Lobo: Back to Back

by Keith Giffen, Simon Bisley (Illustrator)

Genres: Comics

224 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2026

About the author

Keith Ian Giffen was an American comic book illustrator and writer. He is possibly best-known for his long runs illustrating, and later writing the Legion of Super-Heroes title in the 1980s and 1990s. He also created the alien mercenary character Lobo (with Roger Slifer), and the irreverent "want-to-be" hero, Ambush Bug. Giffen is known for having an unorthodox writing style, often using characters in ways not seen before. His dialogue is usually characterized by a biting wit that is seen as much less zany than dialogue provided by longtime collaborators DeMatteis and Robert Loren Fleming. That approach has brought him both criticism and admiration, as perhaps best illustrated by the mixed (although commercially successful) response to his work in DC Comics' Justice League International (1987-1992). He also plotted and was breakdown artist for an Aquaman limited series and one-shot special in 1989 with writer Robert Loren Fleming and artist Curt Swan for DC Comics.

Giffen's first published work was "The Sword and The Star", a black-and-white series featured in Marvel Preview, with writer Bill Mantlo. He has worked on titles (owned by several different companies) including Woodgod, All Star Comics, Doctor Fate, Drax the Destroyer, Heckler, Nick Fury's Howling Commandos, Reign of the Zodiac, Suicide Squad, Trencher (to be re-released in a collected edition by Boom! Studios)., T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and Vext. He was also responsible for the English adaptation of the Battle Royale and Ikki Tousen manga, as well as creating "I Luv Halloween" for Tokyopop. He also worked for Dark Horse from 1994-95 on their Comics Greatest World/Dark Horse Heroes line, as the writer of two short lived series, Division 13 and co-author, with Lovern Kindzierski, of Agents of Law. For Valiant Comics, Giffen wrote XO-Manowar, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Punx and the final issue of Solar, Man of the Atom.

He took a break from the comic industry for several years, working on storyboards for television and film, including shows such as The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy.

He is also the lead writer for Marvel Comics's Annihilation event, having written the one-shot prologue, the lead-in stories in Thanos and Drax, the Silver Surfer as well as the main six issues mini-series. He also wrote the Star-Lord mini-series for the follow-up story Annihilation: Conquest. He currently writes Doom Patrol for DC, and is also completing an abandoned Grant Morrison plot in The Authority: the Lost Year for Wildstorm.

Reviews

[Machiavelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lobo’s Back was a fun read, even if it didn’t hit the same highs as Lobo: The Last Czarnian for me.

This one leans hard into what makes Lobo entertaining: over-the-top violence, absurd dark humor, ridiculous action, and a complete disregard for good taste. There are some genuinely funny moments, and the book never pretends to be anything other than pure comic-book chaos.

Simon Bisley’s artwork is absolutely stunning. His exaggerated, hyper-detailed style is a perfect match for Lobo, making every fight, explosion, and grotesque gag explode off the page. Even when the story was a little uneven, the art alone kept me turning pages.

That said, I didn’t find the story as memorable or as tightly put together as The Last Czarnian. The previous collection balanced the insanity with a stronger narrative, while this one felt a bit more uneven from story to story.

Even so, if you’re looking for unapologetic mayhem, outrageous satire, and some of the wildest art you’ll find in comics, there’s still plenty to enjoy here. It may not be my favorite Lobo collection, but I had a good time with it and would happily read more. 3.5⭐️

[francesco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreadful writing but insane art as expected

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decided to give this a read with Lobo being in the upcoming Supergirl film so I could find out about his character — and holy fuck.

To say I was unprepared for exactly what Lobo was is an understatement. A foul mouthed, tough badass sure, but evil incarnate? Seeing that he genocided his own people was insanity and makes for an interesting fit into the Supergirl movie, adapting a comic that includes some genocide…

These comics were great fun though. Two adventures of sorts that Lobo finds himself in with a vibe reminiscent for me to the Battle Beast comics I’ve read, as well as having Garth Ennis style of humour. It’s very silly at times, outright insane always, but some good fun. Some of the ideas are dated and the dialogue can be cringe inducing, but it’s all befitting the set tone. The artwork is kind of disgusting at times, and intentionally so. The grittiness and violence are captured greatly with the label of being intended for mature readers being earned with the gore.

Definitely not the best graphic novel tpb I’ve read, but it does exactly what it sets out to do. Full of character and just a fun read.

[Declan Penttila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed and gore filled. Almost every panel is one to look at with awe and amazement. And not to mention the grittiness of Lobo’s ascetic, mixed with his unintentional humour make him such a unique and lovable character.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back in the day.

I read it again for nostalgic purposes.

It's OK.

Maybe the ultra-violence and the ultra-gross Alan Grant art was more shocking back in the day. Now, it's fine. The first story has some nice touches because of the interactions with LEGION and Vril's subtle plans. The second is mainly just aimless violence.

[John Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lobo is the Last Czarnian.
Their civilisation was a utopia.
Peaceful
Prosperous
A beacon in the Dark.
Then Lobo was born.
And everything went right to shit.
Lobo went on to destroy his entire
planet and all of his people.
Through various adventures (?)
Lobo gets into a lot of bullshit
with different levels of Ultra Violence.
Alternatively stabbing, shooting or blowing up
sundry people, angels, demons, aliens along the way.

Wacky irreverent violent fun.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the brutality but far too often it was at the expense of the story. Artwork can be hit or miss. The more caricatured it got the lazier it felt. A good enough read as an introduction to the character

[Spencer Heffernan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since this was two stories put into one, I’ll clarify by my rating by saying I’m averaging my scores. Three stars to “Lobo (1990),” and one star to the painfully bad “Lobo’s Back (1992).”

[Mark Rubin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably would’ve enjoyed this more as a teenager. It’s edgy for the sake of it, and I’m not sure whatever it’s satirizing is coming through. I do like the art style.