC in the near future and some other projects while I keep my ear to the ground for any future projects from Dark Horse -- thanks for the keen interest in this great series. You guys sure a dedicated bunch of fans -- awesome! Thanks to YOU!

I'll be checking in every once in a while -- I love all this Hellboy stuff :)

Jason Armstrong

Jason,

Thanks for the incredible run on LJ. Im sure I can speak for everyone that you did true lobster's justice to the series! Good luck on future projects!

[Asa]

Jason,

Thanks for the incredible run on LJ. Im sure I can speak for everyone that you did true lobster's justice to the series! Good luck on future projects!
Thanks Jason,
I second that, it has been great. Can't waite to see how it ends.

[Jr. Wormwood]

BTW a little birdie told me to check out BPRD: The Dead issue 2 page 18 panel 3 lower right corner!

Ha! Good eye!

So now we've seen almost everyone from the photo's Johann found in that file. And although this may not be the place for it, is it possible that the old woman who gave Liz the flower in The Black Flame is the Crimson Lotus?

And let me just add my voice in saying Thank You! to Jason for bringing us such a great rendition of the Lobster. I'll be keeping an eye out for whatever you have coming up.

[Jankenstein]

This was pretty fun, though I found the action a little confusing towards the end.


My thoughts exactly. It kind of reminded me of the latter issues of Bone....great stuff, but it only took 10 minutes to read and now I want to know what happens next!

I also found the "Janky" nickname in The True History of Lobster Johnson rather amusing :)

[Kelly Tindall]

My only problem with LJ is that it's light on plot and heavy on action, which makes for a tremendously quick read. Otherwise, it's bloody fantastic and I love it.

Are the True Histories going to be in the trade paperback?

[pimpernel]

I just noticed something. In the latest issue, page six panel two, when talking about the outposts of Hyperboria, the picture is the entrance to the underwater temple where Caul found that weird egg thingy that turned him into Abe. So... i guess this links whatever Abe is back to Hyperborea?

[Jr. Wormwood]

Ooooh, good catch, Pimpernel. Have to check that out...

So anyone have anything to chime in with on issue #4? I haven't been able to pick it up just yet (hoping to do so today), but I was able to flip through it and it looks like the vril suit is the Black Flame?

Maybe it's completely obvious one way or the other, but like I said, it was just a quick flip through. Loving the way this book is actually tying in so incredibly with the rest of the HB/BPRD universe.

[TRK]

Well, I read lojo #4 and I was surprised at what happened so quickly, stuff I was expecting to happen in #5 happened when I was halfway through #4.

[heckblazer]

I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly would pay cash-money to see a Guillermo del Toro remake of Lobster Johnson and the Ring of Death.

[Jr. Wormwood]

I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly would pay cash-money to see a Guillermo del Toro remake of Lobster Johnson and the Ring of Death.

Went and picked it up, and I loved that little detail in the back. Luche Libre LoJo!

[Jankenstein]

Again I find myself thinking "So what happens next?" and not wanting to wait another month to find out. Which is a good thing. ;)

[morna]

Anyone else think we've just seen the origin of the Black Flame?

[taburn]

Anyone else think we've just seen the origin of the Black Flame?

The Black Flame was most likely a Nazi. However, it is possible that the Nazis will take the technology and experiment with it to then create the original Black Flame (the one in the old photos Johann found).

[Maija]

I don't think that's the Black Flame since the suit is different, but the technology is certainly in the same vein. I expect that the Nazis are about to swipe the technology to build the Black Flame suit.

But it's definitely all about the Vril all along (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vril). I LOVE how everything is coming together and connecting.

In other news: holy crap, did we discuss all the Vril connections before and I missed it? Or did Mike Mignola write that Wiki entry? If he did, he left out mention of the BPRD and Hellboy in the "Allusions in popular culture" section.:p

I'm going to feel all weird and occultish now when I make French onion dip with onion flakes and Bovril. I wonder if I should be saying some kind of incantation as I stir it?

Unless some wiki editor made that bit up. EDIT: nope, it appears to be true (http://www.unilever.co.uk/ourbrands/foods/bovril.asp). Crazy.

[Tad]

In the most-likely-never-to-be-produced third Hellboy Animated film, we had Von Klempt be the expert on Vril which he needed to power his zombie army that you've seen in the comics. He was stymied in the forties by Rasputin who turned the available resources to the experiment that brought Hellboy to Earth.

The lore of Vril is ripe with inspirational craziness, enough for dozens of stories.

Never managed to work the Bovril tea in though. Could've been a great product placement deal!

[Jr. Wormwood]

That would have been brilliant, Tad!

