Where Did The New 52 Lobo End Up?

01/11/2017 12:47 pm EST

The New 52 wasn't the home run that DC Comics hoped it would be, and the criticisms the company received in its wake led to the debut of their newly refocused (and retooled) DC Rebirth initiative.

While the previous history wasn't retconned, there are elements of the new universe that were deemed unsuccessful and purposefully abandoned. One of those elements was the redesigned Lobo, a character that was given a much sleeker and new wave design than his biker-esque predecessor. The character was eventually revealed to be an imposter, and later the original version was brought back, but the imposter quickly became the embodiment of what fans hated about the New 52.

Since that storyline came to a close he's mostly been MIA, until today that is.

In the newest issue of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, the Lanterns have joined up with the Soranik Natu led Fear Corps to break free from Larfleeze's collection. Part of how they do that is to destroy his collection piece by piece, freeing the capture creatures, worlds, and items inside.

Guy Gardner goes to pick up a capsule that clearly contains the New 52 Lobo, but as he's about to chuck it Hal Jordan grabs it from him and says "Not that one.". He follows it up with what could be described as a slick jab at the failed reboot, saying "Trust me. Better to leave him on the shelf."

It appears he was in Brainiac's collection before Larfleeze took it for himself. It's a nice bit of self-deprecating comedy and shows that DC has a sense of humor about their past choices. You can view the images in the gallery, and the official description for the issue is listed below.

"BOTTLED LIGHT" part five! Trapped and collected by Larfleeze, the Green Lantern Corps' only hope is Hal Jordan and White Lantern Kyle Rayner—but can these two heroes save their friends before they all become playthings to the Avatar of Avarice?

Written By: Robert Venditti

Art By: Ethan Van Sciver

Colored By: Jason Wright

Lettered By: Dave Sharpe

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #12 is in stores now.

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