Red Hood: Outlaw #27 – Scott Lobdell, Writer; Pete Woods, Artist
Ray – 6/10
Ray: The second issue this week tying in with Heroes in Crisis, this second issue of the new direction is definitely a step up from last issue’s Punisher-lite comic. It’s still not a very good comic, owing to some seriously wonky characterization from everyone involved. It’s okay to not nail every bit of continuity – but actively contradicting your own comic from months ago, less so.
Still, there are some genuine emotional moments scattered through this issue, from the opening page when Jason calls Roy on the phone. Does he know he’s dead already? Is he calling just to hear his voice one more time? This coming isn’t shying away from the shippers, that’s for sure. Flashing back, we see Jason heading into a random diner, getting into a fight with a random harasser who turns out to be a member of the Underlife, and then turning that into a much bigger fight with a massive, hulking goon backing the first guy up. Jason may have bitten off more than he could chew, until he’s saved by…Bruce Wayne. Wait, what?
So, yeah, there’s a lot of problems with this. For one thing, Jason and Bruce didn’t have some sort of “falling out”. Bruce beat Jason halfway to death, put him in a coma for several days, and it was months before Jason was fully recovered. That’s not the kind of thing that can be papered over easily, but here they basically act like it was just a minor spat.
Jason is sarcastic, Bruce warns him not to come back to Gotham, and then he drops the bomb that Roy is dead. This would make a lot more sense if it was someone else like Dick (pre-shooting) showing up to break the news to Jason, not the man who nearly killed Jason. The hug between them would be a sweet moment if it wasn’t for this context. I was intrigued by the ending, which has Jason checking into an idyllic small-town Americana location – which is also the headquarters of the Underlife. Massively flawed, but a bit of promise.
Corrina: I will not be reviewing this comic because of Lobdell’s history of sexually harassing a fellow creator on a panel and his history of poorly written female characters. (See: Artemis.)
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
I’m really digging that new look. Easy cosplay.