A Guide to Reading Lobo Comics Before Jason Momoa Plays Him In the DCU

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Lobo is DC’s most exhilaratingly excessive and violent character, and that’s a fact, Clyde. For fans of blood and bullets and a complete lack of interest in good taste, it doesn’t get any better than Lobo. Despite having a rather quaint introduction to the DC Universe as a somewhat generic bad guy, Lobo quickly rocketed up as the company’s biggest shake-up to its do-gooder status quo. Even other villains couldn’t keep up with The Last Czarnian in terms of body count, style, and ferocious attitude.

Over the years, Lobo has received numerous limited series, one-shots, and a few ongoing series to his name. He’s also suffered one of the biggest redesigns in comic history, but through it all, Lobo has always been Lobo. Knowing where to dive into the gore-drenched history of the Main Man before he makes his big screen DCU debut can be a little confusing at first, but this guide will help newcomers get the most out of their time with The Main Man. Just be aware that these comics are gleefully NOT for kids.

Lobo’s Origin Was Simple, But He Quickly Proved Himself To Be Unlike Any Other

It’s Really Good That He Ditched That Purple and Yellow Suit

Lobo made his very first appearance as a villain in The Omega Men #3 (by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen.) Originally portrayed as nothing more than a minor villain in the issue, Lobo would continue to pop up occasionally over the years.

It would be 1987’s Justice League International that Lobo would finally gain enough traction and attention to warrant his own mini-series. The rest, they say through mouthfuls of broken teeth and bullets, is history.

1991’s Lobo is not The Main Man’s first official appearance, but it is the perfect place to start reading his comics. As it serves as both an introduction to the character and as an origin story, Lobo succeeds in explaining to readers who and what he is.

It also happens to be a celebration of all things profane, murderous, and violent. Giffen, Grant, and Bisley not only created one of the single-greatest mini-series of all time, but they also created the biggest and most amazing parody of edgy ’80s antiheroes with only four issues.

Lobo’s Series of One-Shots Continued to Immortalize The Main Man

Even Heaven Wasn’t Safe

Throughout the ’90s and into the early 2000s, Lobo would receive a staggering number of one-shots and limited series that would continue exploring just how psychotic and deranged the interstellar bounty hunter truly is. Lobo actually has over two hundred kids across the universe! Lobo gets a haircut! Lobo takes a contract to kill Santa for the holidays!

Regardless of what the premise may be, two things are always at the forefront of Lobo’s stories: they’re the ultimate manifestation of cartoon absurdity, and they’re astoundingly grim and violent. Mash these two things together, and the result is a scathing and blistering explosion of violence that manages to be self-aware of how utterly stupid it is.

Of all the mini-stories that Lobo received throughout the ’90s, Lobo’s Back is the quintessential Lobo story. Alongside his 1991 limited series, Lobo’s Back is peak Lobo in all his visceral glory. There is possibly no greater depiction of ultra-violence in comics than Lobo’s Back, with the cherry on top being the fact that Lobo beats enough ass in the afterlife that he is forever banned from dying ever again. Watch Batman try and do that.

Lobo Received an On-Going Series That Finally Gave Him His Due

It’s 64 Issues of Carnage and Ridiculousness

During Lobo’s extreme R-rated rampage throughout the ’90s, The Main Man managed to secure himself his first true ongoing series. For the first time, Lobo starred in something that lasted for more than four issues.

This ongoing series was the same Lobo fans of gratuitous violence had come to love, just toned down a bit. Skating by at a hard PG-13, Lobo’s solo series threw him into all sorts of ridiculous situations, some dire, some silly, all very violent.

It is possible to read Lobo’s solo series and be completely content with him as a character. He drinks, he smokes, he shoots, and he rides a giant motorcycle through space. It’s nowhere as near as deliriously violent and unhinged as his earlier limited series.

However, for fans needing a change of pace from the typical Czarnian bloodbaths, Lobo’s solo series is a great romp. It’s not highbrow or poetic, but it’s a ludicrous adventure through depravity and absurdity.

The New 52 Lobo Was a Critical Miss

Can’t Fault Anyone For Trying Something New, Though

When DC Comics rebooted its entire universe with The New 52, every character received a major overhaul. Chief among them, in easily the biggest and most controversial of redesigns, was The New 52’s Lobo.

This new Lobo was not a hulking biker decked out with unruly black hair, facial hair, and a crazed smile; instead, the new Lobo was a svelte and lithe individual with short pushed-back hair and subtle facial markings. The first issue of this new run opens with the new Lobo killing the old Lobo, claiming that he was a pretender who stole his name. Right.

It needs to be understood that the creative team of The New 52 Lobo is very talented. Cullen Bunn is a good writer, and Reilly Brown is a fantastic artist. It’s just that the extraordinarily radical move to reinvent Lobo in this manner did not go over well with fans, both new and old.

The New 52 Lobo is essentially Lobo in name only, and while the series does offer its own fun and excitement, it’s important to walk into it knowing that it didn’t stick. If read as a one-off series that wanted to experiment with Lobo’s formula, it’s perfectly fine, but for anyone thirsting for the classic Lobo experience, it’s a destination best passed over.

Lobo’s Been Back in Action In Recent Years And That’s a Great Thing

The Universe Can Always Use a Little More Czarnian Action

When the original Lobo returned to the spotlight, The Main Man wasted no time in getting back to business. While he hasn’t enjoyed another solo series as he did in the 90s and in The New 52, Lobo has made several appearances across the DC Universe.

He played a large role in Injustice II (and single-handedly had two of the most infamous moments in the entire run to himself.) Lobo also appeared in Dark Nights: Death Metal Infinite Hour Exxxtreme, even fighting a version of Batman that infused himself with Czarnian DNA (it went as well as imagined).

Lobo has also been involved with Crush & Lobo, a 2021 series that introduced Lobo’s daughter, Crush. It’s a huge change of pace for The Main Man, being a dad that isn’t doing his best to kill his offspring and all, but stranger things have happened in the DC Universe. Crush & Lobo is not a great place for new fans to begin with Lobo, as it focuses primarily on Crush and paints Lobo in a very different light than what he’s most infamous for.

There are also a handful of other one-shots that Lobo has starred in in recent years, such as 2021’s Superman Vs. Lobo and 2024’s Lobo Cancelation Special. Both stories are a return to the glories of yesteryear, with Lobo reveling in all things violent and repugnant. These stories aren’t quite the same as the bloodbaths of old, but they have the spirit of Lobo within them, slamming drinks and lighting up cigars left and right.

“}]] From his modest first appearance to his most graphic adventures in bloodletting, this is the definitive guide to reading Lobo!  Read More