COMIC REVIEWS: DC - Red Hood: The Lost Days

So it's been a while since I made a blog post here due to many a boring reason, but now I'm determined to actively blog at least once a week, and what better way to kick off this mindset by reviewing one of my favourite comic books.

Red Hood: The Lost Days

Now you don't have to know me for very long to learn that Jason Todd, aka the Red Hood is one of my favourite comic book characters, and this was actually one of the first comics I ever bought, in digital and hard copy because I just love it that much. It has also probably been reviewed to death, but I'm still new-ish to comics so I think it doesn't hurt to get a fresh perspective on things. And also I just love talking about Jason Todd.

Background

Just to give you some basis if you're new to comics/Batman/Jason Todd; Jason Todd was the second Robin (the first being Richard 'Dick' Grayson, later Nightwing) and is well known for being the Robin who died. Not only that but how his death came about. Jason Todd was a very controversial Robin and there were mixed takes on him by the fans and readers. So they put him in a life or death situation at the hands of the Joker and at the end of the comic and asked the fans to call in to one number if they wanted him to live, or a second number if they wanted him to die. The vote was cast, and due to a hardcore Jason Todd hater who rigged up a phone to constantly dial the 'death' line, he was killed off. The revelation that this was rigged wasn't revealed until much later. The story arc where this happened is a very famous comic called: A Death in the Family. 

Summary

Red Hood: The Lost Days was written by Judd Winick and is a miniseries written to coincide with the release of Batman: Under the Red Hood animated movie in 2010. It centres around Jason Todd (the second robin), telling the story of how he went from being 6 feet under - literally - to becoming the Red Hood. 

The Look

Now let me start off by saying that aesthetically I think the series is beautiful. The covers are fantastic, my favourite being the one featured above, and the overall look of Jason Todd in this series is one of my favourite looks for him and tends to be how I imagine him in my minds eye. In typical Batman fashion, the colours are very subdued and even bright colours like reds and yellows are very dull; but as you go on the colours do seem to get brighter, this is on part simply to do with setting, but also it feels with the more Jason learns and the stronger his purpose strengthens the brighter and more confident the colours get as well. However I am not an artist nor a comic expert so that is purely what I see, don't take my word on that one.

The Jason Todd Story 

Now the story its self is more in parts, every chapter follows a portion of learning for Jason in his development in becoming the Red Hood. Each dangerous weapons/bomb/combat/etc. expert he learns from is a little bit of his journey and is executed excellently. Seeing his mentality change so flawlessly that you barely notice the transition is something that is not always easy to show even in the best of writing so when you have limited words and a lot of imagery it's even harder, but this is literally flawless in the way it was done. You can tell that Judd Winick understands what Jason is about and quite honestly this comic shows the Jason Todd that I feel most affection for. He's sassy and clever and quick to learn but he still makes mistakes because he is still young, and spent the beginning few months of his new life as a John Doe. 

Another thing I very much appreciate about this comic is how it handles Jason's conflicting emotions with Batman. How he on the one hand feels so very betrayed by him and on the other handed recognises him as a man who took him in when no one else did, and helped him and he believed loved him like a son. It's a conflict that seems to constantly plague Jason even in recent comics although, I think it's written best here. 

The whole point of this comic is to show you what happened to him, the things that Batman doesn't know. 

Negatives?

While I personally don't have any negatives with this comic in terms of narrative, character development or aesthetics, it isn't a comic you can easily pick up and read without any prior knowledge. I read this knowing Jason's story and having seen the Red Hood movie, but reading it back if I hadn't have I would have been very confused. I guess you'll just have to read more comics. What a shame. 

Conclusion

While the comic is well executed, and could be great for new readers wanting to get into the reanimated Robin, it should not be no.1 on your Jason Todd reading list, unless you feel confident you know his back story well. However if you have read your Jason Todd or even seen Under the Red Hood and haven't read this comic, I would advise you go do so immediately.

Recommendations for this comic

Read Batman: Death in the Family first. 

I'd say read Batman: Under the Hood after, but really you could read it before as well, it wouldn't spoil it for you. Alternatively, watch Batman: Under the Red Hood, animated movie. It's not as good as the comic, but it's still pretty good and Jenson Ackles' voice acting is top notch. 

Rating: 

The only reason I am not giving it a full 5 stars is because you can't pick this up without any prior knowledge. If that wasn't a factor in my ratings it'd be a full 5. But maybe I'm biased.

