5 out of 5

How can it be done this well, this consistently?  Although I must say, with Lobster Johnson’s more isolated connections to the HB world, this seems to be the team’s best outlet for the old school pulp stuff from which Hellboy sprang, so perhaps that’s why this little one shot or two-issue things come across so well.  ‘A Scent of Lotus,’ as that title (also pulpy…) may hint, is all Asianed up, with several gang killings leading cops and reporters and Lobster to the assumption that its some kind of localized gang war, but when we meet an assassin at the end of issue one, the plot just blossoms beautifully into a larger historical tale that carries with it gravity without weighing us down ‘neath extraneous explanations or dialogue.    Sebastián Fiumara’s art is pitch perfect, just sketchy and murky enough to work within the Mignola scheme but with only a dash of his brother’s odd human figures, blended with (probably thanks to colorist Dave Stewart) some Cameron Stewart formalism.  It’s a wonderful balance of realism, back-lit action and movement, and dirty fluidity via the sketchy inks.  Some of these shorts end too quickly, but our team finds the right flow here to somehow include an intro, a history lesson, and a coda.

I love that the Mignolaverse is expanding and expanding, but there are some issues that are taking a hit and feeling too welded into the over-arching story structure – like Abe Sapien.  Hopefully Mignola, Arcudi, and whoever else, will keep Lobster (or at least one book) loose and fun like this so we can continue to appreciate some legit pulp once a month or so.