Continuing his search for who destroyed most of his race, the main man is decided to make everyone pay no matter if they're culprit or not.
God, this is derivative as hell.
Seriously, one would have thought that Cullen Bunn was going to learn about how to make this story more interesting but he simply can't. This is still "Space Mercenary 101" that of course, follows the adventures of an asshole who is too badass to have any difficulty of flaw in his career.
This wouldn't be so bad if only Lobo didn't take himself so seriously, the guy is almost starting to look like a Sue (Mary, Gary, Villain, pick your poison) due that everybody need to recognize his incredible skills anywhere he goes and he's obviously ready to show them. Again, this kind of characterization could actually turn great if the protagonist himself showed some other traits but as he currently is, he's as bland as the most stereotypical mercenaries go.
Also, he killed some women who he slept with in this same issue. Once again, the old Lobo was also pretty violent and he would have most likely done the same but it would have been done with a more comedic and/or cartoony tone at the very least and so this wouldn't have been taken so seriously but as it currently is, this seems incredibly cruel and meanspirited. This kind of scene seems simply included for shock value to get a reaction from the reader and it's a pretty cheap trick, not to mention that makes the protagonist pretty unlikable.
And a story where you're not rooting for the protagonist is simply not a good story.
Cliff Richards is the saving grace here. His art is beautiful with a pretty expressive, semi-realistic style that makes all the action scenes great looking.
Really, this book has no reason to exist and aside from some forced shock value moments, this is as cliche as you can expect. One of the worst comics from this year without a doubt.
I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's one of the worst comics from this year.
ResponderBorrarI'm sorry, I just don't like how much it tries to get a reaction from readers by cheap shock value scenes.
BorrarWhile I respect your opinion, I kind of disagree with this part of your review:
Borrar"And a story where you're not rooting for the protagonist is simply not a good story."
Have you ever seen "High Plains Rider"? The protagonist for that was hugely unlikeable, even arguably worst than the antagonists, yet the movie itself is good.
It's cool to disagree with my opinion. I haven't personally watched that movie but I also consider "rooting for the protagonist" as finding something that you enjoy about the character.
BorrarI have no problems with Lobo being an asshole but he's not an entertaining one. His actions are not really engaging, he's not really smart nor charming, he doesn't have a particular set of unique skills and no sense of humour. Nothing.
Believe me, when you're watching that movie, you aren't going to be rooting for the protagonist - he's magnificently awful. The only positive aspect, if you can even call it that, about him is the sense of mystery and intrigue surrounding him, which is actually something I can kind of see in this version of Lobo. I remember an interesting quote years ago about how the goal for any writer is not to make the reader and audience "like" the protagonist within the story, but to get them to understand them. In terms of this Lobo, there are things I like about him - the sense of mystery, his ferocity, his resourcefulness, intelligence, the fact he researches his targets and plays mind-games with them (in Supergirl anyway), but like 90s Lobo, I don't feel like the character has reached his full potential in terms of either lethality or as a villain. Plus, it kind of seems like they took away his clonal abilities, either as a way of grounding him and/or properly integrate him into the DCU or they had no idea how to properly explain it, which is kind of disappointing, because to me that was what made the character fascinating.
Borrar"I'm sorry, I just don't like how much it tries to get a reaction from readers by cheap shock value scenes."
BorrarIsn't that arguably part of what defines Lobo, though - cheap shock and controversy? This is a guy who not only murdered his own people but whose image is usually associated with ultra-violence and giving readers the middle finger.
The things is that the previous version was comically over the top violence while this mostly gore violence. The former is to get a laugh from readers, the latter is a cheap trick to get reaction from readers.
BorrarI don't mind the fact that the violence isn't played for laughs, 'cause arguably that's what had weakened the character in the first place.
Borrar"it would have been done with a more comedic and/or cartoony tone at the very least and so this wouldn't have been taken so seriously but as it currently is, this seems incredibly cruel and meanspirited." Even with the "cartoony"/"comic" tone it was pretty mean-spirited stuff.
BorrarSorry, it was "High Plains Drifter", not Rider. It stars Clint Eastwood.
Borrar"no sense of humour"
BorrarIn the Justice League 23.2 issue he had a very warped sense of humor - he used the lower half of a dismembered body as a "hood ornament".
