Review by Tim Sheridan
“All they Want to Do is Kill” Part 2
Writer: Judd Winick
Penciller: Eric Battle
Inker: Rodney Ramos
Letterer: Jared K Fletcher
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Asst Editor: Brandon Montclare
Editor: Bob Schreck
Publisher: DC Comics
At any moment, I’m waiting for this Jason Todd story to get cheesy and dull. But it’s been over a year (I think) and I’m still totally hooked. Winick has reintroduced Jason Todd as character who is both familiar and foreign to us.
There is something about the way he writes Jason that makes us want him to redeem himself. But Jason as a villain is just too juicy a premise to give up. Winick balances theses angles very well.
Black Mask is also an intriguing character in this story. He is a villain too, but the Red Hood has been terrorizing him too, so we sympathize a bit. He turns out to be a bit of a victim. He explains his story to Batman, who should be taking him down, but because of Jason being out there, he has better places to be.
Winick writes another great chapter, pushing the Red Hood saga closer to its completion. The best bits are the ones between The Hood and the Joker. He gives the Joker a whole new side. Perhaps the Joker is not as insane as he wants us to think he is. It’s an angle that has not really been explored before. Every Joker story is about how nuts he is. Maybe he’s faking a bit.
The issue builds to a crescendo, with Batman and the Red Hook finally coming face to face. But then something happens…
Infinite Crisis.
Up until now, this story has been in a bit of a bubble, not really part of the larger DCU, save for a few early references. But at the end of the issue, the Crisis plays a big part, and will significantly alter the way this story wraps up next month.
Eric Battle and Rodney Ramos handle the art chores this month, and for a fill-in team, they’re pretty good. I warmed up to their style a lot. I miss the usual team, but these guys were fine for now.
We have one more issue (and then an annual) for Winick to finish his Red Hood epic, and I have no reason to expect it to disappoint.
