Girl In The Hood: Outlaws #17- DC Universe Presents #17 Double Extravaganza!

By

Elizabeth Airelle

"Don't Let The Door Hit You On The Way Out!"

     Picking up from Batman #17, the Joker has been defeated and Jason contacts Starfire and Arsenal to regroup.  Jason sends out a car to pick them up and bring them to him at Wayne manor. Originally he planned on just leaving but could not without saying goodbye. He notices Damian Wayne aka Robin sitting outside. They recently just worked together as Wingman and Redbird in Batman inc. (You should be reading that!!) Jason tries telling him that he understands what he is going through. Damian is uninterested in what he thinks. Jason notes that the anger he has is similar to what he himself had to go through, he worked through it with the help of Ducra. He hopes Damian can work through the hate before it burns him up.

     Roy and Kori arrive and are happy to see him. Kori is so happy she ends up lifting Jason a few stories in the air while Damian and Roy get to know each other. Starfiew had feared the worse when Jason was gone, he has been her first real friend and doesn’t want to lose him. Jason needs to get something from inside but Kori says she will wait outside; she is avoiding Nightwing aka Dick Grayson who is inside.

     Once inside Jason questions why Dick won’t even say “Hi” to her. After what the Joker did to Nightwing he doesn’t want to be close to anyone but makes Jason promise to watch over her to which Jason says he already does.

     Meanwhile Robin and Arsenal are fighting outside on the lawn. Jason breaks it up with the two of them insisting that the other started it. They stop fighting and Roy picks up a football and tells Robin to go long. He throws it but Robin just stands there not understanding the purpose of playing catch but goes along with it and plays with Roy.

Jason goes into the batcave where his helmet and Batman aka Bruce Wayne is. Bruce knew Todd wouldn’t just leave. Jason feels awkward but mentions he ran into Superman not too long ago ( Red Hood 14!) and mentions how Bruce had vouched for him. Batman may never agree with Jason’s methods but can’t agrue with the results and that he cannot try to control everyone. Jason confides in Bruce that when the Joker had him he mentioned things from Jason’s past and implies that he made Jason what he is. Batman replies that Joker didn’t, and neither did Bruce himself, and only Jason made himself the man he is today. Jason would never say it out loud but thanks him for that.

     Jason ends up in his old room, thinking back to his first night there. Alfred walks in and asks if he’ll be staying. After everything the Joker put him through he still wants to make sure everyone else is ok. Alfred is happy to have a full house again, and tells Jason this will always be his home.

     Jason starts to leave and puts on his helmet. It locks on and a hologram of the Joker appears. Joker states that he was supposed to be his masterpiece but didn’t stay dead, and since Jason wants to be his own man he’ll help him start with a clean slate. Suddenly a sort of acid bomb goes off inside of Jason’s helmet causing his scream in pain alerting everyone in the manor. They rush to his side and Batman manages to get his helmet off revealing his face which looks burned up….

     Before anything else I loved this issue it’s easily one of the best in the series so far.  We only got a tiny moment with Starfire and Nightwing but it was well done, it’s always uncomfortable being near and ex-boyfriend. It makes you want to know more, how they got together, why they broke up and when did this happen. Arsenal and Robin was done perfect as well and I would love to have Damian appear in the outlaws again. It’s nice to see Alfred alive and well. It was very touching his interaction with Jason even though it was brief, we haven’t seen the two together in a room since Jason came back and it’s great to see that they still care about each other.

     Outside of RHATO Jason and Bruce have been reconnecting in BatmanIinc but this was the first time in this book it’s happened. Bruce said what Jason needed to hear and it seems very possible for Jason to be fully accepted back into the fold completely.

     The ending has many a hoodie and I worried. A few weeks ago there was a certain cover leak that showed Red Hood with his face horrifically burned off. Could a clean slate mean no face? If so will you keep reading? Nervously waiting until next time Hoodies….

Editor's Note: Elizabeth was very nice to do us an extra recap of DC Universe Presents #17 which is a spotlight issue featuring Arsenal! Read on for that! 

"Roy's Night Out"

     The issue, written by Joe Keatinge and penciled by Ricken, opens with Red Hood and Starfire beating up some villains. Red Hood asks where Arsenal aka Roy Harper is. Neither has a clue but isn’t worried about him. Meanwhile Arsenal regains consciousness to see a man whose face has stitches all over it. He is a member of the Triad and since he and the Outlaws killed Suzie Su (RHATO issue 8) there has been fighting among the families of the Triad. He’s looking to take revenge on Roy for that. Harper is injured, weaponless, and alone. Roy knows who the man is that has captured him. His name is Zhang Xing and he is the “colonel” for the Triad. Roy asks him for a quarter saying he always pays people back, unlike Jason who owes him 12 dollars. It gets him kicked by a large figure that appears to be Killer Croc, he has been rumored to be in China and a prisoner.

      Roy and Croc go back when Roy had become an alcoholic, after he was fired by Oliver Queen and lost all his money. He tried to get Croc to kill him but instead Croc got him help. He seems to have a collar on his neck that is keeping him in line. Zhang orders him in Chinese to go to the safe room. Roy continues to try to get a quarter and Zhang gets close and strikes him, close enough that Roy pick pockets him. Zhang leaves but promises a “skyscraper” amount of men will be coming soon. It takes a few hours but using the coin he is able to get his cuffs undone. Roy gets his hands on a tool box and takes out the men standing in his way to Zhang and Croc. 

