Reviewer: Chris Delloiacono
Story Title: N/A
Written by: Keith Giffen
Art by: Alex Horley
Colored by: N/A
Lettered by: Tom Orzechowski
Editor: Joan Hilty
Publisher: DC Comics
Wow, it didn’t take long for the “one-trick pony†Lobo, to get boring. While the first part of LOBO UNBOUND was a reasonably fun guilty pleasure, read my review, this issue just can’t sustain the joke. Is it bad, well of course, it’s a Lobo story! It’s not meant to be KINGDOM COME. There’s no message, no character development, and little to no real plot. It’s just Lobo running amok, doing what he does best, cursing up a storm, and killing people. That’s it, no more, no less. The onus is on the buyer, if you don’t want this type of book than don’t buy it. You should definitely know what you’re getting, don’t be surprised.
The root of this six issue mini-series is Lobo regaining his badness, his mojo if you will, it boils down to him no longer wanting to be the laughing stock of the comic…the DC Universe. No one has ever written Lobo as well as his creator, Keith Giffen. Giffen cannot be faulted for any shortcomings this series may have. This is Lobo the way he’s meant to be portrayed, and about a million times better than the nattering sissy that’s inhabited the DC Universe for more than a decade. It’s just how much of Lobo is too much?
I’ve had a great string of books to review in recent weeks, and I haven’t really had to write a review for a book that didn’t float my boat in a long time. This really shouldn’t be looked upon as a negative review though. As a matter of fact, it’s just the opposite. This is a great, perhaps even a magnificent Lobo tale. Yet a great enema is still just that, an enema. No matter how good it turns out in the end, it’s still what it is.
While the story isn’t any great shakes, the art really is something to talk about. Alex Horley’s painted work brings all of the blood letting to wonderful vivid life. It does get a little tedious seeing the string of bad guys that are hip-hop influenced, but Horley brings them to the printed page with great flair.
Take everything I’ve said with a grain of salt. I really didn’t hate this book! I’ve never been much of a Lobo fan, except for the odd appearance. The biggest point I’ve got to make is that Lobo works best in a one-shot. 48 pages of Lobo mayhem all-inclusive, you read it when you’re ready and in the proper mindset. Then you don’t have to revisit the character anytime soon. Lobo really is the perfect poster child of the early 90’s, when mindless violence and high body counts were the norm in comics. Lobo isn’t a character that’s aged well, yet Giffen should be commended for doing one last Lobo story the way it was meant to be. This is the last Lobo story right?
