Comic Review: Lobo (2014- ) #7

Reviewed by: Christopher Blieka
Art: Cliff Richards
Cover: Cliff Richards
Variant Cover: Neil Edwards
Writer: Cullen Bunn

Lobo… new Lobo… issue number seven… I really have no idea what to say about this thing. Jumping into the middle of things as I have does not lend itself well to keen-eyed criticism, but that’s my job so I’m going to do the best I can… so, here it goes. *INHALES* Lobo #7 is Sterling Archer meets I Know What You Did Last Summer set on Coruscant with superheroes. Confused? You must be new here. Okay, so let’s recap (skip next paragraph if you’ve been keeping up).

“Old” Lobo (the metal-haired biker anti-hero we all know and love) was actually an impostor, and the “real” Lobo (a ruthless mercenary wielding a gun and a nasty pair of chain hooks) arrives on Earth to cut old Lobo’s head off a la Highlander. He succeeds (sorry Stan Lee, guess you’ll need a new favorite DC character). Against his better judgment, he gets roped into defending the Earth from alien attackers, during which time he discovers that he was tricked into destroying his own home planet. By whom? For what purpose? Only he can discover the truth… seems to be a common theme in DC these days (*READ ACTION COMICS #41 TO FIND OUT MORE [I hate when they do that]).

In this issue, Lobo has sex and kills stuff. That’s about it, besides ruminating on life in between. Perhaps it’s because this is the start of a new arc and the plot hasn’t gotten rolling yet, or perhaps they just want to let you know that he’s Lobo, and this is what Lobo is all about. Cuz’ he’s hardcore!!! I’m not sure. I’d be more accepting of it if there weren’t these nagging little things that made no sense, like Lobo offering to spare an attacker’s life in exchange for information, then killing him as he’s about to answer. Yes, I understand that he’s hardcore!!! but he’s also supposed to be smart. It struck me as an Evil Archer moment (I suspect there will be many of those in the future). But let’s face it. We’re not here for intricate plot lines. We’re here for some ultra-violence, of which there is plenty.

And it looks pretty darn good, if you ask me. There’s dismemberment, exploding heads and flying eyeballs aplenty. The art style has changed significantly from previous issues however, since the artist Reilly Brown has been swapped out for Cliff Richards. The overall look is darker; deep-shadows and high contrast, and Lobo himself is a bit burlier and broad-featured as well. If you’re attached to the old art you may be disappointed, but it’s still solid work and the fighting is an absolute gore-fest. It’s like a Tarantino film in space. If that’s your thing, dive right in.

All in all, it is what is, and you get what you get. If you’re looking for superheroes and pulpy violence, look no further. We’ll see how the story develops in the future, but right now it’s looking pretty thin. Hopefully they’ll keep those Evil Archer moments to a minimum. *fingers crossed*

4 (out of 7)