Boss Fight Studio’s Hellboy Ghost of Lobster Johnson Glow in the Dark Exclusive

Welcome back to Part 2 of our four-part Q&A series with Mike Mignola for the Boss Fight Studio’s Hellboy Ghost of Lobster Johnson Glow in the Dark Exclusive!

Following up on our look into Lobster’s pulp origins, this round digs into what changes when the vigilante crosses over from mortal justice to the supernatural, and the creative freedom that comes with an undead legend.

Here is what Mike had to say:

Q. There's a real distinction between Lobster Johnson when he was alive and Ghost of Lobster Johnson. What changes about the character once he becomes this supernatural presence?

Mike Mignola: “I always say that once my characters die they become more interesting.”

Q. Does Ghost of Lobster Johnson become something larger than the man himself, almost the legend of Lobster Johnson taking on a life of its own?

Mike Mignola: “Sure. Lobster in life was always a mystery to the public and mysteries are always interesting, but to die fighting Nazis to prevent them from having a space program… That makes you a legend.”

Q. What does the Ghost version of Lobster Johnson allow you to do with the character that the living version doesn't?

Mike Mignola: “Once you’re a ghost there are no end of things you can do. No rules for ghosts.”

To celebrate bringing the Ghost of Lobster Johnson to life on BigBadLaunchPad, we sat down with legendary creator Mike Mignola to dive deep into the origins, evolution, and supernatural legacy of the character.

This is Part 1 of an exclusive four-part series where Mike shares his insights on what makes the Lobster such an enduring, ruthless icon in the Hellboy universe. Make sure to hit the Follow button on this project page to receive automatic updates as we roll out the rest of the Q&A and other interesting production milestones along the way for this project.

Q. For someone who knows Hellboy but may not be as familiar with Lobster Johnson, how would you describe who Lobster Johnson is and what makes him such an interesting part of that world?

Mike Mignola: “Lobster is a Pulp era (20s and 30s) crime fighter. He made war on mobsters and died fighting Nazis.”

Q. What does Lobster Johnson bring to the Mignolaverse that Hellboy doesn't?

Mike Mignola: “I love the old Pulp magazine characters, Doc Savage, the Shadow, the Spider. I needed somebody like that in the history of the Hellboy world, just as I had Edward Grey to be my version of all the Victorian Era Occult Detectives. Basically I needed to create my own version of everything that inspired the Hellboy world.”

Q. Lobster Johnson has such a distinctive pulp-adventure identity. How important is that pulp sensibility to the role he plays in the larger Hellboy universe?

Mike Mignola: “It was important for me to establish some kind of a role model for Hellboy. He was raised by a professor but that would be boring to a kid. But the adventures of THE LOBSTER would inspire little kid Hellboy as he would read about him in comic books and pulp magazines. But as the Pulp characters inspired me when I was a kid.”