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thegeekerynj · 5 years ago

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Death Metal: Infinite Hour EXXXTREME! One Shot

An Occasional Attempt to Read, Discuss and Review the Wonders of Comics

By: John Rafferty, cranky old man, and Fan of All Things Comics

Death Metal: Infinite Hour EXXXTREME! One Shot

Writers: Frank Tieri / Becky Cloonan/ Sam Humphries Artists: Tyler Kirkham / Rags Morales / Denys Cowan & Bill Sienkiewicz

‘Zactly which one o’ ya BASTICHES is gonna change my diaper?!’

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Ambush Bug and Cheeks, the Toy Wonder.

Buddy Baker, Animal Man.

John Byrne’s Jennifer Walters, She Hulk.

Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Superboy-Prime and Alexander Luthor, Junior.

Tippy-Toe and Monkey Joe, Squirrel Girl’s companions.

And of course, Wade Wilson, the Merc with the Mouth, Deadpool.

All characters who joyously break the Fourth Wall, and interact with you, Gentle Reader, on a regular basis, should you in fact choose to read any of the publications they are featured in.

Add to this list my personal favorite, the Fraggin’ Ultimate Bastich from Czarnia, the Main Man hisself, and you have the subject of the current one shot of this speeding train to hell, LOBO.

WHYYYYYYY? You might scream, at the top of your lungs, in a near pandemonium induced frenzy… What possible reason could there be for this lunacy, outside of Keith Giffen’s mind?

Well, be at peace, Gentle Readers, for there is a reason for this madness. Reason and, believe it or not, direction. For, you see, this is a story of three parts, each unique, and special, and glorious in their lunacy.

Oh, and did I mention the last one is done by the artistic teal of Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz?

I didn’t? Wall…. Shut your fraggin’ pinhole and listen to the Main Reviewer!

The first Story is the preluder to Death Metal for Lobo, and how he becomes involved in the actual story. For those who have been following the Death Metal book, you already know Lobo has been working for Luthor, hired to find something of immense value.

Today, we get the lowdown.

We also find out that on one of the Dark Universe Earths, Bruce Wayne has combined Czarnian DNA with his own Human DNA, creating a hybrid, ‘the Mainest Man of All, the Batman Who Frags!’

The Bat’s training, with Czarnian abilities… Holy Mother of Cthulhu! But is he a match for the Ultimate Bastich?

This segment is a neat little story, the lead-in to Partytown, if Partytown is decorated in guts and every possible weapon down to living being. Needless to say, Lobo gets the advantage, takes it, and is able to get out of the Bar, right to Luthor, and his contract.

I must say before going forward that the Writing / Art Team on this Story is a complete unknown to me. This could be due to the fact I am a cranky old jackass, and only like what I like. More likely though, I am not nearly as well read as I should be, and am remiss in saying so. Either way, snob or ignorant, I will cop to both.

Frank Tieri lays the groundwork in this story like a well crafted stone floor. The imperfections, while barely noticeable add to the nuance, the ambiance of the story. You see, the Czarnian’s story is one of legend, and his autobiography (see LOBO #0, October, 1994), which could be legend, or outright bull, or whatever… Anything which appears to be out of character can be attributed to the ‘Legend of The Scourge o’ The Cosmos’.

However you happen to see it, this story works as THE kickoff point for Lobo’s introduction, and the Reader’s first real look at Stan Lee’s favorite DC Character.

Now, let’s talk the art. Tyler Kirkham is a well kept secret for me. His style complements this character very well, to the point that, should the Future State include a Lobo book, he might be a nice to see on art. There is a primal roughness that complements this character completely, and more so when the interaction between Lobo and the Bat is taking place.

Second Story, through the wormhole to the Death Metal…

Earth - Prime. Blackhawk Island.

Enter Lobo, Stage Right, with Bat Monday right behind him!

