How are you today? How has the week been treating you so far? Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend?
My week has been pretty good. I attended Katsucon last week, which was a blast – thanks to some of my amazing friends. I’m getting settled back in at home now, and it’s been pretty relaxing.
Today’s post is my weekly round up of the new releases that I picked up from my local comic book store.
Let’s get right into it – shall we?
Single Issues
Batman & Robin: Year One #5
Batman & Robin: Year One. Issue #5. Cover A.
Bruce and Dick continue to be at odds as a gang war is being orchestrated in Gotham’s underworld.
Batman has his first face-off with Clayface, and Robin goes off on his own – can the dynamic duo learn to work as a team, before it’s too late?
Nightwing #123
Nightwing. Issue #123. Cover A.
Nightwing continues to try and come to the heart of the conspiracy working in Bludhaven. Can he convince the gangs to trust him enough to stop a war?
Miranda’s job as Mayor is under threat – what kind of deal with the devil will she make? And how will that impact Nightwing as the story progresses?
This storyline is starting to get intriguing – not that it hasn’t been from the start. I hope that we get more circus clues in the next issue, just to keep that theme going.
Titans #20
Titans. Issue #20. Cover A.
Raven’s powers continue to be on the fritz, and they are affecting the other Titans.
Deathstroke’s plan is starting to come together, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it will go, and how the Titans will handle it under Donna’s leadership.
Variant Covers
Nightwing #123.
Nightwing. Issue #123. Variant Cover by Dan Panosian.
Nightwing #123.
Nightwing. Issue #123. Variant Cover by Gleb Melnikov.
Nightwing #123.
Nightwing. Issue #123. Variant Cover (Hush) by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Alex Sinclair.
This Hush variant cover is so cool.
Graphic Novels
Red Hood: The Hill
Red Hood: The Hill.
I’m giving this story another chance now that I can read it all in one go. I don’t think my opinion on it is going to change too much, but I’m willing to try.
As a Red Hood fan, I really just want to see him get decent storylines again, that actually focus on him, and don’t just use his name because it makes money.
And that is it for this week’s haul! I hope that you enjoyed it! As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments as well as any recommendations for stuff you think I should read!
If you’d like to support my blog – you can buy me a cup of tea here(ko-fi)!
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How are you today? How is your week going so far? I hope that your week goes exactly as you need it to.
I am doing pretty well. I had a relaxing weekend, and I got to visit one of my favourite stores on Saturday, which is always a delight.
Today’s post is going to be my thoughts on the recent comic book run, Red Hood: The Hill. This was a 6 issue mini-series with #0 issue to set things up.
Before I really get into it, I am going to say a couple of things. I am coming at this as a fan of Jason Todd/Red Hood. He is my favourite DC Comics character, so I just want you to understand my bias. This is also probably going to be a little bit on the rambly side, as I just want to share my thoughts now that this story is complete.
So let’s get into it, shall we?
Red Hood: The Hill – My Thoughts
Dan Mora Variant Cover – the best thing to come out of this run.
When I read that Red Hood was getting another self-titled story, I was really excited. Even if it was only going to be a 6 issue run. The last comic run that focused on Jason was Task Force Z, which I actually really enjoyed. There was that moment in Gotham War, but we don’t talk about that.
The first issue that was released was a collected re-release of Red Hood and the Outlaws #51 and #52, which were initially released at the end of 2020. These made up the last issues of RHATO from the Rebirth run.
This is my first issue with Red Hood: The Hill (which I will refer to as The Hill from this point onward) – this run is continuing a story that was initially released at the end of 2020. As of the start of The Hill, this was over 3 years ago. A lot of things have happened in the Batman universe, as well as the DC multiverse in general, since then, so going back to an event that references The Joker War feels a little bit weird.
Having said that, I may as well get to the main issue I have with The Hill. It doesn’t feel like it has a purpose. It also isn’t a Red Hood story, yes he is there, but it isn’t really about him, and that is my problem.
To explain why this is an issue for me, I am of the opinion that if you are going to name a story after a character, that character needs to be important to the story itself. For example, Nightwing could not exist without Nightwing. Batman could not exist without Batman. Red Hood: The Hill does not need Red Hood. This story could have unfolded in pretty much the same way if Jason hadn’t been there. He just did not feel vital to the story at all.
It really felt like this story was using Red Hood’s name to sell a story that was not at all focused on Red Hood, or even just Jason Todd. It was focused on the Watch, who are a vigilante group operating in the Hill, that Jason happens to become involved with. Jason didn’t not form this group, he isn’t training them, he just happens to be there. He just happens to want to help.
My other problem is that I don’t care about the rest of the characters featured in this comic book run. I don’t care about them as people, and I don’t care about the relationships they have with Jason, which only a couple of them really do. I just don’t know enough about these characters to really care. I feel as though this should have been it’s own story that focused on these characters alone, so that I might have been more invested in them; maybe have Jason come in a little bit later once we’ve established the characters of the Watch. I think the focus character should have been Dana, the vigilante known as Strike; and while she was the focus, I am reading a Red Hood comic, I want Red Hood to be the main character, not a character that I have spent no real time with, and have no investment in.
