Hide Your Kids, Hide Your Wife
Oh yeah... Red Hood and the Outlaws. The first issue I read out of the New 52, I guess you could say I jumped on the wagon a little later than most. Now, I didn't have any knowledge about Red Hood prior to reading this comic. And the other two lead characters? ummm... I think I saw them on Teen Titans the TV show. So as you can see I was a total noob going into this book (with a little background research done on wiki). Anyway, when I saw this cover out of the list, something just screamed at me that I had to buy it. Now, all that aside, let's get on with the review:
The Good:
- You want sexy, you say?: You get some nice drawings of Starfire in the middle of this issue. Wow is she different from the TV show. Anyway, with this character around, it looks like this book will be keeping up with it's risque themes throughout the entire series. A good thing? For me, yeah I don't mind it. For you? Depends, you like boobs?
- Oh you want less sexy more action?: You got it! The first several pages of this book explodes with some awesome gun-shooting and arrows flying with a high-intense, quick-paced tone. Towards the end it looks like things will continue to get even more action-packed. Which is a good place to leave the issue because it makes me want to pick up the next one.
- You like comics for their art? The rest of the book is as beautiful as the cover page. I like how detailed and colorful the art is yet it still retains its dark, edgyness to keep with the overall tone of the comic.
- You a new reader like me? This book has a good setup and introduction to the different characters, with a small (and i mean small) background as to what they've been up to lately. The characters basically introduce each other within their dialogue which is smart because it provides background knowledge while still moving the story forward.
The Bad:
- Some people have complained that the mature themes in this book make the characters unlikeable. Starfire is all but promiscuous, Arsenal is a dick for sleeping with the girlfriend of the dude who just busted him out of jail, and people haven't liked Jason Todd since, well... the beginning of time. But you know what I say? It's Red Hood and the Outlaws. Not Red Hood and the Girl Scouts. These guys are bad... and it's fun that way.
- There's also a bit of non-new-reader-friendly business going on in the issue. The person that Jason Todd talks to at the beach isn't really explained all too well, neither is the revealed villain and plot line in general. I guess some background information is needed here, but I'm sure all will be explained in further issues. Plus, there's always wiki.
The Verdict:
A solid issue and a good showing in the 'New 52'. It's at the very least middle tier compared to the rest (not that I've read all 52 but you could do far worse than this book). If you haven't considered giving this series a look, I would say at least flip through the first few pages if you get the chance. If you picked up the new Catwoman for just the sexy, pick this up too and have fun. I would say this is an okay jumping point for new readers like me and for old readers, maybe it'll make you give Jason Todd another look, who knows. Buy, Try, or Pass? I say definite buy. I know I'll be following Starfire... err I mean this issue, closely.
Rating: 4 Sexy Outlaws out of 5.
