Lobster Johnson
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| Lobster Johnson | |
 Lobster Johnson |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
| First appearance | 1999 |
| Created by | Mike Mignola |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Unknown |
| Team affiliations | United States of America |
Lobster Johnson is a fictional character featured in the Hellboy and Bureau For Paranormal Research and Defense comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. He was created by Mike Mignola.
Within the Hellboy universe, Lobster Johnson was a vigilante who worked in secret in New York City during the 1930s. Although the public believes that The Lobster was only the hero of pulp serials and comics, he was a real man who faced gangsters as well as paranormal threats. Johnson had a reputation for violence, such as killing mobsters and burning his trademark lobster claw symbol into their foreheads. This behavior was similar to the Marvel UK pulp character Night Raven, and the pulp magazine hero The Spider.
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[edit] History and death
Johnson's first appearance was in the story "The Killer in My Skull" from Hellboy: Box Full of Evil #1. Johnson and his sidekick investigate a series of bizarre deaths which appear to have been committed using telekinesis. Late in the Thirties, Lobster Johnson and his sidekick shifted to deal more with the Nazi threat to the United States. One of his unsuccessful missions (told in flashback during the story "Night Train") involved the escape of a Nazi criminal who destroyed a train full of scientists bound for The Manhattan Project. This mission led to the death of Johnson's sidekick. Johnson began to work as an independent agent for the US government.
Lobster Johnson's final mission was an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the Nazis from launching a space capsule at Hunte Castle, Austria on 20 March 1939 (in the prologue of Hellboy: The Conqueror Worm). Although he managed to force the roof of Hunte Castle to close before the launch, the capsule managed to burst through. The subsequent explosion and fire within the castle killed everyone except Nazi scientist Herman von Klempt.
[edit] The Ghost of Lobster Johnson
During the modern-day events of Hellboy: Conqueror Worm, Johnson appeared to Roger the homunculus. Johnson leads Roger back to Hellboy, and the two creatures contained The Conqueror Worm and destroyed Herman von Klempt. Johnson himself was responsible for destroying The Conqueror Worm; this action saved Roger's life. After the work was done, all that was left of Johnson was a desiccated skeleton, with bullet holes where the ghost had been shot. What happened to Johnson's remains after this has never been revealed.
Johnson's ghost was one of the strongest ghosts yet seen in the Hellboy universe. He was completely corporeal when he chose to be, firing his pistol and burning his sign into the forehead of his victims. It would appear that Johnson's death greatly increased his powers, as opposed to the Ghost of Rasputin, who was rendered almost immaterial by his death at Hellboy's hand.
Lobster Johnson's ghost would appear to Roger again as a spirit guide in "Night Train", as Roger captured the Nazi that accidentally slew Johnson's sidekick. Johnson played a passive role in this adventure, riding the Night Train with the dead Allied soldiers instead of assisting Roger physically.
[edit] The Iron Prometheus
Lobster Johnson eventually starred in his own limited series, Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus, which was published in 2007 by Dark Horse Comics. The story was written by creator Mike Mignola and illustrated by Jason Armstrong. Set in the 1930's, the tale follows the still-living Johnson as he and his allies face the Nazi threat as well as cannibals and yeti.[1]
Photographs of the Iron Prometheus character can be seen in the B.P.R.D. stories The Dead and Garden of Souls; Johnson's calling card can clearly be seen in the latter story.
[edit] B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground
Lobster Johnson's ghost made a surprise appearance at the conclusion of B.P.R.D.: Killing Ground #4. After the apparent death of Johann Kraus, Kraus's ectoplasmic spirit rose from his corpse. The ectoplasm formed Johnson's ghost, which smashed into the Bureau's infirmary and shot Liz Sherman repeatedly. The shots did not kill Sherman (instead harming a ghost that had possessed her) and Johnson's form vanished. Whether or not he will re-appear has not been revealed, although the cover of the upcoming B.P.R.D.: The Warning #1 suggests his involvement.
[edit] Other media
- In 2005, Lobster Johnson was part of the first Hellboy Comic action figure line from Mezco Toyz.[2] A clear plastic version of the toy was released as a convention exclusive at the San Diego Comicon. It was called 'the Ghost of Lobster Johnson.'
- Guillermo Del Toro has stated that Lobster will not appear in Hellboy 2: The Golden Army due to Mike Mignola's wish to remain true to the character's origin. Del Toro has stated that Johnson may be seen in Hellboy 3 and that he hoped Bruce Campbell would play the role.
- Lobster Johnson will appear in the projected third Hellboy Animated movie, The Phantom Claw, where he will assist Hellboy and Kate Corrigan in battling the ghost of Rasputin.[3] Johnson has a brief cameo in the second film, Blood and Iron, after the credits, as the hero involved in Hellboy's appearance on earth. This part was played in the original story by The Torch of Liberty, who was a creation of John Byrne.
- Lobster Johnson has figures in Wizkids' Indy Heroclix.
- In 2007, Dark Horse produced a magnet that bore Lobster Johnson's animated design, based on his brief appearance in Hellboy Animated.[4]
[edit] Collections
Trade paperback collections include:
- Lobster Johnson: Iron Prometheus (by Mike Mignola and Jason Armstrong, 2007, tpb June 2008, ISBN 1593079753)
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Lobster Johnson at the Comic Book DB
[edit] External links
- Review of Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus #1, Comics Bulletin
- Jason Armstrong Cooks with Lobster Johnson, Comics Bulletin, October 24, 2007
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