Written by Scott Lobdell
Illustrated by Pete Woods
Published by DC Comics
This comic book has always been pretty great. The last few issues however though have been a comic book wonderland for me. It’s so damn exciting.
Lobdell proves again and again why he is one of the best writers in comics presently. And this issue is absolutely fantastic and I was thrilled from start to finish.
Jason is standing out on a balcony looking at Gotham with disdain at the beginning of the issue.
Isabel Ardila comes out and guides him back to the fundraiser he is holding. Jason isn’t happy and even says he would like to throw all of the guest “kicking and screaming over the balcony.”
Lobdell really knows how to start off an issue and I was hooked right away.
From there, we get to see some flashbacks of Jason’s life. We get to see how he always felt abandoned and that he has no one. It’s well done and emotional.
They are calling him the “Prince of Gotham.” But Lobdell and Woods show us that he’s more alone than ever.
This prompts Jason to go into Red Hood mode. The comic was at a slow burn until this point. He runs into Essence and they have a talk. And then, they have an all out fight between each other. It’s fantastically executed too.
Pete Woods does an amazing job on the art here. He’s truly one of the most underrated in comics. This all leads to a spectacular ending that surprised me by how perfect it is. I went back and reread the issue immediately because I loved it so much.
The creative team is really treading new ground here. Every month they push it even further. There is no status quo and that’s perfectly fine by me. It’s truly exciting to read and take in. When you combine it all with a ton of funny and emotional moments , it’s easy to see that this is one of the most consistently great books on the stands month after month.
RATING: A