Red Hood and the Outlaws #1

Of all the the issues set for the DC Reboot this was one that caught my interest. Here are three characters who, each in their own way, had been abused by the old DCU. I was curious to find out what the New 52 versions might look at. And you know what? I'll admit, I kinda like it.

The first half of the issue centers around the Red Hood and Starfire breaking Roy Harper out a military prison in Qurac and getting reacquainted. First off let me say I like this version of Jason Todd far more than Grant Morrison's (and thankfully his additions to the character have been ignored here). I also felt the inner-monologue of each of the three characters worked well.

Some might object to this version of Starfire, but she's always been hyper-sexual and at least writer Scott Lobdell's explanation for her behavior (that as an alien she sees humans as roughly all the same and has a far less puritan view of sex than anyone who watches FOX News) makes more sense than the childish version we've seen before. And, thankfully, Roy Harper is in far better shape then we last saw him before the Reboot.

The second-half of the issue is a little more mysterious as it introduces ideas that won't be explained until next issue as the Red Hood finds himself ambushed in the Well of the All Caste. What the secret order is, or Jason's relationship to it, isn't explained here, but it looks like the title is going to start out by filling in some of the lost years of Jason Todd before he became the Red Hood. And that works for me.

It's not a great first issue but it's solid all around and provides far better versions of all three characters than we were getting before the DC Reboot. It's well-paced and doesn't have to stop the action in order to spend time re-introducing the characters (who feel far more lived in than many so far in the DC Reboot). I'll also admit the inclusion of Starfire works better than I thought it would. These characters, each damaged in their own way, and each with their own view of the world, have a story to tell. Now let's find out if it's worth telling. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]