Artemis is terrifying and Jason’s just trying to stay alive…

Red Hood and The Outlaws #2
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist:  Dexter Soy
Colors: Veronica Gandini  
Letters:  Taylor Esposito
Assistant Editor: Brittany Holzherr
Editor: Alex Antone
Group Editor: Marie Javins
Covers: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith & Dean White; Matteo Scalera & Moreno Dinisio
Publisher: DC Comics
$2.99

I pretty much spent the entirety of this issue grinning as Jason and Artemis clash on Jason’s very first job for Black Mask. Jason continues to walk the line between being undercover and becoming an actual criminal as Roman draws him closer to his inner circle. Meanwhile, we get some interesting background on Artemis that is slightly different from her former origin story.  This, in my opinion, makes her a more rounded character immediately as she’s now less an expy of Zealot or a poor man’s Diana. It has the added benefit of making her the perfect straight man to Jason’s particular brand of snark. The two of them together is magic and their battlefield conversations are an excellent blend of character work and humor that’s rapidly becoming the hallmark of this book.

It doesn’t hurt that Dexter Soy’s artwork and Veronica Gandini’s colors bring the ruckus. The fight scenes are perfectly choreographed, exciting and clear. The facial work on everyone, even the background characters, is on point with Jason’s increasingly incredulous expressions when dealing with Artemis worth the price of admission alone.  

This book continues to impress, 4 out of 5 Bows of Ra.