Lobster Johnson: The Scent of Lotus #1
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Illustrated by Sebastian Fiumara
Colored by Dave Stewart
Lettered by Clem Robins
Cover by Tonci Zonjic
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: July 24, 2013
Cover Price: $3.50

In 1993, Mike Mignola created Hellboy and later, the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense), but he didn’t stop there, expanding the Hellboy mythos and with it, the Hellboy universe through an ongoing monthly series for both Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. With Dark Horse Comics as the home for the Hellboy universe, secondary, supporting characters have received their own spin-off series, including, most recently, Lobster Johnson, a pulp adventure-era costumed vigilante. Johnson made his first appearance in 1999, but didn’t get his own series until 2007. Since then, he’s appeared in no less than five additional series or one-shots, including Lobster Johnson: The Scent of Lotus, the first issue of a two-parter.

The Scent of Lotus #1 opens with a familiar, if not entirely unwelcome, scene – the titular character, Lobster Johnson, racing across a rooftop in pursuit of his prey. While his associates on the ground keep him apprised of developments via radio receiver (it’s the 1930s, after all), Johnson suspends his pursuit when he comes across a murdered Chinese courier. While he listens in from his rooftop perch, a girl reporter, Cindy (and Johnson ally), quizzes a couple of detectives about the crime. We soon learn the courier worked for the Chinese mob (tongs), but that connection did little to prevent his death to his superiors’ as yet unknown competitors for the underworld dollar.

The Creep
Written by John Arcudi
Art by Jonathan Case
Cover By Tonci Zonjic
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 24, 2013
Cover Price: $19.99

Heads up: The Creep is a bit of a downer. It’s a sullen and occasionally depressing crime mystery about Oxel Karnhus, a private investigator. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great story, just set The Creep aside if you’re having a bad day.

Oxel finds himself sucked into investigating a teen suicide case that the cops brushed aside. It’s a favor for Stephanie, an old flame from his younger days. Since they last saw each other, Oxel developed a case of acromegaly, a condition that causes body tissues to get larger over time. In Oxel’s case, his jaw grew crazy-huge like Rondo Hatton.

The Creep contains the full series which follows Oxel’s investigation into Curtis’ suicide. Apparently his suicide is somehow linked to his buddy, Mike’s suicide a few months earlier. These suicides lead directly to Jeff Brinke, Mike’s grizzly grandfather who took the boys out into the wilderness for some good, old fashioned outdoor activities. He was a role model for the kids and the woods gave them a release from the torturous existence of the image-conscious teenage world. Oxel digs into Jeff’s past and finds out that he has a past with mental issues and was admitted to a hospital at one point.

It’s cover preview time again with a five spot of covers from our friends at Dark Horse comics. Here is an exclusive first look at the covers for five books that will be released in February and April. Out in February is the issue #2 of Francesco Francavilla’s The Black Beetle (can’t wait for this series to come out!) Then in April we’ve got The Creep by John Arcudi (B.P.R.D., The Mask) and Jonathan Case (Green River Killer) with a cover by Tonci Zonjic.

Also in April are three volumes from Dark Horse’s manga line; Bride of the Water God volume 13, Oh My Goddess! volume 44 (I can’t believe this series has been going on for that long), and Gantz volume 27. Be sure to pre-order these and all the other fine books from Dark Horse comics.

Click on the images below for full-sized versions. Enjoy the covers!

Each and every week “I am the tag team champions!” Henchman21 AND “NO! I AM THE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!!!” MK2Fac3 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible”¦ theoretically. Naturally, they looks forward to some more than others. I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and they’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of October 17, 2012. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Well, well, well, look who’s making his triumphant return? It’s me, it’s me, it’s the d-o-double-me. That’s right, you might have thought I was dead, and I might have been, but I’ve been resurrected by a magical coven of three unholy sorceresses who wish to remain nameless. But much like a Marvel Zombie, not only am I amongst the walking dead, but I’ve also got the magical power of watching loads of professional wrestling and reading comics. There’s been a lot that I’ve missed out on, but let’s get back in the spirit of Halloween with some great comics that might just spook your brain. Well, at least my picks will do that, Chris on the other hand, he does whatever he wants. And oh yeah, Batman is freaking awesome. Get out of my face. GoD List!!!!

The Creep #2
Written by John Arcudi
Art by Jonathan Case
Cover By Ryan Sook
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: October 10, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

Oxel Karnhus is a private investigator who’s looking into a teen suicide case that the cops brushed aside. His main reason for even taking the case is because the client, Stephanie, is an old flame from his younger days. Since they last saw each other, Oxel developed a case of acromegaly, a condition that causes body tissues to get larger over time. In Oxel’s case, his jaw grew crazy-huge like Rondo Hatton.

The Creep follows Oxel’s investigation into Curtis’ suicide which is apparently linked to his buddy, Mike’s suicide a few months earlier. The Creep #2 continues the investigation as Oxel visits Mike’s mom, Laura. Steph interrupts his visit with a timely phone call describing Curtis’ grizzly father’s visit to her house that morning where he debo’d her credit card and slipped out of town. This issue is a necessary cog four-issue mini-series that undoubtedly puts forward some vital clues “” we just don’t know how it all fits together yet.