Great issue!
Dabnabbit! I want to hate this comic. As I just wrote in my X-Men review, I have to trim back the number of comics I'm reading on a weekly basis. That was pretty easy to do after the first issue or two of Red Hood and the Outlaws, but it's growing on me quite a bit. I think part of it is that they played coy for so long about Jason Todd's history. We know that it (and MOST of the Bat-History) is mostly the same as before the new 52, but there are SOME changes. And it's also filling out parts of his past that we NEVER saw before. Overall, it's making Jason Todd a much richer fictional character. I think he's being written in the best possible way. He needed to grow out of his "I hate you for not avenging my death, Dad!" phase. It was limiting his character. But, at the same time, to make Jason adhere to the same ethics as Batman would be to deny who he's been since his resurrection. And I think that's why I find it so hard to hate this book. This issue continues to have Jason Todd be written believably and is in the top 3, IMHO, Bat-family books post-New 52.
This particular issue deals with an old grudge between Todd and a huge Mobster's daughter. I think Arsenal and Starfire, who have mostly been taking a back seat continue to get some slight character growth. While Todd is the headliner of the book, I do hope that there are plans to focus on the others for a few issues. Still, Jason takes care of things in a way that makes sense for him as well as showing his growth. The tail of the book contained two little bits that I really enjoyed. First of all, it contains a prologue to Jason's Night of the Owls entry next issue. And I think, even though DC does not promote it as a prologue (like Batman and Nightwing #8 are), it fits in MUCH better than Avengers #25 fits in to Avengers Vs X-Men and that one IS advertised as leading into it. Second, it contains a hook into the first issue of Teen Titans and last issue of Red Hood and I LOVE the world-building that DC is doing in the New 52. It almost makes all the headaches of The New 52 worth it. It's one of the things that Marvel has done better for a LONG, LONG time. Glad to see DC catching up right when I start reading DC. Now, if we could only get a bit more constistency among the four Batman books, but that's for another review.
If you got turned off by the first few issues - come back! Red Hood and the Outlaws is actually a fun, buddy comedy (with a trio rather than a duo) that's a great guilty pleasure to read every month.
