New 52

Red Hood and the Outlaws #17

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Red Hood and the Outlaws #17Set immediately following the events of Death of the Family, the latest issue of Red Hood and the Outlaws returns its main character (whose been conspicuous by his absence the last couple of months) as Jason Todd says his goodbyes around Wayne Manor before leaving with Starfire and Arsenal.

Not only does the Red Hood return here but the comic returns the focus of issue to Todd which makes quite a bit of sense as the former Robin talks with the current version, Dick Grayson, Alfred, and finally Batman himself before he’s finally ready to hit the road. I like all those conversations as well as Damian and Arsenal fighting to prove who is the more juvenile of the pair.

Red Hood has been a complicated character well before the New 52 in finding the right balance with the character’s deadly intentions and still honoring his past as Robin. For this issue writer Scott Lobdell gets it right which makes the comic’s twist all the more surprising as the Joker left our protagonist one final present which may have lasting effects on the Red Hood’s role going forward. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Worlds’ Finest #9

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Worlds' Finest #9When Karen Starr‘s private island is invaded by a group of masked thieves it falls on a wounded Huntress to suit up and stop them from stealing her best friend’s technology.

The main story works well, but the flashbacks to earlier adventures of Helena and Karen are only slightly tied to the new tale and don’t add anything of significance other than to take up several pages which could be used for the main story. And once again it takes several artists to take over half the artist duties from the missing Kevin Maguire. The result of which are better than last month but still more mixed than I’d like.

Things do pick up in the end with the arrival of Power Girl and the reveal of who the thieves are actually working for. Although the prospect of Mr. Terrific showing up doesn’t do much to excite me, it is a nice twist and it looks like the comic is finally ready to deal with Karen Starr’s relationship to the hero whose pretty much disappeared from the New 52 since his book was cancelled. For fans.

[DC, $2.99]

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Detective Comics #17

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Detective Comics #17While trying to hunt down and stop the Merrymaker and the League of Smiles before the Joker-obsessed group adds to the list of victims, Batman searches the past of the sadistic Dr. Byron Meredith who once treated all members of the group while employed as a doctor at Arkham Asylum.

Batman tracks the three mentally-unstable members of the League to the Gotham Children’s Hospital where he also finds the Merrymaker and reveals to his fairly angry followers the true reason behind the League’s murder spree. The issue also includes a backup story involving Meredith’s time at Arkham, how he used the Joker to further his own career, and the reasons behind his elaborate hoax.

Unlike much of the endless teasing, Bat-Family bickering, and grotesque nature of Death of the Family, the Merrymaker storlyine involves Batman doing a bit of old fashioned detective work and using his brains to take down another threat to Gotham City. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

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Batman and Robin Annual #1

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Batman and Robin Annual #1This is more like it. As the Bat-books continue to be mired in Death of a Family we get a short reprieve here with this annual that’s a breath of fresh air. After Damian arranges a scavenger hunt to keep Bruce Wayne and Alfred busy overseas for a few days, Robin creates his own Batman costume (a nod to the future adult version of Damian as Batman presented in Batman #666) and heads out to defend Gotham on his own as Batman.

What’s great about this story is nothing is wasted. Bruce’s trip isn’t a complete waste of time only to get him out of the way as Damian has put the time and the thought into crafting a very emotional journey for his father which should only bring the pair closer together.

And as for a pint-sized Batman ruling the night in Gotham, it’s a blast! Damian truly works in brutal, but Batman-like efficency, and never becomes the isipid murderous twerp some writers use as his fallback setting. I know I have been hard on the Bat-books recently, but this is a perfect example of what they can be when a little joy is inserted into the equation. Must-read.

[DC, $4.99]

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Supergirl #16

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Supergirl #16I’ll be honest, I haven’t looked at the current Supergirl title since the first days of the New 52 and I haven’t been keeping up with Superman, either. That means I felt a little lost at the beginning of this “He’l on Earth” tie-in, but what I really picked up the issue for, Supergirl going one-on-one with the Flash, the comic delivered.

From what I could understand there’s an alien named He’l who wants to travel back in time to save Krypton. A somewhat smitten Kara is in favor, while Superman is not. While the Man of Steel and (apparently) the Justice League are busy with He’l this issue focuses on the Flash fighting, and trying to talk some sense into, Superman’s stubborn cousin.

There’s plenty of action along with a couple humorous surprises for the Scarlet Speedster as his discovers that Superman not only has a zoo in the Fortress of Solitude but also a dog. The story does a good job explaining how the Flash can keep up with Kara by choosing to focus on how the hero thinks and moves faster than everyone, even Kryptonians.

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