- Title: Red Hood and the Outlaws #20
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: James Tynion IV
- Artist: Julius Gopez
Red Hood and the Outlaws #20 picks up with Starfire and Arsenal trying to convince the magic monk who has wiped Jason Todd‘s mind clean to return his friend’s lifetime of horrible memories, whether he wants them or not. The question of whether or not we are more than the sum of our memories and whether bad memories are better than none at all is debated as it appears the New 52 editorial staff have decided what’s best for Red Hood is a clean slate.
We get flashbacks into Roy Harper’s first meeting with Jason Todd as well as the revelation that Starfire’s short-memory has been largely exaggerated (which should quiet some of the critics for this version of the character). I don’t like the idea of taking such a drastic step with the character after the hard road to redemption Jason Todd earned.
Whether or not it’s good for the character, or for the New 52, we’ll have to wait and see, but my initial reaction is this is an easy choice for DC Comics to give the character a completely new direction while thumbing their noses a decades of history. Well, this is the New 52. Pass.
[DC, $2.99]