     He gets to Zhang and realizes that Killer Croc is not Killer Croc! He does look a lot like Killer Croc so it’s unsurprising people thought he was him. Zhang has been collecting meta humans all over the world and has even experimented on himself. He intends to build an army of would be “Crocs”.

     Zhang orders Not Croc to kill Roy. He gets thrown into a bullet proof window which shatters. Roy picks up a piece and disables the inhibitor collar around his neck with hopes that he would help him take out Zhang. He hesitates for a moment but does help Arsenal. The creature reveals himself to be named "FangFeng" and they team up. Roy and Fangfeng take out the men and Zhang as well. Roy convinces Fangfeng not to kill Zhang and tells him to “Do better” like he himself is trying, just like Croc convinced him to do. Later he makes it home to Starfire’s ship, she asks where he was and while he takes 12 dollars from a sleeping Jason he replies the same place he always goes, nowhere. Only the reader knows the bad-ass solo act Roy can be.

     Lately we have been getting a lot of Arsenal, between him pulling together the Titans and Outlaws and now this. He lives up to his name and shows how he can be very resourceful with any object, even a quarter. Roy may joke around but he should be feared just as much as Redhood by villains. The story took place between Night of Owls and Tamaran and it showed the aftermath of when Suzie Su was killed. This felt like it could have been an issue of RHATO, it flowed very well. I am disappointed that we didn’t get to see Killer Croc since he promised it wouldn’t be a good time for Roy when they do meet up. Fangfeng was interesting and it would be cool to see him appear later in the book. All in all this was a good story and I’m glad we are getting more stories with focus on other Outlaws.

Until next time Hoodies!

You can find Elizabeth chatting with other Hoodies at:

https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws

And follow our Twitter feed: @RedHoodOutlaws

Exclusive: Tynion Talks Outlaws 1/17/2013 Edition

                                                                    By
                                                            Mike DePalo

     Sometimes lightning strikes twice in the same place.  Over a year ago, we were lucky enough to have Scott Lobdell sit down with the Red Hood & the Outlaws Facebook page and discuss the debut of the series and he has since become a great friend to the fandom. With a new creative team just announced, we are once again very fortunate to be able to bring you a Q&A with the new writer of Red Hood And The Outlaws, James Tynion IV!

1. What comics did you grow up on, your favorite stuff?

James Tynion IV: I grew up on the X-Books in the 90s… I think I still have a stack of my original Age of Apocalypse books lying around somewhere, but the X-Men were always my favorites. I would also pick up a stack of Young Justice books whenever I got the chance, because I absolutely loved those characters and couldn't get enough of them (I have that Sins of Youth trade on my shelf that's absolutely falling apart because I read it over and over). But those were in the "before James had a car" era when I could only get to my LCS in the Milwaukee suburbs once every couple of months.

 It was a mix of the Marvel Ultimate Universe, Winnick's Exiles, and Morrison's X-Men that got me into comics full-throttle, coming back to the shops week after week. I discovered the DC Universe through the rise of Geoff Johns, and my favorite book of his had to have been Teen Titans. Outside and around the corners of super-heroes, the work of Warren Ellis, Brian K. Vaughan, and Neil Gaiman made me fall head-over-heels in love with the comic book medium. Those are the guys who made me want to write comic books for the first time, and their stuff is probably the work I revisit the most.


2. Now that the announcement you're taking over RHatO has hit the wire, what would you say your goal for the book's tone is?

Tynion: There's a great balance that this book thrives on… There's an inherent darkness to each of the characters, in that they all have horrific formative experiences that haunt them to this day. But when thrown together, their stories don't have to wallow in the darkness… Together, these three have fun. These are stories about friendship in the face of incredible threats, and because of that, the book isn't the mopey, dark title that it could be.

RHATO has been an incredibly fun adventure series, with a great sense of humor, and I am absolutely going to keep that. Big, high concept settings… Big, high concept threats… We're not going to have them punching out members of drug cartels, we're going to have them fighting crazy assassins and giant monsters and the weirdest stuff I can throw at them. In every issue of the book, I want you guys to have fun. The characters will absolutely go to some pretty dark places emotionally, and they'll have to face that darkness… But even in the midst of that, I want this book to be energetic and insanely fun to read. I want RHATO to climb to the top of your pull list, because you need to know what happens to the characters next. 


3. How would you describe Jason Todd, your take on who he is?

Tynion: Jason Todd is easily one of the most complex and fascinating characters in the DC Universe, because of his ongoing search to figure out his place in the world. Jason lives with a deep rage in his heart, and that's something he's struggled with since his troubled childhood, through his work as Robin. His death and resurrection pushed him over the edge… He came back into the world, guns a blazing, thinking that to be a hero he needed to cross the line that Batman never would. He needed to kill. It's why he couldn't stay with the All-Caste all those years ago. He needed to go back to Gotham and make his stand, no matter what he had learned from Ducra about controlling and overcoming that rage.

