Red Hood Outlaw #40 Preview / Discussion (Spoilers)

[B]Red Hood Outlaw #40[/B]

[B]Source:[/B] [url]https://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2019/11/22/exclusive-dc-preview-red-hood-outlaw-40/[/url]

[B]Summary:[/B] [I]After their first mission in the field, all the Outlaws want is to head back to the Block for some R&R. Unfortunately, no sooner do they get home than they find themselves under assault from Shay Veritas’ clones! It’s like Night of the Living Duplicates in there, and Red Hood is nowhere to be found. Is he teaching them a dangerous (but hopefully valuable) lesson with his absence, or is he dealing with something even bigger and more terrifying?[/I]

Wow, the art is much better that I expected.

[QUOTE=Dark_Tzitzimine;4701681]Wow, the art is much better that I expected.[/QUOTE]

Without lesser Messina's work (which looks good), Lokus colour makes it look nicer. He's adapted well to his style, I think.

I wonder how Caden's appearance in this issue - judging by the cover, he hopefully will appear - corresponds to his appearance in the annual.
His personality seems the complete opposite. And in the annual Bizarro and Artemis were still trapped in another dimension but here Jason hasn't met Caden yet.

[QUOTE=Sergard;4701885]I wonder how Caden's appearance in this issue - judging by the cover, he hopefully will appear - corresponds to his appearance in the annual.
His personality seems the complete opposite. And in the annual Bizarro and Artemis were still trapped in another dimension but here Jason hasn't met Caden yet.[/QUOTE]
We don't actually know that yet, perhaps Jason left Caden behind at the base, for now, not feeling comfortable with bringing him out into the field.Also that would mean Jason would have to meet Caden have him search for Bizzaro and Artemis before the annual, and before 39 takes place when they escaped back to this earth. Personally I feel like Babe in Arms is being set up as the actual villain.

Artemis and Bizarro.. They are almost here.

:cool: :)

It'll be a pretty missed opportunity if Lobdell doesn't use puns relating Doomed to what's going on with the Legion of Doom. DOOM!

FIRST POST! Hi, everyone :3 Long time lurker and Hood fan. Anyway...

Alright, superior european timezone powers...ACTIVATE!

If all the recent issues were like this one, this newest arc would be much better received. I'm a fan of Lobdell's writing style (for reasons to be discussed elsewhere) but even I have to admit that when he's forced to or he just chooses to clusterfuck too much in a single issue or arc, the story suffers for it. Like the previous issue where the class had to face a group of monsters. I think it would have flowed better if it was just one enemy for them to face as a group.

Now, this issue? This issue allows RH:O to breathe, finally. It gives hints of story progression towards the solution of the current mystery but weaves them into character moments which allow us to finally get to know the kids better and they're finally growing on me because I can see who they are under the supervillain pose.

Devour is a guy with a hard past whose only solution is lashing out... but because of that he's also vulnerable to please from children.

We don't learn why Babe in Arms wants to take over the world but the fact that her superintelligence also gives her awareness that maybe she should just be a baby anyway is a veeeeery interesting direction. Also she doesn't have anyone to talk to but her zombie mother. Sad.

The new couple on the block doesn't get much past revealed but we get a lot more of their personalities. The fact that they're the most easily scared of the group is incredibly funny to me.

And then Cloud 9... I love Cloud 9. She's fun without being too random but most importantly, I love how she forced Jason into places where he isn't used to go. Being the responsible adult, being blindsided to the point of going into a NOTMYGIRLFRIEND argument... "If Bruce could see me now" indeed.

And speaking of seeing... well that's a way to have a reunion. This should be interesting because, [spoil]mind control or not, Jason and the class are about to go up against Bizzarro and Artemis, aka the antihero Superman and Wonderwoman.[/spoil].

Now, a section about the art. The pencils and colours in this issue are an integral part of why I liked it so much. There's no excesses, everything serves its purpose, wheter it's to showcase the comedic timing and teenage terror in Doomed and DNA's faces (I loved that part xD), the surprise in Jason's face (at various points in this issue) or the few certified badass moments for our characters. Even something as simple as standing with a blade at the ready has weight and impact.

This is probably my favourite art team for the book since Soy and Gandini. Hopefully they stick around a while.

8.5 crowbars out of 10.

