The
Outlaws are kinda-sorta criminals – heroes acting as criminals, but their
behavior isn’t too far removed from the type of folks their often up against.
Red Hood breaks into the home of an arms merchant to threaten him with grave
bodily harm if he doesn’t pack up his merch and return home.
Bizarro has
been endowed with superior intellect thanks to LexCorp technology, but he
appears to have a hidden agenda. Red Hood and Artemis have yet to learn what it
is, exactly, but as almost-criminals, neither of them is above a little
subterfuge in an effort to find out. How Bizarro responds to that remains to be
seen.
This issue
advances the narrative a little bit, planting seeds that will no doubt mature
later. Not the least of which is where the various super-villains of the DCU
obtain the lackeys and henchmen that do their bidding. It’s kind of like on
Venture Brothers, where hunching is a viable career option – complete with
unions, benefits and retirement plan.
Dexter Soy
is back in at the drawing board. He must be given credit for his consistent
quality of work, issue after issue. It’s refreshing to see someone remain on a
title, in this age of rotating artists. Scott Lobdell deserves equal praise for
his stories. The book is surprising fresh, without descending into rehashed
clichés and over-used story-telling techniques.
Rating:
8/10