Red Hood and the Outlaws #26 Vol. 2

The new storyline continues with Jason going solo while his teammates try find a way home.

SPOILERS AHEAD

For those of you wanting Jason to be violent...well I don't think we've ever seen him this violent before. Not all at once. It is nice to see him kicking ass again, one of my previous complaints was that Jason doesn't get to showcase his abilities well. He gets overshadowed by his teammates or doesn't look that good in a fight. There were still some nice bits but not really against the lead bad guys. Here he takes on a whole gang and some henchmen. He's resourceful and reminds me of Winicks' UTH. Especially the "boom" note/reaction which feels a little like the bit where Jason waved before firing a bazooka.

There were some comments I saw when Jason was with Roy about Jason not being that affected by what happened with Batman. Jason was definitely upset but as Lobdell said in a recent interview being around his friends sort of covers up his anger. This is a pissed off Jason Todd that's fighting dirtier than we've ever seen him fight.

When he's simply talking it's still noticeable that he's not in a good place given his tone. He pretty much threatens to break the driver's teeth when he says he could lose his job by stopping. Sure Jason wanted to save a life but the driver didn't do anything to warrant that behavior. His disdain for the rules/law after being kicked out of Gotham is highlighted when he harshly brings up the agent's deceased partner. There's still a kindness to him when he saves the agent then later returns the partner's badge. The way he brings up losing his own partners makes me wonder if he now thinks their dead.

The different style Jason takes on is another means to further display the hurt he feels. Jason wants to change who he is but doesn't put on any real protective gear. He doesn't care about his wellbeing. There was sadly no new scenes for Artemis and Bizarro in this issue. This was a good starter although the flare bit was distracting. Not as strong as the previous issues but that's mostly because this was more action packed and had less emotional content. We see how upset Jason is without getting a deeper look into his head. Which we will likely get next issue.

I'm reminded a little bit of Tara Battleworth with the FBI agent, at least her willingness to use Jason. It'd be fun to see if they develop a kind of partnership.

It's too early to say for sure if I like this take. Technically speaking loner Jason dealing with his pain by lashing out at criminals isn't new. The real challenge is where Jason goes from here. Can he overcome his issues by himself or does he need a crutch of sorts to get through it? Lobdell is good at telling emotional stories and he's shown he can tell darker ones too. I'm looking forward to seeing how he can take this story to another level.





Say What?: 'Merica. That brings back a lot of commercials I've seen.

The bus driver comments on how odd it is that Jason can see someone in the dark up ahead on the road. It's pretty hard to near impossible to see someone depending on the conditions. The driver would presumably have the best view since he's in front with the headlights on. Yet Jason see her first and he wasn't wearing any gear to see in the dark.

A flare up the butt is kind of intense yet his wording gave me pause. It's funny because A LOT of people assume Jason swears like a sailor despite never seeing it in comics. Jason has been very PG lately. I mean I never assumed he'd curse more than the rest of the family but this is surprising. Kind of cute too if you consider him being careful with what he says when teaching Bizarro.



Questions Raised?: How...literal was Jason on the flare thing? Do I want to know? That's kind of a line I don't want to be crossed. It's too violating to be comfortable with. I'd like to assume the guy gave Jason his hoodie because he was scared of that happening. Otherwise the driver and the agent are far too calm when he walks back to the bus.

Is Jason's face recognizable? I never can tell how well known Jason is. Some people know him as Jason Todd, others don't. Penguin seemed to hint that by revealing his ID he knew who Batman was. Jason was said to be in Arkham which would likely put him (at least his face) in the system and people in Gotham would recognize him. But in another issue where they go to Qurac said Jason was buried in secret. Is he legally dead? Is his ID widely known? Then why did Penguin make a big deal about it?

Where did the crowbar come from? I've seen rumors but it wasn't shown on panel. Not yet anyway.



Did You Notice?: Jason's boom note has a smile under the logo.

Jason is injured but we don't see him patch himself up. In fact it's a moment that barely acknowledged except for his grunt and the impact shot.