Lobo has been hired to put an end to the rest of the Lantern Corps that might prove to be a challenge to Sinestro's army and he's ready to enjoy his time.
Nothing good can come from this indeed.
You know, I've been bashing this series because of its tendency of killing people just for the sake of shock value without presenting anything particularly interesting about it but in this chapter in particular Cullen Bunn manages to outdo himself due that he's not killing random people anymore.
He's killing established characters.
Most of the Indigo Corps are killed by Lobo in a pretty brutal way with Indigo-1 being the only survivor. This wouldn't be so terrible if only the writer would have created some characterization for them before their deaths but he didn't, they were murdered quite quickly. Even Justin Jordan was able to get some personality from the Blue Lantern Corps before he was mandated, MANDATED to kill them. There's a huge difference between being ordered to get rid of some charactes and actually making a good work from it, and just murdering for the sake of adding more bodies to the count and making Lobo look like a badass.
But believe it or not, that's not the worst part.
Rankorr and Bleez, characters who were pretty important during Peter Milligan and Charles Soule's runs on Red Lanterns are also attacked by Lobo here and Rankorr is brutally killed. To add insult to the injury, Rankorr is characterized as a simple Red Lantern full of rage while he's actually one of the most calmed and human members of the group, Bleez is not that well-characterized either. Somewhere, Milligan and Soule are crying currently, I'm already doing it.
Once again, the best part of the issue is the art. Robson Rocha presents a pretty polished work with beautiful characters and lots of detail.
This issue is terrible and easily cements Lobo as one of the worst books of the year.
It's kind of unfair to call Lobo one of the worst books. It's pretty much is what it is, a fun sci-fi pulp fiction with lots of action, brisk pacing and some good moments of horror.
ResponderBorrarBTW, it's interesting to note that Lobo himself seems to have become much more unstable post-issue 9 and the rape has affected him; his appearance and behavior in the Lobo Annual and in this current issue is noticeably much more disheveled and animal-like, almost like how he was in the early 90s.
I'm sorry but this issue simply represented everything that I hate and consider lazy writing: Killing established characters just for the sake of shock value.
ResponderBorrarWorst of all is that I really liked Rankorr, he was one of the most unique characters from Red Lanterns but here he's unrecogizable, he acts like just an alien full of rage instead of the everyman he used to be.
I don't know if Lobo's rape has affected him in some way but at this point I wouldn't bet for something happening about it.
"I don't know if Lobo's rape has affected him in some way but at this point I wouldn't bet for something happening about it."
BorrarCullen Bunn himself confirmed that that will be explored.
Oh really? Well then that might actually be interesting.
BorrarIn terms of the Lanterns, I'll be honest, I was never interested in them, be it Green, Yellow or whatever. I only read this because I'm more into Lobo and the Czarnians in general. But, with that said, I understand how you feel. One of the abilities these Lanterns have is the ability to create mirages/illusions, so who knows? Maybe Rankorr will be revealed to have survived somewhere down the line.
Borrar"I don't know if Lobo's rape has affected him in some way but at this point I wouldn't bet for something happening about it."
BorrarThere's a line that kind of alludes to it. It's the part where Lobo bites off his own finger in order to get the ring off:
"I'll be DAMNED if I let anyone else pull my strings. Ever again."
"Worst of all is that I really liked Rankorr, he was one of the most unique characters from Red Lanterns but here he's unrecogizable, he acts like just an alien full of rage instead of the everyman he used to be."
BorrarWe have no idea what went on after the Red Lantern series had ended, so who knows? The premise for Lobo #11 seems to imply that they may be coming back:
"On a mission from Sinestro, Lobo hunts the last of the Red Lanterns—but will his involvement reignite the rage that fuels this deadly corps?"
Maybe we'll get to find out what had been going on with Atrocitus, Rankorr and Bleez here. My memory is kind of hazy, but hadn't the former been killed, if not removed from being the leader of the Red Lanterns?
"There's a huge difference between being ordered to get rid of some charactes and actually making a good work from it, and just murdering for the sake of adding more bodies to the count and making Lobo look like a badass."
BorrarI don't think it's for the latter, though. If anything these deaths highlight how dangerous Sinestro's campaign for power has become, making Sinestro the bad-ass, not Lobo. The fact that established characters are getting killed off adds tension and uncertainty, especially in relation to the larger DCU.
When the story opens, it's with a bang as Indigo-1 is attacked by her comrade. We have no idea what happened, it's just chaos and confusion. When Lobo shows up and seemingly "saves" her, things seem to calm down; it isn't until he starts dropping the sack with hands down that the reader starts to realize that whatever relief they felt at Indigo-1 being safe was just an illusion.
In terms of character portrayals, it could be better. But, within the context of DC You, with writer creativity over continuity, #10 is a pretty good thriller.