Friends and Family
Hands down the best Red Hood and the Outlaws cover yet. Deeply intense with the callback to the classic Death in the Family; which of course this arc's title was a reference to. The reflection in the pool of blood as Batman repeats one of the worst moments of his life, and the extra detailed artwork of Mico Suayan.... just incredible.
There's only one real problem with this issue, and that's the inconsistent artwork. This issue has three different artists coming and going at random; none of them being artists who have worked on this series before. The thing about that is, none of the artists seem to be bringing their A-Game to this issue, so the inconsistency is dampered a bit in term of it's effect, but that's because the entire issue just looks 'okay.' It honestly doesn't look 'bad,' but there's a few scenes that would've had more impact with better art.
Lobdell is definitely going out on a high point, as Red Hood reaches a moment he's been building to his entire second life. Jason and Bruce have been distant for a long time, ever since Jason returned from the dead, but Death of the Family forced them in close proximity again, and now Jason is finally given a chance to reconcile with his family. So this issue is supercharged with emotional intensity as Jason walks the halls and sees that things haven't changed as much as he thought. Alfred treats him with the same care he always did, and even Dick entrusts Starfire to Jason after the two of them split years ago. But on top of all that, is his meeting with Bruce. Jason wanted to avoid it, but even though his gruff 'bad boy' antihero attitude won't let him admit it, Bruce gives him the exact words he needed to hear, and it brought a tear to my eye. It's such a beautiful and touching moment that will really grip readers of the series in the heartstrings without being cheesy. It's exactly the right kind of touching moment between Bruce and Jason specifically.
Jason also takes some thoughts to the reflection of his younger self in the form of Damian Wayne. This current Robin is a perfect representation of the young Robin he once was. Jason has some words of advice for his little 'brother', but what really takes the cake is Damian's scuffle with Arsenal. Damian's developed a lot, but most of his softness he reserves for his 'family,' people outside that still get his overconfident outer shell. But it's not as hard to break down as it used to be. There is an odd moment where Jason reflects on the bit in Batman Incorporated where he and Damian teamed up as Wingman and Redbird, which was actually an essential comparison, but doesn't mesh well with the rest of the issue. Batman Incorporated in general has always had a bit of friction with the rest of the Batman Family, but normally it's not that noticeable. But to have Jason unable to face Bruce, and be surprised that Superman said Batman vouched for him AND for Bruce to be so firm about how he still doesn't approve of Jason's methods; it just kind of contradicts the idea that this could be happening around the same time as his time as Wingman.
For most of the issue, as emotionally charged as it was, wasn't the same kind of intensity the cover would lead me to expect. Until the end. The end of this issue is a huge twist that will keep the effects of Death of the Family lingering in this series heavier than most, and if it's ever the same, it'll be a while.
In Conclusion: 4.5/5
I wanted to give this issue a 5/5 for the raw emotion and plethora of heartwarming moments; especially when these kinds of things are much more far and in between than other characters; but I couldn't ignore the so-so and inconsistent artwork. This issue could've looked better, but it mostly manages to be written well enough to look past that, I just can't give this a perfect score.
