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Crush & Lobo #1-8
Crush and Lobo
The thrilling and chaotic fan-favorite miniseries from Detective Comics dream team Mariko Tamaki and Amancay Nahuelpan collected for the first time! In case anyone was wondering, Crush is doing just fine, actually. Sure, she effectively quit being a Teen Titan. And okay, her relationship with her girlfriend, Katie, is kind of on the rocks, if you want to get all technical about it. Oh, and she recently found out her dad, Lobo, is in space jail. But that's cool, because he's the worst. Okay, so maybe Crush has some stuff. But that doesn't mean she's gonna do anything
Collects Crush and Lobo #1-8
Collects Crush and Lobo #1-8
208 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2022
3 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Mariko Tamaki
379 books2,238 followersMariko Tamaki is a Toronto writer, playwright, activist and performer. She works and performs with fat activists Pretty Porky and Pissed Off and the theatre troupe TOA, whose recent play, A vs. B, was staged at the 2004 Rhubarb Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her well-received novel, Cover Me (McGilligan Books) was followed by a short fiction collection, True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (Women's Press). Mariko's third book, FAKE ID, is due out in spring 2005.
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.
[MacMIllan Books]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 6, 2022
After messing up her relationship with her girlfriend, Crush heads to space to see her dad in prison. One jailbreak later, Lobo's gone and left Crush in the lurch. Tamaki's version of space is just Earth with aliens. There's a Space Vegas and hot rod spaceships and space yachts, not to mention white picket fenced houses sitting on asteroids. Tamaki tries her hardest to appeal to the YA crowd. The writing just fell flat and uninspired with me though. However, the art was very good.
July 28, 2022
I've never been a big fan of Lobo and was only vaguely aware that he had a daughter, but I gave this a try to see if it was one of Mariko Tamaki's superhero hits or misses. It's another miss.
Crush herself seems like she might be fun to hang with, but we have eight padded-out issues of her getting involved in her father's most recent prison break and having to track him across space to bring him back. All the while she mopes about her crumbling relationship with a nice girl back on Earth who doesn't deserve all the crap Crush sends her way.
It's all suppose to be funny with hijinks and snarky narration, but I was just bored out of my skull.
Crush herself seems like she might be fun to hang with, but we have eight padded-out issues of her getting involved in her father's most recent prison break and having to track him across space to bring him back. All the while she mopes about her crumbling relationship with a nice girl back on Earth who doesn't deserve all the crap Crush sends her way.
It's all suppose to be funny with hijinks and snarky narration, but I was just bored out of my skull.
January 4, 2022
Overly expository and lacks a clear thesis.
February 25, 2025
I had fun.
July 9, 2022
1.5 stars
Bonvillain is such an outstanding colorist, and the fact that I finished reading this is proof of how nice her work is to look at. Beyond its vibrant art, this is a terrible comic. I read it because I’ve really enjoyed Tamaki’s dramatic coming-of-age comics and was curious about her comedy writing, but this is one of the most deeply unfunny comics I’ve read in a long time and there’s nothing else in its oversized 8 issues of writing beyond painfully lazy comedy.
Crush could be a fun character; I recently loved reading Gideon the Ninth and she’s superficially a similar sarcastic and self-deprecating gothy masc lesbian. The difference is the writing; I loved spending time with Gideon and her original wit, but Crush is just boring and obnoxious.
Tamaki relies so much on self-aware, fourth-wall breaking dialogue, but employs it so lazily. Instead of actually writing jokes, she just signals that she understands this is where a joke should go, like ending an issue with “What, were you expecting some sort of pithy last line here?” Another pattern is posing lame rhetorical questions as jokes, like showing Lobo running away in only a bathrobe and asking “is this the most disturbing scene in this whole comic?” Edgy comedy isn’t inherently good or bad IMO, but if you’re attempting it then it should at least be enough to make a 4th grader blush a little. Her other comedy mode is tired over-labored quips like “…and space lizards! Who are admittedly NEVER on time, but always happy to help!” It’s all just the worst.
Separate from all the bad comedy, Tamaki also tries to shoehorn in realistic young adult relation drama (that she can be really great at!) by constantly recalling Crush’s tension with a girlfriend, but again, the overall tone of this book is so farcical and it’s bizarre when it suddenly shifts to genuine therapy word stuff out of nowhere and asks me to pretend like there’s any meaningful emotional stakes or characterization in this story.