Next up is Jason’s character itself, and that is he just feels very bland. He is essentially pushed to the side in favour of Dana. I didn’t really get a feel for his motivation at all. I don’t even get the ‘I’m just here to annoy Bruce’ vibe. He just feels added in for the sake of having his name in the title. This ties back into the fact that this story was started 3 years ago, Jason has experienced several events since the end of RHATO that have had an effect on who he is as a person.
I would have understood it more if this had been pitched as more of a Lost Days type of thing, an “untold story of Jason Todd” so to speak. It wasn’t, so I have to take it as it is.
All in all, I’m just disappointed by Red Hood: The Hill. It feels like a cash grab because Jason is a popular character, and that just ended up doing him and the story a disservice.
I feel as though the writer had a story to tell, but they had to shoe-horn Jason into it, and it just didn’t work. Maybe with a longer run, I could have felt differently, but I have to go off of what we got. The story had potential, I just didn’t care, and I wasn’t given a reason to care beyond being a Jason Todd fan.
As far as I am concerned, nothing is more disappointing than wasted potential.
And that is it for this today’s post! I hope that you enjoyed it, and I hope that you can understand my points! As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments as well as any recommendations for stuff you think I should read!
If you’d like to support my blog – you can buy me a cup of tea here(ko-fi)!
If you enjoy my blog, you should consider giving me a follow so you can stay up to date with every time I post something new!
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How are you feeling today? How has your week been going so far? Do you have any plans for the weekend?
I’m feeling OK today, and my week has been going pretty well so far. I have a lot of down time this weekend, so I am hoping to catch up on reading and sorting out my comics.
Today’s post is my weekly haul of all of the new releases I picked up from my local comic book store!
Let’s get right into it!
Absolute Power: Task Force VII #3
Absolute Power: Task Force VII. Issue #3. Cover A.
Another member of Waller’s Task Force VII is after the JSA. Will they fare any better than the former JLA members?
Red Hood: The Hill #6.
Red Hood: The Hill. Issue #6. Cover A.
This is it, the final issue of this mini-series. Will Red Hood and the Watch, with the help of Batman, be able to save the Hill? I guess we’ll find out.
Now that this series is finished, I want to sit and gather all my thoughts about it, then write a dedicated post with how I feel.
Super-Pets Special: Bitedentity Crisis.
Super-Pets Special: Bietdentity Crisis. One-Shot. Cover A.
I could’t resist this adorable looking summer special, especially as Bitewing, Nightwing’s beloved pooch, takes centre-stage.
I’ve been waiting for this to come out, so I can read it all together.
And that is it for this week’s haul! I hope that you enjoyed it! As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments as well as any recommendations for stuff you think I should read!
If you’d like to support my blog – you can buy me a cup of tea here(ko-fi)!
If you enjoy my blog, you should consider giving me a follow so you can stay up to date with every time I post something new!
If you’re interested in seeing more of my nerdy content, you can check out my social media below!
Did you get to see the eclipse on Monday? I sadly missed it due to cloud cover, though I did still get to experience the darkness.
My week has been going pretty well so far – I have functioning internet again, which is always exciting, and I finally feel like I am starting to get settled in my new home.
Today, as usual, I will be sharing the new comic releases that I picked up this week – let’s get right into it!
Batman/Dylan Dog #2
Batman/Dylan Dog. Issue #2. Cover A.
I really enjoyed the first volume of this crossover, so I am looking forward to seeing where this mini-series goes.
I want to look further into Dylan Dog thanks to this series, it’s always cool to expand my comic book experience.
Batman & Robin #8
Batman & Robin. Issue #8. Cover A.
Robin and Flatline’s adventure continues as they track down Flatline’s older sister. Batman meets up with Shush – but can she be trusted?
Red Hood: The Hill #3.
Red Hood: The Hill. Issue #3. Cover A.
I will admit that I am becoming a little frustrated with this series – but I will save that for a separate post.
The monsters are starting to come out of the woodwork now – how will Red Hood and the Watch handle this new challenge?
Red Hood: The Hill #3
Red Hood: The Hill. Issue #3. Variant Cover by Dan Mora.
I absolutely love Dan Mora’s art style, and I love his variant covers, so I am glad that he is going some for Jason.
X-Men ’97 #2
X-Men ’97. Issue #2. Cover A.
I’m just enjoying the nostalgia of this series.
And that is it for this week’s haul! I hope that you enjoyed it! As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments as well as any recommendations for stuff you think I should read!
If you’d like to support my blog – you can buy me a cup of tea here!
If you enjoy my blog, you should consider giving me a follow so you can stay up to date with every time I post something new!
If you’re interested in seeing more of my nerdy content, you can check out my social media below!
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