And like we saw in the series, lashing out like that meant he wasn't there to protect Ducra when she was killed, and the All-Caste was slaughtered, and I think that was a real sobering moment for him. And he's since worked past a lot of his rage to the point that he's willing to work side-by-side with the Bat-Family, not just against them. His entire journey, from the moment he first put on the domino mask as a boy, has been about mastering the darkness he knows is deep inside him. Because, just like Batman, and just like Ducra, Jason knows that he has the potential to be something great. He is fully capable of becoming one of the greatest individuals on the planet… Whether he chooses to wield that greatness for the light, or the dark, is right at the core of the character. He's on a journey with his two best friends to figure that out for himself.

 I really think that that is the core of this series… The arc of working to get over, or simply accept your past, and fulfill your true potential. You have Roy who wears his heart on his sleeve, who clearly wants to be a hero, but who screwed it up so badly for himself last time that he's not sure he really trusts himself anymore. You have Kori, who had such a horrifying childhood, locked away in slavery, that nobody can really understand. Her people expect her to be this powerful leader and this noble warrior, but the deep betrayal by her family and race to have sold her away like a pawn. And that's a struggle she faces every day. And then you have Jason, who was training to become a warrior at Batman's side, when he was brutally and terribly murdered, then resurrected for reasons he's never understood… 

They share a darkness that they all understand innately about one another. It's why they're so close. That's why it's them vs. the world. People expect them to be heroes, or villains, when they are simply themselves… They're working through the answers to those expectations every single day, and they're stronger because they're working through it together.

The Outlaws need each other. I think that's why this book has resonated so much with the fans. 


4. Any messages for all the Hoodies out there eagerly awaiting your arrival?

Tynion: I'd say that I know there are concerns in all directions. Some people are worried I can't pull off the humor that makes the book unique. Some are worried I want to make this a grim and gritty streets of Gotham book. A lot of these concerns won't go away until you read the book, but I promise that I want to do justice to these characters, and tell the best stories possible with them. People have seen me tackle darkness, but they haven't really seen me tackle a fun book like RHATO. But honestly, this is the kind of superhero book I've been dying to write since I first started wanting to write comics.

And furthermore, I love these characters. I've been wanting to write them for years and years. I'm sure there will be differences in how I approach some things than what we've seen for the last year and a half, but that's always the case when a new writer comes on board. But I just want to say that sitting down and writing the first two issues of this comic has been some of the most fun I've had in my young professional writing career. 

I couldn't be happier coming onto a series with such an incredible fan base, and I want to give you all incredible stories with these incredible characters. I can't wait for you to see what we have in store. I look forward to seeing all of your responses, but first I hope everyone checks out the last batch of Scott's issues coming out of Death of the Family. #17 & 18 are absolutely great issues, and set up a really incredible launching point for the future of the book. 

It's going to be a hell of a year for The Outlaws. I hope you all stick around for the ride :)


5. One word spoiler?

Tynion: Strange.

     And with that last little tidbit I'm already probably reading too much into, I just want to thank James Tynion for talking with us.  He will debut with artist Mico Suayan when Red Hood And The Outlaws #19 comes out on April 17th. You can also read his work monthly in Talon and back-up features in Batman. Another major thanks to Pamela Mullin and Alex Segura at DC Comics for making this happen.

To follow James Tynion IV:
https://www.facebook.com/JamesTynionWriter
@JamesTheFourth on Twitter
http://jamesthefourth.tumblr.com/

     Stay in the loop with all things Red Hood and talk with nearly 2400 other fans on our Facebook community fanpage. You might just run into past and present Red Hood staffers while you're there!


Mike DePalo
Hoodie Admin
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@RedHoodOutlaws on Twitter
http://RedHoodOutlaws.tumblr.com/

Girl In The Hood: Outlaws 15 Edition

By

Elizabeth Airelle

                 

                                           "It Only Hurts When You Laugh"

Continuing from last issue Jason is in Isabel’s apartment; she was drugged and forcibly overdosed. Jason is surrounded by Gotham SWAT and Detective Bullock. He tells Bullock he is going after whoever did this to her, Bullock doubts an “ordinary citizen” dressed only in a towel is getting past Gotham’s Finest. Jason takes them out fast with a shower rail and takes Bullock’s keys. He mentions he can trust Bullock and calls him a good cop. He makes off with the police cruiser to warn the other Batfam but Joker ambushes him with knock out gas.

When Jason comes to he is unable to move and is alone with the Joker. The Joker got his hands on one of Jason’s helmets and drove a crowbar through it. The Joker wants to try “new material” on Jason. When Jason doesn’t laugh Joker states that the two of them were quite the team back in the day.  Joker wrote the material and Jason read the lines, until he improvised the ending. Jason has no clue what Joker is talking about but can’t let it get to him. Joker is about to strike him with a crowbar until Jason kicks him off. Under Ducra, he learned how to overcome toxins in his body, Jason gets the upper hand until he grabs the crowbar which electrocutes him and knocks him out.

At the hospital Bullock gets Isabel’s phone. He thinks it’s suspicious that a girl with no drugs in her house, no track marks and no priors would have an overdose. He calls “J-first class” and states he wants to get to the bottom of this as well. Meanwhile Kori and Roy are off on her island.  After Roy made some improvements to Crux’s cruiser they intercept Bullock’s call to Jason and hurry off to Gotham.

