…Or did it?

Red Hood: Outlaw #31
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Pete Woods
Inks: Rex Lokus
Letters: ALW’s Troy Peteri
Covers: Cully Hamner; Matt Scalera & Moreno Dinisio
Editor: Marie Javins; Rob Levin
DC Comics

Oh boy. Okay, okay, where to start? So much went down in this issue of Red Hood: Outlaw guys. First, let’s deal with Willis ‘I’m Super Effing Crazy’ Todd. Between talking to Jason like he knows him, kidnapping Bunker and generally messing around with everyone’s brains – because why not – Willis takes the time to tell Jason his origin story and it’s pretty damn awful. It also ties Artemis and Lex to Jason in ways that are far more direct than I originally thought and that is a bit not good.

Meanwhile, we’ve got Wingman. I honestly don’t know what is going on with him and his obsession with Jason but it’s beginning to creep me all the way out. Even in the midst of a showdown with a supervillain psychopath who has gone full Darth Vader on Jason, Wingman is still out here trying to make Jason come back to Gotham against his will. What’s weirder is he’s one of many, including Willis, who’ve deemed that Jason is the true Prince of Gotham. This smacks of some Court of Owls level nonsense and that is concerning. Even if it’s not the Owls, I would very much like to know who these people are and how far they’re willing to go to get Jason where they want him to be…

Once again Pete Woods and Rex Lokus brings the ruckus this issue. There are so many great scenes that it’s hard to pin down one that stands out more than others, though the ones where we get to see Solitary’s power on full display are at the top of the list. The contrast between what’s going on and what we think is going on is stark and more importantly elevates the story overall. Their art makes you question just how much of what Jason sees, and subsequently does, is truly what’s happening.

This issues wraps up the Solitary storyline well, while simultaneously leaving it very ambiguous as to which players are truly off the board and what their motivations are.

Five Crowbars out of Five