New Lobo design

[Cen]

Link (http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2013/08/23/whats-new-in-the-new-52-lobos-new-look#4)


Seriously wht the hell thought it was good idea? Till now I didn't care about New 52 at all, but now? Now they are raping my childhood.

[HandofShadows]

I think the best way to look at it to say the characters of your youth are dead and gone. These are just imposters created by people who seem to lack the class of the original creators. I mean really. Lobo is a SPACE BIKER. Nothing more. Hell, he was (re)created as a joke/parody character by Alan Grant (with art by the Great Simon Bisley) and that was what made him a major draw.

[MLai]

Are they on drugs? Who do they think read Lobo, Twilight tween fangirls? :smallconfused:

What does the "imposter Lobo" currently in the comics look like, btw? The same as original Lobo?

[Cen]

What does the "imposter Lobo" currently in the comics look like, btw? The same as original Lobo?

He looks like clawless (http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/31666/2338126-lobo_2.jpg) Wolverine, but at least there are some details that allow you to recognize Old Lobo in him. This new 'original' one is just so bland and generic... He looks like one of those bazillion Drizztclones...

[Kitten Champion]

This company really seems to strive to be as bland as possible whenever and wherever possible, and I have no idea why. If their purpose was to get new readers, well, that would have been me 2 years ago and in that specific respect they utterly failed. There are a few exceptions, but even those have steadily been losing my interests or were cancelled. For the most part I wasn't angry, disappointed, or whatever longtime DC fans might be, I was so very bored. My eyes slid off the pages, and I had trouble finishing comics without my mind wondering.

...and now they've turned Lobo into... that.

I don't get the why, I really don't. At least with Amanda Waller and Harley Quinn I could see the hamster wheels spinning, on this I'm baffled.

[xkaliburr]

I really think DC is trying to go out of business. It is the only way to explain the cycle that has been occuring since the 80's.

1.) Reboot continuity. State there is too much backstory for new readers.

2.) Make a lot of minor changes to major characters, nothing really noticeable at first.

3.) Reintroduce incredibly confusing plot points for minor characters, which throws off the whole purpose of the reboot to begin with.

4.) Bog major characters down in backstories instead of moving them forward.

5.) Reinvent beloved cult characters in ways to betray their fan base as a way to "expand their reach".

6.) Realize everything is blown to hell, return to step one.

[HandofShadows]

6.) Realize everything is blown to hell, return to step one with the intent to change MORE stuff this time.

[BRC]

This company really seems to strive to be as bland as possible whenever and wherever possible, and I have no idea why. If their purpose was to get new readers, well, that would have been me 2 years ago and in that specific respect they utterly failed. There are a few exceptions, but even those have steadily been losing my interests or were cancelled. For the most part I wasn't angry, disappointed, or whatever longtime DC fans might be, I was so very bored. My eyes slid off the pages, and I had trouble finishing comics without my mind wondering.

...and now they've turned Lobo into... that.

I don't get the why, I really don't. At least with Amanda Waller and Harley Quinn I could see the hamster wheels spinning, on this I'm baffled.

I have a somewhat elaborate and highly speculative theory with no evidence to back it up, but this whole decision is so bizzare anyway.

DC says "Alright, we want to do a Lobo series".
Some Artists/Writers start poking ideas around. If you look at the other concepts for Lobo they, while not quite being Space-Biker Lobo, are in the same general area: Hulking and muscular.
My guess is that THOSE were the designs for Lobo, and THIS was the design for some totally new character specifically designed to contrast Lobo. If Lobo is a parody of overly macho 90's antiheroes, this guy is a parody of stick-thin pretty boys. In my mind, this guy was designed to be a foil/partner to Lobo. They didn't think they could get much mileage out of Lobo by himself, so they tried to set up a dynamic they could mine for drama, the macho brusier and the refined charmer.

So, they approach some editor with their ideas, and the editor says "No, we want a Lobo series, not a Lobo+Some other guy series" "But" the Writers say "we don't know what to do with Lobo. He's a joke character, and "Lobo is big and rude" storylines can only last us so long". "Alright" they say "How about the new guy" "But I thought you wanted a Lobo book" "Yeah, the new guy is the real Lobo".



