Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 - Atop the Fourth Wall

Welcome to Atop the Fourth Wall, where bad comics burn. In this episode, Linkara looks at the first issue of Red Hood and the Outlaws!
atopthefourthwa...
Originally uploaded April 14th, 2014.
ORIGINAL INFO: Red Hood and the two other characters who get screwed over.
RUMINATIONS: I still get the occasional hate or defense of this one. People who hate me because I don’t get Jason’s character, that I don’t understand his motivations, that Roy Harper is much deeper and more interesting here, that the way they portrayed Starfire here isn’t sexist in the slightest and it’s tooootally consistent with her characterization previously.
If you like the book, fine - you don’t have to agree with me.
But this book is garbage. It was several issues of garbage that people STILL tell me it gets better and I have seen no evidence of that changing. It was a series of really dumb, DUMB decisions made worse over time to the point that they decided to eventually pull Starfire out and give her a soft reboot to try to fix things… and it worked. Unfortunately, that book is being cancelled (the creative team were offered the chance to do more, but they only wanted to do 12 and apparently DC didn’t want to grab a new creative team). Given that the “DC Rebirth” that has been announced is making “Red Hood and Arsenal” into “Red Hood and the Outlaws” again, I fear Starfire will be returning to that book and regressing her much more colorful, interesting, and positive superhero material back to the way she was here.
And that hat will always be the dumbest, most idiotic thing about Arsenal’s design. The fact that in Titans Hunt, they decided to keep it for him even in his Speedy days feels like it’s a middle finger straight in my face.
Still, the fact that the "DC: Rebirth" thing is happening at really does feel like they're finally admitting that the New 52 is a failed experiment - they did bring in new people (I've heard many testimonials from people who weren't into comics who got into it thanks to the New 52), but overall it's not just the complete sacrifice of continuity that pissed people off (retcons happen. We get over it), but rather just the general TONE. This is not a DC Universe that I want to introduce new fans to, not the kind of thing I want to have my kids read someday. Hell, even if you wanted to keep the ultraviolence and sex, there isn't much here that I feel I could steer people towards... and as with Starfire, Demon Knights, Amethyst, and others the stuff I WOULD point people towards ends up getting cancelled.

[@kimifw58]

I personally have nothing against fanservice either. I'm really fine with it as long as it's balanced and not distracting. However, I have noticed that fanservice tends to be narrow. Whenever the subject is a man, he's either a generic hunk with perfect muscles or less often a pretty boy. When the subject is a woman, she's always tall, thin, and busty with long hair. What about diversity? What about flaws? What about personality? Without those things, fanservice is shallow and boring. I think we should encourage people to expand their tastes and see more beauty in reality.

[@thevlaka]

You reading a comic or speed dating?

[@Foreverred97]

@@thevlaka Why not both?

[@olefredrikskjegstad5972]

"So, is there anything I should know about making love to a Tamaranian?" "Just that love has nothing to do with it" This sort of dialogue makes the cross-species sex talk from Mass Effect 2 look like Pride & Prejudice

[@afro4640]

Pyro Gear By Comparison, this is Crime and Punishment.

[@Elyseon]

Well played.

[@nathanclark2424]

It physically hurts me to read this comic. I am not exaggerating.

[@shingshongshamalama]

Is it me, or is Starfire basically just a fucking PUA pamphlet?

[@jordanpritchard5226]

Damn... I've head of someone using the Bard spell Cutting words but... Damn dude...

[@beausodemann1451]

how to fix the boob joke Roy: I hope you have a good backup plan Jason: I got someone with a pair of 38s Roy: why would someone using handguns against tanks be useful? Jason: not what I meant *starfire reveal* (preferably with a better costume) Roy: classy Todd, classy It might not be very funny, but it's not insulting to the reader

[@miguelantonioreinacardona7109]

I have mine : Jason: I have 38 plan’s to deal with the thanks. Arsenal: ok then witch one is the more effective? Starfire. : (after destroying the thanks ) . I’m plan number 24!! Arsenal: ...... something tells me she is the more subtle of all your plans. Jason : shut up

[@EllaAngeli]

@@miguelantonioreinacardona7109 That I like

[@Jokie155]

@@miguelantonioreinacardona7109 That made me read Jason's lines in Vegeta's voice.

[@malusignatius]

@@miguelantonioreinacardona7109 I gotta say, that one's not too bad.

[@CrisisComics]

I would've gone with- "Just one- I'm calling in an airstrike." "Oh, perfect- I escaped my beheading only for you to drop missiles on us." "Not missiles. Torpedoes." *Starfire reveal*

[@StarWarsAddict527]

The joke of Roy saying "Is it too late to have my cell back?" would have worked better if he and Jason were faced with a massive battalion of tanks ahead of them.

[@TPrower]

The only incarnation of Starfire I'm really familiar with is from the animated series (not Go!). She was adorable, funny, and badass. Seeing her like this just makes me sigh and shake my head that DC would be so callous to the memories of loyal fans...

[@alexanderfix3629]

Get used to it, DC's editorial staff are some of the least competent in the business.

[@alexanderfix3629]

Go look it up on the internet, DC seriously needs to fire its editorial staff. And some of its writers.

[@Tareltonlives]

Yeah, you know that fun, awesome cartoon that made you fall in love with the team? Yeah, DC hates fun.

[@rikowolfin4984]

At least with this I can think of it as a completely different character as it looks nothing like the Starfire from the show, but with Go I have no choice but to see the characters I used to think were cool and enjoyable as complete idiots or jackasses while the writers for the show basically spit in the faces of the old TV show fans directly. Be it DC or Cartoon Network it seems no one gives a shit about the fans.

