Red Hood and the Outlaws, Volume 3 by Scott Lobdell

Death of the Family is quick to the punches as the Joker returns to set fire to Gotham and the Bat Family legacy.

Title: Red Hood and the Outlaws, Volume 3: Death of the Family
Author: Scott Lobdell (Writer), Fabian Nicieza (Writer), Scott Snyder (Goodreads Author) (Writer), Timothy Green II (Illustrator), Pasqual Ferry (Illustrator), Brett Booth (Illustrator), Ig Guara (Illustrator), Wayne Faucher (Illustrator), Norm Rapmund (Illustrator), Greg Capullo (Illustrator), Jonathan Glapion (Illustrator), Ardian Syaf (Illustrator), Robson Rocha (Illustrator), Ken Lashley (Illustrator), Julio Ferreira (Illustrator), Jaime Mendoza (Illustrator), Le Beau L. Underwood (Illustrator), Tyler Kirkham (Illustrator)
Series: Red Hood and the Outlaws #3
Publish Date:  December 3, 2013
Genre: Comic/Graphic Novel

Publisher’s Description:  As if Batman’s former sidekick Jason Todd, now known as the Red Hood, didn’t have enough problems leading the team of outlaws such as Arsenal and Starfire, now his “estranged” brother Red Robin is knocking on his door because The Night of Owls is here! With Batman in dire need of help, will Red Hood answer the call?

And when Jason and the team find out that Starfire is one of the most feared (and dangerous) commanders in all of space, the team will find their adventures taken to the stars and beyond to help decide the fate of the throne of Tamaran. Witness the galactic struggle between Starfire and her sister Blackfire as Red Hood and the Outlaws are caught in the middle of an interstellar war!

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Kat Mandu says…

Death of the Family is quick to the punches as the Joker returns to set fire to Gotham and the Bat Family legacy. Jason Todd aka Red Hood is caught in the crossfire again between his former mentor and his own psychotic murderer.

And although Jason is one of the Joker’s favorite creations, and therefore one he enjoys torturing the most, Jason finds he’s not the only chew toy this time around. The Joker has kidnapped all the former and current Robins, plus Batgirl. And Batman! Because it’s his birthday and the Joker gives no shits.

The Joker has a sick game for Batman planned – and he’ll stop at nothing to win. Which means the Bat Family have to team up and face down their demons to turn the tables… and make it out alive.

Intermingled with this story is the perspective of both Starfire and Arsenal as they hop into the fight in an attempt to save their best friend. They team up with the Teen Titans to help stop the spread of The Joker’s madness within Gotham and save a lot of people along the way.

What I like: the intensity of this story arc is phenomenal. One trap laid after another. Suspenseful and engaging. Red Hood is my favorite DC character and he continues to be full of surprises. I’m very eager to see where this goes in the fourth installment.

Arsenal and Starfire are the best, with fierce friendship skills and awesome one liners.

What I didn’t like: It’s one thing to be able to immerse yourself into a comic book world. But the Death of the Family arc spans about twelve different stories, just told by several different characters. So it’s hard to jump into the series and still understand everything that’s going on. I found this book to be jumpy and choppy, with unnecessary fillers.

And sadly, as much as I adore Starfire and Arsenal for being goofy and formidable, their story arc distracts from the story too much, only adding to the chaos. This comic could have done with a bit more editing to help with the flow.

Overall though, it’s an enjoyable read.

Our reviews in this series…

• Red Hood And The Outlaws, Vol. 1: Redemption
• Red Hood and the Outlaws, Vol 2:  Star Fire

 

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