“Red Hood” – Book Two
Writers: Sean Murphy and Clay McCormack
Artist: Simone Di Meo
Color Artist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Review by James Attias
Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood #2 brings us back to the present… sort of… with the adventures of Jason and Gan! Superhero names are pending…
Batman: White Knight Presents: Gan #2?
After the opener from the last issue, we’re thrown back into the “I’m not cut out to be a mentor” storyline, with Jason Todd and his new sidekick Gan the girl wonder. She’s a really likable character, which is worrying when Sean Murphy’s writing a book. They don’t tend to fare very well.
A young girl being trained by a superhero (not Batman) because she believes Gotham needs a Robin? Tim Drake, eat your heart out! In this game, Gan just went all in. If this book were an 80’s movie, we’d be treated to a training montage in this issue, with Jason training her in the ways of hand-to-hand combat. Everything’s going great, they’re fighting low-level crooks and smiling when the job’s done. Then comes the crisis of doubt.
We all know that in this universe Jason Todd was the first Robin which leads us to a lot of new stories and all-mew and different feels for characters. If Jason was the first Robin and he “died” at the hands of the Joker, then that was Bruce’s first attempt to let someone into his world and it cost the young man his life. That would have messed him up. So, add to that the fact that this Jason wasn’t killed by Joker, he was tortured, beaten, and broken to the point of revealing Bruce’s secret before running away, pretending to be dead. That’s an even worse trauma. I’m starting to think everyone in the White Knight Universe is super messed up.
Bat-Manga or Ganime, Which Pun is Better?
The writing in this story was great. Murphy can tell a story very well and make you really care for the characters in a short amount of time. However, for me, the art in this Red Hood title was a bit jarring. We usually have Murphy drawing his own stories, so when you see it you know.
The way Jason looks in this book, I wasn’t sure how old he was meant to be. Is he young with his gray/white patch of hair, or is he the same age as he was when we saw him in Curse of the White Knight? Is he a former soldier with stubble for days? This art style felt quite Manga/anime to me making it hard to get a gauge on age. Then there’s Gan’s physique; was she a brawler, was she 6’2″, or is she a 17-year-old girl drawn to an unrealistic template? I don’t know. I’m hoping that these questions are answered when their story continues in the next issue of Beyond the White Knight!
Conclusion
Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood #2 was definitely a stepping stone to give us more exposure to Jason Todd leading into the rest of Beyond the White Knight. It didn’t feel like essential reading, but I hope to be pleasantly surprised when the story continues next month!
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
