Jason Todd will lead them (Red Hood and The Outlaws)

Huge news from the DC reboot this week. A lot of people are either happy , upset, or conflicted. Some things I don't like, like the fact that Dick is being reverted to Nightwing, but I do love the new colors on his uniform. A lot of people are upset that Babs will be walking apparently, and I definitely see their point but I won't get into that. As a person who has been a fan or Babs for a long time, I love both her Batgirl and Oracle runs. But the news that has made me the happiest so far, besides the JLI series, besides the fact that Dick has an awesome outfit, and besides the fact Kyle won't be lost in the shuffle, is the fact that Jason Todd, has finally returned to the side of the good guys, and he isn't alone, as he's LEADING a team, with one of my other favorites, Roy (Arsenal/The TWO-Armed Archer) as well as Starfire. This team, will be called, the Red-Headed Rejects. But seriously, Jason, Arsenal, and Starfire on one team (known as The Red Hood and The Outlaws) is awesome already, now if we can get some other awesome characters added (Wally West anyone?) then I may just forgive DC for giving everyone stupid collars on their costumes. Anyway, here's one plus myself, and other Jason Todd fans are definitely gonna be looking forward to.

Batman’s former sidekick had put his past as The Red Hood behind him, when the reclusive Jason Todd finds himself unwillingly elected as the leader of an all-new team of outlaw vigilantes.

As The Red Hood once again, Jason Todd will lead this new team of antiheroes, including Green Arrow’s rejected sidekick Arsenal and Starfire, a former prisoner of intergalactic war.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS will be written by Scott Lobdell and illustrated by rising superstar artist Kenneth Rocafort.
(Source)

Ratings and Rantings

Hey everyone, the incomparable Jason Todd here with another edition of Ratings and Rantings! Welcome to my Red Hood once again, and I have a few quick announcements for the my Todd Squad. First things first, sorry for not updating the polls, I've decided I'm going to start updating them weekly with my R&R posts that way everyone can come read and vote. Secondly, I'd like to announce the winner of the X vs. JT Poll is no one, we tied at 50% each and the poll had an astonishing 34 votes! Because of my screw up the voting was supposed to end at 11:59 Wednesday Night but I made it go a day later by mistake. But I stopped counting votes after 12:00 because I said it would end Wednesday. I'm happy with a tie but I'm MORE happy with 34 votes. Thanks guys. So, that said, let's get to the reviewing.

Power Girl #13

We're starting things off with our Busty Bombshell Power Girl today, the series has been taken over by Judd Winick, one of my favorite writers, so I'm interested in seeing how he writes former JLI'er, Karen Starr. The artwork is nice, but it's not my style, I think the faces need more definition and everything seems glazed over and too light. I love that this was basically the first issue of Justice League Generation Lost but from PG's perspective. No wonder she went off on Booster the way she did in that issue. Little things in this issue, like mentioning that PG doesn't have pierced ears because she can't due to having Kryptonian skin comes off pretty good. The explanation of PG remembering made sense, which I really liked as well. IF she does remember that is. I enjoyed the comic a lot, it wasn't anything perfect but it was a nice read and I'm looking forward to the next issue and seeing how this ties in with Generation Lost. I'll give this issue of PG an 8/10 rating.

Power Girl about Booster: He's an idiot! A Testosterone-laced media whore who couldn't stay on mission even if it was crawling up his leg and--

Batman: Power Girl seems upset.

Mister Terrific: Very astute. I see why you're called the Master Detective.

Detective Comics #866

Detective Comics is honoring Batman #700 by having a story about Dick Grayson as Robin and his Batman persona as well. The cover is by Dustin Nguyen who works on Streets of Gotham, and it looks awesome. It starts with Batman taking on some thugs, but when the floor falls from under him he lands on a medallion which prompts a Flashback (with old-timey art even!!!) of Batman and The Boy Wonder going after The Joker who stole the same Medallion, and also happened to be the first time Dick went on patrol with Batman. The story comes off a little cheesy but is still enjoyable. The idea of Joker stealing things just to steal them makes sense because that seems like something he'd do, just because that's the way his mind works. Especially in the older Joker appearances. The story really catches up near the end. I loved the ending because I was hoping Dick would beat the clock. This was a really well written story which I thoroughly enjoyed and it gets a 9/10 rating from me.

The Joker: Picasso, Monet, Vang Gogh... Sounds like a Law firm...

Green Lantern Corps #49

Jebus Christ this art is gorgeous! I wish EVERY comic had artwork like this... beautiful. John Stewart and Boodikka start our comic investigating the recent happenings on Grenda. He talks about her past before she became a "robot-like being" by joining the Alpha Lanterns, even mentioning her fling with Lobo. (I'll miss Sheriff Lobo Marge!..Sorry, Simpsons moment.) They discuss why John didn't join as well, which is a very interesting moment between the two. Kyle dreaming about Jade, then waking up and yelling her name... not good buddy. Besides you got a hottie in Soranik... and Hell hath no fury like the scorn of Sinestro's daughter. From there, Kyle, Ganthet and Soranik team up to go after John Stewart. This comic was a very good read, kept up with the pace of the last comic and gave us a villain this issue. I love reading about the Lanterns who aren't Hal Jordan because they can contribute just as much and the upcoming Love Triangle I'm assuming with Kyle, Soranik and Jade should be fun too. I'll give it a 8/10 rating as well.

John Stewart: You used to enjoy stuff like this Boodikka, back when you had a personality. 