When Jason wakes up this time he is wearing a helmet and is somewhere else. Jason runs off to find Joker who is speaking over an intercom.  As he races forward he notices the bullet fragment that was pulled from his Father. Joker hits a nerve and Jason keeps moving and stops when he comes across a couple manikins displaying the scene when he found his mother “dead” from an overdose on the street. Jason doesn’t understand how Joker knows all this and he trips over a medical box he tried stealing from Doctor Leslie years ago. Jason doesn’t believe Joker was there throughout his life, that’s he is “punch line to some stale joke”. Joker says that he kind of his and would he lie to family? Joker then releases a trap door which Jason falls down and he is again rendered unconscious next to Tim Drake aka Red Robin!

Kori and Roy have arrived in Gotham. She states that Gotham city feels less safe than the prison camps she grew up in. She is surprised that someone as warm as Jason came from here. They have no leads on Jason other than a call from Wondergirl to Batgirl. Kori asks what it has to do with them. Roy states maybe nothing, maybe everything but for sure it was Joker related. The issues ends with Roy and Kori come upon the Teen Titans being attacked by Jokerized thugs…..

This issue was a good showdown between Joker and Jason.  Todd holding his own and doing a good job of not letting the Joker get to him was great to see. He doesn’t let himself get too emotional while fighting which had to take a lot. Joker brings up events from issue 0, in which Joker manipulated Jason into becoming Robin, which now Jason finally knows.  He does not seem to believe Joker but this is far from over between them. I can’t wait to see it play out more between them.   I was happy to see Bullock in this as he is one of my favorite of Gotham’s finest. Jason has known him since he was a kid so it makes sense that he would trust him.  Also anyone who reads Teen Titans will know that Tim Drake was kidnapped last issue and this reveals briefly what happened to him.  It’s going to be awesome to see Roy and Kori fighting along the Teen Titans. Speaking of Teen Titans the story should continue in next week’s issue!

Until Next Time Hoodies!

You can find Elizabeth chatting with other Hoodies at:

https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws

And follow our Twitter feed: @RedHoodOutlaws

Girl In The Hood: Outlaws 14 Edition

By

Elizabeth Airelle

                 

                     "Up, Up And Away...My Beautiful, Beautiful Balloon!"

The Outlaws are on their way home when there’s a knock on the spaceship. Superman is requesting to speak to Starfire.  Superman is one of three things Jason fears. Superman is one of the strongest people in the universe. They do not think Superman is there for any good reason.  The team debates on what they should do so the decide to teleport back on Earth to the island where Kori’s other ship is in hopes that he cannot follow them. Jason is not convinced and in mere seconds Superman is right there with them.

Superman attempts to talk with Starfire but she open fires on him. Jason and Roy join in but they do not do much if any damage to him. It’s Isabel who stops the fight stating how ridiculous they are all acting. Superman explains why he is there. An alien named Helspont came to Earth looking for other aliens to join his cause, he wonders if he visited Kori as well. She says that a servant acting on his behalf asked her to join and she declined. Kori states that he wants the Outlaws help but his kryptonian stubbornness prevents him from asking for help. Superman says it’s taking all his self-control not to turn them in for their various crimes, but won’t because Batman vouches for them. Superman takes a moment to mention to Jason he remembers when, as robin, he saved his life now Jason’s life is a mess. Superman leaves and Roy wonders if they should try to find Helspont, to which Kori asks him where would they even start?  Jason asks Roy to take Isabel home, to Gotham City!

The Outlaws decide to spend a few days in Gotham. Jason is taking a shower when he asks Isabel to bring him something to wear, when she doesn’t answer him he gets concerned and grabs the shower pole for a weapon. He steps out into the living room where he finds her lying on the ground overdosing on some sort of drug. He knows someone else had to do this; he grew up around addicts and knows she isn’t one. The news turns on with weatherman “Jack Napier”, who tells Jason that EMTs and Gotham police are almost there. Jason asks why and Jack reveals himself as the Joker. As the  SWAT team enters the room Jason swears if Isabel dies he will kill Joker….

The issue was a good set up for the next arc. I didn’t care much for the art but until we get a steady new artist I think we will all keep comparing it to Rocafort’s. Isabel living in Gotham was funny and I liked her a lot in this issue, she did more than just stand around while everyone fought, with a few words she got everyone to settle down and put things in perspective. I really hope she survives death in the family. “For The Man Who Has Everything” remains canon still, which means he’s met Wonder woman and fought Mongul. Also it’s a good story, worth checking out.

The ending was a great way to start of Death Of The Family for Red Hood. Isabel is dying and he has to evade police capture.  The Joker is sure to have even more planned for Jason. The next few issues should be awesome and it’ll also be a Teen Titan crossover!

Until Next Time Hoodies!

You can find Elizabeth chatting with other Hoodies at:

https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws

And follow our Twitter feed: @RedHoodOutlaws

Girl In The Hood: Outlaws Zero Edition

By

Elizabeth Airelle

"That's My Story--And I'm Sticking To It!"