Either that OR this is a set-up for the greatest joke ever. For the first few months of the series Pretty Boy up there is hunting down "The Imposter", they finally meet in some space-biker bar. Pretty boy gets his head ripped off "Who was that" "Oh, some punk kid in makeup trying to steal my name. It happens every so often"

[Ravens_cry]

I hate to say it, but if they are trying or a more 'serious' and 'dramatic' take on the character, it would make sense to go for a new design. The Main Man before, bless his cotton socks and Biker at a KISS concert get up, was or became a parody, who gleefully blew up his own planet and rode through space on an interstellar Harley. Hard to do something serious with that.

[BRC]

I hate to say it, but if they are trying or a more 'serious' and 'dramatic' take on the character, it would make sense to go for a new design. The Main Man before, bless his cotton socks and Biker at a KISS concert get up, was or became a parody, who gleefully blew up his own planet and rode through space on an interstellar Harley. Hard to do something serious with that.
Yes, but telling a serious Lobo story wouldn't require this much redesign. They were able to tell serious superman stories, and superman famously wears his underwear on the outside. telling serious stories would require toning down the more outrageous parts of Lobo's personality. You could keep the biker gear and the space-harley, or if you needed to jettison those you could keep the muscles and hair at least.

This Redesign dosn't say "We want to tell different stories with this character", it says "we want to put his name on a new character".


Take for example the redesigned Harley Quinn. She looks radically different from the old version, but the general aesthetic of Harly Quinn is still there. Except for maybe his chains there is nothing of Lobo in New Lobo.

[Ravens_cry]

Not anymore Superman doesn't. And there is a completely valid reason he did when he started doing it, for the same reason circus performers at the time did the same thing. Later, it became part of the superhero 'look', to the point of parody, but it is still fairly frequently seen.

[BRC]

Not anymore Superman doesn't. And there is a completely valid reason he did when he started doing it, for the same reason circus performers at the time did the same thing. Later, it became part of the superhero 'look', to the point of parody, but it is still fairly frequently seen.
I know he dosn't anymore, and I know why he did at first, but the costume didn't stop them from telling serious superman stories before the New 52. Lobo's old design was silly, but no sillier than most superhero designs, and certainly not to the point where it would distract from storytelling.

[Cen]

I hate to say it, but if they are trying or a more 'serious' and 'dramatic' take on the character, it would make sense to go for a new design. The Main Man before, bless his cotton socks and Biker at a KISS concert get up, was or became a parody, who gleefully blew up his own planet and rode through space on an interstellar Harley. Hard to do something serious with that.

They managed to make some serious stories with this playboy billionair character, who dresses up as a bat at night, to punch thieves.

Immortal insane psycho who destroyed his own planet is brilliant set up for a serious story.

[Metahuman1]

A friend showed me this last night.

They've completely missed the point of him it seems. The point being two fold. First, he's suppose to be a joke at the expense of Miller, McFarland, Moore, Loyd types of dark and gritty comics.

Second, he's suppose to be about doing everything in extreams of excess.




Course there now planning to either kill Nightwing or rehash Spider-man unmasking himself in Civil War with Nightwing come Feb, so I'm not surprised.

[TheEmerged]

/sarcasm
Well, for one thing, they had to give Lobo a collar. Because *everyone* in New52 must have a snazy collar.
/sarcasm

Comedy aside, let's be honest: for a lot of us, Lobo is as serious a character as Ambush Bug, although Ambush Bug is aware of this. Do I necessarily like the new one? No, but I pretty much loathed the old one.

[Giggling Ghast]

Lobo was initially created as a parody of 90s anti-heroes and became somewhat inexplicably popular because he also worked as a great "straight" example of those characters. After the joke stopped being funny, he just sort of hung out in continuity without much to do.

Lobo is not that sacred of a cow in my books. If they want to try and make the dude marketable, go ahead.

[BRC]

Lobo was initially created as a parody of 90s anti-heroes and became somewhat inexplicably popular because he also worked as a great "straight" example of those characters. After the joke stopped being funny, he just sort of hung out in continuity without much to do.

Lobo is not that sacred of a cow in my books. If they want to try and make the dude marketable, go ahead.

My objection stems less from a love of Lobo (I have read one comic with him in it, and seen one episode of the animated Justice Leage Show that featured him. I have a friend who loves him though), and more an objection to stupid character redesigns.

When you redesign a character to this degree, you are basically slapping the old character's identity onto an entierly new one. This says two things.

