Robin No More
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 into trouble later in the issue, you have to wonder if this is because he really got in over his head or if the knowledge that Batman has replaced him is affecting him more than he overtly lets on.
Talia al Ghul stays mostly out of the spotlight this issue, appearing only during a scene with Jason. This leaves it ambiguous as to where their constantly changing relationship is now at. Since Talia has basically been a co-star up to this point in the series, it is a little disappointing that we see so little of her this issue.
The issue ends on a cliffhanger since it is telling a bigger story than previous issues have. On one hand, the self-contained aspect of previous issues has been nice and satisfying. But on the other, telling a bigger story that will take two issues to cover does prevent the series from falling into a "Jason kills his teacher of the month" formula. Jason's habit of killing half the teachers he studies under becomes just a part of his current adventure. This time the threat he has discovered goes beyond something he can solve by killing his latest teacher, making this an evolution of his adventures rather than more of the same thing as last issue.
Judd Winick continues to excel with the character he brought back from the dead. Jason Todd's quest for vengeance on his former mentor is becoming an afterthought as his path takes a detour towards his own sense of justice.