     We take a break this month from our outlaws still in space for a story everyone has been waiting for since the reboot started:  Red Hood’s origin. Like most people, his story starts with his own parents’ story. His mother Catherine Elizabeth was a high schooler who met the older, charming, troublesome Willis Todd. After a hook-up in an alley [ahhh romance] she becomes pregnant. Willis was welcomed into her family home but it did not last very long.  Jason grew up to the sounds of his parents fighting a lot. Jason was often left alone while his father was “working” and would watch over his mother who now was battling depression and drug addiction.

     While Jason seems to feel sorry for and love his mother his feelings for his father seem much different, more cynical. He would have to put his drunken father to bed. Spending quality time with dad was working the corner dealing drugs [the same corner Willis met Catherine]. Jason never seemed to mind when his father got hurt whether by a batarang [but then Willis bragged about it] or gunshot wound. Then the day came when his father was arrested. And that was it, he died in prison. This left Jason the man of the house and he tried his best to protect his mom by scaring off her dealers.  Like many addicts, he couldn’t save her from herself and found her “dead” in an alley.

     Jason then began a life on the street stealing to survive. While he never hurt anyone others were not as nice to him. He was nearly killed but was saved by Dr. Leslie Thompkins, who tried to lift his spirits. After he recovered  Jason attempted to steal drugs from her but was stopped by Batman. Batman was ready to cart the boy off to juvie hall but Leslie intervened and somehow convinced Batman otherwise. With that we was whisked off the street to a “friend of a friend” who happened to be Bruce Wayne

After a moving in Bruce told him the truth about himself.  He had hoped that Jason could channel that similar loss into something larger than them.  From the start as Robin, Jason had doubts about himself. He spent 6 months training and then would spend every night at Batman’s side. At first he was great at it. Shortly thereafter, the anger from his youth would come out and he would get more and more violent with the criminals.

     Jason was then put on monitor duty where he came a across a photo of his mother who was clearly alive. 3 days later Jason was in the Middle East reunited with her but immediately it all “went bad” as the Joker was there and beat him nearly to death with a crowbar and then blew him up. Jason doesn’t remember what happened between his death and after: he just remembers awaking in the Lazarus pit.

     The story doesn’t end there! The backup tale has the Joker takes over the narration and he has been in Jason’s life long before his death. One night Joker was bored and needed something to do, he noticed a young Jason in the next room whose father was having a gunshot wound treated. Joker decides he wants to make Jason a “star”. Joker was behind Willis’s arrested, he was also responsible for Catherine’s overdose which turns out to be not so deadly after all, just the illusion of death. He also was the one who dropped off a near death Jason to Dr. Leslie Thompkins and maybe the one who had him attacked in the first place. Before he knew it he created his own Robin, but shortly after destroyed him too. Joker feels disappointed after all his hard work Jason didn’t stay dead. Of which isn’t good For the Outlaws, because next month we finish up our space odyssey then we head into Death Of The Family!

     They said this would be the story that changes everything and it did. I guess we will start with his mom. There is only one woman now, Catherine Elizabeth Todd.Gone is Sheila Heywood, his biological mother from A Death In The Family whom Jason had discovered as a different name on his birth certificate which led him around the world until he found her. Catherine was originally Jason’s stepmother Pre-Crisis, a woman we only saw in quick flashbacks, we knew she was probably a drug addict who’d died of an overdose. Catherine plays both roles in Jason’s story: mother and destroyer. Catherine “died” but shows up alive in the Middle East in the Joker’s plan to lure Jason to his death. Somehow that makes it all that much worse, when you think of the little boy with the baseball bat, wanting to protect his mother from her dealers and how she delivered him to a killer with a crowbar.

     Some people are having a hard time understanding why Jason would be so loving and protective to his drug abusing mom? You got to remember that is his mother, love can be unconditional for a parent-child relationship. But if we’re really looking at things to adjust to, there is a huge change is that in the panel where Willis is getting arrested for the last time you can clearly see a baby bump on Catherine! Was Jason going to be a big brother at one point? Is he still and we don’t know it?

     Next we have his meeting with Batman. I miss the old version with him stealing the wheels off the batmobile but I get it, times change. Also the adding of Leslie Thompkins being involved with his becoming Robin and she clearly has been de-aged in this new 52. I wonder if she  is still part of Bruce’s backstory as a child?The big bombshell is the Joker not only killed Robin but may have even created him.  The Joker is at best an unreliable narrator but we are to believe he is telling the truth. If this is the truth this is pretty wild. The Joker controlled his life and his death. We are all left wondering the details but this has got to be something that will be explored in Death Of The Family.

     Also a minor observation, Roy Harper now seems to have been an alcoholic rather than a old 52 heroin addict as mentioned on the Who’s who in the new 52 page.

     This issue does raise questions such as; does Joker know Leslie Thompkins has a connection to Batman? Why else would he drop Jason off there? If he knows about Jason does he know about Bruce or the others? Does he simply not care? Who was the person at Jason grave? What became of Catherine’s pregnancy? Why didn’t Catherine’s parents take Jason in? Does Batman know of Joker’s involvement? These questions are all the more reason to keep reading. 

Until next time Hoodies !! 

You can find Elizabeth chatting with other Hoodies at:

https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws

And follow our Twitter feed: @RedHoodOutlaws

Girl In The Hood: Outlaws 12 Edition

By

Elizabeth Airelle

"We Are Family--Come On Everybody And Die!"