To the Fans of the old character it says "We think the old character was stupid and you were wrong for liking them, so in order to make it clear that they are gone forever we are giving their name to somebody new". If they don't think they can tell stories with Lobo, then they don't tell stories with Lobo, let him languish in comic-limbo with maybe the occasional cameo appearance. If they want to tell stories with this pretty-boy space bounty-hunter, then make the pretty boy space bounty hunter and tell stories with him.

To the Creators, this level of redesign says "We are opposed to new characters, to the degree that if we like your character we would rather take an old character and rebuild it than let you make a new one. We don't think your space bounty hunter could hold a series on his own, so we're giving him the name of another character people might recognize".

Personally, I have no problem with pretty-boy space bounty hunter. Add in some Han Solo snark and perhaps a bit of James Bond Charm and he could be fun. My problem is only that they felt he had to be Lobo.

[Ravens_cry]

They managed to make some serious stories with this playboy billionair character, who dresses up as a bat at night, to punch thieves.
Batman has a bat motif, but I wouldn't say he 'dresses up as a bat'. How much he is the playboy or how much that is obfuscating foolishness to help hide his identity, like Zorro's Don Diego de la Vega alter ego, depends on the story, though the more serious stories seem to either go for the latter, or tone down the playboy aspect.


Immortal insane psycho who destroyed his own planet is brilliant set up for a serious story.
Yes, but not as him as anything heroic or even remotely sympathetic with the character as he stands.

[xkaliburr]

OK, if they either make the imposter's imposter joke, or make Lobo space James Bond, I may be happy with this.

Actually, no... no I will not.

But those are both brilliant.

[Kitten Champion]

I would agree that Lobo isn't exactly DC's Deadpool, but he's a character with a strong and boisterous personality that I actually remember even without being much of a fan. DC keeps replacing characters with blander and more generic versions thereof.

I guess I can praise them for not saying this is the same Lobo character like with Amanda Waller, it would seem Lobo - or the dull Lobo from Liefeld's recent work - still exists more or less. If it doesn't work out, they can simply scrap this new Lobo without much of a problem.

That DC think this is some daring creative decision is what annoys me.

[Tanuki Tales]

Lobo already showed up in the New 52....and it was pretty bad.

[BRC]

So apparently the Nerdrage may have been a little premature.
According to this (http://http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2013/08/lobos-new-look-might-not-be-as-twilight-y-as-everyone-fears/) the concept art that has been thrown around is not actually the final design.

My guess is that when DC released it and said "This is the concept we are going with", they were talking about the costume/gear, specifically the idea of Lobo incorporating more high-tech (Such as the laser-edged hooks and the gauntlets) into his arsenal.

That OR it's a marketing ploy. They release Concept art they know will generate a buzz, turning the masses from apathetic to enraged, then when the actual character is more in-line with his past they go from Enraged to Interested.

If that's the case then this concept art has done better for advertising than a thousand paid ads, and nobody is to blame except some anonomous community manager who posted the art, and even then the internet masses are to blame for assuming this art was final.

[Tanuki Tales]

BRC, your link doesn't work.

And looking it over again, personally, I like that first Lobo image from the opening post. It still looks and feels like Lobo if you want to make him more serious and distance from "Space Wolverine, but with more of an attitude, less morals and he rides a space bike! And loves Heavy Metal!"

[MLai]

What is so hard about writing for old Lobo? His unconventional design is what makes him easier to write for, because he's unique. His shallow premise allows for more character exploration if you intend to take him in a serious direction.

For a storyline that's different fromt the usual space superhero angle, just watch some Dog The Bounty Hunter and then get to writing. Give him a hillbilly bounty hunter crew, him up front in his bike and his posse/family in heat-packing SUVs behind him, and then put it in SPACE! All you need is a little actual effort put into the script. You can still put Twilight Boy in it.

[BRC]

BRC, your link doesn't work.

And looking it over again, personally, I like that first Lobo image from the opening post. It still looks and feels like Lobo if you want to make him more serious and distance from "Space Wolverine, but with more of an attitude, less morals and he rides a space bike! And loves Heavy Metal!"