[Pumpkin King]

Oh Man! That would have been damn cool!

[Neil Hill]

Thanks for the wiki link, Maija! Very interesting reading, to say the least.

[Kelly Tindall]

Picked it up yesterday, enjoyed it muchly.

I think the thing I am enjoying most about Lobster Johnson is the focused randomness... The yeti zombie popping up, only to be toasted by LJ's goon squad, the totally-insane-yet-oddly-necessary monkey fight at the end (almost Screw-On Head zany!) and Gallaragas's brain-in-a-jar murder.

Not too impressed to see the Nazis show up again, but they DO make good villains.

[Maija]

Not too impressed to see the Nazis show up again, but they DO make good villains.
Who did you expect, the Spanish Inquisition? ;)

Seriously though, they don't just make good villains, they are the Lobster's arch-nemeses after all. That precedent was already laid down in Conqueror Worm (and, obliquely, The Black Flame). Since we've gone back in time with this story, Nazis were inevitable, especially in the run-up to WWII. Anyone with world-dominating intentions who was not a Nazi was at least in league with them. I don't think it was possible to battle evil in 1937 and not stumble over them. To be surprised by Nazis at this point would be like being surprised that Indiana Jones ran into Nazis in The Last Crusade.

[Kelly Tindall]

Yeah, I know... I was really enjoying the yeti cult. Nazis don't usually have mandrills for bodyguards, you know?

Still hoping for cannibal hobos to show up. (And their Bob Dylan-like leader maybe?)

[Maija]

Still hoping for cannibal hobos to show up. (And their Bob Dylan-like leader maybe?)
Lobster Johnson is quickly becoming a multiverse nexus that is apparently also going to connect to the cannibal hobos in The Goon's universe. :p

Boy, how weird would a Goon/LJ crossover be?

[Donald]

I don't think that's the Black Flame ....


I dunno, the Prof showed Jim what's outside the universe, probably the same thing Rasputin saw when he was drowning and was touched by the Ogdru-Jahad. Even if Jim didn't come back from that a bit crazy, I can see Rasputin recruiting him to his inner circle since he has seen the workings of the universe as well. Copying the technology made be easy but copying the "Face burned off and still alive" thing is trickyer to pull off. Probably...

[Maija]

Copying the technology made be easy but copying the "Face burned off and still alive" thing is trickyer to pull off. Probably...
Are you referring to the skull floating in the flame of the Black Flame suit? I'm pretty sure that was a mask. (But dammit, that's the one TPB I don't have and I've given the issues away so I can't check).

[shonokin]

I was just reading some stuff about Willy Ley, cryptozoology, rocket science and Nazi occultism. It's funny how much it all goes together. Anyway, if you are interested in the Nazi occult and Vril stuff, I stumbled on this article Occult Roots of Nazism (http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v11/v11p121_Grimstad.html).

Just thought it was relevant and should share.

[Donald]

Are you referring to the skull floating in the flame of the Black Flame suit? I'm pretty sure that was a mask.

The modern day Black Flame (Pope) was a suit and a mask/helmet, but the original one :confused: . The only image we've seen of him (that I recall) was a scrapbook photo with him on a plane's wing. He could be anything and I can't believe Mike would put a guy in a skull mask when he could having him walking around without a face instead.

[Maija]

I thought the original Black Flame suit (with mask) hung in the secret Nazi museum of the guy who built the modern day Black Flame suit?

[Gary_B]

I thought the original Black Flame suit (with mask) hung in the secret Nazi museum of the guy who built the modern day Black Flame suit?

I just looked at The Black Flame tpb and it looks like the original Black Flame's remains were displayed in a case in Pope's secret room in the sub-basement of ZINCo headquarters but it's kind of hard to tell if the head is a mask or a skull. There's a baby-faced-monkey-in-a-jar, too!

[Gary_B]

Double-plus-post.

Double-plus-post.

[Donald]

I thought the original Black Flame suit (with mask) hung in the secret Nazi museum of the guy who built the modern day Black Flame suit?

Yes but "The Iron Prometheus" takes place in the 30s so the ORIGINAL Black Flame is running loose or hasn't been "born" yet. Jim may be the original Black Flame, that's what I'm trying to get at. Original. :rolleyes:

[Kelly Tindall]

The original Black Flame was an actual skeleton. It's pretty easy to tell... He's just bones on the Mignola-drawn cover and he's a dessicated skeleton hanging in Pope's office. His leg bones have actually come apart.

Mike designed him to be the Red Skull of the Hellboy universe... Pope was more like a Doctor Doom, but became something else.