This issue starts off before Roy was kidnapped by the Blight. He is trying to cheer Kori up. Her crew has been taking out many of the enemy forces but she does not understand the motive for their attack on her planet.  DePalo and Kori take a moment to talk alone.  He tells her he has never questioned her before but he is concerned about her relationship with Roy. He thinks it will lead to heartache for Arsenal. Kori disagrees with him, saying she went to Earth to be alone and that he is different than any human she has met and will not let anything hurt him or her friends.

Jason and Isabel have a moment alone. She states how crazy it all is and what was he thinking asking her out. He states that he is more of a street fighting vigilante and this is all new to him as well.  She tells him that if she has to die anywhere is the universe with anyone she could do worse than him. He promises he won’t let anything happen to her.

               

            They walk in to find Roy and K’tten arguing. He thinks he can find a way to save power for the ship. She finds it so insane that it might work. When it does she is surprised to  find that humans are not as dumb as everyone says they are. They suddenly are breached when the Blight teleports directly onto the bridge. While Jason protects Isabel, Arsenal protects Kori from the transformer beam.

The flashbacks end and we now cut to where we left off in the present.  Roy had been explaining events to Komand’r. She finds her sister being intimate with Arsenal to be a humiliation to her family. The Blight interrogator warns Blackfire that she is not to overstep her bounds as she is a prisoner as well. Roy then states he remembers why he let himself get captured so he could grab onto Komand’r. A second later they are transported on to the Starfire ship.

We learn it was all a part of Kori’s plan. The ship makes a full about into the Blight’s mother ship. They cannot attack them without damaging their own ship. Blackfire thanks him for saving her.  Against the ideas of Jason and Orn, Starfire and Blackfire are left alone for the first time since the arc has started. They hug it out.  Blackfire apologizes for her ruse. She had to pretend to work with the Blight in order to stay alive long enough for Kori to arrive. Kori states she never doubted her and she is thankful she is alive. Kori understands that Kommad’r was only a child in charge of an entire planet when she was traded into slavery. Blackfire says she will never forgive herself.

Meanwhile, below, the Tamaraneans are prisoners to the Blight and are in bad shape. The leader is using them to keep his race alive. When the Blight invaded they discovered humans were on the planet as well. An Earth colonel and his wife it looks like. They came looking for something called “The Thirteen.”. The leader kills him and states it is only a myth and if the Thirteen did ever unite the entire Omniverse would be destroyed.

            Roy and Jason have a moment alone and Jason worries about the sacrifice he made to be used to go undercover to free Blackfire. Roy tries to shrug it off but Jason pushes the issue. Roy states that after he woke up in vomit with his best friend beaten to a “bloody green pulp”, and seeing all the damage in the wake of his bad choices, other things do not get to him so easily.

Blackfire and Starfire decide to go alone to take the biggest risk to save their planet. Kori asks if she dies for Red Hood and Arsenal to avenge the hell out of her! It ends with the two sisters flying off together to save their home.

This has been the best issue in the arc for me.  It puts Arsenal in the spotlight and we got a quick mention on his past with his fall out with Green Arrow.  We got to see that Roy is very smart.  Since the series began he has made his own weapons and has figured out how to use alien ships quickly (Crux’s ship and now this one). So he is not just some wisecracking sidekick. It feels like pre Rise and Fall Roy Harper is back.

Starfire understanding and forgiving her sister was awesome, not as awesome as them flying off together though. I’m glad she can put it behind her and start to move on.  Even though this is Red Hood’s he took the back seat. We saw more of him and Isabel but with Jason and Kori both telling her they won’t let her get hurt; it makes me think she might not live through this.

            The biggest thing was the art. It looks like it was rushed and it was. Roy and Kori were drawn well I thought and next time Timothy Green draws for the book I hope he is not given a mere two weeks to pencil and ink the entire thing as was the case here, Bad DC Bad!. We also got a setup for a future arc about “The Thirteen” but that is going to have to wait because next month it’s Red Hood’s New 52 origin!

Until next time Hoodies !! 

You can find Elizabeth chatting with other Hoodies at:

https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws

And follow our Twitter feed: @RedHoodOutlaws

Ask Lobdell---The Superiority Complex Edition for 8/16/12

Welcome to our...seventh...? installment of Ask Lobdell where YOU get to ask Scott Lobdell questions about Red Hood And The Outlaws. We had a brief near summer long hiatus on account of the fact Scott writes Superman now, and he thinks he's sooooo much better than everybody else because of it and doesn't need to answer questions from ye town folk. Okay, no, there was just a lot of workload wrapping up Superboy while starting Superman while writing Titans and Outlaws. But we're back so... 

This week, Wes Asks: 

So it is pretty obvious to Batman readers that Jason is
going to play a role in the upcoming Death of the Family arc. We also
hear that Crimson Fox will be stepping in while Jason is gone. So this
leads to 2 questions 1) how significant will your involvement be in
the upcoming Batman arc?

Scott: Jason will be no more or less involved in the crossover than the rest of the Bat "Family".  I was on a conference call with the other bat-writers, and Scott and I have spoken a few times and exchanged emails over some details -- which will probably happen more and more as the story develops.  It has been a blast for both of us, because it is pretty clear we both come at our stories from different angles.

