DC’s new Lobo has been a controversial figure with fans, but his ongoing series has been an enjoyable action romp thanks to writer Cullen Bunn’s skill for writing grim badasses, a talent honed in the pages of The Sixth Gun, Venom, and Magneto. The character may not be the classic Lobo, but that previous version was wildly out of date and needed an update if he was going to fit in with the rest of the modernized New 52. He looks less like a relic from the ’90s now, and his clean-cut appearance hasn’t diminished his strength as a fighter or his brusque attitude.
This new Lobo is a more traditional action hero, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In her Comics Panel review, Caitlin Rosberg points out that while Lobo isn’t delivering anything that fans of the genre haven’t seen before, it’s still very readable and a lot of fun. She also points out that the book is drenched in the female gaze, from the hunky lead antihero to the numerous smart, powerful women that populate the supporting cast, which is a big departure for the formerly hyper-masculine Lobo.
This preview of next week’s Lobo #6 catches new readers up on the events of the last five issues as it heads into the last chapter of this opening arc, positioning Lobo as Earth’s main line of defense against an assassin and her ghost fleet of spaceships. Artist Cliff Richards fills in for Reilly Brown, and he brings a more realistic style that further aligns this book with the blockbuster summer action films that are a big part of its DNA. Colorist Pete Pantazis provides visual consistency with the artistic shift, and this preview showcases his strong color choices as he blankets the icy present-day action in cool blues before transitioning to intense reds for the bloody flashbacks to Lobo’s past.