[Maija]

Yes but "The Iron Prometheus" takes place in the 30s so the ORIGINAL Black Flame is running loose or hasn't been "born" yet. Jim may be the original Black Flame, that's what I'm trying to get at. Original. :rolleyes:

Geeaaad, I know I'm a nerd when... :rolleyes:

[Engage fun-draining argument about superhero costume:] Yes, I too am talking about the ORIGINAL Black Flame, the one identified as such in the scrapbook that Johann found, who was hanging in Popes office. You thought the only image available of the original Black Flame was in the scrapbook and I was pointing out that we also see the suit hanging in Pope's office.

Without the advantage of the TPB to refer to, my recollection is that The Black Flame was a Nazi, and whose outfit was totally different. (The trenchcoat-wearing fellow certainly doesn't seem to be up to any good on the wing of the USAF craft). I'm given the impression that Jim still needs to be in the suit to channel the Vril and that he's also an Ally. Unless he has a startling change of allegiance and costume I'm not betting he's The Black Flame. If he is, I'll be a little annoyed if that kind of 180 degree change in character takes place in one issue. There had better be a damned good explanation for something that has no precedent in the story so far.

Meanwhile, sixty year old remains don't confirm that the living Black Flame was a skeleton. Sure he's a skeleton now.

Have we noted that The Suit is also in Johann's scrapbook, being fought by American G.I.s with flamethrowers? (The suit itself is in the basement room of junk as I noted earlier). So maybe Jim does turn, or the Nazi's swipe the technology. We'll find out in January. (We'd better).

[Maija]

I have the feeling that the final issue isn't going to offer a lot of conclusions and it's just going to set things up for the next arc. I could see an entire arc tracing Jim's fall from grace. Thing is, there hasn't been any mention so far of more Lobster Johnson and BPRD: 1946 is going to be about vampires.

[Angilas-Man]

Okay, I read the first issue and then my life got pretty busy for a while... but last night I sat down with issues 1-4 and read them in one setting. I've got to say that it's an amazing series and that I really loved all the connections to rest of the Hellboy universe.



In the most-likely-never-to-be-produced third Hellboy Animated film, we had Von Klempt be the expert on Vril which he needed to power his zombie army that you've seen in the comics. He was stymied in the forties by Rasputin who turned the available resources to the experiment that brought Hellboy to Earth.


Maybe if the third movie is looking less and less possible you should try to make it into a comic? Sounds like a cool story.

[Kelly Tindall]

Meanwhile, sixty year old remains don't confirm that the living Black Flame was a skeleton. Sure he's a skeleton now.

Tut, tut! We do have a picture!

The Black Flame appears to have been a skeleton while he was alive, as well. (http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=10-779) He is alight here, while his death apparently made his powers expire.

Mike mentioned in the Black Flame TPB's opening essay that The Flame was meant to be like The Red Skull.

[Maija]

That's not The Black Flame in action, that's The Black Flame on a Mike Mignola cover where things are often symbolic rather than literal.

I'm not saying he isn't, I'm just saying that's not very sturdy evidence.

The original Red Skulls wore a red skull mask (notably WWII era), and none of the Red Skulls was ever an undead skeleton, so that's not definitive either.

I want to see a flaming skeleton running around, dammit! :p

[Sparky]

I'm going to feel all weird and occultish now when I make French onion dip with onion flakes and Bovril. I wonder if I should be saying some kind of incantation as I stir it?

Yeah, I feel the same way whenever I make scrambled eggs with Cthork*:

http://www.phobe.com/cthork_box.jpg

Next they're going to be telling us Cheez Whiz is made with REAL WIZARDS!


*A canned meat product popular in R'lyeh and Hawaii.

[Tad]

I'm expecting that in my Christmas gift basket, Sparky.

[Maija]

Hahahahahaha! Awesome, in the "inspiring terrifying awe" sense.

What's the text stamped on the top of the tin... or will reading it render me insane?

The Burns Meats knock-off product is called "Spthulhu".

[Kelly Tindall]

I'm not saying he isn't, I'm just saying that's not very sturdy evidence.

I want to see a flaming skeleton running around, dammit!

Me too! I wouldn't be surprised if we end up seeing stories involving the original Flame, The Crimson Lotus, and the Prometheus robot... They might be LJ stories or Broom flashbacks, but I know they're coming. I agree the evidence is apocryphal, but I have the definite feeling that I'm on the right track.

Both Black Flames (past and modern) are great designs, by the way.

Back on LJ... Didn't Jim's skeleton crumble away after he 'died'? I don't believe for a moment that he would give up cosmic awareness to join the Nazi party, either. I'm betting that the orphaned Iron Prometheus tech will be co-opted by a blinded Nazi party, who won't realize the extent of what they've got...