Tamaki also seems way too concerned with anticipating audience outrage of two different types. The first type is repeatedly including fourth-walk breaking snipes to provoke angry comics YouTube guys (or maybe delight readers who enjoy the idea of hypothetically provoking them?), but they made me feel like a third wheel to a toxic content feedback loop every time I hit one.
The second type of outrage-anticipating is way worse: Tamaki writes a joke and then immediately apologizes in case it offended any progressive sensibilities. I’m fine with minding sensitivities; just don’t include the joke if you’re worried about it! Or do, if you think it’s a great enough joke, and then accept whatever upset it may cause. In this case, they’re not even good jokes! Crush mocks a big bad when she later finds him working at a coffee shop, the joke being “Lol, you work a retail/service job now?” but then Tamaki follows it in the next panel with a text box that says “Side note: I have utmost respect for anyone working in the service industry. Obviously.” Again, it’s all just the worst.
Bonvillain is such an outstanding colorist, and the fact that I finished reading this is proof of how nice her work is to look at. Beyond its vibrant art, this is a terrible comic. I read it because I’ve really enjoyed Tamaki’s dramatic coming-of-age comics and was curious about her comedy writing, but this is one of the most deeply unfunny comics I’ve read in a long time and there’s nothing else in its oversized 8 issues of writing beyond painfully lazy comedy.
Crush could be a fun character; I recently loved reading Gideon the Ninth and she’s superficially a similar sarcastic and self-deprecating gothy masc lesbian. The difference is the writing; I loved spending time with Gideon and her original wit, but Crush is just boring and obnoxious.
Tamaki relies so much on self-aware, fourth-wall breaking dialogue, but employs it so lazily. Instead of actually writing jokes, she just signals that she understands this is where a joke should go, like ending an issue with “What, were you expecting some sort of pithy last line here?” Another pattern is posing lame rhetorical questions as jokes, like showing Lobo running away in only a bathrobe and asking “is this the most disturbing scene in this whole comic?” Edgy comedy isn’t inherently good or bad IMO, but if you’re attempting it then it should at least be enough to make a 4th grader blush a little. Her other comedy mode is tired over-labored quips like “…and space lizards! Who are admittedly NEVER on time, but always happy to help!” It’s all just the worst.
Separate from all the bad comedy, Tamaki also tries to shoehorn in realistic young adult relation drama (that she can be really great at!) by constantly recalling Crush’s tension with a girlfriend, but again, the overall tone of this book is so farcical and it’s bizarre when it suddenly shifts to genuine therapy word stuff out of nowhere and asks me to pretend like there’s any meaningful emotional stakes or characterization in this story.
Tamaki also seems way too concerned with anticipating audience outrage of two different types. The first type is repeatedly including fourth-walk breaking snipes to provoke angry comics YouTube guys (or maybe delight readers who enjoy the idea of hypothetically provoking them?), but they made me feel like a third wheel to a toxic content feedback loop every time I hit one.
The second type of outrage-anticipating is way worse: Tamaki writes a joke and then immediately apologizes in case it offended any progressive sensibilities. I’m fine with minding sensitivities; just don’t include the joke if you’re worried about it! Or do, if you think it’s a great enough joke, and then accept whatever upset it may cause. In this case, they’re not even good jokes! Crush mocks a big bad when she later finds him working at a coffee shop, the joke being “Lol, you work a retail/service job now?” but then Tamaki follows it in the next panel with a text box that says “Side note: I have utmost respect for anyone working in the service industry. Obviously.” Again, it’s all just the worst.
June 4, 2022
Fresh off a break-up, Crush heads into space to find out why exactly daddy dearest, Lobo himself, wants to see her. One jail break later, and it's all clear - he's as big of a dick as ever. Can she untangle the mess of her relationship and her daddy issues before time runs out and she has to spend eternity in space prison?
