What if the Joker hired Lobo to kill Batman, his own brother? From Batman/Lobo DC Comics Elseworlds

๐Ÿ๏ธ Fragging Around in the Multiverse
This week we're revving up the space hog and hauling across the omniverse to ask a very thorny question โ€” what happens when the universe's most dangerous bounty hunter lands in Gotham Cityโ€ฆ and the Joker is his target?

Ep. 177 What if the Joker Hired Lobo to Kill Batman (His Own Brother)?
from Batman/Lobo #1 (DC Comics Elseworlds, April 2000)
We're diving into the one and only appearance of an Earth where the Main Man himself rides into Gotham on a contract โ€” hired by Scarface to take out the Joker, only for the Clown Prince of Crime to flip the script and redirect Lobo's chaos at the Batman. We begin by tracing Lobo's surprisingly obscure origins, from a blink-and-you'll-miss-it debut in Omega Men #3 to the 1990 miniseries where Simon Bisley gave him the iconic look the world came to know. Along the way we compare him to Deadpool and Wolverine, explore his strange staying power, and unpack why his strict personal code of honor makes him more interesting than he first appears.
Then we get into the Elseworlds itself โ€” all fragging chaos, grotesque Bisley art, and a soap-opera twist that reframes the entire Batman mythology. We close out by looking at the brand-new 2026 Lobo ongoing from Skottie Young and Jorge Corona, and ponder what Jason Momoa's upcoming portrayal in Supergirl might bring to the character.

Reading / Watch List:
  • Omega Men #3 (DC Comics, June 1983) โ€” Lobo's first appearance
  • Lobo #1 (DC Comics, 1990) โ€” The miniseries that defined the character; written by Keith Giffen & Alan Grant, art by Simon Bisley
  • Batman/Lobo #1 (DC Comics Elseworlds, April 2000) โ€” Written by Alan Grant, art by Simon Bisley
  • Lobo #1, Vol. 4 (DC Comics, 2026) โ€” Written by Skottie Young, art by Jorge Corona
Mentioned / Related Episodes:
  • Ep. 49 โ€” Our first Elseworlds episode
  • Ep. 173 โ€” Batman/Deadpool (another Dark Knight meets an antihero!)
Theme music is Space Heroes by MaxKoMusic (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0) โ˜… Support this podcast โ˜…
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Creators and Guests

Guido A. Sanchez
Host
Guido A. Sanchez
authorโœ๏ธ educator๐Ÿค“// collector + fan of comics, books, antiques, ephemera, movies, music // podcast๐ŸŽ™๏ธDear Watchers //โค๏ธ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡บ// QUEER MYTHOLOGY ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€โšง๏ธbook out now // The Substrate on Substack
Robert
Host
Robert
Queer Nerd for Horror, Rock N Roll and Comics (in that order). Co-Host of @dearwatchers a Marvel What If and Omniverse Podcast
What if the Joker hired Lobo to kill Batman, his own brother? From Batman/Lobo DC Comics Elseworlds
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