It`s Loedbell. The chances of Jason going psycho are close to null. He`s raging and within good reason as far as the character may be concerned.
It should be a good sign but it can also be a bit of a double-edged sword particularly if one is talking about a character that no writer (or editor for that matter), except Lobdell, has had a very good handle on in the first place because they REFUSE to even do the necessary research. Those are the guys I'm really talking about particularly if someone new comes onto the book at some point, well them and Didio and his crew who I have never trusted from the get go. On the other hand you could be exactly right about all of this and I could be over-reacting. That doesn't however prevent me from feeling apprehensive though. So long as Didio is in charge of things I'm always apprehensive on some level or other. Do I trust that Lobdell has a long-term plan for this direction? Yes. Do I trust him to write this direction with far more nuance than any other writer? Again yes. But do I trust the people above him to just let him do his job with minimal interference? Not on your life.
I really hope this turns out to be the case.I just think that once the arc is over, there’s a greater chance that Jason will end up even further away from his pre-flash point characterization than closer to it.
Regarding the bolded maybe it is more akin to an opportunity and perhaps the high-ups have taken more of an interest in Jason's potential but at the end of the day it still was an idea discussed by those higher-ups so there is a bit of a mandate aspect to the direction I still feel. Whether that's going to turn out to be good or bad remains to be seen though. For myself I tend to err on the side of caution and to not get my hopes up to much. I've gotten burned on to many times in the past with direction changes that amounted to nothing or didn't stick or had no lasting effect on the character or were merely just stepping stones to something worse.
As for the rest of you post, I do hope that Lobdell does plan to explore those issues and that he actually will have Jason dealing with them in the course of this direction. I think it would be interesting for Jason to finally delve into those issues a bit more than he does and maybe start to get some closure on things. He seriously needs to stop masking his issue among his friends. Like Starfire once told him: Jason needs to release the rage inside of himself before it consumes him.And also based on what Lobdell has said I am very anxious to see what #27 brings. Sounds like its gonna be another kick in the feels.
My thoughts exactly. I'm only okay with the direction at all because Lobdell is still on the book. If it was anyone else they wouldn't even be getting my money on it unless I heard from fans that it was very, very good and handled Jason in this mode with some nuance. I really hope this move isn't for the shock value of it (or that it doesn't end up being for that at some later date either) and this was done because there is actual potential in this direction both from the publishing standpoint and the character standpoint.
Yeah that cover is just a bit too busy. It's very expressive and sums up what this direction is going be about but its still really, really busy. On the other hand at least my eyes don't automatically go to that damned crowbar with all the other things happening on the cover so I guess that's a win.
I do like the way that things are crossed out on the title name and so forth though.
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Oh my goodness gracious! I've been bamboozled!
When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change. AVATAR AANG
Maybe DC will swap the bat symbol with the new Red Hood logo. That would be interesting and could mean that Jason won't reconcile with Batman in the near future.
There seems to be something behind the bat symbol. Looks like a dog's head. What's up with that?
And I'm surprised that the colors of the cover background were changed. I prefer the original version because there was a bigger contrast between background and Jason. This one is so... colorful.
I couldn't quite put a finger on why I was feeling the cover was too busy but I think you've pinpointed it for me. I agree with you about liking the original version more. This just seems over saturated to me to be honest and I liked the contrast of the previous one better.
Supporting LION FORGE COMICS and other independent publishers.
Check out Lion Forge's Catalyst Prime Universe. Its the best damned superhero verse in comics. Diverse characters and interesting stories set in a universe where anyone can be a hero. And company that prides itself on representation both in the comics themselves and in the people behind them.
Oh my goodness gracious! I've been bamboozled!
When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change. AVATAR AANG
It's not Lobdell that worries me though, its the other writers and editors and Didio. Lobdell will certainly do just fine with this direction if he's left alone to do what he wants to do with the story but that doesn't mean there won't be pressure from higher-ups to do things with it he doesn't necessarily want to. Look at the situation with Artemis being a love interest for Jason. That was something during the Rebirth book that editors where pushing that Lobdell pushed back on but there could be some larger mandate dealing with the bigger picture that he won't be allowed to avoid. (Like Seeley wasn't able to avoid using Bludhaven for example) All I'm saying is that now that Jason is back to being, at least on the surface, the violent type of character he was Pre-FP that writers and editors might be more familiar and comfortable with I've lowered my expectations even more when it comes to other writers potential use of him in their books.
Last edited by JasonTodd428; 08-31-2018 at 07:15 AM.
Supporting LION FORGE COMICS and other independent publishers.
Check out Lion Forge's Catalyst Prime Universe. Its the best damned superhero verse in comics. Diverse characters and interesting stories set in a universe where anyone can be a hero. And company that prides itself on representation both in the comics themselves and in the people behind them.
Oh my goodness gracious! I've been bamboozled!
When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change. AVATAR AANG
Pre-flashpoint Jason didn't have a book and was used as a secondary character to props up other characters which end up being badly received. This isn't case now and hopefully never will be again.
I'm all for not getting expectations too high because this always result in disappointment, but being too negative isn't good either. The new arc will start in two weeks, let's wait and see how it goes instead of worrying unnecessarily.
Last edited by Rise; 08-31-2018 at 07:31 AM.
Dark Trinity by Christian Dave Gonzales
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/0NaQy
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I'm assuming since for all intents and purposes the 'scratched out bat' and solo thing is temporary. It's easier to make a wink and nudge statement by just crossing out the bat symbol on the cover, rather than say, redesigning an official graphic logo that may be changed back eventually anyway.