Two new volumes of Mike Mignola’s “Lobster Johnson” are coming out in December 2017 and March 2018, and we’ve got an exclusive look at the covers. Actually, no, we’re going to do more than that. We’ve got “Lobster Johnson” artist Tonci Zonjic to give us a sneak peek at his process for the covers. It is only a peek though—a much more comprehensive look at Zonjic’s cover process will be in the sketchbook sections of the trade paperback collections.

Tonci Zonjic: Me being me, I tried to build a system out of the covers. It’s like one of those ‘find the part that doesn’t fit’ but in reverse. The ‘main story’ covers (“The Iron Prometheus,” “The Burning Hand,” “Get the Lobster”) have busy covers with no dominant color. All colors welcome! Except for green.

The collection of one-shots (“Satan Smells a Rat”) had the very red cover.

So for “A Chain Forged in Life” I wanted to keep that system of having a distinctive color, and I went with blue because I wanted to do snow, like the cover of the eponymous one-shot inside (and I like that particular blue).

The general idea stayed the same from the start. At one point I wanted to put in faces of the villains in the background, but they were just distracting from the Lobster.

The idea of making Lobster’s face a skull was pretty much the last thing I did on it. Something was missing but I couldn’t figure out what. The skull solved it! (Skulls solve things.)

The other cover, for “The Pirate’s Ghost and Metal Monsters of Midtown,” destroys my own system by being entirely yellow. But that’s not where I started with it. I did many, many busy ones first.

I had roughs for this one in my sketchbook, but on the day I switched to trying out options on the computer, I worked from about noon to… seven in the morning next day. Finally, at 7:09, I stripped all of it and realized I liked the basic image of the Lobster atop of that robot the most. I was bleary enough from being up that long to not be afraid to send it in minutes later, and it got the thumbs up. It was pretty straightforward from there on. I’m proud of the hand-lettered title and of not redrawing those heads.

Mark Tweedale: And here’s a little something you can’t get in the sketchbook section of the trade collections:

Thanks again, Tonci. It was a pleasure as always.

Lobster Johnson – Volume 5

The Pirate’s Ghost and Metal Monsters of Midtown Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi

Illustrated by Tonci Zonjic

Colored by Dave Stewart and Tonci Zonjic On sale December 13, 2017

Full color, 168 pages

$19.99

Trade paperback, 7″ x 10″ The Lobster is at his pulpiest in a pair of three-part stories drawn by veteran Lobster artist Tonci Zonjic. A trio of robots terrorize New York City, and the only thing more mysterious than their origins is their motives. When a pirate ship’s ghostly crew appears on the Hudson River out of thin air, the harbor patrol calls on the Lobster! Collects Lobster Johnson: Metal Monsters of Midtown #1–3 and Lobster Johnson: The Pirate’s Ghost #1–3.

Continued below

Lobster Johnson – Volume 6

A Chain Forged in Life Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi

Illustrated Kevin Nowlan, Toni Fejzula, Peter Snejbjerg, Stephen Green, and Ben Stenbeck

Colored by Dave Stewart and Kevin Nowlan On sale March 7, 2018

Full color, 144 pages

$19.99

Trade paperback, 7″ x 10″ After years of captivating fans from the pages of Hellboy and B.P.R.D., the pulp-style adventures of Lobster Johnson take the limelight in this sixth collection of the Lobster’s solo series. Collecting five Lobster Johnson one-shots featuring the Lobster in a Christmas robbery, a prison break with a familiar enemy behind it, an art museum heist, a preacher serving up more than scripture, and a zombie hitman! Collects Lobster Johnson: A Chain Forged in Life, Lobster Johnson: The Glass Mantis, Lobster Johnson: The Forgotten Man, Lobster Johnson: Garden of Bones, and Lobster Johnson: Mangekyō.

Mark Tweedale: One last thing. Tonci Zonjic was wondering how many people would like to see the Volume 5 cover become a toy or a nightlight, so let’s find out…





This cover should be turned into… A toy A bedside lamp Both, obviously It’s fine as just a cover

View results A toy 0% 0% A bedside lamp 0% 0% Both, obviously 0% 0% It’s fine as just a cover 0% 0%



