Review: "The Satan Factory" by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Lobster Johnson: The Satan Factory by Thomas E. Sniegoski

Paperback, 203 pages, Dark Horse Books, July 2009.

I was first introduced to Lobster Johnson in the Hellboy graphic novels. I was intrigued enough to buy Lobster Johnson: Volume1: Iron Prometheus and greatly enjoyed it. I stumbled upon this somehow and gave it a try.

Lobster Johnson is an excellent representation of the original pulp heroes. He strikes me as a strong dose of the Shadow with some of the elements of Doc Savage thrown in (specifically, his sidekicks).

RECOMMENDATION: I enjoyed it and do not regret buying it. Unless you too are a big fan of Lobster Johnson and/or pulps, I would recommend reading it a the local library before deciding to buy it.

REVIEW: 

Pros:

The writing was good and very easy to read. The characters were pretty thinly developed; although, this is typical of a pulp story. The story is also a good representation of a pulp plot (although, this one was missing a damsel in distress).

Cons:

Even though I believe that a typical pulp story does not have well-developed characters, I was hoping to get more of the background of Lobster Johnson in the book; but, unfortunately, you do not. You do get a better sense of him as a character but no additional details of his background. The sidekicks were also thinly developed; some did not even have easily applied labels as the aides of Doc Savage did.