Red Hood and the Outlaws #3

Red Hood and the Outlaws #3With both Artemis and the Superman clone now prisoners of Black Mask, the Red Hood struggles with how to proceed. Watching the deformed creature go through a similar process of rebirth as he himself survived at the hands of the Lazarus Pit, Jason can’t help but feel some empathy for Bizarro.

Other than the odd sequence where writer Scott Lobdell mucks up the origins of Bizarro to make it completely unclear whether the creature is a clone of Superman or an alternate version from a parallel Earth, the latest issue works well as it pushes the Red Hood to the precipice of having to choose between saving his acquaintances and blowing all the hard work he has done to install himself within Black Mask’s organization.

Although he apparently still has Black Mask’s trust, Jason is forced to admit the gangster continues to be several steps ahead of him (just as he must admit empathy to Bizarro’s current situation which will eventually compel the hero to act). Red Hood may not know why Black Mask needs Bizarro, but he can be sure nothing good can come from such a pairing. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]