The Joker's Asylum: Killer Croc

This time the Joker regales us with a tale of Killer Croc. The man who eats other men, that must be... um enjoyable? Anywho this is titled Beauty and The Beast. I was gonna make fun of Joker reusing that title but he beat me to it, so he wins THIS round. Damn this starts off good, with Killer Croc doing something extremely graphic to get loose from his shackles. I bet Aaron Cash loved that one! I thought I could predict where this was going but that curveball was a nice touch. The idea of Killer Croc wearing a suit is hilarious to me... I mean he's a big Crocodile looking man in a suit! Croc doesn't talk for most of this story, yet his presence is always felt. He's the kind of guy who doesn't need to talk, and him not talking makes him more interesting because you're waiting for him to. the ending, and the words finally spoken by Croc were fantastic. This is a great story, that humanizes a killer, a man who's eaten people. This was an amazing read and definitely the best Joker's Asylum story I've read. I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone. Perfect score, 10/10 rating.


The Joker: Heeheehee! The doctor--Hoohoohoo--looked me in the eyes--Haahaahaa! And asked ME for help!

Batman: Streets of Gotham #13

One more issue before we get back to the guy known as the Anti-Bruce Wayne, Hush. But first we've got the second part to The Carpenter story. I gave part one an 8/10 so let's see how well this one does. Carpenter lays a Smackdown that would even make The Rock cringe on the hired help of the horribly named Director, who's named "The Director." (See told ya...) Afterwards she continues to work so The Director won't know she expects the upcoming betrayal he was dumb enough to leave out and sitting around in plain view. Pretty soon The Director hatches his plan to bring The Dark Knight to the big screen as the Carpenter watches on. This was a pretty good story as well. I'm sure everyone scoffed at a story about The Carpenter but man, this was a good read. I could see her as a valuable member of a team, hell are the Gotham City Sirens hiring? I really walked away from this with a newfound respect for the character. I loved her small two issue story and I'd read more if I had the chance, I'll give this a 8.5/10 rating.

The Carpenter to Batman: Really? A Bat Logo as a buckle? REALLY?

Wolverine Origins #49

This is the fallout from the recent Wolverine/Daken/Romulus Triple Threat feud. The last issue of Dark Wolverine was more of a transitional issue than anything so I'm assuming this one will be as well, but I may be mistaken. Let's find out shall we? Logan talks about how Life usually begins and ends in the same place and how he's starting over this time with a life he controls, considering how Romulus has pretty much made him his puppet and controlled his life with the marionette strings of power he wielded. Yeah, I'm clever, don't act surprised! Anyway, The furball known as Wolverine encounters Nick Fury. They drink and talk, and Nick reminds Wolverine that it's his birthday. Then we see some stuff I won't ruin for you guys but it surprised the hell outta me. The rest of this comic takes a trippy turn at best but it stays interesting for the most part, never knowing who will show up next.  The ending caught me by surprise and definitely hooked me in, just to see how they'll explain what happened. This comic flew by, and I don't know if that's good or bad but I really enjoyed it. It was a basic comic though and nothing happened until the end so I'll give it a 7.5/10, I'm looking forward to the next issue though.

Wolverine: RRROMULUSSSS.... (I loved this because I can picture Logan snarling while saying it.)

Justice League: Rise and Fall of Arsenal #04
 

The finale to The Rise and Fall of Arsenal. They've got a lot to cover in this issue so let's get to it. The Lian Flashback was awesome, I loved seeing her dressed like Roy, that was adorable. And I mean that in the most manly way possible... I'll be the first to admit... The Lian zombie shit... not classy, and not cool at all. At All. And I mean that. Anyway, I figured this would be a predictable Ollie vs. Roy fight so I'm glad they made a good reason to have the two meet up. Why did Ollie have his costume in his cell? Especially if he doesn't have his mask, and he's been in jail for a few days at least since Roy's already visited him once. I loved Ollie admitting that Roy is better than him in a fight and making Roy look formidable. The ending.... I won't lie, it shocked me. Roy has officially become the new Jason Todd, well at least his hair is already Red. Oh and by the way, looks like one of my poll choices a few weeks ago was actually right... ;-) Anyway, I expected Salvation for Roy... 5/10 rating. I'm shocked I'm giving it that because the Lian stuff should REALLY bring it down even more.

Oliver Queen: Listen to me Roy, I know you're hurting. And I know I failed you before! I wasn't there for you. But I'm here now. Don't do this.

JL Generation Lost #4

This issue starts off with the one and only Max Lord. Turns out Aquaman and Firestorm aren't the only Brightest Day Rebirth members having problems with their powers. We then jump over to the team Formerly known as the JLI, taking on the Red Rocket Brigade. Or so they thought, turns out the Red Rocket Brigade is fighting the original Rocket Red. Confusing right? After careful deliberation, Booster, Ice, Cap. Atom and the (not-so-true) Blue Beetle decide to jump into the fray and help the civilians. I love Booster asking Skeets where the power cells were on the villains then zapping them. And I know Fire isn't technically naked but man, she REALLY pushes the line, especially in a mainstream DC Comic. The appearance by Batman was a pleasant surprise, I hope we see him more in the series, and I'm sure we will. The realization of why the JLI have met up together with Rocket Red being discovered by Booster was kind of surprising but it does make sense, as Max would like to play games. The ending of this issue left me with a lot of questions that I can't wait to see answered. I'm also predicting that PG will meet up with the Former JLI members, but the question is when? I'll give this issue an 8.5/10, just because it was good but not great.

Rocket Red: And here--I--The Rocket Red! This is the Justice League International. All ve need is Green Lantern to fall from sky and ve will complete!

Superman/Batman #73

Superman/Batman #73 picks up where the last issue left off, Lois Lane is tied to a stake and there looks to be a witch-burning of sorts, by a cult that believes that she betrayed Superman by marrying an earthling like Clark Kent. (Wow... really?) Surprisingly Lois saves herself, I guess years of playing Damsel in Distress has it's perks. Not long after that, The Caped Crusader shows up to the party to help Lois out. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor is trying to turn a planet against Superman, because after saving the planet they blamed Big Blue for property damage or something. Anyway Lex tries to use his accomplishments and hate for Superman to become the hero of the inhabitants of "Lexor" as he calls it. The fact there's an article on Lois desk she saved that says "Red-Blue Blur gets a name" let's me know someone is a Smallville fan, and I really liked that little inclusion. The rest of this comic is cool, nothing special but a nice read nonetheless. I'll give it a 6/10, no reason to go out of your way to get it or anything but you wouldn't be disappointed if you did.

Cult Leader: If the great Superman is mad at us for attempting to punish the harlot Lois Lane, must we still destroy her? (The word Harlot should make a comeback...)

Green Arrow #1

This is it, for those who don't know, after killing Prometheus, Oliver Queen was found out to be the vigilante known as The Green Arrow. He was later banned from ever showing his face, or um... mask I guess in Star City again. So, there, all caught up. The first issue of Green Arrow begins with a girl running from thugs and she runs right past the Police Station, so either they have some crappy police or there's a reason she didn't go there. She runs into a forest and is saved by the Green Arrow, who shoots a guys nose ring off. Man that was awesome. We soon find out why the woman ran into the forest instead of the police station, what she thinks of Green Arrow, and a very good explanation of why he still wears his mask. The rest of this comic was very well done, there's a lot of text, but as someone who doesn't mind reading I really enjoyed it. I thought this first issue as well as the surprise appearance were done well and I hope the trend continues. I think Ollie living in a forest like where he honed his skills has a lot to offer, and here's hoping it stays this good if not better. 8.5/10 for this debut issue of Green Arrow.

Green Arrow: *when asked about wearing his mask* Because this is who I really am, now. It's the only thing left.

Well everyone, that's it for this weeks Ratings and Rantings. Before I go I want to link anyone who hasn't seen it to the clip of the upcoming Under The Red Hood animated film featuring Jensen Ackles as Red Hood and Bruce Greenwood as Batman, both I feel did an excellent job. So that will be right under this paragraph. Also under that will be the results of last weeks Weekly Poll. So don't forget to vote on the new poll as well. Until next time, I'm your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger-Man, signing off.

-Jason Todd

Last Week's Poll Question was: What would you like to see more of at JasonToddsComicSpot.Blogspot.com?

Last Place with 9.1% - More articles like "Can Jason Todd Regain Glory?"

Tied for Second Place with 18.2% - More Green Blogger Corps and More "What I Learned From"

Winner with 54.5% - More Animated Movie reviews! So I'll do more of those starting soon. Thanks for voting everyone.

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Action Comics #890 (Lex Luthor baby!), Batman Beyond #1, The Flash #3, Gotham City Sirens #13, Green Lantern #55, The Joker's Asylum: Clayface, Teen Titans #84,

Ratings and Rantings

It's that time again, for this weeks edition of Ratings and Rantings! *crickets* Welcome back to my Red Hood, this week's a big one as I'll be reviewing not one, not two, and not three, but EIGHT DC Comics, also for the Marvel fans, this weekend I plan on reviewing "Wolverine: Get Mystique." Why the big Wolverine kick? Blame Marc and X-Man for getting me hooked with Enemy of The State, then I finally started reading the Wolverine Origins collection I got in a trade with someone (for three Nintendo DS Games!!!) and I picked up Dark Wolverine yesterday which I'm loving so far. So blame those two, also blame Falisha, Kello, Nagash, and Benicio127 because... I just wanted to plug their blogs. So, this weekend expect a new poll, which has been great lately, so thanks everyone for making them so fun to post, and Wolverine: Get Mystique. But enough about the future, here's my present, to you, yeah that was lame, so what? Let's get into this review with the lovely ladies known as the Gotham City Sirens.

Gotham City Sirens #12

The very well done cover by Guillem March deserves praise, Harley's mouth looks oddly big but it's a very good looking cover either way. The comic starts off interesting, as it promises to follow up to Blackest Night Catwoman which I enjoyed a lot. Seeing Harley jump across rooftops while holding an enormous mallet is kind of... weird but who am I to judge? Ivy's line confused me because she said the chick almost succeeded where Batman failed. Really? Batman tried to kill you with a big plant oven thing? (Patent Pending) Where the hell was I when this happened? I've seen him retain you but never has he said "Now I can kill Ivy with this big tube that'll wilt her like an old rose! Hahahahaha!!!" Man oh man, the scene with Maggie and the Nun lady was gruesome but I can't say I didn't like it, that was awesome in showing us who Maggie is and what she'll do. The remaining story focused on Maggie, Harley and Catwoman and was very good. I'm pretty anxious to read the next issue and I think if the writing remains this well Sirens could become one of the best comics out, now that they have a threat instead of running around the city fighting an old man or something. I'll give this a 8.5/10 rating.

Maggie: I'm glad she's in her work clothes, it'll make it easier to remember that I'm fighting the Cat, not my sister.

Detective Comics #865

The conclusion to last month's Detective Comics and last years Arkham Reborn mini is here, and I'm anxious to jump into it. We finally find out about Arkham's Black Mask persona as well as his "Beauties", plus seeing Aaron Cash always lightens my mood as he's one of my favorite Arkham employee's. Seeing Hugo Strange with his huge beard sticking out of his Batman mask always makes me laugh, for reasons unknown to me. It's just so asinine. So without giving too much away, we discover the truth about the Beauties, find out who replaces Arkham as the head of Arkham Asylum and we see appearances by Jim Gordon, Zsasz and of course The Dark Knight himself. I loved the ending and we see things are just getting started here. I really really liked this comic, and the 9/10 rating should reflect that. I don't know where Detective Comics will go from here but if the writing is as good as this was I'll be happy.

Dr. Arkham: He wanted to remember me... So I carved my initials inside his eyelid.

Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne #2

Can't say I'm anxious to read this after that horrible first issue but let's get into it, maybe Grant was saving everything for this one? I love how Bruce can't talk in one issue, then in the next the guy is randomly fighting a Kraken. Man this artwork was annoyingly bad. It was so simple that there was like no definition, Supes should look larger than life and he looks like a mailman in Superman tights. Rip Hunter doesn't even LOOK LIKE Rip Hunter! If I didn't know he's with them I'd have no idea who the hell it was! Then I read...and read...and got so bored that I couldn't finish it. That's right, this comic was SO bad that I stopped reading it and don't plan to finish it. I'm done with it. Unless someone who's opinion I value highly, and I mean highly recommends this maybe I'll pick up the trade but I'm done with this story, this arc, and everything else. I may follow Time Masters but I'm done with Return of Bruce Wayne. Rating: N/A

Me: I'm not reading this crap!

Green Lantern Corps #48

Dude.... if that's not a sweet cover I don't know what is. Ganthet, Kyle and John all look real, that's amazing. Great job. So, I'm going into this comic knowing hardly anything except that "If Gardner does this he an' Jordan are done bein' Friends. For Good." So anyway, Ganthet drops a bomb a few pages in that was pretty awesome. Seeing a power ring being created was a pretty epic thing, and definitely showed how such a little ring can wield so much power. We find out that Green Lantern Stel is missing so John Stewart and Boodikka go off to look for him. Also there's an abundance of new Alpha Lanterns but I won't spoil that for you. We never do see Guy again after the first couple pages, which leads me to believe Ganthet has something up his sleeve. This was a great way to start the arc and I'm happy it looks like GLC is still in good hands even with Tomasi moving on. I'll give GLC #48 an 7/10 rating, here's hoping the next issue bumps it up.

Ganthet: I, Ganthet of Oa, do hereby resign my status as a Guardian of the Universe.

Green Lantern #54

Big bad Atrocitus riding the subway, now I've seen everything! His line about the rage was awesome and a good way to start the issue and pull us right in. The artwork is magnificent, I'm not a big art guy as I've always cared more about the story than how good the art is, but just the little touches like how the veins pop out of Hal's neck when trying to lift the White Lantern is what makes it good. Also, Geoff makes a lot of mistakes as we've discussed lately, (replacing Wally with Barry, new Boomer with old Boomer) but the dude writes a hell of a Sinestro. Whether he's supposed to be feared, a hero, or has funny lines, the smarmy attitude of his shines through. And the scene where all three Lanterns (Hal, Carol and Sinestro) touch the White Lantern was an awesome visual. The stuff with Sodam Yat was amazingly good, seeing the Daxamites fall from the sky... was chilling. As well as the Ion chained next to Parallax. Add in the surprise return of someone I've had a soft spot for since Superman: The Animated Series, and you've got a good comic with great art and a good mystery brewing up. I give this month's Green Lantern a 9/10 rating.

Sinestro: While you two are once again fanning the flames of a romantic fire destined to be doomed, we are standing in front of the single most powerful weapon in the universe.

The Rise and Fall of Arsenal #3

I have no idea what to expect from Rise and Fall of Arsenal, I gave the first issue a 4/10 and the second an 8.5/10 so maybe this will show us how this mini is going. I don't know what it is with this week but these covers have been amazing. One page in and we find out that next to Kendra/Shayera/Hawkgirl, Cheshire was the best in bed. Awesome, thanks for that information Roy. Roy and Cheshire do what's expected of them, then Roy goes out to fight crime because he's pissed he came to the field without a Bat, if you catch my drift. Anyway, Roy see's Lian after some... things he does that I won't say, but turns out like always it was a hallucination. A still hallucinating Arsenal blames Batman (Roy's former Teen Titan/Titans buddy Dick Grayson) for Lian's death, thinking he's The Electrocutioner. The fight with Roy and Dick was very well done, as was the scene that followed with Dinah. The last scene was a little too, grim for my tastes, I mean she's a little girl. But eh, whatever, all in all this was a good comic, and I'm enjoying it. Some will say it's a step back for Roy, which it is, but with everything he's been through it's expected of him. I'll give this issue a 9/10 and I'm eagerly awaiting the fourth and final issue of this mini.

Roy: I'm glad she's here, I needed an outlet--Something to take out my frustration on. Might as well be Jade. She likes it rough anyway.

Teen Titans # 83

I love how Cass, Superboy, Kid Flash, and more are on the cover, no Static, yet Blue Beetle is on the cover. And by love I mean hate, because I'm not a fan of Blue Beetle at all... anyway this is the start of a new arc called "The Hunt for Raven" which I'm hoping is exciting. I'm already annoyed with Beast Boy, he's been trying to lead a group when he can barely lead himself now every word out of his mouth is "Raven." We've gotta find Raven, Where's Raven, Let's look for Raven blah blah blah, how many times has she been kidnapped, turned evil or died and came back?! She's fine, go turn into a something and make yourself useful. And the comic hops around like it's taking a Brightest Day class in story telling etiquette. We also see the backlash or Cassie and Connor which is weird because they seemed just fine in Adventure Comics #2 (I believe) so them arguing now seems unnecessary. Can someone explain to me how turning into a monkey can allow Beast Boy to fix a computer that just short circuited? I mean if a Monkey can do it, why not just do it as a human... can Monkeys harness electricity or something because I didn't see that on Animal Planet. Also there's a page where it looks like Cassie is saying Miss Martian's words because they were placed in a weird place, then it continues in the next panel, making me think someone screwed up. Besides all that it was interesting, they wrote Jamie out so he could ruin, I mean be in, Generation Lost. But this wasn't a bad read despite the faults, It gets a 6/10.

Superboy: Want me to carry her, Bombshell?

Bombshell: I've got her. Could carry Miss Martian, You, and your enormous ego, if I had to.

Justice League: Generation Lost #2

I like Chess, I like Comics so I loved this cover. I hate Blue Beetle (Jamie Reyes) though, but whatever. Anyway, this starts off genius. Supes is staring at a picture of Wonder Woman holding a sword, well to him anyway, when actually it's a pic of her snapping Max Lord's neck! That alone shows that Max Lord is awesome as hell, I mean when this is over dude will be in my top five villains list because that's freaking awesome. Captain Atom saying Booster got "his ass whumped with a pipe" was awesome, I mean I don't know who says "whumped" but yeah, that was funny. During Booster's conversation with "The New Dark Knight" (Man I'm using a lot of quotes!) I loved hearing how Max has changed up history, and seeing classic Batsuits in the background. Once again the artwork is pretty good, this is one of the best drawn Wonder Woman's I've seen in a while, she looks powerful and like a woman and not one or the other. There's a lot in this issue, so much that I've barely touched upon it, but enough that I know that this comic deserves the rating it's getting. Seeing as how it'll probably drop now that Jaime Reyes is in it, makes it even better that It has a 10/10 rating. I really loved this and it seems Max has all his bases covered so what can the former JLI do? Only time will tell, but I'll definitely be waiting.

Skeets: I can only assume that the implication is that Booster's life needs no discrediting. Therefore making anything Mister Lord might do... redundant.

And now... More ranting. In all the comics I read this week there was a preview of the upcoming Batman: Odyssey. Between this and First Wave, what the hell is up with Batman using guns?! My Batman doesn't use guns, okay? Jason Todd does, and that's fine, but Batman doesn't. He did in the 1940's and even Geoff Johns doesn't want that Batman back, so that's saying something! Sure he used one on Darkseid, but he's a friggin New God. Just cause he used one on Darkseid doesn't mean he's gonna roam Gotham with a shotgun.... anyway, I have a question before I leave.

If Booster Gold had a movie, who would you like to see play him? My pick is Ashton Kutcher, cause he's a funny guy but could make Booster look serious, I wanna hear what you guys think though.

Well, that's it for me, like I said up top I'll be back with a new poll and a review for Get Mystique this weekend. Until then, You've just been Gobsmacked!

- Jason Todd

Next Time on Ratings and Rantings

Brightest Day #3 , The Joker's Asylum: The Riddler, Superman/Batman Annual #4, Red Robin #13, and Red Hood: Lost Days #1 (Woooooooooooooo!!!!!)

Ratings and Rantings

Come one, come all, step right up and enjoy the show, I proudly present to you, this weeks edition of Ratings and Rantings, with your host, Jason Todd!!! *Crickets* Alright, enough of that, Welcome back again to my Red Hood, for another week of my Ratings and Rantings. Today I'll take a look at some of the DC Comics I picked up today, as well as Marvel's Deadpool #22 being one of the few Marvel comics that I do review. Before we get started I wanted to let those curious know that Batman: Under The Red Hood finally has a release date. It was announced that it'll be released July 27, 2010. So a mere three months from now (TORTURE!!!) those interested can check it out, by the way the box art looks pretty damn awesome. Those interested can see it after watching the teaser trailer posted below.



But enough of Jason Todd, well for right now any, time what you guys came here to see, what I think about the comics that were released this week, so we're gonna do just that.

Green Lantern Corps #47

This issue of Green Lantern Corps is a Blackest Night Epilogue. After fixing the GLC battery, Guy and Kyle talk about all the close calls the Corps have had as of late, including the Sinestro Corps Wars, Blackest Night and everything else. From there we see the Corps pay respect to their dead with a big ass tree that has one of the dead's face on each leaf, which is pretty awesome to be honest. The artwork in this issue is pretty good, especially seeing Kilowog up close, I think I'll have nightmares about that, Poozer's. Vath and um...the Thanagarian guy have really grown on me, especially since reading Recharge, and the interaction they had here was really strong and quickly changed the tone of the comic. Seeing The Guardians confronted also made this a great read and a great send off with Tomasi and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps creative crew. So, good comic for what it was but it could've been better, I'll give it a 7.5/10.

Guy Gardner: Helluva right hook you got there, Arisia. You do realize you're my new favorite Lantern?

Gotham City Sirens #11

This issue of Gotham City Sirens stars Harley Quinn's well-toned ass apparently... Or that's what I'd think from looking at the cover since it's there, center stage. Anyway, Selina's joke about her being a Cat...Woman was very lame and forced, I hate stuff like that. Poison Ivy comes across like a real bee-yatch, but her line about the Legion of Doom was pretty awesome, it almost made up for the corny line Catwoman said earlier. All in all, the B story with Selina and Harley seemed pretty useless, and for the second time we gotta see Ivy get saved. Seems like there's only been eleven issues and their already running out of stories! I mean think about it, when was the last time you read Sirens where they weren't trying to save Harley or Ivy, hell when they appeared in Blackest Night Catwoman they had to save HER! I just hate that three of Batman's most capable female villains can't even stay outta trouble without needing to rescue one another. It's getting really old, really fast. I'll give this a 6/10 and I hope Dini can make this interesting like he did Streets of Gotham, but after a year I won't hold my breath.

Poison Ivy: I'll have to thank him for the tip at the next Legion of Doom meeting, if we ever have one.

Teen Titans #82

I wouldn't have noticed if Nagash hadn't pointed it out but every Teen Titan is on this cover except for Aquagirl, and I have no idea why, and Beastboy is even taking up two spots... Anyway, We start off with three former Teen Titans and current saviors, because the entire team can't beat one dude up. Well at least our saviors have crappy banter because that's always a plus right? Gotta love that Sarcasm. Oh dear God the dialogue in this is bad. It's like one big horrible pun. "I like my superheroes crispy." ""Cancel that order!" Oh God the dialogue during the fight is SO bad. Anyway there was like 30 things that made no sense. What the hell did Beast Boy do for the save, I mean that made NO sense. Also..that was the worst cliffhanger ever. I'm seriously thinking about dropping Teen Titans. And since you feel the need to bring back people, why the hell not Ravager? Get rid of Beetle, get rid of Beast Boy and Raven because they bore me, and bring back Ravager ASAP. 3/10, Just for the returning Titans aka The Saviors. (X has Saint Barry, I have the Saviors.)

Holocaust: Barbecued Titans, Dakota's newest delicacy. Man, I love my job.

Deadpool #22

We pick up with our boy Deadpool continuing his journey to become a Hero. We've seen him kill Skrulls, try to join the X-Men, fight a Hit-Monkey and team up with New York's finest. Now we see him face to face with the Mighty Thor, telling him that he has girl hair, calling him a doofus and slitting his neck, then he woke up. A lot of people wonder why I like Deadpool. To be honest, he's so different it's hard not to, I'm a wiseguy/smart ass like him and I like to joke and laugh so reading his comics, I'm usually entertained. This was a very entertaining comic. I laughed, out loud, quit a lot and not a lot of comics can make me do that. Where else can you read the sentence "Ah gots t'git nekkid, unka Dale! It's mah only hope!" Ah, but I digress, This was a nice fun comic. Nothing got furthered storyline-wise but for what it was I was very happy with this issue of Deadpool and I'm eagerly awaiting the next. I'll give Deadpool #22 an 8/10.

Thor: I wieldeth Mjolnir! What art thou working with?! (Epic, just because Thor asked what someone's working with.)

Detective Comics #864

Oh Detective Comics, how I've longed for Greg Rucka to leave so I could read thee! This is the beginning of a two-part arc that will feature an explanation of Black Mask's secret identity and why. It's also going to further the Arkham Asylum three issue series that came out late last year. So, let's jump into the review. This story was...very hard to describe. While we didn't learn much we did learn that Arkham is schizophrenic. The cliffhanger was awesome and I hate I have to wait a month to find out what happened. The issue itself was very interesting, and kept my attention the whole time. It completely sold me on the transformation Arkham has made and shows there may be something good coming out of him being Black Mask. I really enjoyed this, and the questions it raised and I'm looking forward to the answers. I'll give this issue a 9/10. I hate co-features so I didn't care enough to review The Question's few pages.

Dr. Arkham: I WILL NOT BE MOCKED!!!! (FYI: Don't mock that man....ever.)

The Rise and Fall of Arsenal #2

Rise and Fall of Arsenal 2 starts off with Roy and Lian enjoying a fun day on the town until things go crazy in Star City. This opening scene was very interesting and graphic, especially seeing Roy lose his arm. Once again I can't help but say how good the artwork is here compared to that dreadful art in Green Arrow's books, it's so bad it doesn't make sense. Also, why the hell is Ollie allowed to wear his Green Arrow costume in jail? What the hell kind of jail lets you wear your costume?! I also loved seeing Roy and Ollie's first confrontation, and seeing Roy go off on him. Man Ollie's having a bad year.  I hate the fact that I read an article in January on IGN.com where Robinson said Roy wouldn't get a robotic arm yet he just did. Either he's a blatant liar or someone's not talking to other people in the company. A surprise appearance by one of my favorite female characters definitely made this better, and if anyone could talk to Roy about both Lian and drug abuse it's her. As for Roy going off on his friends, DAYUM! Man...he snapped and I loved it. Especially what he said about Donna, that was epic. I'm waiting for X to say "Wooo Baby!" in his review. But really, that was epic. I hated the ending because we don't know if Roy got shot or what the hell happened, and I really hate to see his character move backwards with the drugs but after everything he's lost it made sense. I think this issue is much better than the first and I'm eager to see where it goes from here. I'll give this issue an 8.5/10.

Roy: You don't know jack, Donna. I was there for Lian, always. You ABANDONED your family. While they were dying in a car accident,you were whoring through space with Kyle Rayner! Robbie died because you were a bad mother, Lian died because I was stupid.

