RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #29

[ BANGING THOSE BARGAINS ] 

Please be warned. If you ever get the opportunity to own your very own spaceship, for crying out loud don't park it anywhere near this comic book Published by DC Comics. Cause if you do, I bet my bottom dollar it'll be stolen by Will Pfeifer, Rafael Sandoval, and Philip Tan, sometime in April, 2014. Say no more.

To QUOTE Steven Wright: 'If you are in a spaceship that is travelling at the speed of light, and you turn on the headlights, does anything happen?'.

THE STORY:

Now you listen here you pug-faced alien twerp. You better tell us were your pals have taken our buddy Roy and our spaceship right this minute. Cause if you don't, me and my dazzling cohort will smash your f*cking head in.

Huh? What's that you say, pal? You think they've taken him and our ship into outer space to blow up some planet? Alright then. Fair enough. That sounds pretty damn reasonable to me.

So come on Kori, let us steal ourselves a spaceship and get after them as soon as we possibly can. Come on. My name is Jason Todd. And my trigger finger is itching for some action, baby.

THE GOOD:

Overall I'd say this first part of 'The Big Picture' was a pretty decent installment of 'Red Hood and the Outlaws'.

To start off with I have to applaud Philip Tan and Rafael Sandoval for their artwork on this book. In Philips case his cover was one hell of an explosive treat, and is defiantly well worthy of being made into a poster by DC. Whist in Rafaels case I'd say that his illustrations were rather nifty to follow, depending on who was inking them.

Also, I got a right kick out of the down to earth attitudes Roy and those three aliens expressed throughout this tale. Plus I did enjoy how it started off as a regular day in the life type story-line, before it began to transform itself into a cosmic hostage type situation.

Oh! And before I forget. When the aliens talked about the Green Lantern Corps battling against the Durlans, a great big smile came to my face because of its association. Honestly. I mirrored the exact same expression when I saw... errr... hmmm... Frankie not going to Hollywood? Hint-Hint!

THE BAD:

I suppose the only slight gripe I had with this escapade was the vicious streak certain characters exhibited throughout. Well. Let's face it. The sight of Kori vaporizing an alien without batting an eye-lid isn't one of her most attractive qualities. And it's a far cry from those days where she was a peachy keen yet stoic warrior that thought more about love than lust.  

Also, what about that scene where the aliens blew up... errr... no. I best not say anymore. I don't want to spoil anything, do I?

THE MUSIC:

In the spirit of joviality, I feel emotionally compelled to compare this comic book to the Beatles song, 'Drive My Car', because they both share a similar bouncy vibe involving the use of transportation.

THE COMPARISON:

When I was a kid I remember my older brother stealing my teddy bear and hiding it in the garden until I gave him back his snooker cue. But of course me being a right stubborn sod there was no way in hell I was going to do that.

However, as time passed and both of our resolves began to melt away, eventually we came to the understanding that we had to return each others possessions, just in case something went wrong with our strained face off.

And to me, that is what is at the very heart of this tale at the moment. A strained face off. Plus that is what I'm going to compare it to as well.

THE CONCLUSION:

Just the other day my cousin and I struck up a rather strange conversation that led me into trying to explain to him what 'Red Hood and the Outlaws' is all about.

But I'm afraid to say this didn't really pan out in the way I hoped it would, my friends. And he in turn kept on throwing inane phrases I used right back into my face.

Having said that, though, how else could I define Jason Todd's character without uttering the terms, 'Dead Robin' or 'Bat-Boy with a gun'? Or what about Roy? And the use of the sentence, 'Green Arrow's cleaver ex-sidekick who was once an alcoholic'? Then finally there is someone like Kori! Who, I have to mention, is a very orange skinned porno-shaped woman that came from the stars and was once a hostage!

Do you see what I'm getting at, folks? How would you define this series to someone who's never heard of it before? Go on. Be straight with me. It would be great to hear what you have to say.