Red Hood And The Outlaws, Vol. 1: Redemption (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Jason Todd is a problem. As the then-new Robin, he was so disliked that readers voted to kill him. (Although that probably says more about the mindset of fandom than the character.) For some reason, DC thought it would be a good idea to bring him back as the ridiculous Red Hood character. Then he became a major player in the 52 series. With the New 52 reboot, instead of letting him rest in peace, Scott Lobdell brings him back as the psuedo-leader of a not-really-group of dysfunctional super-heroes. There's a lot of eastern mumbo-jumbo and a mysterious organization called the All-Caste, and another mysterious group of evil beings called the Untitled. All very silly. Of course, there are lots of complaints about Starfire and her (lack of) costume, but come on, people, she was always that way. I'm less fond of her willingness to jump into bed with random men and forget about it two pages later. My biggest complaint, however, would be the character of Roy Harper (here going by the name Arsenal, again). No one's seemed to get a good handle on Roy since Denny O'Neil turned him into a heroin addict back in the '70s. He's a character with a complicated history, but one bursting with storytelling potential. Here he's presented as just another dumb guy in a "trucker hat" as it states at one point. Given the reboot of the DCU, the original Teen Titans no longer existed (right?), but in talking to Starfire, Roy makes reference to them. Is this just a throwaway humor line? Or is it meant to befuddle continuity addicts like me? The art looks circa '90s style and the layouts are needlessly "artsy" and convoluted. I've been reading comics for nearly 50 years and if I have trouble following a sequence of panels, something is wrong. So, all that stated, why three stars? Somehow, it all works. It's a lighthearted, fun super-hero romp with a modicum of silliness and some funny bits. Despite myself and the above enumerated issues, I found myself enjoying the read. One of the few New 52 comics I've read. This book is the first that's ever made me care about Red Hood or think he's somewhat of a likeable character and not just someone who should have stayed dead. His storyline drives this book entirely, and it's interesting enough. The problem is that I'm a big The New Teen Titans fan. While Starfire's character is not that worrisome to me, and frankly I think most of the complaints about her are overblown and filtered far too much through that crappy Teen Titans cartoon, the changes to Arsenal aren't welcome. He's gone from being a tough, world wise character to a scrawny nothing who looks like he's already mainlining every day. He's been neutered.I'm willing to pick up some more Red Hood & The Outlaws trades, so that's something. But I hope all three characters get some true exposure.
What do You think about Red Hood And The Outlaws, Vol. 1: Redemption (2012)?
Gorgeous art, really interesting page layouts— and nothing else.
—iamAprildawn
Awesome origin story for Arsenal, Starfire, and Red Hood.
—psc
ok im naw at this so how do i read the books??
—monibabela