As for the Flame, I have no idea. It certainly LOOKS like vril energy swirling about him, doesn't it?

[Sparky]

What's the text stamped on the top of the tin... or will reading it render me insane?


"Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" (Abandon hope, all ye that enter here)
from Dante's Divine Comedy, of course!

I think the FDA mandates this warning be clearly labeled on all supernatural foods.

[Maija]

"Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" (Abandon hope, all ye that enter here)
from Dante's Divine Comedy, of course!

I think the FDA mandates this warning be clearly labeled on all supernatural foods.
I dunno, if Steve Don't Eat It* has taught me anything, it's that there are plenty of perfectly natural foodstuffs that should come with that warning.

http://i16.tinypic.com/6u4nwud.jpg

*So as not to further threadjack, I won't link Steve Don't Eat It. There's always Google. But Warning: it's not safe for lunch!

[taburn]

Back on LJ... Didn't Jim's skeleton crumble away after he 'died'? I don't believe for a moment that he would give up cosmic awareness to join the Nazi party, either. I'm betting that the orphaned Iron Prometheus tech will be co-opted by a blinded Nazi party, who won't realize the extent of what they've got...


I would second that. Not only did his body crumble, but he also says that he had one thing to do before joining the universe. He then kills most of Memnan Saa's men. The suit itself is pretty beat up. Looking at the picture that Johann finds in the scrapbook, you can see that the suit is whole. It is therefore more than likely a new suit.

[Mike Cross]

Steve don't eat it Vol.5 made me laugh out loud, not once, not twice, but 3 times! Hilarious site...

[Kelly Tindall]

The suit itself is pretty beat up. Looking at the picture that Johann finds in the scrapbook, you can see that the suit is whole. It is therefore more than likely a new suit.

The suit in the scrapbook doesn't even look human... The outfit has to be ten or more feet tall.

[Jankenstein]

The final issue of the first series isn't out, and I'm already looking forward to another LJ series. :D

[Myron L]

An action-packed finish to the series !!! Much fun to read ! The only disappointment in the whole thing was reading Scott's commentary at the end declaring no immediate plans for more LoJo...c'mon...stop baiting us...this is the year of the Hellboy ! You could make it happen...lol

Seriously, thanks for a great series and 2007 !
Here's to 2008 !
Cheers !

[Asa]

:eek: The last issue is out?. I was looking for it on the DH website for the date. I quess I missed it. I will avoid thread till i get it.:(

[Todd H]

:eek: The last issue is out?. I was looking for it on the DH website for the date. I quess I missed it. I will avoid thread till i get it.:(

This last issue felt...rushed almost. I'm going to go back and reread the whole series and see if that helps. Maybe I just need a recap for it to make more sense. As of right now I feel like we needed one more issue.

[Doc Thunder]

PsychoFyre (and everyone else)

Thanks for reading this first Lobster Johnson series -- I had a great time working on it and totally enjoyed working with Mr Mignola and the entire Dark Horse crew. What a lot of fun!

Jason :)

[gdeo]

Big Bad Jason....great job on this series,i hope it continues for you and everyone....whats up for you next?...back to the topic at hand ....this was an enjoyable run...from the story ,to the art,to the coloring,lettering everything.it was a fun ride.i hope the next chapter happens:D

[Kelly Tindall]

I don't know how I feel about The Iron Prometheus yet... It felt very random, but I enjoyed it a lot. There might have been too much going on... I would have really liked a couple of quick character beats in regards to LJ himself, perhaps... But it's tough, he's intentionally enigmatic and that's a good way for him to be. Maybe he likes kitties or something?

Jason, if you're still reading; good job, man. Your art (inks especially) were an influence on a story I did that's being printed in the Image book Proof this month. I loved your work on Johnson, and I can't wait to see more from you.

[Gary_B]

I just finished it. As is so often the case with a Mignola story some of the things I've been wondering about got answered but they got answered in a way that brings up a bunch more questions. Arrrggghhhh!!!

Those German submarines were sure cool. Especially the little one. It was so cute! I thought it was a nice touch that Lobster runs around branding people and then snake-guy goes and brands him.

[Myron L]

Jason...you and Mike did a super job...from story to pulp feel and atmosphere...I took it for what it is...a fun ride indeed !

[Mikolaj]

That was a great, solid read! The paste of the story was a bit unusually fast for a Mignola script but did that affect the story in any negative way? no sirs! It made it even more pulpish! Great Jason art, also! Oh... and once again: on the way of getting answeres we end up with even more questions.

