Superman Vs. Lobo #3 – Tim Seeley/Sarah Beattie, Writers; Mirka Andolfo, Artist; Arif Prianto, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Easily the oddest book to ever come out of Black Label and certainly one of the most original, this series has united three of the most talented adults-only comic creators in the industry to tell… a Superman story? Even more impressive, every issue of this series has been completely different while still telling a single narrative. The first issue was a wacky social media satire. The second was a wild switcheroo where Superman and Lobo swapped dead planets. And now… well, you won’t guess where this series is going. When we open, the two uneasy allies are working together to protect the cosmic Tardigrade Numen and the eccentric space scientist Dr. Flik, but their enemies are unexpected—the lost survivors of universes that were accidentally consumed by Numen, and they all seem to be remnants of the original very ’90s Wildstorm universe, including classic characters like Maul.
That’s a head-trip in and of itself, but Seeley and Beattie bring out the best in these retro characters—up until a shocking betrayal that leads to another wild twist, as Superman and Lobo switch places one more time but in a very different way. The circumstances that get them there are unexpected, but there are few things more hilarious or exciting in comics than seeing a world where Lobo is a superhero named the “Main-Man” and moonlights as an anything-but-mild-mannered reporter in the Daily Planet. I don’t know if we needed another evil Superman story in the world, but this one has such a unique twist to it that I’m not objecting. Overall, this is one of the strangest team-ups I’ve ever read, but it actually does a very good job at cutting to the core of both characters. This is really what Black Label should be about—taking a group of mad genius creators and just letting them cut loose.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