Try this one
http://comicsalliance.com/lobo-new-52-marguerite-bennet-dc-comics-new-52/

[Selrahc]

Yes, but telling a serious Lobo story wouldn't require this much redesign. They were able to tell serious superman stories, and superman famously wears his underwear on the outside. telling serious stories would require toning down the more outrageous parts of Lobo's personality. You could keep the biker gear and the space-harley, or if you needed to jettison those you could keep the muscles and hair at least.

This Redesign dosn't say "We want to tell different stories with this character", it says "we want to put his name on a new character".


Take for example the redesigned Harley Quinn. She looks radically different from the old version, but the general aesthetic of Harly Quinn is still there. Except for maybe his chains there is nothing of Lobo in New Lobo.

To me, this looks like a young Lobo. Before he became the Main Man, biker mercenary. Lobo started life as a sociopathic genius, on a utopian planet. By his 16th birthday, he had intentionally unleashed a devastating genetic plague that killed everybody but him. This look seems apropriate for that twisted young man, who has already started to prove his power by destroying his homeworld, and will now start striding out into the universe beyond. Lobo as we've seen him before seems like a more mellow character. He has proved himself, and now enacts horrific acts of violence just for the fun of it. A young Lobo before he made his mark? With things still to prove to the universe? Could be interesting. And hopefully would work towards the Lobo from his previous iteration.

[Morph Bark]

I wonder what Marvel would do if they managed to buy up DC.

[Killer Angel]

You shouldn't mess too much with the Main Man. Otherwise, Lobo could come in this universe and teach you a new experience in pain.

mmm... it could be a funny plot for a Lobo's story. Ala the gamers' end. :smalltongue:

[Mr.Bookworm]

Now they are raping my childhood.

...seriously? Seriously?

Anyway, as pointed out, this is not, in fact, a redesign.

Although I've personally always thought Lobo was an incredibly dumb character, so I personally wouldn't mind too much if they tried something different than him.

[MLai]

Anyway, as pointed out, this is not, in fact, a redesign.
Although I've personally always thought Lobo was an incredibly dumb character, so I personally wouldn't mind too much if they tried something different than him.
That's just a cop-out way for DC to avoid saying "it's a redesign." Because it pretty much is, but they leave the option open for having the young one to die or turn out to be the fraud. Which is admittedly better than another comic book death-resurrection.

As for old Lobo... if Liefield!Lobo is what he looks like now, then he's pretty much already gone. :smallyuk:

[t209]

http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/1905
Maybe we can stop using "in his/her early days as some career", just like we did on Amanda Weller.
Even though I know Lobo from Superman the Animated series, I kinda prefer the old one (plus Amanda Weller, who's actually have a life that is similar to Boyz in the Hood, and Precious).

[slayerx]

...seriously? Seriously?

Anyway, as pointed out, this is not, in fact, a redesign.

Although I've personally always thought Lobo was an incredibly dumb character, so I personally wouldn't mind too much if they tried something different than him.

Except they aren't trying something "different" because what they are trying is what has been done a thousand times before. Based on the few comments the author has made about this new Lobo, he bascially sounds like every other villainous merc in comics; i mean the desription sounds like Deadshot or Deathstroke...

Lobo was more unique than that. He was a comedic character, a parody of everything that was wrong with comics. The redesign isn't the problem, its just a symptom. The real problem is trying to water down his character and turn him into something more generic. Its like DC is afraid to have any kind of fun anymore, everything needs to be gritty and serious.



To the Creators, this level of redesign says "We are opposed to new characters, to the degree that if we like your character we would rather take an old character and rebuild it than let you make a new one. We don't think your space bounty hunter could hold a series on his own, so we're giving him the name of another character people might recognize".

Personally, I have no problem with pretty-boy space bounty hunter. Add in some Han Solo snark and perhaps a bit of James Bond Charm and he could be fun. My problem is only that they felt he had to be Lobo.

Ya, when it comes down to it, if you are gonna change a character THIS much, you might aswell just make a new character... Which is sorta technically what they are doing, since this new Lobo is supposed to be the "real" lobo where as the old Lobo is an imposter, but it still feels like they are just trying to piggy back on Lobo's legacy rather than just making something new

Really the best thing that could possible happen to this new lobo is him getting flattened by the old lobo in the most over the top and ridiculous way possible.

They want to make some new serious badass bounty hunter the likes of which has been done tim and time again; then just make a new character and leave Lobo alone.