As to the "be my minion" label. I guess that the recnet BPRD Lobster-incident shows that he must have somehow escaped the grasp of the devil at some point. I wonder if the death was, by any chance the thing that made his free of the goddes-influence or is it this very influence that still holds him to this mortal plane. "Till the end of your days" promise sugessts that only after his demise could the lobster fight the true evil. It is another question if his death was not orchestrated by the LJ, himself in order to be free.



Another thoght... What if the hyperborean goddes is the one that the ferie world is electing their new leader in the Darkness Calls?

[Neil Hill]

That was a great, solid read!

I couldn't agree more. Unusually for me, the story felt very complete- as this hasn't been the norm for me where Mignola stories are concerned of late. Granted, more questions were raised than were answered (as Gary highlighted), but after the roller coaster ride of the previous several issues, it was nice for things to end as they did- leaving a portent of possibility which I enjoyed- and not keep that fireball of activity going through the final issue.

The reader could tell Mike really had a ball with this story, and embraced the subject matter unabashedly and with full awareness (seemingly) of the genre and genre specific characters he was paying homage to. In fact, if there's one thing Mike does incredibly well with his writing these days it's understand completely what kind of writer he is and how to use his strengths to best advantage. Even a year ago I wouldn't have said that, but anymore he seems completely at Zen level peace with what kind of writer he is and how to communicate his odd sense of the world via the written word.

Kudos also to the series artist for getting inside Mike's wet, sticky thoughts and bringing his vision to the page with gorgeous artwork! Very few artists anymore really capture the essence of Mike's 'insanity' the way Jason did here (Guy being the exception, with a style all his own) without the nod to Mike's work being more overt, but Jason pulled it off beautifully.

I've said it before and I'll repeat it here; I think it would be a crying shame if LJ didn't become an ongoing, with Jason as series artist!

[Maija]

:eek: The last issue is out?. I was looking for it on the DH website for the date. I quess I missed it. I will avoid thread till i get it.:(
Yeah, unfortunately the Dark Horse database engine is an imperfect and aggravating machine. It never gathers everything Hellboy related when you click on "Comics" or "Books" and always gathers a few things totally unrelated to Hellboy. Either items aren't tagged properly or the search queries aren't built properly. Lobster Johnson hardly shows up. To find it I have to click on the one issue of Lobster Johnson that does show up when you click "Comics" and then click on Jason Armstrong's name.

But anyway...

This was a really good series. It doesn't quite match the BPRD for heart-pounding action and the depth of the drama, but it was a really fun, satisfying read in the end. I was hoping for some clue as to why Lobster Johnson showed up in Killing Ground and got one so that alone was a good payoff for me, but the underwater Nazi fight was terrific. I am quite fond of the one page towards the end where we see a bedraggled Lobster Johnson looking like the Creature From The Black Lagoon after a bad day at the office. He's just saved all of Manhattan and as thanks he's about to get arrested. :)

The issue left us with quite a few things to ponder:

1) Who is "she" of the statue with the cup?

2) I think that Lobster Johnson might still exist in this world as something more than a ghost because his soul has been bound to the snakeman, even though he's obviously able to fight against him. I was a little confused initially about how the medallion-bomb came to be on his person, but I assume that in the branding of Lobster Johnson's spirit-world self, the snakeman gave him the means to survive in this world so that he can continue to do the snakeman's bidding.

3) The last time we see the Vril suit helmet is on the Nazi submarine moments before it is blown up so how did it end up at BPRD headquarters?

[rhboyd]

point of weird interest... the Nazi guy with the goatee?

Jason used my head as reference... ahhh infamy.

-r!

[Maija]

point of weird interest... the Nazi guy with the goatee?

Jason used my head as reference... ahhh infamy.

-r!
You mean the American thug working for the Nazis? Yeah, I can see a resemblance. :)

[Kelly Tindall]

3) The last time we see the Vril suit helmet is on the Nazi submarine moments before it is blown up so how did it end up at BPRD headquarters?

Was the helmet at BPRD HQ? I know there was a picture of a gigantic Iron Prometheus fighting American soldiers in Johann's file, (from The Dead) and another file with a guy (Gallaragas?) holding a helmet (Garden of Souls) but I don't remember the actual helmet.

Do you mean a scene from The Dead? Where Eis kills everyone?

Man, I gotta re-read these books.

[Maija]

BTW a little birdie told me to check out BPRD: The Dead issue 2 page 18 panel 3 lower right corner!

It's a (sort of) entire suit and there are slight design differences so it might be a Nazi version built off of the prototype.