Can I say again how much I love the concept of a Batman / Solomon Grundy cross? A Batman who cannot be killed, does not feel pain, is built like a mystical brick house, and has retained SOME of his intellect and fighting skill? How do you defeat that?

Well, being a little bit smarter than Grundy, and dropping the outer wall of Blackhawk Citadel on him is a good start.

Once past the Bat Monday, on to the Death Metal… and its guardian, Katar Hol, Hawkman. It seems Katar has been studying the properties of this ultimate metal, and journaling all his findings as compiling all the information he could find about it.

Unfortunately, Hol’s notes have been stolen. Luckily, he was able to protect the Death Metal, itself.

Luckily for Lobo. Contract, part 1 complete.

I miss Rags Morales. I didn’t realize how much until I started reading this section of the story. My introduction to his artwork was Identity Crisis, one of the most polarizing stories of the last 40 years ( I highly recommend it, as an example of how grief and the ‘HUMAN’ portion of SUPERHUMAN can be portrayed in literature - Kudos to Brad Meltzer, once again), and if you, Gentle Reader, couldn’t tell, seeing it here brought the feelings back again.

The layouts, breakdowns, detail work… it all works so well in this section of the story. There isn’t a real need for the grittiness evident in the first chapter. This is a more nuanced chapter, with less breakage, and damage.

Writing by Becky Cloonan. Who the F#@% is Becky Cloonan, and why haven’t I read anything by her before? Maybe because she’s primarily known as an artist? Yeah, that’s probably it… But, Sweet Old Ones, why isn’t she writing more??

This was a phenomenal segue from the First Chapter. Well written, great action, characters were really on target, Hell, the interactions between Lobo and Monday were fantastic, and gave me the second great laugh of the issue:

‘…A Lady Never Tells!’

The drop into GemWorld is a nice touch, especially with Lobo now in possession of a material which will allow him to rewrite history, or remake the universe… now with magic!

Part the Third, and my hear starts skipping beats… Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz, Fanboy Viagra!

We start off with a Lobo-ized retcon of the Trinity’s Origin Stories, complete with LOBO in every part!

Exit to a reclining Lobo, watching this all play out in a pocket universe he created using the Death Metal, fantasizing about his next story, something involving Starfire, … Fraggin’ imaginative Bastich, that Lobo is!

So, rather than delivering the Death Metal, and completing his contract, Lobo has decided to have some Main Man Time, until Brainiac shows up to ruin it. Not by attacking, or fighting, but by pushing Lobo to complete the contract fo Luthor could get the Final Steps of the plan in gear.

Never one to be pushed, Lobo takes the opportunity to remake the Coluan in the image of Miss Tribb, his Fourth Grade teacher (who he detests), until… you guessed it, the Bat who Frags shows up. And comedy ensues!

Sam Humphries finishes this story off perfectly. Total irreverence, complete disregard, and ultimately, Lobo’s need, no his code of honor, which revolves around his completion of a contract which he has undertaken. Sure, Lobo is the ultimate cosmic jerk, under any and every word which reverences mayhem, destruction and disrespect, one would find the Czarnian’s grinning face, clenching a cigar in his teeth. But, the same photo would be found under HONOR.

This is the redeeming characteristic of Lobo, his sense of honor.

Sam Humphries redeeming characteristic? Lobo World.

As for the ART TEAM? Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz by themselves are separate perfect storms, capable of rendering incredible work. These two together, well, to quote Wayne Campbell:

‘We’re not worthy!’

These 11 pages are a glorious sensory experience. The detail work, the homage pieces (the Bat-Lobo Retcon has a very Year One look and feel), are marvelous. Nothing left to be misinterpreted, right to the shoulder push through the portal into Lobo World, these Masters of the Craft play off each other to bring about the most amazing visuals, while telling Humphries unadulterated story.

Like I said, Fanboy Viagra.

This is One for the Ages… well, Three for the Ages, and not to be missed!

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

#Dark Nights Death Metal #DC Comics

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