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RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #22

[ A BARGAIN THAT'LL TURN HEADS ] 
Although she may look like a porn star who's spent too much time in a tanning salon, in actual fact Starfire is a very eloquent lady with a heart of pure gold. Yeah. Honestly. I saw her internal organs in this very nice tale created by James Tynion IV and Julius Gopez; Published by DC Comics, in June, 2013.

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this STORY entitled 'Dangerous People'.
  • WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: Whilst Ben takes Jason for a leisurely stroll around Assassin City; the Essence tries to persuade Kori to stop Roy from cobbling together a mechanical device that'll penetrate Jay's hidden lo-cal for his enemies, the Untitled. 
  • ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: Yeah. To a certain extent I suppose they are.
  • ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: The League of Assassins has some fun and games at Jason's expense.
  • HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With the cavalry arriving.

All in all, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?
Now maybe this is me reading too much into things, but didn't Ben's soliloquy to Jason at the start of this issue insinuate that the League of Assassins know about the formation of the New52? Here. Check this out...

'Costumed heroes fight to maintain a broken system. They refuse to cull the weak and the wicked... they refuse to plant paradise in its wake. You once saw how broken the world was, Jason, and what kind of justice was needed. I trust you'll see it again. If you agree to lead the League of Assassins, the utopia of 'Eth Alth'eban could stretch across the globe'.

Huh? What's that you say? This could also mean something about Ra's talking out of his 'Al Ghul'? Yeah. I suppose so. But I myself would like to think it was the former and not the latter.

What are the BEST bits about this issue?
(+) Overall I did like the way that this entire tale came together once I read it from start to finish. Maybe this is me reading too much into things -- Again -- but it was very much like 'Star Wars' in places. Setting up a scenario that'll pit each 'player' against the other whilst the narrative progresses further down the line.
(+) Even though they never really added anything special to the central plot, I did get a kick out of the way each member of the League of Assassins were given some 'screen time' to illustrate who they are and what they were all about. Especially Jade. I got a very warm sensation inside of me when she suddenly told Jason that she fancied Roy. No. It wasn't indigestion. It was a warm feeling of continuity coming back to life. Hint-Hint!
(+) I have to congratulate both James and Julius for producing a very competent and eloquent read.  The art complemented the story. The story complemented the art. And all in all the whole Goddamn thing complemented each other.
(+) OK, so Ra's Al Ghul, the All Caste, and the Untitled are all at odds with each other, mainly because of some mysterious power source that the League of Assassins stole from them. Hmmm. An interesting little plot-device that is. Very 'old and new'. But why is Jason the lynchpin to this ominous event? Huh? Maybe I can figure something out during my silly summation?
(+) Just take a look at the brilliant cover provided. Do I have to say anymore than that?

What are the WORST bits about this issue?
(-) To be completely honest with you, folks, there wasn't really much in this issue to gripe about. However, at a push, I'd have to say that I wasn't too thrilled with the way it's three 'story stands' were unevenly balanced. Favouring Jason's part of the story more than Roy's or Kori's.

Choose TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and then compare them to SOMETHING YOU CAN BUY ON EBAY .
A BIKINI AS KORI: I do apologise to all my female readers for making this rather obvious and bold comparison. It's just that whenever I think of Starfire, I always think... errr... very 'supportively' towards her. 

A BBQ AS ESSENCE: Hey. No need to groan, folks. If you think about it, both this superhero and this external cooking device are very practical, very grey looking, and do let off a lot of smoke.

What QUOTE would be appropriate to sum-up this story?
'This is some rescue. You came in here and you didn't have a plan for getting out?' -- Star Wars

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?
'SOMEONE ELSE'S STORY' FROM THE BROADWAY MUSICA CHESS: Hey! You're pretty impressed, aren't you? I've actually picked a song that doesn't involve a dead musician or a throwback from yesteryear. But do you know why I've decided to compare this particular tune to this particular tale? Oh! Yeah. You're right. Each plot-strand was about 'someone else's story'.




ANYTHING Else?
Now why does Talia think Jason Todd could be 'the one' who'll lead the League of Assassins to victory against their elected enemies? Could it be because...

  • She's watched 'The Matrix' too often.
  • Jason is somehow related to the Al Ghul clan by blood.
  • It's her way of pissing off her Dad and Batman in one fowl swoop.
  • It'll help DC bring back Ra's with a bit more panache.
  • Talia just wants to see how many men she can manipulate without shagging them.
  • It'll prove to Batman that the end of the 'Dark Knight Rises' can be topped.
  • It was either Jason or Plastic Man, so she chose the one that didn't look like Jim Carrey.
  • Secretly she wasn't to be a part of the team, and this is her way of getting involved.
  • Something to do.

OK. That's enough of my cr**olla for this month, folks. All I have left to say is that this issue of 'Red Hood and the Outlaws' was a very good read. The story was intriguing. The art was clean and fresh. Plus the job lot just goes to show how amazing this medium really is.

Say no more. 

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #22 RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #22 Reviewed by David Andrews on August 13, 2013 Rating: 5
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