One of last year's Pride series, Crush & Lobo luckily isn't defined by that. Sure, Crush's girlfriend plays a big part in her motivations, but this isn't a love story by any stretch of the imagination. It's a 'Crush punches her way across the galaxy to avoid dealing with her feelings' story, and it's unrestrained fun. Mariko Tamaki digs into Crush's psyche in ways that we never got to explore over in Teen Titans, even when her dad showed up. Lobo himself plays second fiddle, but he's not terribly complicated as a character so that's not really a problem. Some of the resolution is a bit signposted, and the story can meander a bit in the middle (it probably could have been six issues rather than eight), but it's a fun romp unrestrained by the larger DC Universe.
Amancay Nahuelpan pencils all eight issues ably - everything's clear and clean. Every time I see his name on a book, I know it's going to be solid, and this is another feather in his cap.
Looking for a little mindless violence, possibly with an undercurrent of a heart somewhere beneath all the blood and guts? Crush & Lobo's for you.
One of last year's Pride series, Crush & Lobo luckily isn't defined by that. Sure, Crush's girlfriend plays a big part in her motivations, but this isn't a love story by any stretch of the imagination. It's a 'Crush punches her way across the galaxy to avoid dealing with her feelings' story, and it's unrestrained fun. Mariko Tamaki digs into Crush's psyche in ways that we never got to explore over in Teen Titans, even when her dad showed up. Lobo himself plays second fiddle, but he's not terribly complicated as a character so that's not really a problem. Some of the resolution is a bit signposted, and the story can meander a bit in the middle (it probably could have been six issues rather than eight), but it's a fun romp unrestrained by the larger DC Universe.
Amancay Nahuelpan pencils all eight issues ably - everything's clear and clean. Every time I see his name on a book, I know it's going to be solid, and this is another feather in his cap.
Looking for a little mindless violence, possibly with an undercurrent of a heart somewhere beneath all the blood and guts? Crush & Lobo's for you.
February 1, 2025
I absolutely loved this comic book! My first time learning about Crush. I love that she’s in a sapphic grumpy-sunshine relationship. Definitely a lot of violence, but that’s to be expected with Lobo. It’s not nearly as gruesome as I had expected though. Curse words and graphic bloody scenes are censored. It was a hilariously good read though!! I highly recommend!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2023
{3.5 rounded own} Lovely mesmerizing artwork, very light {but fun} on the story part.
June 19, 2023
Literally the most perfect read for both Pride Month and Father’s Day. The space lizards!!!!
September 26, 2022
My favorite of Tamaki's works to date!!
August 6, 2022
A comic that is a bit meandering without any real reason for existing. The art though I quite liked. The story at best a two but the art brought it up to a three.
January 8, 2022
I have to admit, I'm not interested in the Teen Titans at all and I didn't even know who Crush or Lobo are. I simply gave it a try because I tend to like whatever Mariko Tamaki writes. Let's be honest, this is far from her best works, but for someone who didn't expect to read more than one issue of it, this has ended up being pretty enjoyable. Bright colors with thrilling action and a very well-tuned narrative tone. It's not good or memorable, but it has been definitely enjoyable, and a really nice way to read something that didn't need to be epic, transcendent, or serious. There are so many DC comics these days that (I think) are trying to do something similar and only end up being childish, dull, and boring that one really has to recognize Tamaki's success at crafting something light that doesn't suck.
Apart from that, I don't think I'll ever check these characters again... but who knows.
Apart from that, I don't think I'll ever check these characters again... but who knows.
January 13, 2022
Crush has pretty much always appealed to me more than Lobo. I got tired of Lobo's shtick pretty early on, and it seemed writers tried to make Crush a little more than a Lobo knock-off.
Tamaki succeeds at giving Crush some personality, even if it is in the flashbacks to where Crush messed up her relationship with her girlfriend (and no that's not really much of a spoiler if it is one at all).
A little lighthearted, a little fun, and not a bad read.
Tamaki succeeds at giving Crush some personality, even if it is in the flashbacks to where Crush messed up her relationship with her girlfriend (and no that's not really much of a spoiler if it is one at all).
A little lighthearted, a little fun, and not a bad read.
February 12, 2023
Dans "Crush & Lobo" on suit Crush, (ex) Teen Titan, lancée à la poursuite de son déjanté de père (Lobo) qui s'est échappé d'une prison intergalactique, tout en devant se remettre de sa rupture amoureuse.
C'est drôle, déjanté et l'univers est décapant, une excellente aventure !
C'est drôle, déjanté et l'univers est décapant, une excellente aventure !
