Ever since Jason Todd aka Red Hood was taken out of the grave in the 2000s, DC has consistently struggled to figure out what to do with Batman’s infamously dead Robin. This was only exacerbated by the Flashpoint reboot, when DC tried to essentially sell Jason as the “cooler” trigger-happy version of Dick Grayson, namely by giving him Dick’s friends, love interest (Starfire), and presenting them as his own.
Since then, Jason has featured in both solo adventures and Batman family storylines, but hasn’t had much in the way of a standout run or a character-defining storyline in the vein of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman: The Court of Owls. For the All-In era, DC is seeking to change that with a mature-rated relaunch of Red Hood that’s “fully in-continuity.” But after one issue, it’s pretty clear the story would be better served as an out-of-continuity DC Black Label series.
DC Comics
One thing that stands out right away about Red Hood #1 is that it seems to be confused about who its target audience is. DC Comics PR initially billed this comic as “The Jason Todd story fans have been waiting for,” but the comic itself is not building on any developments from the past two decades. At best, it’s delivering on the promise of being an adult comic featuring Jason, complete with a body count, lots of blood, and uncensored profanity. But as a story, it reads less like the next chapter in Jason’s journey from being the dead Robin to branching out on his own as Red Hood. Instead, it reads more like a neo-noir Image comic featuring a character loosely based on Jason, which, again, is more befitting of DC Black Label.
One major way Red Hood has all the hallmarks of a DC Black Label series is that it’s not bound by the events of the main DC continuity, outside of briefly acknowledging the fallout of (the yet-to-be-concluded) Batman: Hush 2. It’s also focused on telling a self-contained neo-noir story with an emphasis on corrupt law enforcement, having a hard-boiled detective protagonist (Jason Todd) and a femme fatale-type character who assists the hero on his case, and serves as a love interest (Helena Bertinelli). This creative direction is even reflected in Jeff Spokes’ art, which emphasizes New Angelique’s urban setting, and nothing else that would easily identify this world as the main DC Universe. Likewise, the use of dark warm colors emphasizes the story’s bleak tone, and the corruption that’s lurking behind city walls.
By all accounts, Red Hood is showcasing full creative freedom and artistic expression over continuity, which is not actually a bad thing. This approach makes the comic more easily accessible to a non-comic-reading audience, and could easily serve as someone’s first DC book. But it’s also a story that doesn’t work well as part of the main DC continuity, where immediate fans of Jason Todd and Helena Bertinelli expect a reasonable degree of consistency in how the characters are used and developed. This also means being aware of the previous stories they’ve featured in to know where they are in their respective lives, and to avoid retreading narrative beats they’ve already gone through. Just as important, this will also avoid regressing any character growth they’ve already undergone from previous comics.
DC Comics
The other drawback to publishing this Red Hood story for the main DC continuity is that, by not building on what came before while taking the characters in an exciting new direction, it risks alienating the very fans who would readily buy it. If the priority is to tell a self-contained story that isn’t bound by the rules of continuity, then publishing this story as a DC Black Label comic would give it its best shot at success. As a DC Black Label story, fans could easily come into this expecting a new take on Jason and Helena that deviates significantly from the established canon, and can simply enjoy the story for what it is with little to no expectations. So how does Red Hood work as an actual story?
One thing Red Hood does succeed at is introducing its main hero, establishing his base of operations, and the murder case that will drive his storyline. The comic also succeeds at introducing a supporting cast of characters, namely in the form of Helena Bertinelli’s Huntress, a shady ally in the form of Royale, and a police ally in the vein of Nightwing’s Elise Svoboda with Henrietta Forrest. It also introduces its main villain, The Tower, as a serial killer who murders his victims with telepathy. On the front of having a strong “pilot episode” that sets the tone for the rest of the series, Red Hood is off to a strong start. This is also helped by Jeff Spokes’ art, which gives each page a cinematic quality. Where the mileage varies, however, is in how the characters are used.
For fans expecting Red Hood to continue any of Jason’s character developments from previous Batman or Red Hood storylines, or even Jeff Lemire’s and Dustin Nguyen’s excellent Robin & Batman: Jason Todd miniseries that dives into childhood trauma, they may come out of this feeling disappointed. Rather than follow up on any particular story thread or character arc, Red Hood aims to tell its own Jason Todd story. On that front, writer Gretchen Felker-Martin presents Jason as the aforementioned hard-boiled detective archetype, complete with nuanced characterization. While Jason does kill people in this first issue, he doesn’t go full “Frank Castle” in his first outing in a new city. At least… not yet.
DC Comics
On the front of Helena Bertinelli, she’s used in a way that calls back to her earlier depictions in the post-Crisis Batman comics, namely in her having no qualms about killing. But she’s also written as a femme fatale who is implied to have a shared history with Jason, which feels out of the blue for fans who have been reading Helena Bertinelli’s stories from the past 30+ years. Out of all the Robins, the ones Helena Bertinelli has a meaningful history with are Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, and even Stephanie Brown.
Dick is the Robin Helena has been in a sexual relationship with, and Tim is the Robin she’s had more of an “older sibling” relationship with. She has also teamed up with Stephanie Brown before. But Helena hasn’t interacted with Jason in any meaningful capacity in the main DC canon to justify her inclusion in this comic, beyond sharing Jason’s views about killing. As such, their interaction here feels wholly inorganic for their actual character histories.
All in all, Red Hood #1 is a pretty mixed bag of a comic. At best, it’s a great comic to check out if you’re a fan of Jeff Spokes’ art, and enjoy neo-noir stories that deal with real-life topics like police corruption in the vein of the Marvel Netflix shows from the 2010s. It’s also a great comic to check out if you’re interested in a new take on Jason Todd and Helena Bertinelli if they appeared in an out-of-continuity DC Black Label story. But for fans who want a more traditional take on Jason and Helena that build on their canonical character histories, it might be best to check out the other comics they’ve appeared in.
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