Review – Red Hood: Outlaw #29: Bat-Black Sheep United

Red Hood: Outlaw #29 – Scott Lobdell, Writer; Pete Woods, Artist; Rex Lokus, Colorist

Ratings:

Ray – 6/10

Corrina Does Not Read This Title Because of the Writer’s Admitted Sexual Harassment of a Fellow Creator at a Panel

Ray: The last issue teased a team-up between the Bat-family’s two black sheep – Jason Todd aka Red Hood, and Batman’s cousin Kate Kane, who is currently exiled from the family due to her actions in shooting Clayface and protecting her sister by using Bruce’s greatest weakness.

Red Hood: Outlaw #29 could have gone VERY badly if Scott Lobdell had them bonding over their willingness to kill, but thankfully it handles it better than that. This still isn’t anywhere near a good comic, and that’s mainly due to the main plot. After all, how much mileage can you get out of a comic that’s basically about antiheroes shooting killer mafia robots? Jason is still in a town filled with the Underlife and their robot guards, and Kate has joined him to clean up the town while they banter and destroy robots. That’s about the side of it, and the first half of the issue is mostly just one stunt after another as robots get dismantled.

Lobdell hasn’t forgotten the subplot he dropped at the start of the run, as the federal agent Jason saved is now on his tail. Hobbling on a cane but refusing to back down, she’s tracking the carnage from the last few issues at the same time that the mysterious Wingman is stalking Jason. These subplots are both more compelling than the main plot, as Jason winds up at the headquarters of the local Underlife leader – who also turns out to be a robot in the guise of a blonde woman, and gets blown up eventually too.

So ends Jason’s adventures in Stepford Robot Town, but before he and Kate go their separate ways they bond a little over Roy’s death and Kate shows more compassion towards Jason than Bruce ever did towards his son. Oddly, it’s the female characters who are the bright spot in this issue, which is the opposite of how it normally goes with Lobdell books. That’s enough to life this issue to “okay”.

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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.