Review: Red Hood: Lost Days #4

Jason Todd's "lost days" take a decisive turn here as he realizes that the bomb maker he's been learning from is also planning to stage a massive terrorist attack.

The Good

It's a brilliant perversion of Batman's own "wandering years" to have Jason Todd seeking knowledge from the scum of the Earth and, in the process, developing the motivations for his own brand of vigilante justice. Winnick gives this a sense of no-nonsense realpolitik that's evocative of a spy novel and Haun's carries the pass for a smooth lay-up, rendering some realistic work that's still got plenty of style. And the scene where Jason learns of Tim Drake's career was powerful. He might be the fearsome Red Hood, but he's still a jealous middle child at heart.

The Bad

I don't know, maybe it's because this is the middle of a mini that's already well into rolling along, but this particular issue just didn't hit me in the jugular like I would've liked it to. The writing's well constructed, the art's slick and polished, but it's missing some X-factor to put it over the cliff for me. Maybe it's just because the whole long-after-the-fact resurrection of Jason Todd never sat that well for me.

The Verdict - 3.5/5

Like I said, I always thought that Jason Todd's return following A Death in the Family was one of those plot twists you always figured would happen eventually, but really hoped would never follow through. So it's a bit hard to shake that off. That being said, this was still a well-done issue and, I'm sure, much more resonant when read with the full scope of this mini in mind. It's like Batman's own "lost days" seen through a warped, fun house mirror.

Name

Higher Learning

Volume

Red Hood: The Lost Days

Issue Number

Cover Date

November 1, 2010

In Store Date

September 01, 2010

Jason invades London 0

Red Hood: The Lost Days #4 - Higher Learning by duo_forbidden on September 02, 2010

(Okay, I can't think of a good title for this issue.) While Jason is training for revenge on Batman, he must stop a bomb maker who he's learning from from destroying London. Pros: After the last issue, from Jason's monologues and the talk with Talia, for some time, not only has Jason been training, he's been brandishing his own version of justice with the teachers he had. Compared to Bruce, Jason is getting training from the worst kind of humans possible....and killing them. Winick lets readers...

5 out of 5 found this review helpful.

Robin No More 0

Red Hood: The Lost Days #4 - Higher Learning by blurred_view on September 07, 2010

Lost Days breaks a little from its usual format this issue, moving away from its standalone issue structure and presenting a new artist. Both changes work well at this stage in the story, featuring a slightly older Jason Todd who is now well along his path to becoming the Red Hood. A highlight of this issue is Jason's discovery that Batman has taken in a new Robin, Tim Drake. The scene is understated and quiet. Winick really could not have done it better any other way. As Jason gets himself int...

6 out of 7 found this review helpful.

Red Hood: The Lost Days #4

zack_freeman's Red Hood: The Lost Days #4 - Higher Learning review