4 out of 5

LoJoooooooooo

…You’d think with a name like Hellboy and his pulpy appeared-from-Hell origin that the core Mignolaverse character would’ve remained a cheeky one-line dropper for his decades long publication run, but his comic world expanded and expanded and surprised us all as his story – and that of those around him – developed and evolved.  To Mignola’s credit, HB’s personality has remained the same, but his narrative did become infinitely more complex.

And around the M-Verse it’s been much the same: Abe Sapien got all dour; B.P.R.D. are forever in-fighting and splintering and dealing with Hell on Earth; Edward Grey is wrapped up in history; and a side-step to Baltimore has the vamp-hunter getting involved in his own set of lush wonders and frights.  Thankfully, for those times we want something that harkens back to that pulpy feel, and maybe without the weight of endless asterisks referencing previous issues, there’s been Lobster Johnson.  Maybe it’s the never-unmasked bit; maybe it’s his Shadow-esque way of keeping associates but always remaining a private fellow; maybe it’s just the forever chuckly spin on vigilante heroes with his tell-tale claw mark.  Whatever the case, there’s security in picking up a LoJo book and knowing that, more than likely, it’s going to be fun first.

Metal Monsters doesn’t let us down.  The great Tonci Zonjic gives us a Cameron Stewart-like cleanliness with looser detailing that results in an intriguing European look; his framing and paneling are stellar – perfectly timed action and acting emboldened by seamless page layout.  This gets a bump in moody effectiveness thanks to the always reliable Dave Stewart, who’s mastered the use of subtle pop colors in the otherwise blue and gray world.

To the story, well, it’s pretty much what the name portends: Metal monsters are attacking midtown.  Tonci’s designs on these are such era-appropriate wonders they end up looking like the most unique things ever; Arcudi’s twist to the tale is that the exact nature of their attacks are sort of unknown and thus that’s our first story step.  That the robot hides are seemingly impenetrable – able to withstand direct rocket blasts – puts a shorter timeline on the need to shut them down.

The resolution to the Why mystery is interesting, and I feel like marks the first time – or at least in a while – that LoJo nibbles directly at some Hellboy mythology (though hopefully there are no plans to move away from the title’s more isolated nature…) but puts us in a spot where the tidying up becomes a bit underwhelming.  Despite this, Metal Monster of Midtown is a grand Mignolaverse pulp fix; Arcudi, on his way out of B.P.R.D. shows he bears no ill will for the world and drops a story displaying his peak skills, perfectly matched to Tonci Zonjic’s electric but clean visuals.