"no sense of humour"
BorrarThere's humor in the first five issues. Did you miss that?
"And a story where you're not rooting for the protagonist is simply not a good story."
ResponderBorrarNot true. It depends a lot on the type of story that is being told. In this particular case, we're talking about a sci-fi noir story told from the point of view of a ruthless, bloodthirsty psychopathic assassin who murdered his people. Is he meant to be "likeable"? No. Should you "like" him? No. Should he be enjoyed? That depends on what the reader is looking for and what is defined as "entertainment"; if you are hoping for comedy, then this isn't for you. If you are looking for a sci-fi with action and noir elements, maybe.
Also, the conceit that a story is "bad" when the reader can't root for the protagonist is pretty faulty logic. Here's an article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-gottlieb/book-protagonist_b_2918131.html
The thing is that you can even root for psychopaths as long as they're entertaining enough. Lobo doesn't have enough personality to justify any attention to him.
BorrarEdgar Allan Poe's "Tell-Tale Heart" had a protagonist who was a psycho killer. Is that character "entertaining" because he is a psychopathic killer? Or is it "bad" because you aren't "rooting" for him? Finding "entertainment" in something, a psychopath especially, has to be determined in accordance to a story's context and genre. I don't think the problem with Lobo is that he doesn't have enough "personality" - far from it, his characterization is consistent and has plenty of personality. I do think there are problems, but not in that area.
BorrarI don't know, I find his personality pretty much like a derivative space mercenary which is not engaging enough.
BorrarSaid-space merc also has the power to destroy entire worlds, is ruthless enough to mercilessly attack emaciated people armed with twigs and sticks, even going so far as to break their spirits by threatening to eliminate any hope of water. Same individual sent whole families off into seedy bone-harvesting operations, and despite being professional is clearly mentally unstable; one moment he's seemingly amiable, the next he's ripping a person's head off with his bare hands and beating his buddy to death with it.
BorrarNow, with that said, I do think there are problems. I'm still peeved that Bunn didn't do anything with the imposter storyline despite the fact that it had been repeatedly teased and anticipated. Plus, reading through the first six issues of this solo series, it felt like Cullen Bunn hadn't been writing the character as a way of showing the reader how he ticked or what he was capable of, it felt like Bunn had been trying to find his own footing to make himself more comfortable before going forward with stuff such as the Annual, #10 and the Sinestro crossover, which are arguably of better quality. And of course, certain omissions such as the dolphins and the clonal abilities.
Could the series be improved? Yeah, definitely. For its faults, the series has some elements that shows potentially interesting storylines, including a potential Ras Al Ghul/Vandal Savage crossover (a Lobo book with both of these characters would be awesome IMO).
I'm a little curious to know if by the series' end we'll see Lobo pushed to his most lethal, dangerous, planet-destroying capabilities or it will all end in a whimper.
BorrarOut of curiosity, do you know of any space mercenaries/assassins within the DCU aside from Lobo? I can't recall any off the top of my head at the moment.
BorrarWell there are lots of generic space mercenaries who act pretty much as Lobo but they don't receive much importance for obvious reasons.
BorrarIn terms of other mercenaries we have Deathstroke, Deadshot and Catman who actually have are more complex.
I know of Deathstroke, Deadshot and Catman, and certainly they're more complicated individuals, but I'm not talking about Earth-bound mercs - do you know of any interstellar assassins within the DCU that are as vicious and animalistic as Lobo? Does the DCU have other interstellar assassins like him?
BorrarDoes the DCU have interstellar assassins in general, or is Lobo the only one that fulfills that category?
Borrar"And a story where you're not rooting for the protagonist is simply not a good story."
BorrarNot true. It depends a lot on the type of story that is being told." Plus, it depends on how the story is being told.
The reverse can also be true, in that a story can be utter shit even if it had characters that are considered "likeable". Hell, look at "Doomed".
"Said-space merc also has the power to destroy entire worlds, is ruthless enough to mercilessly attack emaciated people armed with twigs and sticks, even going so far as to break their spirits by threatening to eliminate any hope of water. Same individual sent whole families off into seedy bone-harvesting operations, and despite being professional is clearly mentally unstable; one moment he's seemingly amiable, the next he's ripping a person's head off with his bare hands and beating his buddy to death with it."
