DC KO: Lobo vs. Wonder Woman #1 – Joelle Jones, Writer; Jason Howard, Cary Nord, Daniel Bayliss, Artists; Tamra Bonvillain, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The first fight-night special, pitting Captain Atom vs. Superman, was a surprisingly dense and character-driven thriller. This issue…is not that. Written by Joelle Jones and joined by a host of artists as the terrain changes around them, this issue sends Wonder Woman up against possibly the most mismatched foe around – Lobo, the rude and crude space bastich who killed his entire planet and has been trolling the universe ever since. Why does he want to be King Omega? Why not? While Wonder Woman brings skill and strategy to this fight, he brings sheer brutality, and manages to take her by surprise in a short and brutal first round. Also, this battle is narrated by galactic wrestling announcers the whole time. It’s big, broad, and silly, but also has some real tension as Wonder Woman realizes she’s up against a sociopath who will do anything to win – whether he cares about the prize or not.
Once the straight-forward first match is over, the battle shifts and Wonder Woman gets to alter the battlefield. She chooses a classic armed warrior guise – and also brings in her Amazon sisters to back her up, although it’s not clear if they’re the genuine article or not. Lobo, meanwhile, in an amusing twist, chooses the form of his widely despised New 52 “Stupid Sexy Lobo” version, and proceeds to get even more lecherous on his way to a very satisfying beatdown. And so it all comes down to round three, where the two are simply matched in a series of tests, never getting too big an advantage on the other, until a hilarious deus ex machina – literally decides the winner. This issue is overall pretty silly, although it somehow manages to get both characters pretty note-perfect despite that. It’s another great addition to the over-the-top, chaotic nature of the whole DC KO event.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