[rhboyd]

You mean the American thug working for the Nazis? Yeah, I can see a resemblance. :)

http://www.ronboyd.com/ImageHost/NaziRon.jpg

Heh...

-r!

[Timaximus]

1) Who is "she" of the statue with the cup?


The Black Goddess - cf. The Island. The statue's been in the background of several of Snake-Guy's scenes with Liz. The Black Goddess is my pick (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showpost.php?p=5830807&postcount=165) for the "blood queen" in Darkness Calls, based solely on a hunch.

[Gary_B]

The Black Goddess - cf. The Island. The statue's been in the background of several of Snake-Guy's scenes with Liz. The Black Goddess is my pick (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showpost.php?p=5830807&postcount=165) for the "blood queen" in Darkness Calls, based solely on a hunch.

I think you are probably right but I have to be honest and say that I'm backing you up for the most part because your avatar is really frickn' cool.

[Neil Hill]

3) The last time we see the Vril suit helmet is on the Nazi submarine moments before it is blown up so how did it end up at BPRD headquarters?

Well, if they (meaning the Nazis or those they are in league with) have seen the helmet once (meaning during the course of this LJ story), whose to say they couldn't manufacturer another, create a duplicate based on pictures/references, or that the helmet didn't somehow 'survive' the explosion? :) I'm probably wrong with all of these assumptions, but maybe not.

[Todd H]

Biggest crime against comic geeks this year? No current plans for this book to be picked up as a series. I'll miss the campy, pulpy action of the claw. Who do we need to talk to to get Jason a full time Lobster gig?

Ok so maybe it's not as big a crime as Marvel retconning the last 20 years of Spider-Man's history but still :D

[rhboyd]

Ok so maybe it's not as big a crime as Marvel retconning the last 20 years of Spider-Man's history but still :D

amen.... what a cop-out way of getting out of some bad writing choices.

Mephisto...

pheh!
-r!

[Mikolaj]

Ok so maybe it's not as big a crime as Marvel retconning the last 20 years of Spider-Man's history but still :D

Yeah... I'd love to know what quesada was smoking, because I want some too. That stuff would make a giraff in a polo look like a super-model (not that I work at a zoo or anything...). :rolleyes:

[Pumpkin King]

I need more CLAW!

[Neil Hill]

amen.... what a cop-out way of getting out of some bad writing choices.

Mephisto...

pheh!
-r!

I realize this is not a bash Marvel board or even a bash Marvel thread, but I just have to back up what is being said about that awful Spiderman retcon! I read that final issue of One More Day (should have been 'One More Dollar') and felt like slapping someone silly- more than like J. Quesada!! What an awful decision on the part of Marvel editorial to not only do away with the recent history of Parker's marriage, but also his identity being outed. One more nail in the coffin for readers who already distrust so-called big event changes by major companies. If changes are going to be erased almost as soon as they are put in place, what's the friggin point of instituting them in the first place!?!

Thank God the Hellboy universe- although unpredictable and oft leaving readers with more questions than answers- doesn't retcon itself every month by bringing back previously dead characters, erasing major events, etc.

[Kelly Tindall]

To be honest, Neil, that might change if Hellboy and B.P.R.D. were published for fifty years.

I'm just happy we have such good books right now; they have the only continuity that interests me.

[taburn]

The Black Goddess - cf. The Island. The statue's been in the background of several of Snake-Guy's scenes with Liz. The Black Goddess is my pick (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showpost.php?p=5830807&postcount=165) for the "blood queen" in Darkness Calls, based solely on a hunch.

I believe that the black goddess is Hecate. Here are my arguments:
1- In wake the devil, it is mentioned that Hecate was cursed by Toth in Hyperborea and that she was run out of his temple when she was found out (This is what is also said about the black goddess in both Hollow Earth and the Island. Also, in issue#4 page 4 of that series you can see the face of the black goddess statue.
2- In B.P.R.D. Hollow Earth, when the Ural Monks are reading from their sacred text they refer to the black goddess as Heca.
3- Nemnan Saa has that snake pattern going on.

I think that Nemnan Saa doesn't know that Hecate is "awake" (she was awaken by Giurescu's dad in 1492) and that he thinks that she still is in hyperborea buried somewhere.

My guess for who the blood queen is (but I'll have to re-read Darkness Calls to get a better idea) is that it may be Elisabeth Bathory.

