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It’s worthy to remember Lobo has arisen as a supporting actor, both in his first phase (Omega Men’s supporting actor), either in his final phase (L.E.G.I.O.N.’s supporting actor). Mainly in the case of the space police of Vril Dox, the Lobo role was very big, in a “first level” shared by Stealth, Strata and Garryn Bek (Now, Dox was the main character). Little before Lobo has left the group, he had already taken on the “place” of main character of his own magazine, besides several special and mini-series. To help with the stories development, several secondary characters (or supporting actors) having been being introduced, beginning with Jonas Glim, Al and Darlene. This isn’t Lobo’s exclusivity. Most of the cases, when a comics character gets his/her own comic book, the authors create (or reuse) secondary characters. In the case of a comical comic book, like Lobo's, these characters are used mainly as a “ladder”, term used to denominate the actors that, in the theater or in TV comedy programs, are only there to help the main comedian to develop his jokes.
Jonas Glim, however, has an advantage as a supporting actor, since he can used for anything. Since he is a bounty hunter and works in the same agency as Lobo, he is used most of the time when it’s necessary to have dialogs. Since he has a personality very similar to the Lobo’s, his presence isn’t a hindrance at all, it allows somebody to "be screwed up” in the stories (the poor one suffers). Lobo’s dog, can also be considered, in a certain way, a supporting actor. Most of the stories, his importance is null, but he generates some funny moments. The space dolphins also have practically null importance, but the fact that they are the only living beings with whom Lobo truly cares, he gives them a character of a “joker”, which can be used whenever it’s necessary to arouse in Lobo a feeling of directed revenge (try to kill one of the Main Man’s dolphins and you will see what happens).
There are also other supporting actors, as bounty hunters (Billy the Girl, Layla, Django etc.), weird livings beings (like the assassin penguins) or of a one-dimensional personality (for instance: Badlucky Happigo, who brings bad luck to the people around him, and Paranoid Jones, an extremely paranoid guy). These, however, appear and disappear without being important, because his use is specific for certain stories. The common point of Lobo supporting characters is that none of them would be sustained by his own. All of them are into the "ladder" category, differently from the supporting characters of other characters who even got their own magazine, like Robin and Nightwing (supporting actors of Batman), Superboy and Supergirl (Superman), Venom (Spider-Man), Deathstroke (Teen Titans) and Lobo himself. It’s important, however, we have in mind that, in spite of these supporting actors being disposable (the unique exception is, perhaps, the space dolphins), it’s exactly like that they need to be. Na influential supporting actor would more disturb than a support for the creation of funny stories. Not mentioning that it would be very difficult somebody like him be for a long time by Lobo’s side.
text: Lucio
Luiz | ||
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Lobo Brasil,
providing indispensable to the internet since October, 29th, 1997. |
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What
is the importance of a supporting actor? Much, if we consider that there is a
specific Oscar for supporting actors, those who are present to help the plot
development and for the main character not to be overburdened. It's the same in
the comics. Also, we can easily find supporting actors with strategic role for
the stories, like the commissioner Gordon, from Batman, only to mention an
example.
Then,
the main question would be: Are Lobo’s supporting actors used for this purpose?
Some of them, are. In the case of Al and Darlene, however, the jokes related to
the destruction of the restaurant ended up being repetitive, mainly because they
were only used to this type of joke. Of course there were a set of stories where
Darlene becomes the inheritor of a mafioso, however in most of the cases these
two are used to only be in the “restaurant Lobo will destroy in the issue of
this month”.
Of
course a comics character also needs an opponent that is completely the
opposite. In the case of Lobo, we find this figure in Goldstar, the good
super-hero. However, even him, doesn’t make sense if he isn’t combating with
Lobo.