[Fragenstein]

No... no... nononononooO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just... NO. Lobo at his best was not a parody or a 'space biker'. He was smart, he was ruthless and he looked like Ronald McDonald.

Okay, maybe that last wasn't so great, the original Roger Slifer/Keith Giffen character was ACTUALLY INTERESTING. Here's why...

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/5608/omegamen0320.jpg

Smart. He always researches his quarries. He outsmarts his opponents. It wasn't until the post-castration Lobo that his complexity began to decline. If they want to reboot him, bring back the cool-under-fire, calm, collected, and INTELLIGENT Lobo.

[GenericGuy]

I don't want a serious Lobo comic. Who was asking for Lobo to be a more "serious" character and how does "prettyfing" him make Lobo more serious anyways?

I really hope this is all a joke and the new Lobo is just a parody of the crop of pretty and angsty "bad boys" that are re-surging in young adult media.

[Jerthanis]

Yeah, things should never be different, because if they always stay the same, they'll never ever ever be dumb. Especially with joke characters.

Kidding aside, I do understand being upset over the redesign in light of much of the rest of the New 52, since it implies the character will be joining the much more maligned storywriting of the modern comic story.

[slayerx]

I really hope this is all a joke and the new Lobo is just a parody of the crop of pretty and angsty "bad boys" that are re-surging in young adult media.

Unfortunately it does not sound like that is the case.

However THAT would be a clever way to reboot Lobo. The old Lobo was known for being a self-parody of everything wrong with the 90's, so the NEW lobo could be a parody of everything wrong with the DC reboot... like a parody on making everything darker, more serious and sucking the fun out of everything; maybe he can get his own book line were EVERY chapter is a crossover event comic where characters die!


Yeah, things should never be different, because if they always stay the same, they'll never ever ever be dumb. Especially with joke characters.

Kidding aside, I do understand being upset over the redesign in light of much of the rest of the New 52, since it implies the character will be joining the much more maligned storywriting of the modern comic story.

I think a better question is what has remained the same... i mean it feels like everything has changed with the new 52 and not for the better. What's worse is the fact that none of these changes were organic; instead of things just gradually changing this way through story and character development, they just did a reboot that changed everything instantly. Really, it just feels like DC's marketing department are the one's running things instead of the writers, and the marketers are completely out of touch...

I mean, looking over at Marvel with X-men things have changed A LOT over the years, but at the very least their were story based reasons for why those changes happened.

[t209]

Oh! you should know that he appeared in Rod Liefeld's Deathstroke the Terminator.
Sorry (former) DC fans, I prefer the Teen Titan cartoon version and another Liefeld's snarky mercenary.

[Avilan the Grey]

Again, this site is a good reminder of what DC does to their characters, and their fans, these days.

Has DC Comics Done Anything Stupid Today? (http://hasdcdonesomethingstupidtoday.com/)

The answer is no, they haven't purposely alienated fans for 3 days now!!! Not since this new Lobo design went public!

[Mando Knight]

Kelly Turnbull (aka Coelasquid), the author/illustrator of Manly Guys Doing Manly Things, weighs in on New-Lobo (http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/1905). And has the Main Man tear his throat out within five panels. In short, no, she doesn't seem to like pretty-boy-"Lobo" at all.

[MLai]

Kelly Turnbull (aka Coelasquid), the author/illustrator of Manly Guys Doing Manly Things, weighs in on New-Lobo (http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/1905). And has the Main Man tear his throat out within five panels. In short, no, she doesn't seem to like pretty-boy-"Lobo" at all.
Ma..Ma..Manly Guys is drawn by a... woman?
My tiny world just sploded.

On that note, yes god, DC give Lobo title to Manly Guys!

[t209]

http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/1905
Maybe we can stop using "in his/her early days as some career", just like we did on Amanda Weller.
Even though I know Lobo from Superman the Animated series, I kinda prefer the old one (plus Amanda Weller, who's actually have a life that is similar to Boyz in the Hood, and Precious).


Kelly Turnbull (aka Coelasquid), the author/illustrator of Manly Guys Doing Manly Things, weighs in on New-Lobo (http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/1905). And has the Main Man tear his throat out within five panels. In short, no, she doesn't seem to like pretty-boy-"Lobo" at all.
Umm, I already posted it before.

[Mando Knight]

Umm, I already posted it before.

Well, now don't I look silly?