COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Injustice 2 #63 (Lobo Shouldn’t Have a Power Ring)

With the Central Power Battery damaged and things looking grim, the Green Lantern Corps turns to their newest member for aid…the Bounty Hunter Lobo…

Injustice 2 #63
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Bruno Redondo & Juan Albarran
Cover Artist: Bruno Redondo
Cover Colors: Alejandro Sanchez
Colorist: Gabe Eltaeb
Letters: Wes Abbott
Publisher: DC Comics

What You Need to Know:

To complete his quest for vengeance against the Green Lantern Corps, Atrocitus has recruited Starro the Conqueror. With the Conqueror on his side, he easily begins the siege of Oa. Murdering or mind controlling any Lantern in their path. Forcing the Green Lantern Corps and Titans to the surface while Starro damages the Central Power Battery from space before leaving. Blue Beetle & Booster Gold go to pursue Starro while the Green Lantern Corps and Titans make their last stand. Recruiting Hal Jordan, Sinestro, and Lobo into their ranks to aid in the war…

What You’ll Find Out:

With the siege of Oa underway, Atrocitus takes a moment to bask in his glory with Dex-Starr. His dream becoming reality as Lantern after Lantern dies and the Central Power Battery severely damaged. But Lobo ruins the moment when he flies in and football kicks Dex-Starr several hundred miles away. Atrocitus is understandably angry that Lobo just kicked his cat across space. Lobo takes the explanation that Atrocitus is powered by rage and goes out of his way to anger him further. Making his first energy construct a giant penis he promptly uses to knock him aside.

Seeing it, Ghost Gardner is laughing at the sight while Hal is just distracted by both it and Lobo becoming a Green Lantern. Sinestro is the one who snaps them back into reality. But Hal continues to doubt Sinestro being on the level despite giving him a Ring. But Sinestro proves himself twice in a row by both freeing a Lantern from Starro’s control and then saving Hal from Sayd’s energy blast. Sinestro explains the obvious when Hal questions why his archnemesis saved him. Sinestro admits that Hal was always his best student. That between the Red Lanterns, Rogue Lanterns, and Sayd his only hope of saving Soranik is with Hal by his side. Not a squad of horribly inexperienced rookies.

Meanwhile, Booster Gold & Blue Beetle continue their pursuit of Starro. Booster Gold asks what the plan is but Blue Beetle admits he’s just making it up as he goes. Booster asks Skeets for some help by checking files from the future where they defeated Starro to get a sort of cheat sheet. But something goes wrong. Skeets begins freaking out until Booster stops him. Suspecting that they’re at a divergent point in history where things either go very well or very poorly. Booster trails off in thought in remembering the death of an unknown figure, likely the original Blue Beetle Ted Kord he had come back to the past to save in the first place. But Booster pushes it aside and focuses the pair on shaping their own future.

What Just Happened?

Lobo is probably one of my new favorite Green Lanterns now. There have been really different Lanterns with an array of personality types but never one as brash as Lobo. Seeing him just punt Dex-Starr and attacking Atrocitus with a giant penis was just hilarious. It’s one of those things you might imagine a Lantern doing once on a dark and stormy night but never have we actually seen it put into effect. Let alone used and as a weapon.

But enough gushing about Lobo, Sinestro was also a highlight of the chapter. Despite being a major villain and responsible for a lot of terrible things, especially in Injustice 1, he isn’t actually insane. So giving him several moments before this as well as his heroic moments in this chapter were a reminder of this and his early days as a Green Lantern. Even reminding me somewhat of his brief return to the Green Lantern Corps after Blackest Night. Given he hasn’t appeared in Injustice 2, I’m curious if this will stick or he’ll just go back to his old ways and his old Corps.

Rating: 9/10

Final Thought: I know Lobo probably won’t keep his ring by the end of this event. But I REALLY want him to keep it just because there’s so much hilarious potential to it.