Lobo #5 Review

Written by: Cullen Bunn
Art by: Reilly Brown, Alisson Borges and Cliff Richards
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: February 4, 2015

The Hole Truth

I know that a bunch of people have a problem with this new Lobo, but if you have actually given this book a chance, you know that the problems are more than just skin deep.  The new look is secondary to the slow moving plot and unnecessary side characters.  While this initial arc has done enough to intrigue me about Lobo's past, his present has been a boring assassin of the month club that continues this issue.  However, Cullen Bunn twists it up just enough to give us a little more of what I like with what I've grown tired of.  It's still not as good as I had hoped, but it's making baby steps in the right direction.

This issue opens up with Lobo taking care of his latest assignment, Zarielle Thane.  I know, nothing surprising there, but I did enjoy the banter between the Lobo and the would be Sorceress.  Afterwards, he calls Emily to get his next mark and I realized something.  I don't like Lobo having a Team in the flesh, but I don't mind Emily being his "Oracle" at all.  I actually like it.

Emily points him in the right direction and Lobo heads off to find "The Businessman".  While I have a big problem with the craziness going on around Lobo when he arrives, I do like who is waiting for him.  It ties into Lobo's past and promises to put a bunch of the pieces Cullen Bunn has already given us together to form a picture I didn't see coming.

Before we get there, though, we head back into Lobo's history to see that he wasn't as loyal as he wanted us to think and his decisions and lack of action lead to a whole bunch of deaths.  Of course, we have been lead to believe that he caused the destruction of his home planet, but after this issue, He's not quite sure anymore.

That is because he comes face-to-face with an Xrexian.  If you didn't know, that's a pretty big deal.  Xrexia was Czarnia's sister planet and I stress the "was".  To make it more interesting, this Xrexian is female and she points out that they could start a bit of repopulating right there, right now.  Instead, Lobo tries to kick the crap out of her and fails miserably.  Fails as in his guts coming out of his side and a big hole in the middle of his body.

After she leaves him to heal (healing factor rocks, ask Wolverine...oh right, he's dead!), Lobo gets credit for the Businessman, but not before finding out he may not have destroyed his home world and he better get to the Xrexian before she destroys Earth.  The end promises "One Final Kill" and I'm glad for that.

If only the other kills were as meaningful, I would have had a lot less to bitch about.  While this issue still felt like more setup, we do get some juicy information about Lobo's past and an exciting peek at his near future.  Like I said before, I liked Emily as the voice in his head and am glad the other two team members were MIA this issue.  If we're lucky, they will just quietly disappear.

I liked the art of Reilly Brown and Cliff Richards this issue.  That leaves Alisson Borges as the odd artist out because I was not a fan of the look of the flashback scene.  Even though it was a separate part of the issue, it still threw me out of the book a little too much.

Bits and Pieces:

Lobo continues being a book in desperate need of something new and fresh.  Five issues in and it is already so predictable it's ridiculous.  However, with what Cullen Bunn gives the reader in terms of Lobo's past, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. This issue may be a long fight and setup, but it had me looking forward to next month more than any other issue before it.  This Lobo may not be the Main Man yet, but there is hope yet.

6.0/10