AND 2) How in depth will we see Roy's
perspective with Jason gone for a few issues, will we see a bit of his
past or continued interaction with Starfire and Fox ?

Scott: Alas, Crimson Fox will not be appearing in the book anytime in the immediate future.  I made the mistake of talking about it on a panel in San Diego -- in front of Upper Editorial -- and I got a "That is not going to happen."  LOL!   Sometimes I can convince people to let me try something if I present it in just the right way... but not this time!

It's okay, though, because it turns out Roy is going to be very busy leading his "own team" during Death Of The Family... 

Remember Hoodies, you get to ask Scott a question in our weekly polling over at the Red Hood & The Outlaws Facebook page, so like us and keep an eye out for the invitation to submit next week's questions.

Mike DePalo
Hoodie Admin
https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws
@RedHoodOutlaws on Twitter

Girl In The Hood: Outlaws #11 Edition

By

Elizabeth Airelle

"Stars Fading, But I Linger On, Dear--Still Craving Your Death!"

     The story opens with Roy Harper; he has been taken prisoner by the Blight. They are torturing him trying to find out where Koriand’r aka Starfire. He claims she left him behind, abandoned, so he feels no need to protect her any longer and the stoy unfolds.  We flashback to the end of last issue, the Starfire crew wipes out a majority of the Blight’s fleet and the rest flee.  While the ship celebrates, Roy notices that Kori is sad so he and Jason talk privately with her  in the sickbay.

     Starfire’s origin is explained.  She and her sister Komand’r grew up together. They were very close and Komand’r cared a lot for her younger sister, until she traded Kori for her people’s freedom. She suffered for years and grew to resent and hate her older sister. After her, Depalo, Orn and K’tten escaped to Tamaran she planned on killing her, until Komand’r held her and they cried for days together. But the damafe was still done.  Kori and Komand’r couldn’t reconnect so she left to command the Starfire.

     For years Starfire was a slave, and not one person on her planet had tried to save her. Now she really doesn’t want to help them. She claims a part of her wouldn’t care if the planet got destroyed.  Jason starts to say she’s not wrong but Roy interrupts and tells Kori she is a good person and if she is going to help, it comes from her own strength not because of what her people did or didn’t do. It’s interesting how one member of the group seems to play the role of a conscience for other at various times.

     Starfire leaves to be alone and Roy debates on going with her but stays. Is.Abel aka Isabel aka Jason’s date from last issue catches up with them.  Jason starts to explain himself but Isabel says there is no need, and until aliens crashed their date it was the most boring date for her. Interestingly from one issue to the next Jason’s phoney life story for his date went from Dry Cleaning service owner to Real Estate Agent. I sort of wish we’d had an issue of Jason just lying to his date to see how far he’d take it.

     We cut to now and the Blight is enraged over what’s deemed a delaying tactic by Roy, telling a whole story instead of answering a simple question of : Where is Koriand’r?  A voice off panel says that he is stalling because he thinks Kori will save him, but she won’t because Kori only ever has been worried about herself and her own safety.  The voice is Komand’r aka Blackfire and she is demanding to see her sister. Roy states that will happen sooner than later and he can’t wait.

     Roy narrates this story which I like because so far we haven’t focused much on him. Isabel handling this situation makes sense when she compares it to a scared kid alone on a plane. I like the space outfits, very nifty. I really like the space adventures but can’t wait for them to get back to Earth. Also was I the only one to catch Roy saying he was wounded?

     So we finally get to see some of Starfire’s past. I want more already. From the sound of Komand’r there’s another version of the story and I’m curious to see it unfold. The old origin was Komand’r was born with an illness that made her unable to fly and lost the title of princess to Kori, and that’s where the hatred and jealousy came from. It seems she became queen at a young age so I really want to know what happened. I always liked the Starfire/Blackfire rivalry. Also love Blackfire’s new look. She used to be drawn to be less attractive than Kori but the uniform, claws even hair looks a lot better. Kudos to Rocafort, because this is one of my favorite redesigns for the new 52. 

Until next time Hoodies !! 

You can find Elizabeth chatting with other Hoodies at:

https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws

And follow our Twitter feed: @RedHoodOutlaws

ASK LOBDELL- 5/29/12 Post 3 Day Weekend Edition

Welcome to our sixth installment of Ask Lobdell where YOU get to ask Scott Lobdell questions about Red Hood And The Outlaws.

This week, Steve asks: 
What character would you have loved more than anything to be on Red
Hood's "team", but were unable to use for one reason or another, and
how would you have brought them on board Outlaws? What do you love
about that character?

Scott Answers
That is a great question, Steve, because there were probably a lot of characters I had toyed with adding tot he roster right from the start.   I, along with everyone else who heard the title "And the Outlaws" thought "Really?  Can they be a 'team' with just three characters?"

(Of course, it turns out they can!)

But I think you asked about the one character "more than anything"... so that narrows it down to Misfit.

I thought she would have made an excellent addition to the team because she is just so out there.   I think Jason, Roy and Kori carry a lot of their "out there-ness" inside with them, so at a distance they seem like mostly normal (sometimes violent) people... until you get to know them and you appreciate the damage within.   Misfit, however, is just so gosh darn loopy that she wears her damage on her sleeve.   If RHATO were the A-Team, she would be their Murdock.

