Justice League #23.2: Lobo Review

It seems like there's a new DC-related controversy stirring up on the Internet every 15 minutes or so. One such incident cropped up recently when it was announced that the Lobo we all know and love (or enjoy in small doses, in my case), isn't actually the real Lobo. Instead, DC is using Villains Month to introduce the "real" Lobo, a slimmer, sexier Czarnian who resents the impostor who has been busy hanging out with Rob Liefeld and besmirching the Lobo name in the first two years of the New 52. One sympathizes.

A lot of Lobo fans reacted poorly to the announcement (who knew Lobo was so popular in Brazil?). But as is often the case in situations like this, the negative outcry was overblown. If Justice League #23.2 proves anything, it's that Lobo's latest transformation is almost purely physical.

Marguerite Bennett provides a perfectly decent debut for the new Lobo. Thankfully, she doesn't waste time revisiting his origin story, as it isn't any different than the one the impostor Lobo recently recounted in Stormwatch. This is more of a straightforward character study with a hefty amount of action thrown in. At one point the story seems to veer off course as Bennett flirts with making this new Lobo much more sympathetic and sentimental. This doesn't prove to be the case. There's also a dose of fourth-wall breakage in the script as Lobo's narration repeatedly informs the reader "You don't know me." I'm not usually fond of that sort of meta commentary, but with this character and in this context it works well enough.

The one lingering cause for concern is that this new Lobo isn't as humorous as one might expect of the character. Again, context is key, and for now the relatively more serious approach suits the direction of the character. But in the long run, it would be a shame to see Lobo lose one of the main traits that has kept him relevant all this time.

Ben Oliver and Cliff Richards provide the art for this issue, lending Lobo and his adventures a nicely gritty sci-fi flavor. The artists manage to improve upon the initial character re-design previewed last month by giving Lobo a harsher and more macho edge to offset his smaller stature. The page layouts could do with less tilted panels and Dutch angles, however.

For better or worse, the new Lobo doesn't fall far from the tree. Fans of the character can take comfort in that fact, but anyone who didn't care for the old bastich before probably won't be won over by this issue.

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.

Source : ign[dot]com