Lobster Johnson: A Scent of Lotus is every bit as pulpy noir as it is Lovecraftian. It is the rare balance of where the crime noir shore meets the ocean of lost myths and stories. It is this humble, yet amazingly well spoken and good-looking, writer’s opinion that Lobster Johnson is one of the best of the many spinoffs in the Hellboy universe.

The most profound thing about the book was Dave Stewart’s fantastic use of color. In the opening pages, the use of oranges and reds pops against the dismal background of a noir city is phenomenal, and as the book develops so does the color palette. When so many other books treat color as simply something you just do, it is nice to see someone using it in a creative and compelling fashion.

Sebastián Fiumara is a new artist for me, but now I want to go look up his whole portfolio. His work in the book ranges from near hyper realistically detailed faces to stylistic drawings that elegantly purvey speed. While Mignola and Arcudi provide phenomenal dialogue and character interactions, the story is a bit predictable for anyone who knows Mignola, or his work. Still a thoroughly exciting cliffhanger, and a few questions left unanswered have left me wanting for the next book.

My only major complaint is that the book isn’t exactly pushing the boundaries of anything, and while it does everything that a comic book should, it isn’t innovating. Small complaints aside, read Lobster Johnson: A Scent of Lotus; it is definitely worth a shot even if you are not familiar with the series.