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karalouise99's review against another edition
4.0
A good read with great art and an intriguing plot, but I would have appreciated more of a look into Jason's head than, 'Hey, now I'm crazy, let's shoot people!'
ryanjael29's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
raylugh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
infamouspansy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
oddmara's review against another edition
5.0
Made it to the fabled year of 2006, to meet the fabled man Jason Todd. Honestly, I was dreading this moment. I am not a huge fan of angsty villains (and I won't lie, the way they justified him being brought back to life was very iffy), and I loved dead Jason Todd as a storytelling device, probably the best DC has ever come up with.
But I won't lie, I was extremely pleasantly surprised!
This was a fun, captivating read, that finally broke the boundaries of the now boring same Batman narrative that we see in every single Batman story now. There were only 3 main characters, 4 if you include Alfred, which was a perfect amount for me to get invested as Batman narratives have this love of involving way too many characters than necessary and get lost in them rather than the story they're trying to tell.
Jason was fun! He was spunky and ironic and extremely trigger happy, which falls in line perfectly with his character before he died. I like the idea of an actual vigilante in Gotham-- killing involved-- and excited to see how the story will evolve with him here. I think he's a great narrative foil for everyone involved. Sadly, knowing DC they will probably fuck this up, one way or another, knowing their track record of writing characters. Still, all in all, I really enjoyed this!
It was sad to see Bruce try and figure everything out, reach out to all of his dead friends and try to contradict what his gut told him was true. Seeing the last chapter, with the Joker and Jason and Dick and everything going on was the height of the story, and I can't wait to see what happens next!
But I won't lie, I was extremely pleasantly surprised!
This was a fun, captivating read, that finally broke the boundaries of the now boring same Batman narrative that we see in every single Batman story now. There were only 3 main characters, 4 if you include Alfred, which was a perfect amount for me to get invested as Batman narratives have this love of involving way too many characters than necessary and get lost in them rather than the story they're trying to tell.
Jason was fun! He was spunky and ironic and extremely trigger happy, which falls in line perfectly with his character before he died. I like the idea of an actual vigilante in Gotham-- killing involved-- and excited to see how the story will evolve with him here. I think he's a great narrative foil for everyone involved. Sadly, knowing DC they will probably fuck this up, one way or another, knowing their track record of writing characters. Still, all in all, I really enjoyed this!
It was sad to see Bruce try and figure everything out, reach out to all of his dead friends and try to contradict what his gut told him was true. Seeing the last chapter, with the Joker and Jason and Dick and everything going on was the height of the story, and I can't wait to see what happens next!
tmwebb3's review against another edition
5.0
Really great batman story. Well drawn. Ties up lots of loose ends.
kthealey's review against another edition
4.0
It's a classic, beyond being a Jason Todd or even a Batman fan.
It challenges the superhero, good vs evil, black & white mentality with a hard reality that is very grey.
Winnick does a great job at building tension to a boiling point, and fleshing out each character to really see the perspectives of the immovable object meeting the unstoppable force.
Only qualm with it is the ending's tie in to a Nightwing storyline that was only briefly mentioned and entirely irrelevant. I understand that it was supposed to create tension of a father being forced to choose between his sons, but it was entirely fumbled. It made Jason seem more heartless and Bruce more holy than rest of the story really warranted. It's a story about challenging Batman's mantra right? The Blüdhaven plot was like a 180 turn - an unnecessary reminder that Batman was good and Jason was bad making both characters fall flat.
All in all though, this is one of my favorite batman stories. Very thought provoking, had intricate plot lines, and funny jokes. I think I might have even cried at certain points...
It challenges the superhero, good vs evil, black & white mentality with a hard reality that is very grey.
Winnick does a great job at building tension to a boiling point, and fleshing out each character to really see the perspectives of the immovable object meeting the unstoppable force.
