Review: Red Hood Outlaw #44
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer:Â Scott Lobdell
Artist: Paolo Pantalena
Colors:Â Arif Prianto
Letters: ALW’s Troy Peteri
Reviewer:Â Tony Farina
Summary
When tracking down an ancient evil that can hide in anyone, Red Hood and his Outlaws have to surreptitiously sniff out their enemy by similarly hiding in plain sight…Are you ready for the Outlaws to go undercover? The Untitled are unlike any foe they’ve ever faced, so if the Outlaws are going to win, they’re going to need to improvise!
Positives
Red Hood Outlaw #44 shines because the whole team is back together (sort of). Well, they are working on the same mission (sort of). OK, they are friends again and that is what really matters. Jason and Bizarro have a food truck and that is amazing. I love this book when it is a team up book. I love this book when Jason is funny and he is funny. I love this book when Artemis is in full Bad Ass mode, and she is on full display here. There is a lot to love.
Colorist Arif Prianto has this glowing thing going on. It is a bit distracting sometimes, but it is so distinct and makes it hard to look away even in simple panel like you will see below. Everything glitters. Pantalena’s art is so detailed too. Look at the folds of the clothes. I mean, seriously look. I have no idea how he does it, but every stitch is accounted for on every pair of pants. When Artemis fights a bit later you can actually see the folds of her pants in, well… let’s just say, you see the folds of her pants. You’ll see. Look for it.
Negatives
There are TOO many stories in this book. I don’t care what Ma Gunn is up to. She is not really on the team. I know she is important to Jason and now to the whole band of Outlaws, but all of that seems like a distraction and wasted space in a book that is already only 23 pages long. There are four distinct story lines and that is two too many. Honestly, the last two issues have seemed like hard reboots from the year of the villain. It has been disconcerting.
Verdict
Since this comic started at the beginning of Rebirth, I felt it would have worked better as a bi-monthly instead of a monthly. There is always too much going on. This month Red Hood Outlaw #44 has that same problem. It seems likely that all of these various ideas are going to merge into one cohesive story, but for now, it is a bit scattered and having to wait a month seem cruel.
