Red Hood and the Outlaws, Volume 4 by James Tynion IV

Arsenal and Starfire return to save their friend Jason (Red Hood) from erasing his memories and forgetting who he is – at the worst possible time.

Title: Red Hood and the Outlaws, Volume 4: League of Assasins
Author:  James Tynion IV (Writer), Julius M. Gopez (Illustrations), Ray McCarthy (Illustrator)
Publish Date:  June 17, 2014
Genre: Comic/Graphic Novel

Publisher’s Description:  A new era begins for Red Hood and the Outlaws!
Following the Joker’s horrifying attack on the Bat-family, Jason Todd finds himself lost in his own past. Kori and Arsenal set out on a treacherous journey to the far reaches of the globe to rescue him, but when they come face to face with the All Caste, Hugo Strange, and the League of Assassins, the Outlaws might reach their breaking point.

 

 

 

 

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Kat Mandu says…

Arsenal and Starfire return to save their friend Jason (Red Hood) from erasing his memories and forgetting who he is – at the worst possible time.

At the end of Death of the Family, Jason is fed up with the demons in his head telling him what he can and can’t be. He wants to forget all the wrong he’s done, all the people he’s hurt. He doesn’t want to feel anymore pain himself. So he rids himself of his memories just as Starfire and Arsenal show up to try to stop him.

But they’re not the only ones who are trying to get the Red Hood. The League of Assassins are searching for Jason, because with their leader vanished, someone needs to step in and if they’re able to show Jason the darkness in his heart, he’ll be able to lead them into a very terrifying victory against the Al Caste, which is the formidable group that trained Jason in the first place.

Overall, this really focuses on friendship as an arc. Arsenal and Starfire have their first lovers’ quarrel. Starfire hides that she can so easily forget someone (like her relationship with Nightwing, the original Robin) and Arsenal, plagued by feelings of disappointment and anger, sinks in lower by choosing the wrong side in a fight, despite Starfire’s protests. And poor Jason, without his memory, is targeted by assassins across the globe, left slightly defenseless without the memory of his training and history.

But *spoiler alert* Arsenal manages to get Jason back in the groove by being a friend, and in the end Jason ends up even more powerful than how he started. Plus he has a glowing blade, so that’s nice. Now the three are back together and facing off against a threat poor Arsenal didn’t see coming. I imagine it’ll be quite the fight, so I’m eager to see what happens in the next one.

To wrap up the fourth installment though, I’ll admit again that as much as I enjoy the story, sometimes it is just hard to follow. I enjoy comic books a lot, the artwork is always done so beautifully. But sometimes it’s just easier for me to read regular books. I tend to understand their flow and detailed descriptions better. And I catch on faster. But still, I give it a four.

Our reviews in this series…

• Red Hood And The Outlaws, Vol. 1: Redemption
• Red Hood and the Outlaws, Vol 2:  Star Fire
• Red Hood and the Outlaws, Vol 3: Death of the Family

 

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