Booknote: Lobo, Volume 1

Cullen Bunn, Lobo, Volume 1: Targets. Burbank, CA: DC Comics, 2015. ISBN: 9781401254834. 

Genre: graphic novels and comics
Subgenre: superheroes
Format: e-book galley
Source" NetGalley

This is part of DC's New 52 series, and it is a reboot of the Lobo series. First thing the author does in this new series is have the "new" Lobo kill off the "old" Lobo. This is explained as the "real" guy killing the impostor who had been making his fortune with the famous name. It's a bit of a stretch to put it mildly; if you search other reviews online, you find many readers were not pleased by this ploy. However, the scene passes quickly. From there, the real story begins.

Lobo is sprung out of prison and hired to kill a series of targets; the element the targets share in common is they all want to destroy Earth. Now the last Czarnian has no love for Earth, but as a bounty hunter, he honors his contract. Between scenes of him hunting the targets, we get glimpses of Lobo's past. Thus, the story's structure goes back and forth between the past and the present.

Putting aside the somewhat ridiculous opening, this is a pretty good actioneer. I will grant that, as other more purist readers have pointed out, this new Lobo is a bit of a pretty boy. Yet he still carries out his missions efficiently and ruthlessly. Another small annoyance was the team from Earth he is forced to work with. This felt like another contrived plot element; it did not work as well. Overall, the art is pretty good, so there is that.

In the end, I liked it, but at times the story felt contrived, a bit forced. I may or not pick up the next one. For fans of the old character, this is really a complete overhaul. Your mileage may vary in how you like the new one or not. I would say this is a very optional title for libraries to purchase.

3 out of 5 stars.

This book qualifies for the following 2015 Reading Challenges: