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A review by supeskenobi
Under the Red Hood by Judd Winick
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Following hot of the heels from arguably one of the greatest Batman comic runs of all time, Batman: Hush, Batman: Under The Red Hood hits and it hits hard. By adding one of the greatest additions to Batman's universe, the titular 'Red Hood', Winick further expands on why Batman truly has the greatest allies and villains out of the DC and Marvel Pantheon. The explorations between Batman's morality and his 'no kill rule' contrast expertly to the more gun-ho, 'kill the bad guys' morality that Red Hood follows is done expertly in just one scene and one scene only.
Aside from the brilliant look at the morality of the two protagonists of the story, Batman: Under The Red Hood offers a sprawling thriller, mystery with perhaps the most personal mystery for Batman to ever find the answer too. Not only is Batman tested, put through mental anguish and torture, his resolve to save the man under the mask, is what makes not just this graphic novel so brilliant; but also the character of Batman and why he is the greatest comic book hero. Also worth noting is just how funny this book is at times, with both Red Hood and the villainous Black Mask providing most if not all of the laughs.
Perhaps the biggest weakness of this book, much like Batman: Hush, is at times it can feel somewhat overstuffed with a bunch of different characters. Sure most of them are mere henchmen of Black Mask, but with the sheer abundance of DC heroes and villains, it does rather make the story feel somewhat a tad too crowded. Combine this with and art style that tends to change every three or four issues, a slightly dragged out and over stuffed story-line and a less than satisfactory explanation about how *that character* returns, the book does fall somewhat rather flat in places.
This comic was adapted into 2010's 'Under the Red Hood' with Bruce Greenwood as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, John Di Maggio as Joker and Jason Issacs as Ra's Al Ghul. For the most part it's a faithful adaptation of this comic (though naturally it is streamlined massively) and in places is the superior version as Joker and Ra's Al Ghul have a much better and stronger presence in it.
However, if you are a fan of that adaptation and have yet to read the source material, then I could not highly recommend this graphic novel more.
Aside from the brilliant look at the morality of the two protagonists of the story, Batman: Under The Red Hood offers a sprawling thriller, mystery with perhaps the most personal mystery for Batman to ever find the answer too. Not only is Batman tested, put through mental anguish and torture, his resolve to save the man under the mask, is what makes not just this graphic novel so brilliant; but also the character of Batman and why he is the greatest comic book hero. Also worth noting is just how funny this book is at times, with both Red Hood and the villainous Black Mask providing most if not all of the laughs.
Perhaps the biggest weakness of this book, much like Batman: Hush, is at times it can feel somewhat overstuffed with a bunch of different characters. Sure most of them are mere henchmen of Black Mask, but with the sheer abundance of DC heroes and villains, it does rather make the story feel somewhat a tad too crowded. Combine this with and art style that tends to change every three or four issues, a slightly dragged out and over stuffed story-line and a less than satisfactory explanation about how *that character* returns, the book does fall somewhat rather flat in places.
This comic was adapted into 2010's 'Under the Red Hood' with Bruce Greenwood as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, John Di Maggio as Joker and Jason Issacs as Ra's Al Ghul. For the most part it's a faithful adaptation of this comic (though naturally it is streamlined massively) and in places is the superior version as Joker and Ra's Al Ghul have a much better and stronger presence in it.
However, if you are a fan of that adaptation and have yet to read the source material, then I could not highly recommend this graphic novel more.