DC Rewrites Lobo Right Before His DCU Debut in Supergirl

Just months before the Main Man appears in the DCU’s upcoming Supergirl movie, DC Comics is giving Lobo a new path in life. In case you haven’t been keeping up with the hard-fighting, hard-drinking Czarnian, there’s not too much to say. Lobo has relatively been the same bastich he’s been ever since he first burst onto the comic book scene decades ago. Well, there was that one brief makeover in the New 52, but that aside, Lobo has been mostly consistent. But let’s face it, a gruff biker-type parody of extreme antiheroes is kind of hard to get wrong.

That being said, it is a new era for the DC Universe. DC K.O.’s Omega Tournament is over, and DC Comics has moved into its exciting Next Level era. This is a period of growth and experimentation, not to mention a chance for lesser-featured heroes to step into the spotlight. To wit, Lobo is back with his first solo title in over a decade. With his upcoming debut in the DCU, it makes sense, but before he jumps to the silver screen, the big bastich is making a small adjustment to his iconic bounty-hunting career.

Lobo is Now a Reality Star in the DC Universe (Seriously)

The newest volume of Lobo comes to us from Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Nate Piekos, and it begins with Lobo doing what he does best: going after a bounty. Lobo boozes through space until he reaches the Chug n’ Slug Space Pub, an incredibly seedy-looking bar. Lobo is on the hunt for a man named Whit Dusty, and after a brief (and incredibly violent) interaction with the doorman, Lobo makes his way inside the pub, where the patrons are all obsessed with a new antihero film, Murder Mouth and Fisty Claus.

Apparently, antiheroes are all the rage in outer space, with the Murder Mouth film becoming one of the most profitable pieces of media in existence. But Lobo interrupts the movie marathon and discovers his target is among the bar’s patrons. Unfortunately, before he can collect on Dusty, Lobo discovers that the bounty has been canceled as the business Lobo works with has been bought by Omni Mega+ Entertainment Corp, the largest media corporation in the DC Universe. Even more frustrating, every bounty and bondsman business has become the property of Omni, meaning Lobo is out of work.

Lobo heads to Omni’s headquarters to get things straightened out and meets Mr. Kzzt, who reveals that he’s purchased the galactic bounty business for one reason: to get in on the money that antiheroes can bring in. Kzzt has big plans to corner the reality television market. Lobo, of course, couldn’t care less and just wants to get paid, and takes out his frustrations on Kzzt’s guards. But Lobo’s rampage only endears him to Kzzt, who reveals that he wants Lobo to work for him by having Lobo star in a bounty-hunting reality show.

Lobo’s Taking on Bounties and Media Conglomerates

It’s good to see that DC Comics isn’t completely changing Lobo (we all know what happened the last time he got a major change). But making him a reality star? That’s gold. He gets to continue doing what he does, fragging anyone unlucky enough to have a bounty placed on his head, and he gets to be the star of a hit new show. But what I find really interesting isn’t so much that Lobo’s being made a reality star, it’s that he’s in the middle of a giant media conglomerate’s quest to dominate the media landscape.

If you’re slightly familiar with Lobo, you know that his series is filled with satire (and not particularly subtle satire, either). The Omni corporation and it’s buying out of the bounty business is frightfully similar to real-world acquisitions we’ve seen in recent months, namely Paramount’s purchase of Warner Bros Discovery. Hell, Mr. Kzzt is practically a living symbol of corporate media greed; his head is literally a mass of various screens. Lobo always had something to say, and it’s not holding its tongue about these corporations’ rapid consumption and elimination of competition.

While Supergirl fans are probably going to get a more simplified version of Lobo, at least at first, his new series is going in an odd yet strangely fitting direction. He’ll still be bounty hunting and drinking, but only as long as he’s making his corporate master a profit. I’m quite curious to see where they’ll take this direction because we’re all still reeling from DC’s parent company being acquired, and right now, we need some good satire to help us survive this era of hyper-capitalism.

Lobo #1 Brings the Main Man Back to His ’90s Roots (Review)