I read LOTS of Comics...

So, I read comics (duh, with a handle like, "SpiderMitch")... I read everything from the big boys like DC & Marvel, to the mid-sized Image, Dark Horse, IDW, & Aspen, to the independent and smaller publishers like Big Dog Inc & Zenescope...
Anyway, I thought it would be kinda cool to see if I could do a few write-ups after I finish reading comics. You may not necessarily agree with what I have to say, but that's the fun of reading comics: each person has different interpretation and tastes. Here I hope to share my experience (whether it be good or not so good), and have a little fun and humor along the way!

I'll try not to give away too many spoilers, but it's my hope you read these reviews after you've read the issue, so you can comment if you want!

I'm a little behind on what I read, since I try to do so chronologically. This often has me jumping from title to title to fit everything in a massive reading order. Generally I read simultaneous publishers / events at a time.
It may be handy to use the navigation filters above to jump to specific publishers, events, or specific characters!


P.S. I'll be using my phone & tablets to both read the comics & write these reviews, so if there's spelling mistakes / layout issues, sorry!

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

DC New52 - Red Hood & The Outlaws (You made me, so that makes us ArchNemesisisis)

I saw this issue and was excited to see what all was going on with StarFire and Red Hood and the like, but what I got was an origin story of the Red Hood / Jason Todd / Robin #2.  Not bad, but definitely not what I was expecting.  I hope there's an origin of sorts in the first arch of RH & The Outlaws focusing on the other characters, the way Teen Titans did.


Anywho, much of Jason's back-story remains pretty much the same.  He was from a broken home *insert sad violin music here* so he was bad.  Then Batman got to him.  He was good... but still bad. Fans hated him & so the Joker beat him to death.


Now, this is where it gets interesting.  I remember at one point during one of the Crises, Superboy punching a dimensional wall that echoed into all the multiverse and awoke Jason Todd from death.  I'm too lazy to find the reference & the specific issue # (I wanna say it was in a prelude to Infinite Crisis, but I may be mistaken.)  Either way, here, they explain that Jason was brought back from a Lazarus pit.  Okay, I'm down with it.



Then the retconning:
There's a follow-up to the main story, in which the Joker explains that he's orchestrated many of the events in Jason's life which led him to becoming Robin.  In Joker's words, "I created my very own Robin."  It's interesting to think Joker was responsible for all these things that happened with Jason's parents & such, but I think this is stretching it a bit...  I mean, Joker already has a grim connection to Jason Todd as the instrument of his demise.  It always kinda made sense that Jason would come back all upset that Batman wasn't there and that Joker beat him to a bloody pulp.  I don't see a reason to have Joker this interconnected with his past.  He even makes reference to Jason taking his "maiden name" Red Hood upon his return.  I'm not feeling this one.  I'm okay with Joker making a plan to lure Robin to the warehouse with the bait of his mother, but I believe that's as far as the Joker's master plan should go.



Either way, Joker is now integrated into the Batfamily's past (more so than just being a villain).  Kinda reminds me of when they replaced Joe Chill with Jack Napier in 1989's Batman movie.  It's really not needed for an arch-villain to be woven into a character's origin for them to be truly menacing.  Remember "The Killing Joke?"  Joker just wanted revenge on Gordon; there was no crazy 'I helped create you' angle.  Just pure revenge & a deviously executed plan.


Oh, almost forgot.  I loved the styled artwork here & the overlapping & crazy panels worked so well!  Take a cue, crazy panel Batwoman layout guys!!!
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