Red Hood and the Outlaws #19 Review

Red Hood and the Outlaws #19 is James Tynion's first issue as writer as Scott Lobdell hands over the reins. Tynion takes over Lobdell's plot involving the All-Caste, a story arc that has suffered from inconsistent pacing, multiple interruptions due to crossover events with other Bat-titles, and narrative detours within the series itself. Equally inconsistent is the book's art by Julius Gopez. Faces and figures are similarly bizarre and occasionally contorted. Starfire's eyebrows are doing something exceedingly weird as well.

Tynion has inherited a challenge that is, admittedly, not of his making. Red Hood and the Outlaws hasn't seemed to be able to decide precisely what kind of book it wants to be. Roy's line about Jason's "magic kung fu weirdness" is apt in a way I don't think Tynion intended. The series has been most successful when it eschews the trappings of the magic kung fu weirdness plot to focus on stories grounded in the relatively darker realism of these characters' internal lives.

Just as she does in this issue, the character of Essence keeps popping in and out like a morally ambiguous jack-in-the-box. Her involvement with Jason Todd's story has been so spotty and haphazard over Lobdell's run that Tynion's inclusion of her in this issue raises more questions than answers. It's unclear what, exactly, she's meant to bring to an already unfocused narrative.

In this issue, Tynion seems to be latching on to a formula that didn't work for Lobdell and doesn't quite work here. RHatO has been treated largely as a Jason Todd solo title and Tynion's emphasis on Kori and Roy Harper highlights the fact that the "Outlaws" are woefully underdeveloped as characters in their own right. In terms of the interpersonal relationships between the trio, Tynion is rehashing themes introduced by Lobdell a year ago without adding much to the mix. What RHatO desperately needs is a fresh start, and Tynion seems to agree. With the reboot at the end of the issue, it's possible that we'll get an entirely new team dynamic as Tynion settles into his run.

Melissa Grey is a lover of all things cats, comics, and outer space. She can be found on MyIGN at MelissaGrey or lurking on Twitter @meligrey.

Source : ign[dot]com