So that's all for this week's Ratings and Rantings. I think it was an okay week, some could have been better but for the most part I enjoyed this week's releases. I'll be back this weekend, probably Sunday with a review for Spider-man Noir: Eyes Without a Face since I was asked so graciously by Marc and X-Man75. I'll also have a new poll up, the current one ends tomorrow so get your votes in if ya haven't. And next week's Ratings and Rantings will feature, Batman & Robin #12, Brightest Day #1, Red Robin #12, Titans for Hire and I may pick up War of the Superman if someone wants to give me a synopsis that'll get me caught up by then. So thanks for reading guys, and until next time, You've just been Gobsmacked!

 

- Jason Todd

What I Learned From: Cry For Justice

Hey everyone, welcome back to my Red Hood. Oh yeah, I said it. Jason Todd here with another edition of my crowd pleasing, award winning, bone chilling, life changing, over exaggerating column, "What I Learned From..." Last time I tackled the Blackest Night with a bunch of things I learned from that DC Universe changing event, this time I'm going to tell you guys what I learned from Cry for Justice, an event that apparently took place prior to Blackest Night. But first, I just wanna say,

~The following are the views of the Jason Todd Comic Spot, they are in no way, shape or form considered to be coherent in any language or to any race or creed of people. Without any more stalling, I present to you What I learned from Cry For Justice.~

Gorilla Grodd, Sinestro, Lex Luthor, Poison Ivy, Bizarro, Captain Cold and The Joker all appear on the first issue covers yet make no appearance in any of the books at all. Talk about marketing...

Hal Jordan was pissed and wanted to get "Justice" on Libra, Oliver sided with him. Later, Oliver gets Justice on  Prometheus, and Hal decides to hunt down Ollie and try to turn him in. What a friend.

Killer Moth is bald even though he's usually a red headed dude...

Going in someone's nose as a microscopic man then coming out fully grown, apparently you won't have any snot or anything like that on you some how.

Congorilla is the worst name ever. I mean ever. I mean damn couldn't they at least have used B'wana Beast instead of Congorilla?

The word Justice appears in Cry For Justice #1 a total of 11 times not including the title.

Hal Jordan apparently had a little alone time with The Huntress and Lady Blackhawk, no wonder they call him Highball Hal.

Big Talking Gorilla's and Blue guys with red hair often try to kill each other before becoming bestest friends.


The word Justice appears in Cry For Justice #2 a total of 5 times not including the title, 6 if you count two people saying it with one word bubble.

Supergirl cries from being asked if she's a good guy or a bad guy, because Kryptonian's have skin like steel but their feelings are easily ripped through like warm butter. Well we had the Justice, so there's the crying.

Insulting Prometheus and telling him he's lower than a B-List villain is really gonna come back and bite you in your ass, eh Green Arrow?

Jumping out of an airplane, when you're an 8-foot tall, 900-pound Gorilla, may not be the smartest idea ever.


The word Justice appears in Cry For Justice #3 a total of 4 times not including the title. Someone was holding back.

The Atom asking everyone if they've had sinus headache's get's old, VERY quickly. Just shut up and jump in their head already. You don't need a catchphrase. There's not gonna be any "Have you ever had a sinus headache" shirts and headbands popping up anytime soon.


The word Justice appears in Cry For Justice #4 a total of 1 time not including the title. Maybe we're done with it, hopefully we are.

They allude to Roy losing his arm by showing him touch Green Arrow and gesturing with that hand. Also, him losing it, definitely sucked, but the fact that he said "I can't feel my fingers." was unintentionally or intentionally hilarious.

The word Justice appears in Cry For Justice #5 a total of 6 times not including the title. They tricked me, the bastards, I let my guard down and they went JUSTICE CRAZY!!!!

Prometheus using Sinus headache on Palmer made my day, I wish he wasn't dead just for that reason.

Prometheus may just be the Batman or the villains the way he owned everyone, hell, even Deathstroke didn't do that.

Green Arrow alludes to killing Prometheus two issues before he does it, so the moral of the story, if someone says "You're lucky I'm not/didn't" then they are going to do it.

Donna Troy, should be in the UFC because she beat the holy hell out of Prometheus. I mean really, Brock Lesnar better watch out for Donna Troy.


The word Justice appears in Cry For Justice #6 a total of  0 times not including the title. WHAT?! I'm shocked, there was alot of action though so there was no time for Justice.

Ollie killed Prometheus and said Justice. Because that's what I'd say if my granddaughter was killed and my son was maimed. Come on Ollie, at least spruce it up. "Justice Bee-yatch!"  Or something along those lines.


The word Justice appears in Cry For Justice #7 a total of 1 time not including the title. And Prometheus feels that it was one too many.

So, seven issue's later, Roy's maimed, Lian's dead, Ollie's a criminal, Hal is gonna hunt his good buddy, the only person who sided with him, Prometheus is dead, and oh, there was Justice apparently. I also think Mikail and Congorilla are dating or something. Oh and for those wondering,

The word Justice appears in Cry For Justice a total of 22 times not including the title, which is sad considering 11 were in the first issue.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have 7 comics to go burn. :-) Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this edition of What I Learned From: Cry for Justice. Like I said in Ratings and Rantings, this week is a small pull so expect some other reviews popping up and as always comments are appreciated. Until then, you've just been Gobsmacked!