The Freshest Superhero: Superboy

What can I tell you about Superboy? He's one of these characters you don't really hear about. Everyone knows Batman and Robin, Superman, Wonder Woman, heck! Even a lot of people know about Super Girl. But what about Superboy? What can be said about him, and how does one go about getting into one of the freshest Superheros out there?

 "Name?" "Superboy." "Real name?" "Really Superboy."

Well let me start by telling you a little about Superboy himself. Superboy is a clone of Superman and in his original incarnation has all of Superman's powers (although not quite as developed as Superman's) and the ability of Tactile Telekinesis (TTK) which becomes somewhat of a catchphrase of his. When he first emerges from his cloning pod, he actually thinks he is Superman for a while until he sees the real Superman and realises that he's very much a clone. This leads him to grow and, with no other identity, become Superboy.

Now if you're looking into getting into Superboy here is what I recommend not doing:

1. Do not read the New 52 Superboy.

2. Do not watch the Young Justice.

Not unless you're ready to get someone a lot different from the original, fun and funky incarnation that came about in the 90s.

If you watch/read those you're going to find an angsting teenager, who is referred to literally as an abomination, has a terrible relationship with Superman and does not have his famous TTK skill, or half of the abilities he originally has. His relationship with other characters is all be destroyed, in Young Justice he isn't even with the right cast of characters!

Sorry Young Justice, you're just not cutting it with this brooding version!

However what I do recommend is going on Comixology and finding the original 90s series. Not only does it give you the story for the beginning, but you see the Superboy that has wormed his way into mine and many other readers hearts. He's a fun, loving, surfing, teenager, who becomes Hawaii's saviour.  While the earlier issues are more or less individual stories, as the comics go on you do get some more development. Issues that arise that show more of Superboy's personality, that he's not all just fun and games and does think about the consequences of his actions. As well as proper story arcs. You'll also get to see even the writers getting to poke fun at his famous catch phrase "Have you ever heard of Tactile Telekinesis?" 

Superboy is a great lighthearted character that does not get enough love. He's a great counterpart to Tim Drake's Robin (and later his Red Robin) just as much as Clark Kent is a great counterpart to Bruce Wayne. I cannot recommend his stories enough, and if you don't want to read something quite as serious as Batman, or Marvel: Civil War, I urge you to pick up Superboy. I promise you wont regret it.

Comics for Adults

Most people assume that comic books are for children and those of a more immature inclination. Those who know better will try and vehemently argue this, but what proof do we have? Costumed superheroes, and books of more pictures than words do at first glance sound like something we give to children as they are learning, but after being into comic books for a couple of years now I can guarantee you, the comic books I have on my shelf you would not want to give to a young child.

While there are comic books aimed at children, the majority of comic books produced are of a more adult nature. From torture to child death to sex, it has it all in variations of amounts, and even when it's not all dark and brooding, the jokes are adult jokes and the language, although not always, is generally more sophisticated.

New52 Catwoman, issue 2#

Thankfully, the increase in comic book based movies has meant people are more open to it than they ever have been in my 23 years of life. I went out with a large group of friends just last night and managed to have a group conversation about comics. Although mine and my girlfriends knowledge was a bit more than everyone else's at the table, people were actually interested in what we were saying. Friends are listening to my ramblings about what comic story lines I think the movie companies are going to use next because it's now relevant to their interests too. It is now in fashion to be into comics, it is now in fashion to be a geek, to be a nerd.

When people call me a geek or a nerd now they do so with fondness, I got high fived in the bathroom because I was wearing a Superman shirt, and stopped for a compliment on one of my batman shirts. It is the THING now. You can't go into a Primark without seeing a superhero shirt. I saw a little boy the other day wearing a Green Lantern shirt, and then five minutes later an adult man with his girlfriend wearing the same shirt.

Comfortable and stylish Captain America shirt from Primark.

Like everything it'll go in and out of fashion, but if there was ever a time to get into comic books it'd be now, while it's cool to do so and people are more open about nerd and geek culture.

One of the beautiful things about comics is there is literally so many there is something for everyone of every age group. My mum even borrowed one of my Batman comics ('The Long Halloween' in case you were wondering) and enjoyed it. More proof that you don't have to be under the age of 12 to enjoy them.

They're also more accessible than ever with websites/apps like Comixology, where you can buy and read your comics digitally. Although I personally love the experiences and fun to be had with going to my local comic shop, I do use Comixology a lot for new series to save me buying individual issues.

I never feel more accomplished than when one of my friends say 'yeah I'd like to try reading some'. Yes! Do it! Here borrow some of mine! I'm sure I'll have something you like.

Unless you're 10 years old, I'm afraid I don't have anything appropriate for 10 year olds.