BATMAN AND ROBIN #5

Revenge Of Red Hood, Part 2:  Scarlet

December 2009

Written by Grant Morrison

Pencils by Philip Tan

Inks by Jonathon Galpion

Covers by Frank Quitely and Philip Tan

Synopsis

The Red Hood and Scarlet have interrupted a meeting between the Penguin and members of the El Penitente gang.  The duo has killed them all except for Mr. Santo and the Penguin, who was saved by Batman and Robin.  Batman identifies Red Hood as Jason Hood, the second Robin, and tries to convince Jason from his course of action.  Jason replies that he is finally doing what must be done, killing the criminals.  Then, Red Hood and Scarlet run away.  Later, Commissioner Gordon visits Santo in the hospital.  Santo tells him that the Flamingo is coming for them.  Elsewhere, the police find the Flamingo’s plane.  All of the pilots and flight attendants have been killed and their faces have been eaten.  Meanwhile, Red Hood and Scarlet visit Santo to kill him.  Batman ad Robin interrupt, but Red Hood and Scarlet get away.  As they do so, Red Hood is shot by the Flamingo.    

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

For a Grant Morrison comic, this was disappointing.  Morrison always seems to find a way to present his comics through an off-kilter, out-of-focus lens, somehow managing to tell the story in a unique fashion.  And while there are undeniably Morrison touches throughout this issue, it reads like a traditional comic.  I think a lot of this has to do with the use of Jason Todd, one of those violent vigilante who takes the hero to task for not killing the criminals.  It is not only a standard character in comic books, but Jason Todd was brought back to life with essentially that very same modus operandi.  Sadly, there is not much Morrison can do with it.  I like the angle with the new sidekick, but it doesn’t really add much to Jason.  Or in the space of a comic or two, Morrison hasn’t been able to add anything different or put his own unique spin in it.  It is still the same shtick and no matter how much Morrison dresses it up with a new costume, it remains the same.  Adding to the problem is Tan’s art, which is dark, grim, and gritty, appropriate for the comic but (again) typical for the type of story being told.  Maybe Morrison has a good idea and is waiting for the final part of the story to spring it on us, but at the moment, there is not much here that lets me know I am reading a comic written by Grant Morrison and that is a shame.

While the overall concept seems to be a bit tired, there are still some nice scenes, such as when Jason is about to explain Scarlet and Dick cuts off the backstory because he doesn’t want to hear it.  Jason’s discussion of the long list of Robins and the branding of Batman as a logo rather than an individual is an interesting commentary, especially in a comic in which Batman is no longer Bruce Wayne and we are on Batman and Robin #5.  I also like the Flamingo, who has left a violent, bloody wake behind him, giving him a larger than life presence even before he appears on the page. 

I am at a loss to explain the deal with the red hair and where exactly Morrison is going with this particular plot point.  In the pre-Crisis continuity, Jason originally had red hair, which he did dye to black when he first took up the mantle of Robin.  However, post-Crisis, all of this was erased and a new origin was provided.  In his first appearance (Batman #408), Jason has dark hair already.  Now, I understand that DC is trying to say all published stories are in continuity, but I am not sure how DC can reconcile the happy son of an acrobat (pre-crisis) with the brooding juvenile delinquent (post-crisis).  Or Morrison thought it was important to point out.  Or why Jason continued to dye his hair since his return and only stopped just now.  Personally, I am thinking that perhaps this isn’t Jason Todd (it doesn’t look like him and more like Jason Blood, although that may just be Tan’s fault), but why anyone would think they were Jason Todd is beyond me.

 

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