[@autobotstarscream765]

It's "nice" to know that Teen Titans GO! was *not* the first time that DC Comics signed off on turning the Teen Titans into idiot jerks and throwing away Teen Titans continuity in favor of unfunny cheap jokes. >:L

[@AnkfordPlays]

it would have been more believable if this was secretly Darkfire posing as her sister for some nefarious purpose

[@WarmLusamine]

2 years late but... Blackfire. Her sisters name is Blackfire.

[@christopherb501]

So Teen Titans Abridged?

[@Avenging_Phoenix]

I actually really like the idea of Red Hood becoming an anti hero instead of straight up villain. But I think it should be a solo series that starts with Jason as a villain and over time he kind of ends up in a sort of middle ground.

[@KidSnivy69]

Considering how he's been handled you, think they'll go that route?

[@chaosinc.382]

*announcer voice* TIME FOR Me: Backstory! FANSERVICE Me: Darn. :/

[@jfdrac]

Find the Body Doubles ...you get Fan Service AND Backstory all in one lol

[@gratuitouslurking8610]

Coming back through this, and you know what the very sad part of this is? The minor rant that Linkara has at the end about the whole 'memory by physical contact' thing... COULD actually work for a more adult or ecchi style of story. Think about it: A character who has crap memory retention unless they get elongated physical contact. If it's more the superhero flair, this means a crapton of cool grappling or wrestling moves, so the more contact they get, the more familiar they get. If it's more slice of life, or, well, smutty, there's drama in the fact that they slowly lose memory over time, leading to drama with love ones and probably self-realization and tons of clingyness so they 'never forget' the one they love. Potentially good stuff. Certainly better than a stupid trucker hat and sexual goldfish for the sake of sexual goldfish.

[@TupocalypseShakur]

That's literally Taskmaster, except instead of physical contact it's fighting.

[@AmaranthOriginal]

It's worth pointing out that the "pair of 38s" joke is kind of dumb anyway. The number part of a bra measurement is the band size, which measures the back. It's the letter that deals with the size of the breast itself. And if this were a better joke, I probably wouldn't nitpick it, but it was already dumb. So not only is it not funny, it doesn't really make sense.

[@AmaranthOriginal]

Eamonn Deane Huh. Don't remember that coming up. Oh well, more T4W to watch!

[@foxman105]

+Zachary Amaranth I know right? At least if they did a "We need a plan B!" "We've got a plan DD!" Or something like that... It would still be a stupid joke, but at least it would make sense.

[@AmaranthOriginal]

foxman105 I admit, I laughed at it.

[@michaelawalton6579]

I did't even get it and I'm female, the number refers to how big the band is around the chest, not the breast size.

[@jackson5056]

"Sexual Goldfish" sounds like an album from a 90s punk band.

[@hotaru8309]

WHAT STARFIRE WAS LIKE EARLY ON: I know I'm late to the party here, but here's my summarization of the Original StarFire, her relationship, her mindset and how it was initially set up. In the original Comic, The Teen Titans first team with NightWing, Cyborg, StarFire and The Changeling, StarFire and NightWing were an item right off. However, even when the Titans were awoken in the middle of the night and she came out of his room in a robe, it neither took up even half the page nor did anyone highlight or even comment on it. In her civilian life as a model, others begin to explain to her why she should begin to cover herself more and she explains that she doesn't quite understand, but begins to gradually do so. We do get fanservice shots of her as a model, but her team always treats her as a human being and never makes jokes about sex with her or her boob size. In fact, it's fairly easily arguable that none of those "model shots" are ever as revealing as her entrance in this comic that Linkara reviewed here. It's still blatant Fanservice of course, but it doesn't overwhelm her whole story Also, StarFire isn't vapid; she is foreign to the ways of earth and Dick treats her the same as he would anyone else when it comes to talking to her and trying to calm her from her tendencies toward fits of blood lust. He repeatedly expresses concern over her desires to kill cruel beings which were founded by the horrible trauma and torture she went through. They even show some of the brutal extent of her background in a miniseries that delves into the life and psyche of the Teen Titans. George Perez and Marv Wolfman's run together on that comic arc/segment of the series is definitely a read I recommend. --------- Romance? Now, I'm admitably not a fan of Romance, esp. in a team environment. So, I did stop and go back, rereading, to pose the question of whether NightWing treats StarFire differently and whether this relationship was healthy or even made sense. In my opinion, it's on the miniscule list with "Cloak and Dagger" and Steve Englehart's "Scarlet Witch and Vision" where the relationship is plausible, not detrimental to either partner, and both are able to identify and help with the others emotional and physical(power based or stress based) needs. It doesn't feel forced, like most comic romances do. For instance, That particular run starts with Dick still as Robin and a worried StarFire teaches him to stop being "on" 24/7 and helps him down the path he realizes he needs to pursue. The path away from Batman tendencies, lack of sleep and constant, intensive, obsessive research that was destroying his health and psyche. In fact, that is why he becomes NightWing; he realizes that he can't go on like this and decides to try to be someone new, someone more than just a mini BatMan. StarFire nudges him just a bit towards this road he was already leaning toward and had to cross on his own. StarFire tries to give him space, but provides support the best she feels she can.

[@JaelinBezel]

I liked her solo series from 2015 where she moves to Key West, Florida and tries to be normal. While she's still kinda clueless about the human taboo known as public nudity (and even that only happened a couple of times), she's shown to be a very loving person who cares deeply about everyone around her. She even goes out of her way to save a parrot during a hurricane! When an interstellar bounty hunter sent to collect her harms innocent people, she becomes enraged and (after beating him down) causes her to wonder if her presence is harmful to normal people.