BorrarPlus, despite being his own planet's destroyer, he's suffering from some pretty severe PTSD-induced survivor's guilt, so much so that he lobotomizes parts of his own brain that are connected with REM sleep in order to avoid having dreams/nightmares.
It has many but they usually appear just once because they're pretty unimportant as I said.
ResponderBorrarCan you name more than/at least ten? If so, have they ever been worthy opponents for the JL or Superman?
ResponderBorrarAgain, they're usually characters that are rapidly killed just because there's nothing in interesting about them.
BorrarNames, please?
BorrarAgain, sometimes they don't even receive names.
BorrarThe only name I was able to pull up was Bedlam, Lobo's partner from the "Omega Men" series who was eventually killed by said-character. Aside from that, I can't find anyone else.
BorrarAre there mercenaries, interstellar or otherwise, who are Anti-Supermen/failed Supermen like this current Lobo?
Borrar"the guy is almost starting to look like a Sue (Mary, Gary, Villain, pick your poison) due that everybody need to recognize his incredible skills anywhere he goes and he's obviously ready to show them."
ResponderBorrarI have a bit of a problem with the label of "Mary Sue" - the term can be used to describe anyone and everyone within comics, religion and mythology, from Batman and Superman to Christ, Hercules and Buddha.
The problem with "Sue" characters is that their whole overcompetence is way too overblown while other characters immediately recognized which creates pretty lazy stories and writing.
BorrarBatman and Superman are actually challenged and often criticized by others inside of the story.
Doesn't matter, they're still Mary Sues.
BorrarNot really, the concept is that the Mary Sue can't be criticized by anyone. That at its core creates a weak character.
BorrarThat description also applies to every superhero, supervillain and religious figure in the world.
Borrar#Including Superman and Batman.
Borrar"Batman and Superman are actually challenged and often criticized by others inside of the story."
BorrarOnce in a while, but they're still Mary Sues at heart. Clark Kent, aka Superman, aka Kal El - has super strength, hearing, speed, flight, chiselled good looks, shoots laser beams from his eyes, so powerful that he can punch Cthulhu out with his dick.
Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, billionaire industrialist, crime-fighter, knows every conceivable martial arts on the planet, master detective, inventor, ridiculously handsome, etc.
Having them "challenged" or "criticised" doesn't mean that they aren't Mary Sues, that's just a matter of storytelling.
"I'm starting to suspect that Bunn might be one of the guys who is commenting in my blog."
ResponderBorrarLOL No, just a guy who likes reading comics and had some qualms about some your points.
Particularly that this is the worst book of the year and the argument that a story is "bad" or "not entertaining" when you're not rooting for the protagonist.
BorrarHa, that was just a joke.
BorrarAnyway, I think I already explained the reasons why I consider this a bad book. You're free to disagree with them.
Fair enough, man. If a book's not to your liking or taste, then that's that.
Borrar"This is still "Space Mercenary 101" that of course, follows the adventures of an asshole who is too badass to have any difficulty of flaw in his career."
ResponderBorrarApparently you missed out on a lot of the previous comics featuring him as a guest character and #5, where one of the assassins he was targeting made mince meat out of him, taunted him by leaving another of his targets crippled and marked with lipstick stains like some obscene love letter and by indicating Czarnia might not even be his kill.
"Also, he killed some women who he slept with in this same issue. Once again, the old Lobo was also pretty violent and he would have most likely done the same but it would have been done with a more comedic and/or cartoony tone at the very least and so this wouldn't have been taken so seriously but as it currently is, this seems incredibly cruel and meanspirited. This kind of scene seems simply included for shock value to get a reaction from the reader and it's a pretty cheap trick, not to mention that makes the protagonist pretty unlikable."
ResponderBorrarThe Siamese twin chicks did sell him out for cash - doesn't exactly make them sympathetic.
"this seems incredibly cruel and meanspirited. This kind of scene seems simply included for shock value to get a reaction from the reader" I take it you forgot about what he did to Dawg in Old 52? Nothing funny about that.
Borrar