April 23, 2024
Earlier:
crap, I recognize that author.
Conclusion:
That was dogshit.
When I first saw Crush, I thought, 'Man, that is going to be the most punk-ass teenager DC has ever made gay'. She seemed, by default, cool. So let me say, despite everything and any lore, that this is the worst way to learn about her in any way, and this isn't even a spinoff graphic novel.
If you've ever heard of "I am not Starfire," then you might recognize the author of this very volume. You might also recognize the theme, the characterization, the nonexistent lesson and philosophy, and most importantly, the dialogue.
crap, I recognize that author.
Conclusion:
That was dogshit.
When I first saw Crush, I thought, 'Man, that is going to be the most punk-ass teenager DC has ever made gay'. She seemed, by default, cool. So let me say, despite everything and any lore, that this is the worst way to learn about her in any way, and this isn't even a spinoff graphic novel.
If you've ever heard of "I am not Starfire," then you might recognize the author of this very volume. You might also recognize the theme, the characterization, the nonexistent lesson and philosophy, and most importantly, the dialogue.
May 3, 2025
There are things holding 'Crush & Lobo' back from being overall good, certainly. Before reading, I knew very little about Lobo - I had certainly never read a comic that featured him - and I'd first heard of Crush from 'DC Brave and Bold! Female DC Super Heroes Take on the Universe', and she sounded really interesting to me, hence why I decided to buy this comic when I happened upon it on a comics shelf in my local pop culture and entertainment shop. What luck and chance, eh?
Also it is written by Mariko Tamaki, and I've read a lot of comics by her.
The comic itself contains a shit ton of meta humour and fourth wall breaking jokes from the get-go. These include making assumptions about the reader and insulting them, at least with a rude term, like saying, "Shut up, I know this makes no sense, I'm not good at this whole life story telling thing". Understandably, this won't be to everyone's tastes and can be off-putting. It can be cynical and self-deprecating - absolutely nothing is safe and sacred here - though whether this is funny or just obnoxious and desperate is, again, up to the individual reader's tastes. There are plot holes, structural flaws, logic lapses, even for an OTT comedy comic, and most damningly, the ending leaves something to be desired. There's a static status quo stuck to (wow there's a tongue twister) for the DC canon, and a sequel hook, that deliberately leave behind no moral, no satisfying payoff to the whole comic, making it rather pointless.
And yet... I kind of love it.
I've found I can't get 'Crush & Lobo' out of my head and my heart. Despite everything, I love this unique and chaotic creation.
To start with, the art is gorgeous and amazing, among the best I've seen in a superhero comic. The colours, the shades, the details, everything from the settings to the action looks great. Everyone looks great. Crush's design and expressions are just *chef's kiss*, and Lobo... even with the limited knowledge I have of him, I can confidently say that he must have never looked this freakishly, strikingly detailed. Including when he gets naked (yes, he gets naked in at least seven pages in the comic, though thankfully we are spared a certain little detail). Emotional and characteristic expressions are everything and everywhere. Both the humans and the various and multiple alien designs look fantastic.
The comic is so much fun. It's full of action and humour, and there is not a single dull moment; not a single dull, half-arsed panel. Like in any proper superhero comic, there are crazy, out-of-this-world concepts (there have to be, it is mostly set in space!) all over the shop. It moves on in a constant momentum and rush, but still finds time for pathos, introspection and reflection, and some character development for Crush. Mainly revolving around her relationship with her human girlfriend Katie, which is on the rocks.
Crush and Katie are polar and solar opposites, and we don't see much of them together, but there is evidently heart there. Sweetness too. You can see why Crush would need someone like the normal human Katie in her life. But Crush, the self-destructive and chaotic gothic punk with daddy issues, is not a good girlfriend. She is borderline neglectful, and toxic, and maybe the too-good-for-this-universe Katie deserves better. Maybe they do need space, for a while...
Now, onto the number one reason I bought 'Crush & Lobo' - Crush. I wanted to know more about her, and couldn't find much anywhere, including the internet, bizarrely. Crush's fourth wall annihilating narration boxes in this comic include telling readers to search more about her online to spare herself from exposition dumping out of laziness and carelessness, but no. That one's definitely not funny. There's no Wikipedia page on her, nothing. In the comic, her earth name, Xiomara Rojas, is not mentioned, and all we get to know about her, origin wise, is: she was raised by criminal human parents, she is indeed Lobo's daughter, and is among the last of her alien race the Czarnians (Lobo killed them), and she was a Teen Titan.
