Crush & Lobo #5 Review

 

Crushing Laughter Since 2021

Writer: Mariko Tamaki

Artist: Amancay Nahuelpan

Cover Price: $3.99

Release Date: October 5, 2021

I was surprised with how well Crush & Lobo #1 sold. However, I have not been surprised at how far that sales number has dropped with each issue.  Mariko Tamaki's first issue had some promise, but instead of giving Crush fans some much-needed character work, Tamaki has dished out broken record flashbacks and not much else.  Fans of Lobo have probably bailed by now, pissed off that his name is even on the cover.  So, how is this issue? Let's find out...

Crush is on the hunt for her father, which means following cigar butts in space.   Seriously, that's all there is to it.  Of course, that leads us to planets and situations, one zanier than the last.  Right?  Well, I think that's what Tamaki believes, but the reality is a little less funny and a lot less exciting.

First up is a planet where a two-headed king rules.  There is no setup here, just a two-headed king who wants Crush to get off his land.  I guess the gag is when he pulls out his flute and summons Space Lizards with such jokes as "Fun facts about Space Lizards!  They live in Space."  But get this... Space Lizards love Crush!  There is no real reason or explanation, just a guess at why this is the case.  The worst part is that this is the best part of the book!

We then head off to the house of one of Lobo's space girlfriends.  This could be played for laughs but isn't.  It also isn't a feels moment, a learning moment, or a character development moment.  It's a nothing moment that takes way too long to do nothing but send Crush to Lobo's latest location...Space Vegas.  Yep, that shows you how unclever this book is!  Lobo is gambling on the planet Space Vegas.

This book blows.  It's not funny enough to be a gag book or good enough to be an important one.  Mariko Tamaki had the opportunity to flesh out the character of Crush, and instead, we get this, and if I didn't make myself clear, "this" blows!  The art is the high point of it all, but is just wasted here.

Bits and Pieces:

Crush & Lobo continues to tell a story hardly, and after five issues, that is ridiculous.  I think the book is supposed to be funny, but it's just sad, like a clown.  One tear rolling down his cheek as he tightens his bindle and hits the rails hoping that the next town accepts a tired old performer that only wants to bring a smile to a child's face one last time.  This book is that clown, and I'm the child who is destined never to laugh at him and his stupid bindle.  Fin

3.0/10