Jason Todd is here to mess up your entire life.

Red Hood and The Outlaws: Rebirth #1

Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Dexter Soy
Colorist: Veronica Gandini
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Cover Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli; Cam Smith; Dean White
Variant Cover: Bengal
Assistant Editor: Brittany Holzherr
Editor: Alex Antone
Creator: Don Newton; Doug Mahnke; Gerry Conway; Judd Winick
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

Full disclosure: Jason Todd, under Judd Winick, is one of my favorite characters of all time. Ruthless, kind, sarcastic and pragmatic, he’s vicious as hell, full of (justified) anger and does not care what you think.

Which is why Red Hood and The Outlaws: Rebirth #1 made me so very happy. Capturing the best of the Winick run that defined the character and showcasing a surprising amount of humor, this issue truly gets just who Jason is. It also understands the highly complicated relationship between Jason and his very famous father. Trust is a huge issue between these two and always will be but that doesn’t stop Jason from doing what must be done, no matter what.

The story does a great job of touching on Jason’s origins without getting too far lost in flashback land; sets up at least three ongoing plots for the future; and shows just how good he is now that he’s all grown up. Dexter Soy’s artwork is dynamic and fun in just the right places, dark and terrifying in others while the detail of the facial expressions, especially Jason’s eyes, give multiple layers to what’s actually being said.

With Jason going deep undercover to get to the heart of a mystery that the G.C.P.D and Batman can’t be seen anywhere near, that has the potential of setting off his trauma and bringing in new allies, I’m extremely ready for issue #2.

Five out of Five Tasers