- Jason Todd

Debut Edition of Ratings and Rantings

Hey hey hey everybody. JT here with the first edition of Ratings and Rantings which is exactly the same thing as Review a Few just with a less cheesy name :P So  I'll still review everything the same and still have the Line of The Issue and etc. For those curious as to why my article is so late, I actually had computer problems Wednesday, so bad I had to delete EVERYTHING off my computer. Falisha then came and got my laptop Thursday and took it to her father who is an ace computer repair guy and fixed my precious link to the outside world. So thanks to those two awesome people, now lets not hesitate any longer and get to some reviews.

Batman: Streets of Gotham  #10

Streets 10 picks up where #7 left off, I believe it was 7 as it's been a while since we read about Zsasz's exploits. Let me just say I LOVE the shots from Zsasz's point of view, it really show you how his sick mind works. Also the backstory with Abuse was amazing. Dini is wonderful for taking an event in Batman mythos I barely remembered and making a hero out of them. It makes so much sense too now that I know the whole story and they definitely helped the rating in my eyes. I also liked that he alluded to that female villain, The Carpenter or whatever her name is, from former stories, most recently Gotham City Sirens. I will say Damien must be a damn idiot. It's not obvious enough that you're ten and the same height and build as Robin but you're giving out info that only Batman, Robin and the cops know?! That's another example of Damian being an idiot in a comic. I mean... you basically give hints you're Robin, then you say your real name, which must be easy to find since you're BRUCE WAYNE'S SON!!! But then to do some flipping attacks while you're not in costume in front of people just screams stupidity. See, first comic you got more ranting than rating. Anyway I really liked the story, the Damien parts hurt it in my eyes but I'll give it a 7/10.

Jonesy: Gold Or Brass?

Abuse: Which would hurt more when slugged in the face?

Jonesy: Brass.

Abuse: Then Brass.

Deadpool #21

Deadpool 21 continues with our Mouthy Merc, our Murderous Monkey and our friend;y neighborhood Spider-Man. There's far too many things going on in this comic and I don't wanna spoil them. I loved Deadpool's plan although it took me a while to understand it, it was truly genius. Also the talk between Deadpool and Spidey at the end of the comic was fantastic. It seemed like a genuine true moment and definitely made me respect Deadpool for trying and respect Spider-Man for everything he's done as a hero. I loved the cops reaction to finding Spider-Man after the big showdown with Hit-Monkey as well, that one line was just awesome. Um... anything else? Oh yeah Deadpool and Spider-Man's exploits in Pete's apartment was great, but for some reason this issue didn't live up to my expectations which is sad after I gave the first two such good ratings. Once again I have to give a 7/10, here's hoping the trend doesn't continue.

Deadpool: Swanky Hotel huh? You could be rollin like this too if you let me hook you up with that Spider-Cave.

Justice League: The Rise and Fall of Arsenal #01

How is this under the Justice League banner? Is Roy apart of the JLA or what? Anyway... The cover was awesome, Dinah even looked real. I hate that Ollie looked like Rumplestiltskin but whatever, it's still an awesome cover. Starting this comic with Lian just tore at my heart... I mean her death was senseless and wrong, it contributed nothing and her being killed will forever be one moment that I will always stand against when it comes to comics. It's not enough that Roy was maimed for no good reason but killing his daughter ws just sick. Anyway the artwork in this comic is truly great, why Green Arrow's comic didn't have the same I have no idea but this art is amazing, especially the big page where Roy is waiting for an answer from Dinah about Lian's fate. Also, I know their making Roy out to be bitter and everything but what he said to Dinah, the woman who took him in and helped him when no one else would, made me sick. I seriously disliked Roy for a minute when I read that and that's not a good thing. Anyway, where their going with this comic, I have no Idea and I don't like it. The ending was horrible and if this is what their planning for Roy I'd rather he just stayed where he was and continued to have a bit part. This comic didn't impress me, I didn't like the story and I almost started to not like Roy and that's not a good way to start, hopefully Roy is redeemed but for now I gotta give this a 4/10.


Red Arrow: Nice try whoever you are. but I felt a gloved hand against the back of my head. You're not Freddy. (This line showed how awesome Red Arrow is)

Green Lantern #52

Here we are, after months and months this is the final pit-stop before the end of The Blackest Night. Let's get to it. Seeing the beings that represent each Color Corp was pretty damn awesome, even if it did look like a high school video on nature while we got their back story's. I kept waiting for Ben Stein to pop up. Anyway I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed this. It was basically filler to Blackest Night 8. This comic was pretty much useless and nothing changed from the beginning to the end. If I had skipped this and picked up BN 8 next week, I wouldn't even have noticed this comic existed. Oh well. Long story short this was 20 pages of uselessness and I'm very disappointed as I was expecting to end this review with a big bang, instead it's ending with a measly 2/10. That's all I'll give it for wasting my time. Oh well, the finale is next week and I couldn't be happier.

Sinestro: You have no idea the power I possess Nekron. I am one with every living thing in this universe. From the bacteria in the air to the guardians themselves. I am the center of it all!

So there you have it. This was not a good week for me, crappy comics, my laptop broke and um the best reviewed comic was a 7/10. Here's hoping next week makes up for it. I'll be reviewing the long awaited Blackest Night 8, Gotham City Sirens 10, JLA 43 and Teen Titans 81. Also it looks like everyone want's Mr. Freeze as he won this weeks poll. Expect a new poll up tomorrow as well. The results are below for anyone interested. Until next time, you've just been Gobsmacked!

- Jason Todd

55.6% Mr. Freeze

22.2% Hush

0.0% Solomon Grundy

22.2%