Coming off the events of Batman: H2SH, Jason Todd finds himself out of Gotham and in the city of New Angelique. He’s looking for a new start and investigating a series of murders involving the city’s law enforcement. These crimes run deeper than anything he could’ve imagined, and he might need some help from The Huntress. Writer Gretchen Felker-Martin and artist Jeff Spokes are the team behind this new, mature series. And here are my thoughts on Red Hood #1.
Issue #1 is a solid start for this new series. Felker-Martin and Spokes are crafting a neo-noir, detective story in a setting that I think the character of Red Hood/Jason Todd fits very well in. DC has been marketing this series as its “first-ever in-continuity for mature readers.” While there is some blood, intense visuals of violence, and uses of profanity; those elements weren’t that gratuitous, and I appreciated it. After the fallout of H2SH (which still hasn’t concluded yet at the time of this issue’s release), putting Jason in a new city creates ample opportunities for interesting stories.
The city of New Angelique itself, which is a stand-in for New Orleans, is gritty and captures that bayou/French quarter aesthetic. Through Felker-Martin’s writing, she describes the city as very humid and riddled with corruption, and I felt it. Although, with it being so hot and humid, why on Earth would Jason be wearing a hooded-leather jacket and pants? But I digress. With the new backdrop for Jason, I found the main mystery intriguing by the end of the issue.
Jason is looking into a series of murder-suicides known as the “Tower killings” that involves former and current cops of the New Angelique police. It seems that the villain is using some form of telepathy or mind control to cause the cops to commit these murders. Eventually The Huntress, a.k.a. Helena Bertinelli, joins Jason in the investigation. I like the pairing of the two black sheep of the Bat Family, and I’m interested in how their relationship and partnership will develop.
Felker-Martin has admitted that she didn’t really draw on previous Jason stories for inspiration, but she did get some basic context from his background. Personally, I don’t think you need to know all the lore of a character to tell a good story. Yes, the basic characteristics need to be there, and I think she succeeded in this issue based on where the character of Jason Todd is in this current continuity. For long time Jason fans, let me know in the comments how you felt about this interpretation of Red Hood.
Artist Jeff Spokes also created the grimy atmosphere through his coloring and illustrations that helped elevate Felker-Martin’s script. While I thought some of the panel layouts were a little dull, I thought the action sequences were riveting and intense. I also liked Jason’s updated design. It might not be his classic look from Judd Winick and Doug Mahnke’s Under the Hood story, but it still looks better than his more recent designs in my opinion. The last page where a character named Lieutenant Henrietta gets possessed was just visually striking.
Recommended if…
- You’re a fan of neo-noir, detective stories.
- You’re excited to see Jason Todd in a new setting.
- You want to know why Red Hood is wearing all that leather when it’s hot as **** outside.
Overall
I think Red Hood #1 is a good start for this new series. While the story isn’t anything groundbreaking, the mystery left me intrigued for the next issue. The artwork by Jeff Spokes complements the story really well. And I’m curious to see how Red Hood and Huntress’ relationship develops, and I enjoy found seeing Jason in a new setting refreshing.
Score: 7.5/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of review.
English (US) · 