However, whether it is reading about her in another book, or in this book, I am newly intrigued by this newish DC antiheroine. A newish DC LBGTQ antiheroine.
Crush is cool. Very cool. She's like a teenage alien fighter punk Harley Quinn, with muscles and hundreds of travel mugs and no shits to give. She is terribly flawed, but that only makes her more interesting and believable. Her brash and blunt company won't be to everyone's liking, but as a flawed fictional female who says fuck you to the patriarchy's conditioned cultural idea of likeability in females, she is a breath of fresh air.
I'd say good for her if she doesn't want to turn out like her evil, brutish, obnoxious, murderous, irredeemable, one dimensional space thug of a father, but at the same time she wants the freeing aspect of his lifestyle. No responsibility, no accountability (for now, anyway) - an adventurer who is violent and ill-tempered and is running away from her problems and issues for the time being - it is who she chooses to be.
Above all, Crush is a teenager. Allowed to be selfish and make mistakes. Room to grow. All that jazz.
Or am I reaching, and doing mental gymnastics to try to reasonably justify my love for this stupid comic? Do I care? No, I don't think so. I don't think I should.
It's a fun and funny comic with a badass female lead, what do you want from me!
'Crush & Lobo' doesn't bother me so much. My infatuation is mostly emotional, I admit. That there shockingly isn't anything intrinsically, particularly meanspirited, cruel, nasty and toxic about it - it truly wants to have fun - has soften me to it, as well. It doesn't seem to have come from a bad place.
The art, the craziness, the no-fucks-given humour, the heart, Crush herself as a new favourite DC character of mine, and even Lobo, and the seriously fucked up and complicated relationship the father and daughter have (while Crush is the protagonist, Lobo and his time with her do receive the appropriate page time; for it is titled 'Crush & Lobo') - I love everything.
A tiny fraction of the WTF-ness presented in the comic - Crush eats a life-sized cookie of herself, giant alien praying mantises exist, Lobo has an obsessed alien suburban housewife girlfriend, Crush's reappearing enemy is a Krang/MODOK-like barista, space lizards love her, and she ends up accepting a bounty hunter job from an evil space prison that had tortured her throughout the story, with hardly any hesitation. But she wants an extortionate fee, of course. Unlike her father, she is not a bounty hunter for the murderous hell of it; she's good at it, but she's also got mouths to feed.
Another tongue-in-cheek gag and fourth wall destroyer - Goodreads. Seriously. There is a site called Goodreading in this comic's universe. It's funny and clever in many ways.
My review has become as messy and messed up as the comic itself. Oh well, in the vein of Crush and her attitude, who cares?
'Crush & Lobo', my recent guilty pleasure.
A three star book I still really like and is a keeper? Now there's something unique for me.
Final Score: 3/5
Also it is written by Mariko Tamaki, and I've read a lot of comics by her.
The comic itself contains a shit ton of meta humour and fourth wall breaking jokes from the get-go. These include making assumptions about the reader and insulting them, at least with a rude term, like saying, "Shut up, I know this makes no sense, I'm not good at this whole life story telling thing". Understandably, this won't be to everyone's tastes and can be off-putting. It can be cynical and self-deprecating - absolutely nothing is safe and sacred here - though whether this is funny or just obnoxious and desperate is, again, up to the individual reader's tastes. There are plot holes, structural flaws, logic lapses, even for an OTT comedy comic, and most damningly, the ending leaves something to be desired. There's a static status quo stuck to (wow there's a tongue twister) for the DC canon, and a sequel hook, that deliberately leave behind no moral, no satisfying payoff to the whole comic, making it rather pointless.
And yet... I kind of love it.
I've found I can't get 'Crush & Lobo' out of my head and my heart. Despite everything, I love this unique and chaotic creation.
To start with, the art is gorgeous and amazing, among the best I've seen in a superhero comic. The colours, the shades, the details, everything from the settings to the action looks great. Everyone looks great. Crush's design and expressions are just *chef's kiss*, and Lobo... even with the limited knowledge I have of him, I can confidently say that he must have never looked this freakishly, strikingly detailed. Including when he gets naked (yes, he gets naked in at least seven pages in the comic, though thankfully we are spared a certain little detail). Emotional and characteristic expressions are everything and everywhere. Both the humans and the various and multiple alien designs look fantastic.
