Superman The Animated Series
Lobo is definitely an example of the type of characters that thrived in the '90s. He's very much in the vein of Deadpool. Lobo is EXTREME. He's the main man. He drives a space motorcycle and shoots giant guns. He's a bounty hunter. He is vulgar and uses all these pseudo alien swear words. Lobo was actually introduced in "Omega Men" #3 in June of 1983. His popularity rose due to his appearances in "Justice League International" and in 1990 he had his first solo miniseries.
Lois Lane: "I'm confused, Kent. See, I've lived in Metropolis most of my life and I can't figure out how some yokel from Smallville is suddenly getting every hot story in town."
Clark Kent: "Well, Lois, the truth is I'm actually Superman in disguise, and I only pretend to be a journalist in order to hear about disasters as they happen and then squeeze you out of the byline."
Lois Lane: "You're a sick man, Kent."
Clark Kent: "You asked."
Professor Hamilton and the crew at STAR labs has converted the rocket Superman came to Earth in and made it a spaceship he can use at will. In space, bounty hunter Lobo is doing what he does best. Tracking down an alien for Emperor Spooj. He's intercepted by the Preserver, who captures and holds the last living creatures of species in his museum. The Preserver wants Lobo to retrieve the last son of Krypton... Superman!
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| Superman Vs Lobo |
To say I'm not the biggest Lobo fan is a massive understatement. These super aggressive '90's characters are not my cup of tea. I mean, I just came around to Deadpool and we are still on a trial basis. I was kind of surprised that there was a two-part episode devoted to Lobo so soon into the series first season. Then again, part one did air on November 16, 1996, so this would have been in the midst of Lobo's peak popularity. So, needless to say, these were not the episodes that I was looking forward to. Then, after the opening credits I saw four magical words: "written by Paul Dini." If there was anyone that can make Lobo palatable to me, it is the super scribe of the DC Animated Universe, Paul Dini.
Paul Dini definitely brings the funny in this episode which is exactly what you need when you're dealing with the Main Man. From the jump, when Lobo is introduced in the alien bar, there is a lot of great stuff. The alien species that Sqweek belongs too is kind of a nightmare to look at and that is part of what makes it so great. They basically have two faces but they're actual face is located above one of their eyes that also serves as their mouth. It's horrifyingly disturbing but also really, really funny. The name of the person who hired Lobo is Emperor Spooj pronounced spooge. The bar fight is great and Lobo destroys the bar on his way out just to be an asshole, which is very on brand.
When the Preserver hires Lobo to go after Superman, holding Sqweek as a guarantee he will do it, the comedy continues. Superman and Lobo are polar opposites so the conflict is ingrained in their encounter. It doesn't help that Lobo is a lech who hits on Lois as soon as she shows up. The fight between the two powerhouses is great because they are so evenly matched. I loved the repeat gag of Superman and Lobo crashing through LexCorps. We get a glimpse of petty Superman thanks to Lobo which is a delight. It's great to see Superman act human when he's Superman.
There are some small things that detract a little bit particularly how Lobo ends up capturing Superman in the end. It feels kind of cheap. But the episode ends on a fun cliffhanger when the Preserver reveals he's not just after Superman, but also after Lobo because he's the last Czarnian.
Grade: B+
[after Superman lets him out]
Lobo: "Hey Blue. Thanks."
[punches him]
Superman: "What was that for?"
Lobo: "Didn't want you to think I've gone soft."
Lobo and Superman are prisoners of the Preserver. At first Lobo doesn't think things are all that bad, but things take a turn pretty quickly. The two unlikely allies team up to escape their captivity but things take a turn when Emperor Spooj sends Sqweek's brother and rival bounty hunter, Gnaww, to the Preserver's base to finish the job.
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| Lobo and his ladies. |
Part 2 of "The Main Man" is still pretty enjoyable and Dini definitely brings the magic, but the plot is kind of flimsy. It's basically just Lobo and Superman riffing off each other, Lobo dunking on Supes and the two of them trying to escape this ship and going after the bounty hunters Lobo thought that he fragged at the beginning of part 1.
