Writer Cullen Bunn has been working up a storm over at DC with LOBO, SINESTRO, and the recently announced AQUAMAN, post-Convergence event. With things heating up in both of his on-going book he answered a few of our questions about LOBO and SINESTRO.
COMIC VINE: You've spent a lot of time rebuilding Lobo from the inside out. Instead of a loud-mouthed, witty, cigar smoking, we have a more slick, silent killer with regret in his past. Would you say this version of Lobo is as much a reflection of the times as the pre-52 Lobo was?
CULLEN BUNN: I don’t think about that too often, but I think that’s a fair assessment. Certainly, I think the new version of Lobo is a little more accessible to today’s readership. I’ve said it before. I liked the pre-52 Lobo quite a bit, but I’m not sure he would appeal to as wide of an audience. I’d read those stories, but I don’t know how many other would. At the same time, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. I think a lot of readers see “Lobo” and picture a kind of character who is much more at home in the “extreme” 90s, and that turns them off a bit. The stories I’m telling with Lobo, especially from issue 5 on, are lean and mean and sexy and very, very dark.
CV: Lobo takes quite the beating in issue 5 but heals from it pretty quickly. Is this character indestructible and are there any surprises coming down the line with his powers?
CB: Lobo’s regenerative abilities make him very hard to kill. He’s not indestructible, but he can take a major beating and keep powering through. That’s going to come in handy for him as he faces tougher and tougher challenges.
As for his power set, I don’t think we’ll be seeing much in the way of new powers. We will, however, be exploring the limits of the powers we already know he possesses. We’re also going to see a number of new toys in terms of tech and weapons.
CV: Would you consider Xrexians and Czarnians to be the Hatfields and McCoys of space?
CB: Not in the past. The Xerians were more like second-class citizens who wanted o build their own life on a world near Czarnia. Maybe now they are, only there are only two of them, and one of them apparently wants to use the other to repopulate their species.
CV: Aside from beating down Lobo, The Pariah seems to be just into trying to get into Lobo's head to defeat him. The ending of issue 5 leaves the reader to believe that The Pariah may have been responsible for Czarnia. Is this another power-play by Pariah or is there something more to this?
CB: If it’s just a power play on the Pariah’s part, she’s sticking by what she said. If she is telling the truth, it will change pretty much everything Lobo believes in. I feel like issue 5 was a bit of a shift in terms of tone for the series, and issue 6 takes that a few steps further. If Lobo discovers that what he believed about Czarnia’s destruction was untrue, it will take him into some very dark territory.
CV: The end of the latest issue of SINESTRO shows Bekka, a New God, as a member of the Sinestro Corps. While Sinestro has sacrificed a lot of members during this run, is Bekka, the Sinestro Corps member, going to carry through Convergence?
CB: Bekka will be around for quite a while. Sinestro has plans for the New God, and those plans will carry through the storyline for many issues to come. There are also more than a few questions remaining about Bekka’s motivations for donning a yellow ring, and we’ll be exploring that as well. These two are playing a dangerous game that I think will be a lot of fun for readers.
CV: Mongul and the Sinestro Corps have a long-standing relationship of sorts. Mogul, once again, is craving the power of Parallax and is willing to do almost anything to get it. Would you say Mongul's plot is more about revenge or power?
CB: Mongul certainly wants power, and he is more than capable of claiming it. It’s his desire for revenge, though, that gets him into trouble. Mongul has drawn Sinestro out using tactics that would have worked on himself. He struck at Korugarians in hopes that Sinestro would rocket headlong into a trap. But Sinestro, I think, is a little more level-headed about such things. Even when he’s angry, he’s always planning a few steps ahead.
CV: What drives your writing when it comes to the father and daughter dynamic in this book?
CB: The relationship between parent and child is something I’m always interested in exploring. With Sinestro and Soranik, it’s particularly interesting, because they are seemingly complete opposites in every way. What’s exciting for me is that Soranik and Sinestro is that they are engaged in this kind of tug-of-war and we’re not sure who will win. Will Soranik drag Sinestro into the light? Or will Sinestro pull his daughter into the shadows? One side will definitely gain a lot of ground in the next few issues.
CV: You were recently announced as the writer for AQUAMAN, post-Convergence. What are some of your favorite moments for the character?
CB: I’ve been a big fan of Geoff Johns and Jeff Parker’s runs with the character, but there are a few other moments that stick out in my mind. I really enjoyed Kurt Busiek’s “Sword of Atlantis” take on the character. And I remember working in a comic book store long ago and taking great delight in the confrontation between the 90s Superboy and Aquaman. In that battle, Superboy says he’s unimpressed by Aquaman. So, Arthur calls up a tidal wave and calls out, “Hey, Punk! Impressed yet!” I enjoyed that scene quite a bit.
Thanks to Cullen Bunn for answering our questions and make sure to check out LOBO #6, as wells as SINESTRO, which is currently on sale at your local comic shop.
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