[Juno9]

I agree with you on the "Black Goddess" being Hecate, but the "Queen of Blood" alluded to in Darkness Calls is not her. My reading of mythology makes me suspect that the likely candidate is Nicevenn, a lady of the "wild hunt" in celtic mythology. Remember that the follow up to Darkness Calls is to be titled "The Wild Hunt". This was my tip-off. Nicevenn is a good fit also because she belongs to the pantheon of celtic Britain, as opposed to Ireland. Also, she is associated with the particular regions of England mentioned in Darkness Calls--where the monastery is located under which she is imprisoned. It is also known that the Romans associated Nicevenn with Diana, their "lady of the wilderness." Another interesting association is that Diana herself is also known as the queen of witches, or at least one of their queens. Of course, it could also be Morgan Le Fay, the british version of the Morrigan, but I don't know if Morgan Le Fay is associated with that particular region of Britain in the same way as Nicevenn.

I wonder why they did not choose the Baba Yaga as their queen. She seemed like the obvious choice to me.

[Neil Hill]

I agree with you on the "Black Goddess" being Hecate, but the "Queen of Blood" alluded to in Darkness Calls is not her. My reading of mythology makes me suspect that the likely candidate is Nicevenn, a lady of the "wild hunt" in celtic mythology. Remember that the follow up to Darkness Calls is to be titled "The Wild Hunt". This was my tip-off.

Superb detective work here! Knowing Mike the way I think I do (although ever mercurial and changing he is), it's most likely Nicevenn. Morgana seems like she'd be much too over-used for Mike and the kinds of stories he tells.

That being said, I've been wrong before, and that's fine.

[Juno9]

I have a nagging suspicion that by the end of "The Wild Hunt" story arc, Hecate will be back. I don't even know why I think so. It's just a hunch. Maybe it's just that Nicevenn is a relative unknown compared to Hecate, and she simply doesn't have Hecate's mystique. Would you agree?

[Kelly Tindall]

Hecate will have to bust a serious move to get out of her current predicament.

[Juno9]

She's done it before. Remember how in "Wake the Devil", Hellboy killed her by bringing her out of the castle and exposing her to sunlight? She came back in the same story through the ritual that Rasputin performed on Ilsa Haupstein, turning her into the "new" Hecate, apparently by sacrificing her within an iron maiden.

[Neil Hill]

She's done it before. Remember how in "Wake the Devil", Hellboy killed her by bringing her out of the castle and exposing her to sunlight? She came back in the same story through the ritual that Rasputin performed on Ilsa Haupstein, turning her into the "new" Hecate, apparently by sacrificing her within an iron maiden.

You just can't keep a good Goddess down, no?

[pimpernel]

I agree with you on the "Black Goddess" being Hecate, but the "Queen of Blood" alluded to in Darkness Calls is not her. My reading of mythology makes me suspect that the likely candidate is Nicevenn, a lady of the "wild hunt" in celtic mythology. Remember that the follow up to Darkness Calls is to be titled "The Wild Hunt". This was my tip-off. Nicevenn is a good fit also because she belongs to the pantheon of celtic Britain, as opposed to Ireland. Also, she is associated with the particular regions of England mentioned in Darkness Calls--where the monastery is located under which she is imprisoned. It is also known that the Romans associated Nicevenn with Diana, their "lady of the wilderness." Another interesting association is that Diana herself is also known as the queen of witches, or at least one of their queens. Of course, it could also be Morgan Le Fay, the british version of the Morrigan, but I don't know if Morgan Le Fay is associated with that particular region of Britain in the same way as Nicevenn.

I wonder why they did not choose the Baba Yaga as their queen. She seemed like the obvious choice to me.

Juno can you reccomend me any good books or sites where i can learn more about the British/Scottish pantheons please? All i can find is stuff on the Celtic pantheon (which usually covers Ireland but ignores Britain) and the Anglo-Saxons.

[Juno9]

Sure thing. I can recommend some books. Scottish Myths, by Robert Maclagan is full of stories that focus on Scotland. Celtic Myths and Legends, by Peter Beresford Ellis is good because it covers all the celtic ethnic groups of the British Isles and northern France. I will also recommend The White Goddess, by Robert Graves, just because I know of a few comic book writers who have cited this great book as a reference and an inspiration.

For websites I can recommend wikipedia.org, and about.com. The internet is tough because you get mostly pagan sites which lump all the celtic pantheons together under the name "celtic", which they also use synonymously with "Irish", blurring the distinctions and causing confusion. There seems to be a mistaken assumption that all the celtic groups had the same gods and the same myths. The assumption is aided by the fact that you can find similarly named deities across the celtic pantheons, but you probably know that.

There is an anthology of French/celtic folktales called Provencal Tales, which I read many years ago while in high school. The stories in it were very powerful and moving, and substantially different from the Irish and Scottish folklore and myth I have read. I recommend Provencal Tales if you can still find it in print. I would check my local library before I go looking in the bookstore. Libraries can have great books that are still in print, and others that may no longer be in print, while the bookstores can only give you a selection of what is currently published.

