All-new, sexy Lobo! But it’s okay, because the opening pages depict The ‘real’ Main Man – as we know him, or knew him – in an exchange with all-new, sexy Lobo, as if to assure readers that this version doesn’t negate the old one. At least, not completely.
All-new, sexy Lobo, then. Svelte and Edward Cullenised, mostly hairless and with shiny blue patches on his skin and hair. Fan of leaving his jacket open so all can behold his glistening six-pack. Swears less and has a traumatic past involving a woman he once loved. No, that doesn’t sound much like Lobo to us either, but lets give it a chance. Lest we forget that ‘original’ Lobo’s first debut saw him minus a couple of hundred pounds and wearing a bright orange jumpsuit – not always been the last bastion of biker chic himself.
Thankfully, all-new, sexy Lobo hasn’t left the character’s trademark violence at the door. Charged with protecting a client from six rival assassins, Lobo must not only fend off those trying to cash in on the bounty but also attempt to find out who is responsible for putting out the contract in the first place. This sends him on a bloody trail through the midst of the DC Universe, from the far reaches of outer space all the way to Earth, where a grumpy Superman is waiting – and in no mood for Lobo’s nonsense.
That sounds like a fairly standard idea for a Lobo story, and Targets plays out in much the same way as one might expect, all-new, sexy Lobo or not. The main man hadn’t quite been himself for years anyway (as a spoof character, like Deadpool, the bastich was at risk of becoming overexposed and a parody of himself) so this isn’t quite the awful idea it could have been. The comic is still plenty violent, nu-Lobo a fine character to kill half an hour with. Like most of his New 52 compatriots he’ll never catch on (he’s a little dull), but it’s nothing worth getting too outraged about. Especially when the results are as good looking as Targets, like a cross between Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Not the main man, then – not even close – but Targets is a lot of fun. And sometimes that’ll do just fine.
LOBO VOLUME 1: TARGETS / WRITER: CULLEN BUNN / REILLY BROWN / PUBLISHER: DC COMICS / RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 27TH