[@AlveinFencer]

Worst thing about that 38 joke is I'm pretty sure anyone with 3 seconds of thought could make a better one. Here's an example: Roy: I hope you have at least one good backup. Jason: I called an old flame in for help. Roy: Really? How's an ex-girlfriend supposed to help here? *cut to Starfire with flaming hair amidst burning tanks* Not that hard.

[@Duothimir]

The sad thing is that I know at least one person who defends this incarnation of Starfire to this day. I can't for the life of me figure out why.

[@wisewolftony]

Honestly for me the only Starfire I consider canon is the one from the animated films like Batman vs Robin, Graduation Day and Judas Contract. Where she's still together with Dick in that universe. They have an apartment together. And she becomes leader of the Teen Titans after Dick leaves. I hated how in the comics they decided to make Dick just like Bruce. So when they try and get back together they don't due to the fact that they explain it as Dick basically just lusted after Starfire sexually and was never all that in love with her. I also like the Kingdom Come timeline as in that they actually have a daughter.

[@darkhelmet87]

you know how linkara said this starfire never smiles, laughs, or shows any emotion, and only has sex because she seem obligated to do so? if I were writing this.....rather if I were brought in to fix the mistake made by the idiot who wrote this- I would have it revealed that this isn't starfire at all, but a malfunctioning alien sexbot! it would preserve stars previous character, plus knock Jason's ego down a few pegs showing he was bragging about banging the space equivalent of a blow up doll. why would a sexbot have super strength, fly, and shoot lasers? I don't know, maybe the alien scientist who built her, or the rich alien who had her commisioned was into some weird kinky crap:)

[@fy8798]

To be fair, she reads like a malfunctioning sexbot. So... yeah, it'd even work.

[@lectordreadwood3273]

You could explain that it was an alien sexbot designed to replicate Starfire, like someone really had a huge boner for her. Then have the REAL Starfire come in retaining lovable, outgoing, and curious personality from TT:TAS but in her few panels of ACTUAL first appearance she'd pissed off that some made robot duplicate of her designed only for sexual gratification, and would proceed to rip the perverse robot copy of her in half.

[@autobotstarscream765]

Kris Lundell Ah, the Malfunctioning Doombot Excuse. :3

[@wdcain1]

This was pretty much what happened to Voodoo. The first run had her be super-sexual and mean-spirited but after #7, it was retcon that the Voodoo shown in the first six issues was a clone with amped up sex appeal and femme fatal attitude.

[@darkhelmet87]

Autobot Starscream after reading your comment, i imagined dr doom building a sexy doombot :D aaand then the fantastic 4 walk in on him xD Thing: i have several questions! ':/

[@kwesmichalak9742]

It annoys me that female heroes and villains get objectified and drawn practically naked when that never seems to be the case with males. In a perfect world there would be an equal ratio of scantily-clad male & female characters but oh well. (Although there was that crappy DC post-apocalypse comic you reviewed which had Superman in a tiny red bikini. That was...the highlight of that comic, in my opinion.)

[@anthonyrodriguez1119]

have you ever read a Nightwing comic he is one of the most sexualized character's in comics(sexy time)

[@Coffeebean1985]

Dude, huuuuuge difference between Dick being 'sexualized' and the thing they did here with Starfire and tend to do with most female hero and villain character. Show me one issue where Dick runs around in nothing but a thong and a thin band of cloth covering his nipples (and high heels if we are at it ;) and I'll agree with you, otherwise that is a Bullshit argument.

[@anthonyrodriguez1119]

Coffeebean1985 that's nothing you should have seen batgirl at a nudist party (it wasn't really meant to be a argument)

[@TrufanNW]

Coffeebean1985 that's not really a fair arguement. Men and women are different. I think it's less about the clothes and more how it's presented. If Starfire was just walking along the beach talking with Roy and Jason without the focus being just on her it wouldn't be considered over sexualized would it?

[@cake6851]

I remember in the good old days when marvel had a pin up series with fan service for everyone.

[@MoffMuppet]

Starfire's armor looks like someone took the decals of an ordinary superhero costume, glued them onto her, and then said "looks good".

[@Jygerthe2nd]

How the hell does Scott Lobdell still find work??? I mean, with guys like Frank Miller and Rob Liefeld, they at least have some long-standing credentials in the comic book industry despite the heaps of crap they've done, but what has Scott Lobdell ever done to earn himself ANY praise whatsoever? The only thing he's ever done that I appreciate is the creation of Bunker, who is one of the new characters of the New 52 who I actually really like. Otherwise, I've never seen a single thing he's written that was any good.

[@jakebryant3445]

Lobdell is a sexist racist sack of shit who should've been lynched for this offensive portrayal of Kori.

[@jakebryant3445]

Not anymore. Geoff Johns saw to that thanks to Rebirth. Lobdell no longer has control....unfortunately Dan Didio might have control....

[@Jygerthe2nd]

Eamonn Deane Actually, I've since heard that he wrote a pretty decent Blue Beetle two-parter for Convergence.

[@DestinyZX1]

@@jakebryant3445 Dan Didio doesnt have control either.

[@curleyqreviews9793]

The 38 joke does not make sense. The number on a brasize is the measurement of a woman's chest underneath the breasts. It does not really have anything to do with how big the breasts are. Starfire would only have one measurement so "38 of them" is nonsense.

[@faiaflrt]

Came down here to say much the same thing. Just goes to show how little they know about women, I guess.

