Crush and Lobo #1 // Review
Crush and Lobo #1 is written by Mariko Tamaki, drawn by Amancay Nahuelpan, colored by Tamra Bonvillain, and lettered by Ariana Maher. Crush and Lobo #1 is the first installment in a new miniseries published by DC Comics.
Fresh from her recent split with the Teen Titans (see Teen Titans Academy #3), Crush is on her own doing the whole superhero thing. Not that she minds. She gets to violently take down villains, and she's in a happy-ish relationship with her girlfriend, Katie. Though things have been tense between them lately. She's sure it will be fine, though. So when her mass murderer father, Lobo, contacts her, Crush is hesitant to see what he wants. But will her curiosity get the best of her?
Though "Crush and Lobo" is largely set up for what's to come, Tamaki wisely uses the time catching the reader up on what Crush has done before this series. And by establishing Crush's voice and character. Tamaki creatively makes Crush the narrator of Crush and Lobo #1, having her relay the story directly to the reader as the events have already passed. The reader can learn a lot about Crush in only one issue. And since Crush seems like a bit of an unreliable narrator, I can't help but wonder how true her account of the story is. It adds another layer to the narrative.
In Crush and Lobo #1, most of what we see from Crush is aggression, ferocity, stubbornness, and pride. She's standoffish, confrontational, and doesn't have great people skills. But Tamaki shows that this isn't the entirety of her character. Despite her less than stellar interactions with her family and friends, Crush does care about her girlfriend Katie and wants to make things work. Crush might've mostly rough edges, but there's more to her than that.
Crush lives up to her name in that she is very strong and can crush you. Easily. And she looks the part. Nahuelpan doesn't shy away from making Crush completely buff, with arms that look rock-solid. Another standout part of Nahuelpan's art in Crush and Lobo #1 is the facial expressions. Whether she's smiling or snarling, Crush is very expressive, and it's clear what she's feeling.
Crush and Lobo #1 is vibrantly colored by Bonvillain. Just because the protagonist is a rough and tumble punk doesn't mean they can't appreciate the power of pink accents. It makes your outfit pop! And the rest of Bonvillain's colors make use of the same brightness and saturation. It's a beautiful book.
Maher perfectly places space speech bubbles and dialogue boxes on the page in a way that draws the eye naturally from one to the other. The lettering style feels like a great choice, especially the sound effects, both in and out of battle. They add to the immersive experience of reading the comic.
Crush and Lobo #1 is a ton of fun. Every aspect of the book is wonderfully done, and it's completely accessible by readers that don't have previous experience with Crush as a character.
