“A Family Thing”
Writer: Shawn Martinbrough
Artist: Sanford Greene
Color Artist: Matt Herms
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Review by Adam Ray
After the strong opener and the needed context in the bumper issue zero, Red Hood: The Hill #1 starts the series proper with a bang.
Jason and his new ally are doing wonders keeping one of Gotham’s most troubled pockets out of trouble, as the criminal element has vague designs on what they want to do. When all this great plot is wrapped up in such a distinctive art style, the whole all adds up to a unique and interesting title.
There’s something about the earthy tones of Matt Herms’ colors and the harsher edges of Sanford Greene’s characters that makes this world feel lived in.
There are many wildly stylistic art styles among current titles, as well as more realistic takes, but the harsh hatching in the characters’ faces and the surrounding buildings all really add up to a side of Gotham that makes us feel that these characters have been through the wringer, just for trying to keep the peace in the city.
When you contrast that with Greene’s earthy reds and oranges, we get the welcoming and homely feeling of the family diner into the uncertain blue of a deep Gotham night.
The pace has been kept up well from issue#0. The movers and shakers in Gotham’s seedy underbelly are getting ready for anything. I think it’s good that this isn’t the title’s focus thus far and, once again, we’ve seen more Jason Todd than Red Hood in this issue.
We’re seeing him mature and grow from the events that he’s just been through, and he’s starting to live up to the high standards that he perhaps should have followed from the start.
Conclusion
The real conflict kicks down the door near the end of the issue. Red Hood: The Hill #1 brings us a new dynamic on how we can imagine Jason Todd and how he’s set to handle himself in this troubled part of Gotham City.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