[@thunderwolf2005]

i dont have a problem with fanservice or cheesecake as a whole, as long as its drawn well (which it isnt here). the only thing that does bug me is when its completely out of character, kinda like that 90s Invisible Woman outfit, the suit itself isnt all that bad, but the fact that she's wearing it? wrong! (Kevin Spacey Wrong!).

[@elizabethbassett6598]

I wasn't reading comics six years ago but I'm guessing they improved Jason Todd's character. I've read some modern comics where he's more of an anti hero and it comes off interesting. Rebuilding his shaky relationship with the bat family and trying to ride the line between hard bitten and heroic. I like that, thats just me tho.

[@fragmentsbeta6537]

I enjoy gratuitous fanservice . I've seen A LOT of anime to focuses on that and I make no apologies for enjoying them. HOWEVER, the fact that I've seen a alot of them also means I've seen quite a few them that can give fanservice and still have great story and characters. So I do get why so many people are pissed off. I'm not a Titan's fan, but I do understand that Starfire is an enduring character, with plenty of backstory and development and an established fanbase. So reducing her to a glorified sex object is just an utter betrayal to such an established character. If my favorite characters were turned into this, I'd be angry too. And at least fanservice anime have the excuse of being deliberately pandering to the target market. This is supposed to be comic meant for a mainstream audience to draw more readers so this is just stupid. also, WHO THE HELL WANTED TO PAIR STARFIRE WITH JASON TODD?!?

[@theredheadrevolution4156]

The answer to that is retards. Retards wanted to pair Jason with Kori. Kori and Roy I can Kinda understand, they were members of the Titans for decades with each other, so if they went that route, I would be annoyed, but accepting. But Jason? No. Just...just no

[@jfdrac]

My guess is its an attempt to be a consolation Kori/Dick since they wanted to pair Dick with Babs

[@thehopeofeden597]

The answer is no one. No one wanted this.

[@LaineMann]

Yeah, as someone who watches anime ALOT it comes with the territory, but this…..is just stupid.

[@Rabbitlord108]

Your thoughts on pairing Starfire and Jason Todd are mine towards pairing Bruce Wayne with Barbara freaking Gordon.

[@Night-Mayor]

Most of my friends and myself couldn't avoid the fact that Starfire looks ethnic and that played in with her being made into a slut. Alien hell! Supergirl is alien and she's still only had one boyfriend Brainiac 5. Everytime they retcon the universe Supergirl goes back to being a virgin. I'm not saying racism here but colorism sure. Its usually believed that girls of color are easy than white girls. Compare Starfire's bed partners to Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, Star girl and Batgirl etc. Starfire is treated like a villian when it comes to relationships bed hopping from one guy to the next. I was disgusted by this portrayal of Starfire in recent years. During Perez and Wolfman run she was only with Robin. But even then girl heroes and affairs outside of marriage was something only Starfire was allowed to do. Sure the others dated but sex was never blatantly depicted. They never drew Supergirl or Batgirl getting out of bed with a guy. Or naked under sheets.

[@denniswilliams6519]

Anyone who says Starfire's attire is justified because she needs sunlight needs to google a picture of Superman. Starfire in no way has to look like how she does. But when it comes to boobs anything to justify less skin even if it makes no sense is okay right?

[@manuelcabeza5527]

The irony is the rebirth version of the outlaw are better

[@TevyaSmolka]

manuel cabeza yup

[@morganyoung3557]

Manuel Cabeza the Rebirth version of Red Hood and the Outlaws series is probably one of my favorite DC series. I like the idea of Artemis and Bizarro as his teammates more than Arsenal and Starfire because the newer version is an anti hero version of the DC Trinity.

[@morganyoung3557]

Augustus Freeman I have gotten further in the New 52 version and while not as anger inducing, I still didn’t like it that much.

[@jfdrac]

Rebirth Outlaws Worse Ever. Rebirth Outlaws Worse Comics than Watchmen....Better Entertainment found in fish tank.....BIZZARO WORLD NEWS

[@jfdrac]

@@duncananderson2113 I dont think you caight my news provider

[@jakebryant3445]

Dear lord, Teen Titans Go is more respectful than this fan service comic

[@jakebryant3445]

Also Red Hood was more respectable in the Batman Eternal mini-series.

[@moonraven6145]

"I fought the law and kicked it's butt".. oof the edge coming from this 10 year old (age) writing.

[@generalstaal7075]

When you steal a free balloon.

[@boooRatt1]

I recall when this all happened back in 2011 and still can't believe this series somehow lasted as long as it did! And I think they're trying to somehow bring it back but with hopefully different characters in Rebirth!

[@morganyoung3557]

I think the only thing I can disagree with on your review is your take that Jason Todd should only work as a villain because I like anti hero Red Hood. He can still represent Batman’s failure to keep Jason alive without keeping him in the role of villain by having more focus on the trauma that Jason suffered because of his death. To me it is like someone saying Harley Quinn works better when she is with the Joker when I think more potential opened up for her once she left him. That is just my take and while I don’t agree with it, I respect your right to it because I enjoy you as a comic reviewer and I agree with a lot more of your takes than the ones I disagree with.

[@sauceboss9610]

You know this comic actually could have been a really good comic but they would would have had to keep it aligned with the old continuity. In stead of a sex crazed amnesiac bimbo starfire could have been trying to rehabilitate Jason who if I remember correctly was a villain for Greyson Batman and Damian Robin and Roy who could've been trying to get his life back on track after Lian died and it could have worked because Starfire was a compassionate person.

[@jakebryant3445]

Don't worry linkara Starefire is in more safer hands thanks to Rebirth.