Only qualm with it is the ending's tie in to a Nightwing storyline that was only briefly mentioned and entirely irrelevant. I understand that it was supposed to create tension of a father being forced to choose between his sons, but it was entirely fumbled. It made Jason seem more heartless and Bruce more holy than rest of the story really warranted. It's a story about challenging Batman's mantra right? The Blüdhaven plot was like a 180 turn - an unnecessary reminder that Batman was good and Jason was bad making both characters fall flat.
All in all though, this is one of my favorite batman stories. Very thought provoking, had intricate plot lines, and funny jokes. I think I might have even cried at certain points...
stories_of_the_soul27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Judd Winick has done a phenomenal job of bringing back such a hated character back to life in such a haunting, tragic but beautiful way! There is so much anguish, trauma and anger seeping through the story and the characters and Winick wrapped them all up beautifully. Every drop of emotion was well measured and placed at the right places. It hurts you tremendously when Jason asks why the Batman has let Joker lived when he was the one who took Jason from him. The back and forth of the dialogues hits you more than the punches exchanged between Batman and Red Hood.
The compilation was really good. It had chapters of satisfying action and seeing Black Mask losing his empire bit by bit but unable to do anything. And then it had the whole Batman and Hood exchange.
I need time to recover from this.
P.S. I need to specially mention the comment of Alfred about how the one thing the villains fear most about Batman is his “resolve”. It is so true. We love Batman so much because he always gets up and just gets going. Always! He is not sentimental in the way a father or lover is but he loves Gotham and the few people he holds dear to him. For Gotham and them he keeps going.
The compilation was really good. It had chapters of satisfying action and seeing Black Mask losing his empire bit by bit but unable to do anything. And then it had the whole Batman and Hood exchange.
I need time to recover from this.
P.S. I need to specially mention the comment of Alfred about how the one thing the villains fear most about Batman is his “resolve”. It is so true. We love Batman so much because he always gets up and just gets going. Always! He is not sentimental in the way a father or lover is but he loves Gotham and the few people he holds dear to him. For Gotham and them he keeps going.
karliclover's review against another edition
5.0
I have to admit: I watched the movie first. The movie version of this book is probably my favorite DC animated film. It's perfect.
The book is great, as well. My favorite parts were the references to the events of Identity Crisis. By the way, if you haven't read Identity Crisis, you should. It's not necessary to read before Under the Red Hood, but you'll get more of what's going on during the scenes with Green Arrow and Zatanna. Minor scenes, but they're still really good.
There are some really emotional parts, but I think the movie might actually do a better job at that. But I think the execution of the story as a whole was much better in the book.
One thing I didn't know about this book before reading it was that it takes place during Infinite Crisis (another great book, read it). There's a scene in Infinite Crisis where Bruce goes to Bludhaven to talk to Nightwing, and the conversation they have is much more meaningful now that I know what else Bruce is going through at the moment (the events of Under the Red Hood).
Another thing I didn't expect was how funny the Black Mask would be. He's hilarious! And it's just the right amount of comedy for a character like his. It's mostly sarcasm as a result of his frustration and impatience.
The book is great, as well. My favorite parts were the references to the events of Identity Crisis. By the way, if you haven't read Identity Crisis, you should. It's not necessary to read before Under the Red Hood, but you'll get more of what's going on during the scenes with Green Arrow and Zatanna. Minor scenes, but they're still really good.
There are some really emotional parts, but I think the movie might actually do a better job at that. But I think the execution of the story as a whole was much better in the book.
One thing I didn't know about this book before reading it was that it takes place during Infinite Crisis (another great book, read it). There's a scene in Infinite Crisis where Bruce goes to Bludhaven to talk to Nightwing, and the conversation they have is much more meaningful now that I know what else Bruce is going through at the moment (the events of Under the Red Hood).
Another thing I didn't expect was how funny the Black Mask would be. He's hilarious! And it's just the right amount of comedy for a character like his. It's mostly sarcasm as a result of his frustration and impatience.