The Good

The comic may feature Red Hood's name front and center but this is about Starfire. We all remember the controversy over her when the series first began. Many felt she was a one-dimensional character but if anything, this current arc shows there is quite a bit more to her than there appeared. She may have been a teammate to Jason's unofficial team but seeing her in charge of her own starship has been pretty impressive.

The cover does boast that this issue contains Starfire's origin. We did catch a tiny glimpse in issue #3. This is where we find out what her story is in the "New 52." We've been seeing some characters go through changes while the pasts of others remains pretty much the same. But what's great is seeing who she is, what she went through and how she feels about everything. There are layers to her character and fans of Starfire should be pleased.

The fact that this arc is taking place off planet is a good change of pace. Despite Starfire's origin, it's not a direction I imagined seeing the series go, at least not yet.

Rocafort continues to do his magic with the art. I know it's already been announced that he's moving to SUPERMAN with Lobdell but I just can't imagine this series with a different artist.

The Bad

Jason's date. She's (apparently) just a normal flight attendant. The fact that she can so easily accept being out in space on a starship among aliens seems a bit much. It could be that the existence of aliens is accepted by some. It seemed a little odd that when she changes out of her dress into a spacesuit, it's cut so that her bosom is slightly on display. Perhaps this is to make up for Starfire's suit that covers her entire body.

Jason apologizing also sounded weird. He brings up Batman and it doesn't seem like he'd quite be ready to talk about that just yet.

The back up with Essence leaves me on the fence. I feel like she could possibly become a member of the team. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

The Verdict

Jason and the Outlaws are still in space. With the focus on Starfire, we're seeing that there is much more to her than there appeared to be in the first issue. Lobdell clearly has plans for her character. Having the trio go out in space takes the series in a different direction. We're now seeing Starfire take over the leadership role with Jason being more of a supporting character. There were moments where Jason seemed a little different but perhaps it's their surroundings (has he ever been out in space before) or it could be his time bonding with Roy and Kori that's allowing him to grow a bit. With Starfire's origin confirmed, we now know what motivates and drives her. The final page sets up for what will be an interesting conclusion to this arc.