Review: Red Hood: Outlaw #41
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer:Â Scott Lobdell
Artist:Â David Messina
Colors:Â Â Rex Lokus
Letters: ALW’s Troy Peteri
Reviewer:Â Tony Farina
Summary
When we last saw Red Hood: Outlaw, we found that he was getting his behind handed to him by Bizarro and Artemis, his former band of Outlaws, while his newly formed band, was getting their behinds handed to them. Red Hood: Outlaw #41 picks up right there. Bizarro and Artemis are under mind control. Deadman is involved. Jason has a touching memory of Roy. There is a giant outlaw and outlaw battle. Ma Gunn invites everyone over to dinner. Oh yeah, Jason and Artemis kiss again so, yes, this is a kissing book.
Positives
Hooray! The Dark Trinity rises again in Red Hood: Outlaw #41. It is about stinking time. Seriously, the year of the Villain is almost over (thankfully) and that means Jason can dump these poser outlaws (maybe, fingers crossed). While I was in the vocal minority who has liked Red Hood since his resurrection (I voted to save Jason in the first place way back in the 90s), I think he has been strongest in this current iteration during Rebirth. Artemis and Bizarro really elevate what the team is able to do. While Jason had better chemistry with Roy, he and Roy share the same skill set.
This book has plenty of funny jokes laid down by the super funny Scott Lobdell. They don’t always come at the right moment in the story, but I literally laughed out loud three times in 24 pages, so that must be a positive.
Negatives
I feel like a HUGE A-hole when I crap on someone else’s art, so I want to preface this that Dave Messina has more talent to draw in his toe than I do in both hands. That said, his Artemis is really a distraction. I don’t expect everyone to be Dexter Soy, but I do think that she just looks totally cartoonish and out of place here. I am so excited to have her back, but I am really not liking this look of her. I kept going back to panels to see what it was that bugged me and I just kept coming back to the idea of cartoonish. I don’t want my comic books to look like cartoons unless that is the point. Bat-mite can look silly. Captain Carrot, for sure. Artemis should look like the Amazonian Bad Ass she is.
I keep banging on this but I simply don’t care about the new outlaws. I don’t care. If this is some sort of back door secret origin for a spin off Outlaw series, please Mr. Lobdell, make that happen already. Please.
Verdict
I am not thrilled with that final panel. It makes me feel as though my worst fears are going to be realized and that Red Hood and the Outlaws are going to be a new Justice League Dark. In general, huge group comics are hard to read. The three headed monster that was the Red Hood and the Outlaws was perfect as it was. I will be back next month with my fingers and toes crossed.