[spoil]Another fairly decent issue, I'm starting to really enjoy the dynamic between Jason and Cloud 9, I hope they get some more panel time together before these new outlaws disband or cease. And (assuming it IS them) finally Artemis and Bizzaro have returned and found Jason, though seem to be mind controlled? Or maybe there's no mind control involved and they just don't recognize Jason in his Mortal Kombat gear XD

Like previously discussed, whilst the cover with the toys implies that Caden has some kind of control over the Outlaws, no explanation is presented in the issue itself. Caden shows up in this issue and claims he is lost and has no memory, but that could just be a deception at this point or even a side effect of his powers. I'm gonna go with the assumption that Jason and Caden have already met and had that moment on the swing-set before the outlaws arc began (exactly as it was presented sequentially) since the timeline becomes confusing otherwise.[/spoil]

[QUOTE=RedBird;4707299][spoil]Another fairly decent issue, I'm starting to really enjoy the dynamic between Jason and Cloud 9, I hope they get some more panel time together before these new outlaws disband or cease. And (assuming it IS them) finally Artemis and Bizzaro have returned and found Jason, though seem to be mind controlled? Or maybe there's no mind control involved and they just don't recognize Jason in his Mortal Kombat gear XD

Like previously discussed, whilst the cover with the toys implies that Caden has some kind of control over the Outlaws, no explanation is presented in the issue itself. Caden shows up in this issue and claims he is lost and has no memory, but that could just be a deception at this point or even a side effect of his powers. I'm gonna go with the assumption that Jason and Caden have already met and had that moment on the swing-set before the outlaws arc began (exactly as it was presented sequentially) since the timeline becomes confusing otherwise.[/spoil][/QUOTE]
[spoil]If any of them carry over on a semi-consistent basis beyond this arc, I'd say Cloud 9 has the best shot. Babe in Arms seems on their way out and I could see DNA & Doomed staying with the Dr. Not sure what Devour though, I feel like he could go either way at this point.

I like the suit upgrade. Makes it seem more practical than him running around in basic clothes and some padding.

As for Caden, my current assumption is that Jason already met him but none of his students have because he was kept separate. Maybe it's an age thing? He does act considerably younger than the rest of them.[/spoil]

[QUOTE=Arsenal;4707450][spoil]If any of them carry over on a semi-consistent basis beyond this arc, I'd say Cloud 9 has the best shot. Babe in Arms seems on their way out and I could see DNA & Doomed staying with the Dr. Not sure what Devour though, I feel like he could go either way at this point.

I like the suit upgrade. Makes it seem more practical than him running around in basic clothes and some padding.

As for Caden, my current assumption is that Jason already met him but none of his students have because he was kept separate. Maybe it's an age thing? He does act considerably younger than the rest of them.[/spoil][/QUOTE]

[spoil] Except Babe in Arms is a literal baby. The maturity of say, a teenager, but biologically a baby.
And I have to wonder about that Artemis and Biz. They didn't say a single word and attacked Jason without hesitation. I'm thinking clones/robots or something. Plus, no Pup Pup, and the two had literally just arrived back on Earth.[/spoil]

[QUOTE=Jackalope89;4707884][spoil] Except Babe in Arms is a literal baby. The maturity of say, a teenager, but biologically a baby.
And I have to wonder about that Artemis and Biz. They didn't say a single word and attacked Jason without hesitation. I'm thinking clones/robots or something. Plus, no Pup Pup, and the two had literally just arrived back on Earth.[/spoil][/QUOTE]
[spoil]That's true but Babe comes with Zombie momma so it balances out and is about as emotionally mature as her peers. Caden doesn't have either so I could see him being seperate[/spoil]

Sorry, I'm late to the discussion.

[QUOTE=Meinos Kaen;4707235]FIRST POST! Hi, everyone :3 Long time lurker and Hood fan. Anyway...[/QUOTE]

Welcome to the community! I was a long time lurker too before I joined.

I also enjoyed the character moments. It was nice to see each Generation Outlaw member more privately.

I like that DNA is very direct with their feelings and how quick they stood up for Reiser when he was called a monster by Devour.

Cloud Nine seems to be the most adventurous of the group who's quick to proceed and explore. She has a fun personality. I wonder if she has German roots since she calls Jason "Herr". Or is "Herr" also a word used in English for "Mister"?

Devour plays the tough guy but I think it's clear that he's probably had some bad experiences in the past because of his looks (and the place he was born in). But he's also helping Caden which shows that he does care about others. He reminds me of Jason.

Babe's part was surprisingly cute and sad at the same time. I wonder how her mom died. Also a nice moment: When the group is transported to the base, mombie is landing on her back in order to keep Babe safe.

I like Jason's new costume upgrade. The taser is back.

Darn. I haven't read the issue yet. I need to finish my stuff and read it.

But in any case, welcome to our fandom, [B]@Meinos Kaen[/B] :)

Here's a nice little review/opinion by [URL="http://exploringthetimelab.blogspot.com/2019/11/red-hood-and-outlaws-40-vol2_29.html?m=1"]Exploring The Time Lab[/URL].
I like how the writer points out that there are similarities between the teens and different aspects of Jason's life/personality.