A review by szava
Red Hood and the Outlaws, Volume 1: Redemption by Scott Lobdell

4.0

I came to this series already knowing and well-invested in Jason and the promise that he is well-written here, but Roy and Kori I only had vague memories of the Teen Titans cartoon and fresher memories of half a season of Young Justice (I really should finish that) to build my expectations upon.

So Kori: The costume is obviously terrible and I'm not sure about this living in the present to the point of forgetfulness trait, but I generally liked the "I'm a princess, f**k off!" attitude, her most cherished memory, her meeting with Jason, the way Rocafort draws her hair and Blond colored it. I'm eager to know more about her past.
Roy: Well, this is a very different characterization than in YJ. Hard to get used to him being the chatterbox, but I like him. I guess I will see if that changes after reading pre-52 issues with him. I keep feeling like he should act older.
Jason: Thank fucking Lobdell for keeping the complexity of his character and making it clear that the only judgement that matters about his actions is Jason's own. Him leaving behind that memory about broke my heart. The All Caste background story I ended up liking more than I expected. Certainly different take on Lost Days. I am though had it up here with several millenia/ages/centuries old secret societies/monks/species who were always there and no one knew about them or ever mentioned them but writers try retroactively make their existence grounded in established canon (I am looking at you Court of Owls). I am just so goddamn bored with this type of plot. So while I did like it, my reading experience was filled with "Oh god not this again".

I want to sing the praises of the art. It's so goddamn pretty. Literally the only problems I have are with Kori's costumes and Jason's helmet.