Review: Deathstroke Vol. 2- Lobo Hunt

Quick Summary

Pros: There are plenty of great, action packed moments from Deathstroke here. His fight against Lobo is entertaining.

Cons: The plot feels generic the entire time. The narrative is inconsistent and changes suddenly and randomly. The finale is poor and fails to deliver the emotions it attempts to elicit. The artwork ranges from average to below average.

Overall: Though it starts out alright, this volume ultimately devolves into a mess that gets less entertaining with every page. Deathstroke still has plenty of time to shine and there are moments where his epic stunts are great. However, the plot is lackluster to start out with and only gets worse as the volume progresses. This is a volume for those who have to see every fight Deathstroke participates in, not those looking to see him take part in a meaningful story.

Story

Deathstroke Vol. 2: Lobo Hunt, by Rob Liefeld and Justin Jordan, is a volume that starts out alright but gradually gets worse as it progresses. The opening story is nothing too special but it is a great presentation of Deathstroke’s affinity for violence and his brutal take on problem solving. However, as the volume progresses, this otherwise passable narrative is muddled by random changes to characters and sudden shifts in plot. Then, the finale comes around and makes everything even worse, hammering in the final nail in this volume’s appeal. It would have been great to see the series continue with the average quality level from the first volume; unfortunately, Lobo Hunt is filled with too many strange happenings to be anything more than second-rate.

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Lobo Hunt starts out with a story that is consistently average in terms of quality. It sees Deathstroke take on numerous enemies in a fight to subdue Lobo, who is the most threatening enemy Deathstroke has faced thus far. The story is entertaining in the way it presents over-the-top action but does little to define itself as a story worth remembering. Overall, it feels similar to Vol. 1: Legacy (Review) in that it celebrates Deathstroke’s fighting side and not much else.

This opening story is then followed by several shorter tales featuring Deathstroke taking on less intimidating opponents. He fights another assassin, temporarily teams up with Hawkman, kills a dictator and even dismantles a clan of ninjas. This portion of the book has a similar level of over-the-top action, though this is really the only positive.

The negatives, in this portion of the book, come from the frustrating lack of a cohesive narrative. Numerous loose ends are left open, new story elements appear from nowhere, and aspects of Deathstroke’s adventures are altered within the space of chapters. For example, Deadborn starts out as an assassin hired by the mob to kill Deathstroke but is later working for Jericho with absolutely no ties to the mob, yet this is never explained. Continuity shifts like these are common in comic books, but they typically occur over the course of multiple years, not within a single volume. The number of errors, like these, turn what would be a passable collection of stories into a frustrating mess.

The book’s finale makes things worse by focusing even less on action and by introducing a new storyline based around Deathstroke’s entire family. It happens so suddenly and is shrouded in such confusion that readers are unable to connect with the characters. This kills the emotions present here and deflates any sense of grandeur that the finale was designed to have.

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Art

Much like the story, the artwork throughout Lobo Hunt ranges from average to below average. This first half, penciled by Rob Liefeld, isn’t the most detailed but generally looks alright. However, this portion of the book suffers from a distinct lack of creativity. Characters look generic and have little sense of charm or originality about them. Even Lobo, an alien known for his outlandish physique, looks just like an ordinary biker.

The second half of the book, primarily penciled by Edgar Salazar, ends up looking even worse. Though characters have a bit more flair to them, proportions and physical features appear even more twisted. These chapters still aren’t terrible but certainly aren’t that good either.

Continuity

Deathstroke Vol. 2: Lobo Hunt continues the story started in Deathstroke Vol. 1: Legacy (Review).

This Deathstroke series ends with this volume. Deathstroke’s next major appearance is in Forever Evil (Review) and he gets his own solo series again in Deathstroke Vol. 1: Gods of War (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• A number of specific references are made to Deathstroke’s time with Team 7. His entire past with the team is detailed in Team 7 Vol. 1: Fight Fire With Fire (Review).
• Deathstroke recent confrontation with John Lynch is brought up. This confrontation happened in Team 7 #5, which is collected in Team 7 Vol. 1: Fight Fire With Fire (Review).
• The end of this volume mentions the work Deathstroke did with the Ravagers. This is detailed in The Ravagers Vol. 2: Heavenly Destruction.