[@undead923]

The American Smurf God giveth hope

[@Joenight100]

Ah yes, this review, when I first learned about this version of Starfire, I was frothing at the mouth angry for...a good couple of hours. And now they are rebooting this series for the Rebirth thing, I honestly have no idea what to make of that.

[@caitm4138]

I admit that as someone who doesn't read DC comics I don't really have the right to an opinion...but I've always kind of loved Roy's stupid new-52 trucker hat. You're right; it doesn't go with his outfit. I think that's part of its charm for me. Everyone else has color coordinated outfits or hats that go with their theme. But Roy? Roy just woke up and put a hat on. What an icon.

[@AtlantaCommercials96]

Man, this comic is so embarrassing! I'm glad I didn't try to read this drek! "That Orange Chick's Got Boobs! Hehehhehheh!"

[@luckyducky7819]

That "38 of them" joke really went over my head the first time I heard (read) it. I really thought he meant 38 plans, and the joke was that Roy thought he was talking about guns.

[@Rabbitlord108]

21:32 In retrospect. I'm just shocked they didn't have Starfire ask Roy if he remembers Cheshire. Just to rub more salt in the wound.

[@cpcoultertweedles7216]

Funnily enough, I AM currently watching all of the At4W episodes in chronological order at the moment. I must say, when I did the same thing with all the Nostalgia Critic episodes, his humour got very stale very quickly, even after he gave up on a lot of his running jokes. I've never had a sense of staleness from At4W.

[@gracekim25]

That’s nice to know

[@RainaThrownAway]

Apparently whoever wrote this doesn't know how bras work either, because the number in a bra size has to do with the length of the band, and says much less about the size of her actual breasts. Granted, a 38D is bigger than a 32D, but it's not relatively bigger. A D-cup is either three or four inches bigger than the band - basically, you measure the ribs under the breasts, and then measure around the chest and the breasts. The first number is the band size, which you then subtract from the second number to get the difference, which is the cup size. Why yes, I do know too much about this. Also there's no way in hell Starfire has a 38 inch chest. Maybe a 34.

[@Jillbles]

38 doesn't have anything to do with boob size; that's the size of the band below the cups. It's the letters that represent boob size. So not only is it stupid to add a boob joke here, they didn't even make the joke right.

[@otakon17]

...was...Starfire always supposed to be an emotionless orange golem? Like, I never read the Teen Titan comics. But I watched the animated series(not that Go! crap either) and...she was effervescent and cheerful and full of energy and did they just pull that out of their(the show's writers) asses for the show because they couldn't have TWO stoic women on the same team?!

[@xgray2012]

+otakon17 Actually, in the comics, well, the pre-rebooted universe, Starfire doesn't even know that she's hot because she doesn't understand why humans would react differently about her appearance. But in the rebooted universe....yeah, she's aware that she's a whore. Seriously, that's just f@$%'n stupid. If they wanted the character to be aware that she's just basic eye-candy, then why don't they just have Starfire break the damn fourth wall, telling the readers that they should be watching porn, instead?!

[@cobrasphere9760]

Starfire in Red Hood and the Outlaws is as far as possible of a good Starfire incarnation as possible.

[@JaelinBezel]

Just finished reading her solo mini-series. Where she's far from emotionless, wants to be friends with everyone and cherishes those she connects with. She's never shown to understand how people react to her appearance and unless she's informed that it will send the wrong message, she doesn't mind showering in front of other people. Basically she's just way better written.

[@KaoruMzk]

Why do people defend this garbage!? also regarding New 52, yeah I tried to go back to comics when they announced it but mst of them were terrible and the good ones were cancelled. Crossing my fingers for D.C Rebirth, seriously don't screw it D.C!!

[@michaelawalton6579]

I found myself holding more respect for Starfire in that outfit than this one

[@dragonsword8129]

Good news. Rebirth is great. Not perfect, but definitely better than when the New 52 started.

[@JohnnyElRed]

A bunch of people with red in their suits, that go killing people without regret because they have a darker sense of justice than the rest. It's me, or it looks like this comic was a good idea with a bad execution? Because two years later we had the Thunderbolts with Daniel Way, and that was awesome. Ah, the old DC-Marvel dicotomy: if one screws an idea, don't worry. The other will do it ok.

[@aros0018]

It is weird that Marvel and DC have always had this weird way of balancing each other. Maybe it's simply more noticeable because they are always compared most directly with each other than with other companies, but whenever one seems to be going down the slope of quality, the other always seems to be going up. During the New 52, when DC was at it's lowest, Marvel was booming. Now with Rebirth, it's Marvel that's struggling and pissing off it's fans instead. The MCU movies are currently doing great while the DCEU movies are still struggling to hold on (though personally I do like both). Even in the TV shows this can be seen, both with animation and live action. How do these two companies have such a ying-yang relationship with each other?

[@tcrpgfan]

@@aros0018 Like how DC is currently being shat upon with the DCEU from both critics and audiences, and how the MCU balances that out by being the most profitable franchise in film history and a popular franchise with critics?

[@aros0018]

That's exactly one of the examples I used, but yeah, that's the general idea. When one is not doing well in a specific area, the other at the same time ends up excelling, with the main areas being typically comics, movies, TV shows, and video games. It's one of those things where at least superhero fans in general always have something good to consume, not straight Marvel or straight DC fans.

[@tcrpgfan]

@@aros0018 Like how DC is kicking ten different kinds of ass in the video games department while Marvel is kinda struggling? Sure their flagship game series is pretty much done, but Injustice did REALLY well, while Marvel only really has Spider-Man to its name and nothing else that's recent that could be considered good.

