RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #13

[ SPACE SALE OR BUST ] 

Why on God's Earth call a planet 'Tamaran'? It sound's too much like the French spice 'tar-ra-gan'! Is it because it goes well with chicken? And was once visited by Slim Pickens? Not so long after he sang that song by the Wu-Tang Clan. Yeah. Straight up. He was accompanied by Writer: Scott Lobdell; Artist: Timothy Green; and Publisher: DC Comics in November 2012.

So what’s the STORY morning glory?

To put it frankly, dear reader, this story entitled 'The Moon's Up, And The Sun's Down' has taught me one very valuable life lesson -- War is naughty. Well, people die. People live. People get chopped in half. People blow other people to smithereens. And let's not forget that someone has to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the planet Tamaran, from the war-like race called 'The Blight'.

• Yeah. Honestly. Some poor sod does 'snuff's it' in this issue.
• However do you honestly think that I am going to tell you who it is? That it might be Jay, Kori, Roy, or one of the supporting characters we don't give a toss about?
• Nah. No chance. But I'll give you a clue though -- it's someone who likes to smile a lot, and I'm not talking about the Joker who turns up at the end of this book. 

Ha! To be continued just as soon as two sisters rejoice, and a team fly's back home for a startling surprise...

What is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

I loved reading Roy's internal monologue when Kori went ape-sh*t and blew the Blight to kingdom come (not the prestige format mini-series). Especially that part where he said...

'Can I tell you something? Personal? There are times when I am making love to Kori -- no matter what she calls it -- when a part of my brain just wonders what it would be like if she just lost all control. Just for a second. I guess now I know'.

I also liked the tail-end of his remark too -- 'It is wrong that I find her hotter than ever?' -- Ha!  What a clown.

What was the BEST thing about this issue?

Just like many of the other installments of this great-great comic book, one of the main highlights for me in this one, was the way that you could get 'inside the head's' of the numerous characters during 'there journey' together.

For example, although this particular story is about Kori and the war between Tamaran and 'The Blight', it was told through the eyes of Roy and DePalo, allowing them to present their take on this 'debacle' from their own personal perspective.

Not only did this 'alliterative device' give this yarn that extra personal edge, but it also gave us readers a way of understanding the characters motives by default. Great. Just great.  

What was the WORST thing about this issue?

I'm afraid to say that as a concluding part for a 'grand intergalactic saga', this story did feel a bit too rushed in execution. It began with a recap of the current state of play. It then continued with a battle scene. After that there was a poignant 'flash-back'. And finally this tale shifted focus again to the not so grand finale.

Personally speaking, I thought that this was too fragmented to read as a concussion all in all, and not punchy enough as an ending. 

What was the most CREATIVE thing about this issue?

STORY: As I've already mentioned up above, one of the best -- and most creative -- things about this issue, was the way that the story was told from the perspective of the subsidiary characters. It's like how the main focus of 'Star Wars: A New Hope' was told from R2D2's and CP3O's point of view at the beginning of this great space odyssey. Distilling the central plot through a more personal vantage point.

ART: On a certain level, Timothy Green is a fairly competent artist. He can illustrate a story. His characters show character. Plus there is a boldness to his style that is very easy to follow.  However, whilst saying that, I did find his art a mite too static at times, bordering on the 'silver age' and the 'cheesy'. Also, as much as it pains me to say this, I wasn't that taken away by his cinematic layouts either -- too sparse and fleeting as a set-piece.

If you had to CAST TWO CHARACTERS in this comic book, who would they be and why?

KORI: Now if Starfire was an alcoholic beverage, I'd say she'd have to be a tequila slammer. She's sharp. Golden. And has a punchy exuberance about her that's very memorable indeed. 

ROY: But as for her 'boyfriend', 'Mister Speedy? Well? He comes across more of a brandy man, doesn't he? Sweet. Bitter. And will always leave a mark when too much has been consumed. Ha!

If this issue had a MOVIE TAG LINE, what would it be?

We Will Fight Them On The Beaches. Then We Will Dance With Them On The Shore. Viva La 'Dancing With The Stars'.

If this issue were a MOVIE, an OBJECT, or a piece of MUSIC, what would that be and why? 

Whilst reading this issue, an eighties song suddenly popped into my head that I couldn't shake off. It was a melody concocted by the satirical puppet show called 'Spitting Image'. Here, click on this clip for the reasons why...

Oops! I hope this song doesn't infect you too!

FINAL thoughts...

You've got to give kudos to writer -- Scott Lobdell -- because you can tell that the concussion of this story-line was greatly hindered by 'other things' getting in his way. I'm sure that last issue's zero month, and next issue's Joker story, put a dampener on things overall. Shame really, as it would have been nice to see a more finite telling of Kori's stance within this new 52 universe.

Still, I'm nigh on positive that this isn't the last we've seen of Tamaran or Blackfire, huh? Let's wait and see, shall we?

MARKS out of 10? 8.5