Review: Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (Lobdell & Rocafort)

If you are ready to be blown away by an exciting, action-packed, even somewhat sexy book — then you have to pick up Lobdell and Rocafort's Red Hood and the Outlaws!

I am calling this one the sleeper hit of week three! Lower orders and less hype than most of the others, can't keep this book from exploding with pulse pounding action and good ol' pure energy! If you are looking for something that will get your heart racing and give your eyes a heaping helping of candy — this is it!

The Roy Harper and Starfire characters that we have all known and loved are completely revamped in Lobdell's tale. No metal arm for Roy and no long term memory for Kori (which is the only part I felt was a little questionable) makes them completely fresh and accessible for new readers to understand and enjoy. Plus, they don't seem to be limited by the same pack of moral standards that their previous incarnations were, making them less predictable than ever! The Red Hood, Jason Todd for those new to the Bat mythos, is still the same cutthroat mercenary from before, but something else drives this character now: an urge to distance himself from the Bat family and make a life all his own.

Lobdell has done a great job of ensnaring readers from page one, creating a tale full of surprises and enough action to challenge any summer blockbuster for top billing! And even though it is Lobdell that drives this machine, it is Rocafort's art that supplies the power for the ever churning engine. His art is astounding! Clean, crisp and hyper detailed, every inch of the page is covered in lavish art — background to foreground! He has a flow to his art that draws your eye, not only to the key players, but to every single minute detail of the page. There is so much detail that it was tough trying to find the ever elusive "52 girl," but a keen eye can spot her. But I can tell you one thing you don't have to have a keen eye for–Starfire. Bring a fire extinguisher boys — this ones gonna burn ya!

So, to sum this book up in two words: Pure Energy! Plain and simple, this is the book that I will be picking up each month and buckling up for a wild ride!