Gail Simone has done amazing work with Misfit -- is it any wonder I wanted her for RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS!  (MIsfit, that is!)

Remember Hoodies, you get to ask Scott a question in our weekly polling over at the Red Hood & The Outlaws Facebook page, so like us and keep an eye out for the invitation to submit next week's questions.

Mike DePalo
Hoodie Admin
https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws
@RedHoodOutlaws on Twitter

ASK LOBDELL: 5/22/12 It's late because I have a house guest edition

Welcome to our fifth installment of Ask Lobdell where YOU get to ask Scott Lobdell questions about Red Hood And The Outlaws.

This week, Mike asks: 
The ending of Red Hood 9 was somewhat ambiguous, did Jason pull the
trigger and kill Xiao Loong, the Talon? When writing the piece, was
did you feel was going through the Talon's mind that made him break
away, and say "No mas!" to the Court of Owls?

Scott Answers
Well, as you know, I wasn't there... but I can tell you that in the previous issue we actually saw Jason pull the trigger.   So...

I don't know what Xiao's thinking was, but I got the impression he might have felt any obligations he had to the Court of Owls were fulfilled "in life" -- and that perhaps this second chance at life was an opportunity to take his fate into his own hands.    But you know, those Talons are notoriously non-forthcoming, so that is just a guess on my part. 

Remember Hoodies, you get to ask Scott a question in our weekly polling over at the Red Hood & The Outlaws Facebook page, so like us and keep an eye out for the invitation to submit next week's questions.

Mike DePalo
Hoodie Admin
https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws
@RedHoodOutlaws on Twitter

ASK LOBDELL- 5/7/2012 A Day Late And A Dollar Short Edition

Welcome to our third installment of Ask Lobdell where YOU get to ask Scott Lobdell questions about Red Hood And The Outlaws.

This week, Adam asks:

What sorts of hijinks would Crux have been contributing to the Outlaws if you had decided to make him a member? Also, as a side question, would you mind explaining in detail why you decided not to have Cruxbecome an Outlaw after all?


Scott answers: [Spoilers below kids]
Originally I felt the team needed a physical powerhouse and a brilliant scientist and thought that Crux could provide both of those characteristics in a single character. The goal was to develop Jason, Roy and Kori first and then to introduce a fourth character who would have his own sort of redemption arc.

But as the series progressed and the dynamics between the trio became more evident, it also became pretty clear that a fourth member would have introduced a whole new slew of interactions and conflicts that -- in a comic of only twenty pages -- I felt that it was too soon to add another Outlaw.

Now I am going to do something I rarely do, but -- you know, Hoodies and all I think you deserve -- I'm going to tell you my plans for Crux moving forward:   Around issue 16 or 17 (it will be here before you know it, trust me) I want him to break out of Arkham and make his way to his lab, only to discover the Outlaws.  Instead of attacking them, he thanks them.  His time spent at Arkham really helped turn him around and get his head on straight.   So instead of continuing to stalk aliens across the globe, he decides to help Jason and Kori and Roy on their exploits.   Opting to never "dragon out" again, he is instead going to use his brilliance to help Red Hood and the Outlaws battle the Intergang!
That is the plan any way.   But in comics -- as in real life -- I don't always get my own way!   So stay tuned!


Remember Hoodies, you get to ask Scott a question in our weekly polling over at the Red Hood & The Outlaws Facebook page, so like us and keep an eye out for the invitation to submit next week's questions.

Mike DePalo
Hoodie Admin
https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws
@RedHoodOutllaws on Twitter.

ASK LOBDELL- 4/29/2012 Edition

Welcome to our second installment of Ask Lobdell where YOU get to ask Scott Lobdell questions about Red Hood And The Outlaws.

This week's question is from Brad, who asks:
Why did you choose to make Roy more of a fun, talkative guy than he's usually been? I'm not complaining, but this was a real precedent to molding him into the lovable comedic relief with a big heart he is now-from his pre- New 52 days. Will we see more of Roy's past before he became an alcoholic and had a falling-out with Ollie? (This is me assuming there was indeed a "falling out")?

Lobdell answers: 
This might sound strange, but I don't really see him as the comedy relief. Does he have a sense of humor? Certainly, but so do Jason and Kori. I see Roy as just being a passionate guy who says what is on his mind with very little internal editor. He's in recovery because of some of his poor life choices in the past-- and as such he doesn't think to keep anything in. In that way--honestly-- I don't think he is all that different from any of his other previous incarnations: Roy has always been the type of guy who says what is on his mind, only now it isn't as blustery or angry as it has been in the past. I think Roy comes from a place where his darkness is in his past. 

Ann Nocenti is in the process of working on a Roy/Ollie story so I'm not really in a position to talk about that right now but I am sure it will be awesome!

Remember Hoodies, you get to ask Scott a question in our weekly polling over at the Red Hood & The Outlaws Facebook page, so like us and keep an eye out for the invitation to submit next week's questions.

Mike DePalo
Hoodie Admin
https://www.facebook.com/RedHoodOutlaws
@RedHoodOutllaws on Twitter.