There is still a lot of comedy here and it continues to work. Lobo is initially very into his imprisonment when he thinks that he has two alien biker babes of his very own. It turns out, they are robots that are programmed to gas the Main Man whenever he starts to act aggressively. So, that basically means that he is getting gassed constantly. Once Superman gets out, he lets out Lobo, because Superman is a great guy and Lobo repays him by using Superman as bait against the Preserver's guard robots.
The action here is pretty great as Lobo and Superman go after the aforementioned robots and Gnaww and his bounty hunter buddies. It's pretty hilarious when Superman ends up in the Preserver's dodo enclosure that is flooded with yellow sun so Superman can go HAM on them. We also get some more awesome/gross creature design especially considering Emperor Spooj. He looks like Clayface absorbed Jabba the Hutt. Then, there is the Preserver when he sheds his skin and attacks Lobo and Superman.
Lobo does a great job of twisting the narrative to look good for Emperor Spooj while Gnaww and his crew get the shaft and Superman populates the Fortress of Solitude with the creatures from the Preserver's ship which is a fun detail.
Grade: B
Lana Lang: [admiring Superman's outfit] "Hmm. Red, blue, yellow. Primary, but it works in a superhero-ish kind of way. Let me guess, Martha sewed it for you."
Superman: "What?"
Lana Lang: "By the way, Clark, how are the folks?"
At a fashion show, Clark is reunited with his childhood friend/first love, Lana Lang. He rescues are as Superman when she is attacked by two women who are after her expensive dress. Lana immediately recognizes Superman as Clark Kent and he warns her about Lex Luthor. Lana initially pooh poohs Superman's warnings until she overhears Lex making plans with a dangerous arms dealer. Lana decides she's going to be a double agent against Lex for Superman. How long will this childhood partnership last when Mercy Graves catches wind of Lana's intentions?
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| Lana and Clark |
Lana Lang makes her triumphant adult return to "Superman: The Animated Series" in this episode. It's a nice blast from Clark's past and Joely Fisher, who you may remember from Ellen's first self titled series, does a great job. She is flirty. She's sassy. She has an entirely different vibe than Lois, which is great. We definitely didn't need Lana to just be Lois with red hair. She is her own person and it's great that Lana immediately knows that Superman is Clark Kent. I was kind of hoping that Lana would have already known but at least she's not fooled. It makes total sense that Lana would see through this disguise and it's nice for Clark to have a confidante aside from his elderly parents. Lana even clocks that it was Martha Kent that sewed Clark's super suit. That's the eye of a designer. Speaking of, I'm a little surprised that Clark didn't realize that Lana was the fashion designer at the show that he was attending. I feel like he, an investigative journalist, would have known this. He had know idea what one of his oldest friends/former flame was doing with her life? OK.
Lana is dating Lex Luthor which makes me think that she has pretty atrocious taste in men, her love of Clark notwithstanding. Though maybe it's another sign since it's pretty clear that there will be no future for her and the Man of Steel. I'm not sure what is up with the two women that show up to steal Lana's dress. Wikipedia tells me they are Lizzie and Big Susan, characters created for the show who never appear again. I guess they are fun and are willing to do a lot for a dress, including tossing Lana out of a glass elevator. I can't imagine the dress is worth that much and couldn't they have had someone somehow connected to Lex attack Lana?
This episode is basically a warning against dating Lex Luthor. You're going to be spied on by his bodyguard, Mercy Graves, who clearly has the hots for him. You are going to be kidnapped by an arms dealer he's working with who will try to kill you with molten lead. It's just bad all around. Don't do it.
I really enjoyed the sequence when Superman goes to the factory to save Lana. It being a lead factory was a nice little way to try to trip Superman up. Him being covered with molten lead was a really cool visual and as always the action was solid. Not a terrible appearance by Lana and I hope we see her again soon.
Grade: B
Next up, we finish up season one with Intergang and the return of Parasite.
What do you all think of these episodes? Do you hate Lobo too? Or are you a fan? Let me know in the comments.
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