Crush & Lobo #7 – Mariko Tamaki, Writer; Amancay Nahuelpan, Artist; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: It’s the penultimate issue of Crush’s crazy journey through space, and after a long strange journey, she’s finally where she wants to be—kicking the hell out of her abusive dad. An amusing prologue shows exactly what Lobo has been up to all this time, and it’s mainly an endless parade of debauchery, fighting, and barely concealed nudity in space Vegas. It’s great how a couple of creative teams recently are remembering that Lobo is actually a very funny character and that his over-the-top action segments should probably have a touch of absurdity to them. Once he and Crush are finally reunited, they proceed to whale on each other—but are soon interrupted by a whole host of other criminals who want to get their own brand of justice against Lobo, and don’t really care who gets in the way. Crush would be fine with this—except that she needs him alive to get the bomb off her.
I’ve been really impressed with the work Mariko Tamaki has done with Crush over this series, turning her from a character straight out of the 1990s to a complex LGBT heroine who gets to be a lot messier than diverse characters often do. She’s a compelling portrayal of what being abused can do to a person—it doesn’t always turn them into an abuser, but it can drastically impact their ability to form relationships and lead to self-destructive behavior. We don’t see all that much of that this issue—mostly because there’s little time for introspection when you’re dealing with a psycho Czarnian trying to crush you—but it’s very cathartic to see her finally get her payback after being abused and deceived for years. It’s a good issue, but doesn’t quite have the emotional punch of the last few. With only one issue to go, it’s interesting that another cliffhanger is thrown at us right on the last page.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