The comic is so much fun. It's full of action and humour, and there is not a single dull moment; not a single dull, half-arsed panel. Like in any proper superhero comic, there are crazy, out-of-this-world concepts (there have to be, it is mostly set in space!) all over the shop. It moves on in a constant momentum and rush, but still finds time for pathos, introspection and reflection, and some character development for Crush. Mainly revolving around her relationship with her human girlfriend Katie, which is on the rocks.
Crush and Katie are polar and solar opposites, and we don't see much of them together, but there is evidently heart there. Sweetness too. You can see why Crush would need someone like the normal human Katie in her life. But Crush, the self-destructive and chaotic gothic punk with daddy issues, is not a good girlfriend. She is borderline neglectful, and toxic, and maybe the too-good-for-this-universe Katie deserves better. Maybe they do need space, for a while...
Now, onto the number one reason I bought 'Crush & Lobo' - Crush. I wanted to know more about her, and couldn't find much anywhere, including the internet, bizarrely. Crush's fourth wall annihilating narration boxes in this comic include telling readers to search more about her online to spare herself from exposition dumping out of laziness and carelessness, but no. That one's definitely not funny. There's no Wikipedia page on her, nothing. In the comic, her earth name, Xiomara Rojas, is not mentioned, and all we get to know about her, origin wise, is: she was raised by criminal human parents, she is indeed Lobo's daughter, and is among the last of her alien race the Czarnians (Lobo killed them), and she was a Teen Titan.
However, whether it is reading about her in another book, or in this book, I am newly intrigued by this newish DC antiheroine. A newish DC LBGTQ antiheroine.
Crush is cool. Very cool. She's like a teenage alien fighter punk Harley Quinn, with muscles and hundreds of travel mugs and no shits to give. She is terribly flawed, but that only makes her more interesting and believable. Her brash and blunt company won't be to everyone's liking, but as a flawed fictional female who says fuck you to the patriarchy's conditioned cultural idea of likeability in females, she is a breath of fresh air.
I'd say good for her if she doesn't want to turn out like her evil, brutish, obnoxious, murderous, irredeemable, one dimensional space thug of a father, but at the same time she wants the freeing aspect of his lifestyle. No responsibility, no accountability (for now, anyway) - an adventurer who is violent and ill-tempered and is running away from her problems and issues for the time being - it is who she chooses to be.
Above all, Crush is a teenager. Allowed to be selfish and make mistakes. Room to grow. All that jazz.
Or am I reaching, and doing mental gymnastics to try to reasonably justify my love for this stupid comic? Do I care? No, I don't think so. I don't think I should.
It's a fun and funny comic with a badass female lead, what do you want from me!
'Crush & Lobo' doesn't bother me so much. My infatuation is mostly emotional, I admit. That there shockingly isn't anything intrinsically, particularly meanspirited, cruel, nasty and toxic about it - it truly wants to have fun - has soften me to it, as well. It doesn't seem to have come from a bad place.
The art, the craziness, the no-fucks-given humour, the heart, Crush herself as a new favourite DC character of mine, and even Lobo, and the seriously fucked up and complicated relationship the father and daughter have (while Crush is the protagonist, Lobo and his time with her do receive the appropriate page time; for it is titled 'Crush & Lobo') - I love everything.
A tiny fraction of the WTF-ness presented in the comic - Crush eats a life-sized cookie of herself, giant alien praying mantises exist, Lobo has an obsessed alien suburban housewife girlfriend, Crush's reappearing enemy is a Krang/MODOK-like barista, space lizards love her, and she ends up accepting a bounty hunter job from an evil space prison that had tortured her throughout the story, with hardly any hesitation. But she wants an extortionate fee, of course. Unlike her father, she is not a bounty hunter for the murderous hell of it; she's good at it, but she's also got mouths to feed.
Another tongue-in-cheek gag and fourth wall destroyer - Goodreads. Seriously. There is a site called Goodreading in this comic's universe. It's funny and clever in many ways.
My review has become as messy and messed up as the comic itself. Oh well, in the vein of Crush and her attitude, who cares?
