Red Hood and the Outlaws #16

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    k4tzm4n

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    #1  Edited By k4tzm4n  Moderator

    The Good

     The main story here didn't do much for me, but the real treat was all of the cutaway stories that writer Scott Lobdell provided. Timothy Green II knocked it out of the park with his work on the brief Killer Croc scene, and while Arsenal's reasoning for reflecting on it wasn't that good, it was a nice change of pace from the current events. Then there's a brief snippet with another villain (hint: he plays quite a role in Batman: Arkham City) and that also has me curious to see what that'll turn into. Additionally, Deathstroke makes an appearance and, I won't lie, that's something that always puts a smile on my face (I'm a fanboy like that). Just like with Killer Croc, Green did a solid job with the mercenary as he flips around during a training session.
      
    Bunker and Bart Allen give Blond a lot to work with. Not only are both sporting vivid costumes, but the effects their powers produce are vibrant and help give the panels so much more life. The "barricade" Bunker creates looks fantastic.

    The Bad 

    There's something wrong when you enjoy the brief (and numerous) side stories more than the primary one. It just felt really generic and never had me questioning the outcome or feeling any degree of tension. Plus, there were a few moments where the problem could have been easily resolved, but for some reason beyond me, they didn't move forward with it. Why didn't Kid Flash just get more  stuff to use as a barrier on the door instead of standing there while they discuss a more elaborate plan? He does have super speed, after all.  I know their teamwork isn't top-notch and they're going for non-lethal, but a group of Jokerizied homeless people really shouldn't be that big of an obstacle for this group.  
     
    Also, a fair amount of the dialogue didn't feel natural to me and seemed like unnecessary exposition ("Those crates were our only shot at a cure for those people!"). We know that. Moments ago, Arsenal had an entire scene just to tell us that! 
     
    For a comic that's mostly a giant brawl, the action unfortunately feels motionless quite often. It should be so much more exciting, but even Wonder Girl essentially tackling a group into a room felt stale and doesn't provide us with a strong sense of impact.

    The Verdict 

    When it comes to 'Death of the Family' tie-ins, I was really anxious to see how things would go down over in this title. It goes without saying that Todd and Joker have quite a history (especially with these huge New 52 changes), so I was really hoping this story would pack a heavy emotional punch. Instead, it's looking like a chance for Lobdell to combine his books and have fun with having his characters interacting.  

    Was this a terrible issue? No, and I'm sure plenty of you out there will enjoy it, but to me it just felt too generic and was a disappointing tie-in issue to Snyder/Capullo's great story. I'll absolutely stick around until the end, but I really, really hope there's a greater sense of danger or urgency next time.

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