Doc Hollow's Grand Vibro-Destructo Machine

Doc Hollow's Grand Vibro-Destructo Machine or Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure is a non-canonical story published in Hellboy: Weird Tales #1-8, with both art and story by John Cassaday. The story was serialized into eight two-page "episodes". Each issue of Hellboy: Weird Tales contained an episode.

Plot Synopsis

Episode One

Lobster Johnson is on the trail of Crimson Hood who has taken both Johnson's assistant as well as Doc Hollow's Grand Vibro-Destructo Machine. Just when Johnson get the drop on Crimson Hood he escapes down a trap door.

Episode Two

Unable to pursue Crimson Hood down the trap door Lobster Johnson instead interrogates some of Crimson Hood's left behind henchmen to learn where their boss is headed.

Episode Three

Following the lead from the henchmen Lobster Johnson breaks into an estate in upstate New York to find his assistant tied to a bed, dressed in fetish gear. He unties and arms his assistant.

Episode Four

Elsewhere in the same estate Crimson Hood gives the Vibro-Destrocto machine to his Nazi bosses and they begin to celebrate. Their celebration is cut short by the arrival of Lobster Johnson and his assistant.

Episode Five

With the group at gunpoint Lobster Johnsosn forces Crimson Hood to unmask. Crimsons Hood is revealed to be Doc Hollow himself. He stole his own invention back from the US government in order to sell it to the Nazis and get paid twice for the same work. The Nazi leaders open fire on Lobster Johnson and his assistant.

Episode Six

In the ensuing gun fight the Vibro-Destructo machine is dropped and activates. It begins shaking the estate apart.

Episode Seven

Lobster Johnson and his assistant shoot at the now fleeing Nazis. Doc Hollow is killed by the Vibro-Destructo machine in an attempt to deactivate it and thus save his life's work. Johnson and his assistant free the estate as well.

Episode Eight

Lobster Johnson and his assistant escape the collapsing building at the last possible moment. His assistant laments that a number of the Nazis got away. Johnson is unperturbed since having overheard their conversation earlier he know where they are going and remarks "There is no escaping the justice of The Lobster's claw."

Name Change

When originally published in the individual issues of Hellboy: Weird Tales the episodes were titled, "Doc Hollow's Grand Vibro-Destructo Machine". When the eight episodes were collected in the Hellboy: Weird Tales omnibus they were retitled "Lobster Johnson: Action Detective Adventure".