[pimpernel]

Ah fantastic mate, i'll look those up on Abebooks or something.

Are those all folktales/stories tho? Cos i could really use some sort of basic scholarly overview of the British dieties and their cosmology.

I've heard of the White Goddess before... i think Pat Mills used it a lot for Slaine: the Horned God.

And yeah the internet is a nightmare for research. I'm researching a particular pantheon at the moment for a horror story i'm writing, and it seems like every single site on the net has simply copied and pasted from Wikipedia, which has almost nothing on this pantheon anyway.

[Juno9]

The first two books I recommended are scholarly. If you are doing research for a fictional story though, the library is your best friend. A local university library will allow you to read their books on site, and even photocopy, but not check them out. Your local library may or may not have a good myth and folklore collection. And don't dismiss folktales. They can be very powerful vehicles for old myths.

[pimpernel]

I can't find the Peter Beresford Ellis book listed anywhere, and according to Wikipedia he didn't write a book with that title?

Good idea about the libraries, but it's not really an option in this area sadly.

EDIT: found it. For some reason Amazon just refused to acknowledge that the book exists, no matter how i searched for it. In the end stumbled across it while searching for an unrelated book. Bizarre.

[Kees_L]

Finally got around to reading Prometheus, being slow but also having felt (like an itch inside my hand palm) a full LoJo mini would just never be as quirkily cool as it should be. Boy was I wrong!
The same bare elegance or fluency in the story that struck me in HB, possibly higher paced more often, underlining the pulpy feel, dark and quirky. Not only does the story surpass my expectations, it (as stated earlier in this thread) clearly shows the enjoyment of its maker. Jason Armstrong's art suffices also, IN A TERRIFIC MANNER I might add. Perfectly as how mr. Scott Allie put it: 'wild energy'.
For me personally Prometheus ranks right up with HB and BPRD's best. Must be 'cause I like blunt, high-paced stories. (I can't find any reprints of 'The Lobster' though. I did manage to order the DVD through a Mexican website for an arm and a leg but it hasn't come in as yet... ;))

[Maija]

I am quite fond of the one page towards the end where we see a bedraggled Lobster Johnson looking like the Creature From The Black Lagoon after a bad day at the office. He's just saved all of Manhattan and as thanks he's about to get arrested. :)

So Jason was here in Calgary but I ended up going all the way to Toronto to get my Lobster Johnson pages because I am a doofus. But I was so pleased to find this page still available! :)

http://maijagraham.com/linkable/ljpage19.jpg

I also got the following page which, in the printed book, has Lobster Johnson gazing upon a Hyperborean City, but Jason added it in digitally. So the original page features a provocative white void, which I rather like. Plus the lower panel is a fantastic image of the Lobster, and it comes with sampling of the mysterious (and sure to be pivotal in the Hellboy universe) Black Goddess.

http://maijagraham.com/linkable/ljpage03.jpg

I also like that I can photoshop other things into the white void for Lobster Johnson to be in awe of. :biggrin: (Sorry, Jason!)

http://maijagraham.com/linkable/ljpagelion.jpg

Biggest crime against comic geeks this year? No current plans for this book to be picked up as a series. I'll miss the campy, pulpy action of the claw. Who do we need to talk to to get Jason a full time Lobster gig?

NO KIDDING!!

I just re-read the series and it was a pile o' fun just begging to be carried on. I so want to see Lobster Johnson encountering the other villains from Johann's scrapbook. Reading this series reminds me of when I was eight, laying on the purple carpet in the living room of my babysitter's house on a rainy afternoon reading my babysitter's brother's old EC comics.

Thanks again, Jason, for your work on Lobster Johnson and for just generally being swell. :)

[morna]

Ha! awesome. You just crack me up.

[Kees_L]

Maija, big congrats on a terrific void!
(And the rest of the superb Alexander art of course.)
To me it's bits like this (the void) that usually make for a solid art collection addition.
I mean how to tell a piece should specificly be owned by you.
So it's good to hear you enjoy it the way you do (if not I'd like to buy it of you.)

[Maija]

I think the white area turns it into quite a striking composition. It has the whole Golden Mean thing working for it. And with Lobster Johnson's supernatural apparitions later on, the blank space seems to suggest the Undiscovered Country that he exists on the borders of. Of course, in the story he is beyond the veil in that scene but the blank void is even more suggestive.

Sorry, but it's not for sale! :wink:

[Mike Cross]

Great pages Maija..very really cool!