'Crush & Lobo', my recent guilty pleasure.
A three star book I still really like and is a keeper? Now there's something unique for me.
Final Score: 3/5
January 22, 2022
In Crush and Lobo, Crush decides to visit her father in space prison after some relationship hiccups. The visit goes astray with Crush becoming a prisoner in place of Lobo. To be free she has to bring Lobo back.
I've went into this story expecting constant fights and conflicts between Lobo and Crush. Although, I haven't read a lot on Crush, I've read a few Lobo stories and got fond of his wild unapologetic drive for violence, which is often only limited by his principle to fulfill his contract no matter what. In my mind it would be fun to see him cross paths with someone that can keep up with his extreme power and wild temper. How is that not a recipe for conflict, double-crossing, violence and fun?
Unfortunately, this story is 85% about Crush and her interactions with other non-Lobo people. We get to meet some people that are related to Lobo, but seem irrelevant to the plot as a whole. Don't get me wrong, following Crush around was fun. It's just, I had rather have more time for Crush & Lobo. In the end, I give the story three stars. It was a fun ride and the drawing & coloring were really good. Just... not enough Lobo.
I've went into this story expecting constant fights and conflicts between Lobo and Crush. Although, I haven't read a lot on Crush, I've read a few Lobo stories and got fond of his wild unapologetic drive for violence, which is often only limited by his principle to fulfill his contract no matter what. In my mind it would be fun to see him cross paths with someone that can keep up with his extreme power and wild temper. How is that not a recipe for conflict, double-crossing, violence and fun?
Unfortunately, this story is 85% about Crush and her interactions with other non-Lobo people. We get to meet some people that are related to Lobo, but seem irrelevant to the plot as a whole. Don't get me wrong, following Crush around was fun. It's just, I had rather have more time for Crush & Lobo. In the end, I give the story three stars. It was a fun ride and the drawing & coloring were really good. Just... not enough Lobo.
June 15, 2023
This was 100%, completely and totally my jam.
Very silly, maybe, but extremely charming. Crush’s nonstop monologue reminded me of Gideon Nav more than a typical comic book character. And frankly? All of the fourth-wall breaks worked so well for me. I wanted to spend so much more time with Crush and these characters in this world. I’ve never read any of Mariko Tamaki’s work before but I’m sold. I laughed out loud over and over again.
And I loved the way this looked! Tremendous art, with incredible colors. I do think the Czarnians’ design is awesome, to be fair, but Nahuelpan and the colorists do an amazing job bringing every panel to life.
My best Pride month comic read so far without a doubt. Is this a YA comic? If so, it’s the best YA comic I’ve ever read. Frankly, I’ve been reading a lot of comics lately and this delighted me more than any of them. I don’t always assign a star rating to comics on Goodreads but this one deserves much better than what most reviewers are giving it, in my opinion. I’m so perplexed that people were annoyed by (???) or bored with (???????) this.
I’m so glad I picked this up on a whim. What a treat.
Very silly, maybe, but extremely charming. Crush’s nonstop monologue reminded me of Gideon Nav more than a typical comic book character. And frankly? All of the fourth-wall breaks worked so well for me. I wanted to spend so much more time with Crush and these characters in this world. I’ve never read any of Mariko Tamaki’s work before but I’m sold. I laughed out loud over and over again.
And I loved the way this looked! Tremendous art, with incredible colors. I do think the Czarnians’ design is awesome, to be fair, but Nahuelpan and the colorists do an amazing job bringing every panel to life.
My best Pride month comic read so far without a doubt. Is this a YA comic? If so, it’s the best YA comic I’ve ever read. Frankly, I’ve been reading a lot of comics lately and this delighted me more than any of them. I don’t always assign a star rating to comics on Goodreads but this one deserves much better than what most reviewers are giving it, in my opinion. I’m so perplexed that people were annoyed by (???) or bored with (???????) this.
I’m so glad I picked this up on a whim. What a treat.