[@slayertakim1]

It is sad to see dc wasting jason todd because there is a lot that can be done with him. They could develop him out of his hatred for batman and make him into his own person that actually sees the affect his death had on tue bat family, but dc keeps him stuck in this teen angst limbo that is getting boring.

[@KidSnivy69]

+BigK13372 Not very well

[@shadowbrthers10000]

I'm so glad that I looked you and Suede up after all this time... Fills me with nostalgia to be watching these again! Keep it up my friend.

[@dukespubber741]

I mentioned it in the comments on the site, but the way Arsenal's face structure is drawn on the cover, combined with the trucker hat and the placement of Starfire's hair makes Roy look like a woman.

[@alucardyoici]

I'm roy harper, look at my trucker hat

[@tjjordan4207]

It’s sad that writers and artists live their sex lives through the comics they make.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

Wait wait, Jason Tood is beaten with a crowbar and then dies in an explosion, only to be brought back as The Red Hood. Sooooo, Batman: Under The Red Hood was cannon?

[@ecliptorcalrissian5014]

Yeah, it's based on the comic where this happened. "A Death in the Family" was actually written with two possible endings while a fan poll decided whether Jason would live or die. "Die" just *barely* won. So he dies. Later, Tim Drake becomes a thing. Much, muuuuuuuch later... well, that part, I think you've seen.

[@ethanbell6762]

The best part about that Starfire thing is that they sorta did it in the show. When she says that Tamaraneans can fluently learn any language by kissing a person who speaks that language, which she demonstrates by making out with a Japanese man in Tokyo.

[@inferno9714]

So, Linkara, have you read the current Rebirth series? So far I think it's pretty good and that surprised me since it's still being written by Lobdell.

[@SpeedyEric1]

I also agree that Jason Tood as the Red Hood was a good character as a foil to Batman. They even adapted the Under the Red Hood storyline really good in both the animated 2010 film of the same name and the Arkham Knight video game.

[@SpeedyEric1]

8:41- Ixney on the Umptrey, Jason. 9:43- Wrong, Snob. Matthew 5:14 reads "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden." 10:02- Or they were going for a Total Recall reference. 14:20- Starfire's outfit in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies are less revealing than this.

[@ryanangelastro504]

If you didn’t like New 52, you’re gonna love DC Rebirth, Linkara!

[@tolchok89]

Howdy, folks, I'm Roy Harper! Lookit mah trucker hat!

[@jonahfalcon1970]

+tolchok89 He's begging for a crossover with US 1.

[@Silenthunter287]

Jason Todd is also a lame Arkham game villain with an anti-climactic boss fight

[@bravosix2960]

John Doe I think Jason was interesting and cool in the Arkham knight, they just didn’t do it right.

[@JaelinBezel]

But he defeated Mongul!

[@NickLenz26]

Linkara Starfire is not going back to Red Hood and the Outlaws during DC Rebirth, She is going to Teen Titans by Ben Percy. Red Hood and the Outlaws is getting Jason Todd with Bizarro and Artemis. Arsenal is going to Titans by Dan Abnett.

[@jakebryant3445]

So that's the Amazon joining the team. Also thank god Lobdell.won't be touching starfire again, the perverted sack of shit

[@imjustsomeboredguy4731]

You know what I just noticed about the cover? Starfire's outfit is mostly covered up, as a fan of the tv show teen titans and I probably would have instantly picked this up if I saw starfire there, I probably would have been royally pissed off when I saw what she was actually wearing later on

[@luckystriker842]

How come I've read ecchi manga that have less sexist portrayals of female characters than this comic?

[@HotaruZoku]

"Annoying, Grim, Boring, Tool" I agree, Damien Wayne IS a waste of ink.

[@kimifw58]

Damian is a logical result of his upbringing, other characters are rightfully annoyed by him, he's more interesting when paired with optimistic characters like Jon Kent, his cynicism highlights how optimistic Batman has grown over the years, his inner goodness is consistently shown, and he becomes a better person with better parenting as real kids do.

[@HotaruZoku]

@@kimifw58 I'm not saying there isn't room, but my God, is he ever a unoriginal, unnecessary, unwelcome one-note bore at the momemt.

[@domidium]

One of these days, I'd like to see Linkara do a full review on Jason Tod himself, so as to get a less generalized analysis on him. Because, I actually kind of like him, and would like him to get proper attention.

[@MrPlayer890]

It's a shame, I actually really like Jason Todd, but my favorite appearance of his is from the animated Red Hood series. I like the idea of him working with the Bat Family, but I think it'd work best if they were in some sort of last resort situation and needed to work with him due to how differently they. Emphasize how much he's changed, and how far he's willing to go to stop villains, as well as the overalltragedy of how he changed from what he used to be. Play him up as an anti-hero that wants to do right, but has wrong/morally ambiguous ways of going about it that may get results, but Batman and the others could struggle to justify. Still, I do recall some recent appearances I thought he was decent in. Showing up during the Court of Owls was okay, and I actually really liked him showing up in Eternal. Desperate situations where Batman would need all the help he could get, and I think he played a good role in it.

[@KidSnivy69]

I'd be fine with that idea, pity DC has only done it right twice

[@alfredmurphy6364]

one of the few things that made me hate the "new"52.

[@shinkaiatsuya950]

50 first dates with StarFire

[@redjirachi1]

Linkara's internal monologue after Starfire propositions him: "Oh God, I'm so offended by this portrayal of Starfire, but this is basically my teenage fantasy come to life! WHY BONER, WHY?!"

[@lopson8683]

20:55 Do you want to save changes to Untitled?