July 21, 2022
This is a fun story, featuring Crush trying to patch things up with her father after having messed up her relationship with her girlfriend. There's plenty of high-jinks and violent humour, as you'd expect for these characters, interspersed with flashbacks to Crush's messed-up love life. The sarcastic style of Crush's narration also suits the story and leaves no doubt that you aren't supposed to be taking it very seriously. The only real problem is the ending which lacks any real resolution, just heading off to some random next adventure which may not even be followed up on directly. So a bit of a missed opportunity at the end, which knocks it down to 3.5 stars for me, but a fun and entertaining read if you like these characters, and expanding Crush into a little bit more than the Lobo-clone she has sometimes seemed to be.
October 1, 2022
I loved this title, as it gave the classic insanity and madness that Lobo is known for, while also doing an excellent job of diving more into the mindset and backstory of his daughter and new fan-favorite Titan character, Crush. The LGBTQ romance storyline that weaves so naturally into her interstellar adventure to confront her father makes this story so engaging, and the gritty conflict between father and daughter promises to keep the DC Universe more dangerous and zanier than anyone would ever imagine. A brilliant title in DC’s new lineup.
December 28, 2023
I came across Crush in one of the DC Pride anthologies. The short story based on her was really good and made me look up to see other works with her. This graphic novel appeared and I put it on my wish list.
The art is really good and I like Crush as a character. The story line with her dad was decently interesting. I really wish we could have seen more cute moments with Katie, though. The majority of the scenes just showed the problems their relationship was having. I'm glad they don't end up together at the end, because the two of them never talk or solve anything.
The art is really good and I like Crush as a character. The story line with her dad was decently interesting. I really wish we could have seen more cute moments with Katie, though. The majority of the scenes just showed the problems their relationship was having. I'm glad they don't end up together at the end, because the two of them never talk or solve anything.
February 6, 2025
This is possibly the worst thing I've ever read. Horribly written in a poor attempt to try and capture Lobo stylings, it is just 8 episodes of Lobo's lesbian daughter whine about her relationship woes with another person she has no connection to or chemistry with. It's incredibly lame. Lobo hardly figures into the title at all, which is a shame. This is not worth the effort to pick up and read. No redeemable qualities in the character of Crush, even less than Lobo, which one would think is a tall order.
September 6, 2022
I've always hated Lobo as a character. I picked this up because I like Mariko Tamaki's writing and had only just heard about Crush.
I still hate Lobo. Every time he was on page I felt my eyes rolling. And the story is pretty meandering, the science part of this sci-fi pretty loose. But it was still a bit of silly fun, and the art is great, and Crush is better than Lobo (admittedly a low bar). 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I still hate Lobo. Every time he was on page I felt my eyes rolling. And the story is pretty meandering, the science part of this sci-fi pretty loose. But it was still a bit of silly fun, and the art is great, and Crush is better than Lobo (admittedly a low bar). 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
February 26, 2023
I really enjoyed this read! The art was EXCELLENT! The writing was engaging, i enjoyed the story line. It was a light, fun read. I think it is simply nature that a superhero comic with an internal monologue will be a little cheesy.
Really enjoy Crush in this narrative and the fact that the ending wasn't the emotional reunion that one may expect.
Really enjoy Crush in this narrative and the fact that the ending wasn't the emotional reunion that one may expect.
May 4, 2025
Just fun and not too heavy
The art is decent and has some real standout splash pages. The story starts a little stiff but then the writer really gets the flow going; I would love to read more! It's not perfect but I had 5 stars of fun with it, and I bet you would too @#$%!! Go read it.
The art is decent and has some real standout splash pages. The story starts a little stiff but then the writer really gets the flow going; I would love to read more! It's not perfect but I had 5 stars of fun with it, and I bet you would too @#$%!! Go read it.
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July 28, 2022This is one of those that I gambled on, knowing nothing about the characters really, and I think I lost. It had funny moments, I love how butch Crush is drawn, but there was so much I just didn't get that I think was supposed to be funny. Hopefully others enjoy it more, the art is really fun.
July 16, 2023
See, this is how Lobo should act! And he's not even the main character (though he is the Main Man, we all know this). A fun, 4th wall breaking Crush navigates romantic woes and hunting down her dad in this silly action-fest. 3 and 1/2 fraggin stars. If you read this, you are a bastich.
June 7, 2022
(3.5/5) tiene un ritmo bueno y está muy bien para pasar el rato
June 28, 2022
Great set-up, but largely anticlimactic ending. Still, a really fun premise. I'd love to see more of Crush and her dynamic with Lobo.
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