[@KingOfMadCows]

The Teen Titans cartoons had way more than 2 million viewers, especially if you add in the reruns both on WB and Cartoon Network. In fact, DC comics has always done a bad job of taking advantage of the movies and animation. All the animated shows had much bigger audiences than the comics but the comics have rarely ever tried to tap into that audience. What's even dumber is that the comics have tried to dictate the direction of animation. DC animation had to get approval from the comics people in order to use certain characters and storylines and they've had to write episodes around characters the comics wanted to promote. For example, they used Bane in Batman: The Animated Series not because they really loved the character or had a great story for him but because of the Knightfall arc was going on in the comics.

[@Jygerthe2nd]

I have a similar fear of the new RHATO. However, I can't help but notice that, in addition to the Teen Titans book, there is also a book in Rebirth simply titled Titans, meaning it'll likely feature the older members, who have actually recently teamed up in Titans Hunt (Nightwing, Donna Troy, Tempest, Arsenal, etc.). Given that we know that Starfire and Dick still have a past in this continuity, it's not outside the realm of possibility that she might be joining this team. At least, I certainly hope she is. And yeah, I actually really liked the Starfire solo book. I had to drop it at #8, but I really hated doing it. I only did it because I've had to go on welfare and had to reduce the number of comics I was getting. Still, I might pick up the trade for the remaining issues when it comes out. And hey, at least THIS cancellation is because the creative team had only planned on 12 issues from the start. And as for RHATO, and the Red Hood books in general...well, I'll say this much: As long as they keep characters I like out of the book, then at least its continued presence will keep Scott Lobdell's focus on it and away from anything I actually care about.

[@GatorRay]

18:01 OH GOD! It's the topless duck from Howard the Duck all over again.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Question Lewis I am just wondering what is your opinion of DC rebirth coming up real soon and do you think that titans rebirth is going to finally fix the teen titans and there legacy because in my opinion I am so hoping that does happen because the titans are one of my favorite teams outside of young justice but thats just my opinion

[@scottsaunders5453]

30:16 And apparently Roy's left arm has doubled in length. Did the New 52 give him stretchy powers as well?

[@edwardramos4591]

With how *ahem* showy this comic is, I'm surprised they didn't go straight for the "Equipped with ballistics" line from Resident Evil 4.

[@dinodude722]

so overall, Jason Todd works better as a foil to batman, sure he can have his heroic moments, and stories around him can work, but as a foil to a well known character he works much better when paired with that well known character in some way. sure he doesn't have to always be an antagonist, he and batman could easily have an "enemy mine" situation and work together against a larger foe, but he seems to work at his best when acting as a parallel, or dark mirror to batman, that's how foil characters work. it reminds me of marvel trying to push venom into being an anti-hero, but he works much better as a foil to Spider-man and an antagonist. the only version of venom as a hero i really really liked was with Agent Venom. because for one it wasn't Eddy Brock or another venom user who was originally a bad guy, it was Flash Tompson, who despite originally being solely portrayed as a stereotypical jock bully for nerdy Peter Parker, flash was always someone who looked up to Spider-man and wanted to be a hero like him, and he eventually became a more likable character and not a bully to peter. and after a series of events he did become a hero in the form of agent venom, and flash essentially acted as a good influence on venom when he had the symbiote and it actually worked, because it was a separate character from the original Venom with the same power set and was an honestly good guy, just with "evil" powers. meaning their transition into a heroic version of the character was much more believable then if another major villain turned good. in the hands of a good writer, a villain can turn to an anti-hero or a full proper hero, and it can be a believable turn. but when that development isn't done properly, and if that character has already crossed the moral event horizon into being seen as irredeemable, its hard to do a believable face turn. i'm sure in the right hands, Red hood could become a good anti-hero sort of character, but for now i think he should stick to being a foil to batman. i haven't read many recent DC stories, so if a really good red hood story has come along that believably makes him heroic while not sweeping under the rug his status as a foil to batman, point it out to me and i'll check it out.

[@tylermcneeley3136]

Also, I hate that women showing nipples is considered nudity, but its completely ok for a man's nipples to show. This just leads to my hatred for the fact that girls can be sexualized in general media, but it hardly ever happens for men. It's getting better with that, but you still don't find male characters that look or dress like Starfire unless its intended to be funny. And nobody give me any crap that its not possible for a male to have a body like Starfire's, I've seen enough examples to know it's possible for men to look like women.

[@Revealingstorm.]

I don't understand why DC gave the Teen Titans to Scott to ruin. He also ruined Starfire. I really hope that they redeem her character and the team in the upcoming Teen Titans reboot.

[@Thenameless1]

"What's going on in your life that's so much more important than an internet reviewer who rants about comic books?" *Looks over at 5 filed job applications that haven't received responses.* He's right.

[@aaronwilder2775]

New 52 Starfire can't distinguish between humans, technically meaning they all look the same to her...New 52 Starfire is a space racist

[@Meme_Lor]

Spacist

[@aliendead7580]

Im surprised the female heroes even have clothes, are there comics that treat the men the same as the women when drawing them sexual?

[@Marelfan]

9:52 Pardon me sir I’m totally a pastor and not a guy in a suit! 11:54 Oh no a Jeep!

[@Canadamus_Prime]

WTF did they do to Starfire? She was my favorite character in the animated series!!

[@xgray2012]

+Matthew Walton They turned her from a hot, alien bad-ass princess who doesn't know that she's hot to a whore in the reboot.

[@Canadamus_Prime]

Xaviergray87 I see that. It's horrendous.

[@xgray2012]

Matthew Walton Indeed. I mean, if they didn't want the character to even be aware that she's hot to other characters, then maybe they shouldn't even bother having Starfire wearing so much provocative, revealing clothing in the comics, at all. *pfft!* Idiots!!!

[@xgray2012]

Matthew Walton I know that. Kind of makes you wonder if the people who made these changes to Starfire's character in the reboot were inspired by Michael Bay, huh?!

[@Canadamus_Prime]

Xaviergray87 ...maybe.

[@verdethestarwarrior1088]

People say that Starfire's new outfit is to help absorb sunlight. By that logic, shouldn't Superman also have such a revealing outfit? I mean he is solar-powered as well

[@ashleightompkins3200]

Whenever I see those pictures of Starfire, I go to my happy place. Which I like to call the Hawkeye Initiative

[@KidSnivy69]

I might regret this, but why is that your happy place?

[@ashleightompkins3200]

+KidSnivy69 It helps remind me that the world eventually balances out. Type in 'Hawkeye Initiative' into Google or Tumblr and you'll see why.

[@KidSnivy69]

Ashleigh Tompkins OK starting to see why

[@ashleightompkins3200]

Look up Hawkeye Initiative on tumblr.

[@rudevoices9204]

To comment on inconsistency in New 52, check the name on the Teen Titans issues. It's the exact same writer.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Yup he wrote the terrible culling

[@BrokeBot]

TTG Robin: **cries in corner**

[@frankspick7544]

the best part of rebirth this was scrap for a better version

[@MarkC18]

I think the Batmobile Jeep thing is because the Batmobile would last longer being shot at than a jeep.

[@YouCantDeleteDenzelL]

Jason Todd as a Deadpool clone DOES. NOT. WORK. He's supposed to be a reminder of the haunting consequences of failure and what it does to someone. The fact that he kills is a tragic outcome of all the horrible things that happened to him in life. when you have him being a jokey anti hero you COMPLETELY miss the point.

[@bigslim7777]

Dammit, like 2 mins before you said it about Starfire , i said "what is she, a sexy goldfish?" Although, goldfish memory as a trait might not be good for a hero. 🙄

[@Fluffkitscripts]

May I just say that your impression of suit-linkara was impeccable

[@deadaccount7520]

The tanks joke was old when Chico marx used it in duck soup.

[@arashimiyazawa8165]

0:58 I think I've actually gone through the lion's share of your videos over the course of this quarantine, so this was pretty funny :D

[@n337speak]

Just want to semi-randomly thank you for actually mixing the audio at a volume where I can listen without using headphones and not be startled by the difference between it and the ads.

[@simbasorariku3]

Well, I liked Volume 1. I don't like Starfire's personality, but I thought Jason was cool.

[@ForrestFox626]

To quote Code Ment: "What is the point of this thing!?"

[@VicEntity]

13:27 hey! 2 years ago I would've been offended! 12 year old immature boys also think that this joke sucks!

[@dontemorgan1517]

Thank god for DC Rebirth.

[@dominickfinch5693]

I honestly like what Batman: Arkham Knight did with Jason Todd. I don’t know if you’ve played it, but basically they made him a hire-on by Scarecrow? I’m pretty sure Scarecrow was the main villain of Arkham Knight. Correct me if I’m wrong, it’s been a while since I’ve played it. But he was put into a super-cool suit and hired to make sure Batman didn’t foil Scarecrow’s plan. It really showed when he was one step ahead of Batman at all times. Sure, there are a few times where it seems unreasonable that Jason knew what Bruce was thinking. But most of the time he was represented well. Jason knew Batman inside and out, so it makes sense Scarecrow would hire him. Sure, he turned to more of an anti-hero by the end of the game, but I can forgive that. Arkham Knight was meant to be the last game in the series and Bruce dies at the end. So it would make sense that Jason would slowly start to be less villainous after the talk he had with Bruce. I know Arkham Knight had its flaws, and I know some people didn’t like it, but I did.

[@KidSnivy69]

Ah Red Hood and the Outlaws. How I hate you SO MUCH! (PS: If you like the book fine, but don't try pushing it on me.) Jason is one of those characters I want to like, but just feel like the writer aren't using him properly. And I don't care what anyone says, the fact the Bat Family let him back in so easily (especially my favorite Robin Tim, whom Jason HAS TRIED TO KILL) feels forced and like a mandate. And I find it incredible STUPID! Roy. Poor, poor Roy. You are one the DC Universe's eternal punching bags. Lossing you arm, daughter, becoming an addict again, being put in this book and the out of place trucker hat. At least Convergence gave back Lian, (if there must be a new Outlaws book or a book featuring Roy, can Lian be a supporting character and make Roy unique again?) Starfire. >:( No comment. I hope the DC Rebirth don't piss me off.

[@KidSnivy69]

Eamonn Deane Pretty much every issues in the first trade finds a way of pissing me off

[@KidSnivy69]

Eamonn Deane Oh Starfire's solo series was great fun, just sad the book is ending

[@tarell676]

It's not a long bow, it's a recurve bow. And you can with no problem shoot a bow sideways. There's also historical documents of archers shooting sideways.

[@biggeek2256]

I'm one who doesn't mind fan service BUT WOW!! The fan service in this comic is just BAD

[@dragonsword8129]

I just found out that Scott Lobdell is writing another Red Hood and the Outlaws series. Only now, the other two characters are Bizarro and Artemis. (the amazon, not the archer that DC should really bring back.) Oh joy... Let's hope that he's learned his lesson.... I said hope. Not believe.

[@themarvin01]

The starfire solo series is so good and fixes everything.