The Four Color Media Monitor

Popverse wrote a fluff-coated article about a new DC series starring Jason Todd - the very character who was resurrected nearly 2 decades after becoming a sacrificial lamb over a writer's alleged mistakes - in a new adult-oriented series where he's again depicted with the Red Hood moniker, and the Huntress is part of the cast too:

He’s been a fan-favorite character ever since returning from the grave — and this September, DC’s Red Hood is getting the comic book spotlight fans have been hoping for in an all-new, mature-rated ongoing comic book series from creators Gretchen Felker-Martin and Jeff Spokes, with letters from Becca Carey. And, unlike DC’s earlier 17+ comic books, this one is firmly set in the canonical mainstream DCU. [...]

The more astute readers might have noted the mention of a “New Orleans flavored backdrop” above; that’s because the new series takes Jason Todd out of Gotham and to the city of New Angelique — a corrupt city where he might be able to put down roots, if not for two problems: firstly, there’s a serial killer to there targeting cops that needs to be dealt with. And secondly, he’s not the only former Gotham citizen in the city, as Helena Bertinelli, AKA the Huntress has also shown up… but what is she doing there? That’s part of the mystery at the start of the series… and one that Jason is determined to solve, as quickly as possible.

"Red Hood is the in-continuity story Jason Todd fans have been waiting for,” editor Arianna Turturro shared. “It delivers high-stakes action, a gripping mystery, and raw, unapologetic storytelling. Every element of the book highlights the core aspects of Jason’s character—his difficulties with personal connections, his badass training, his brooding hotness, and his violent approach to heroism. Which means he’ll be killing people—a lot. Let me repeat myself: this is the story Jason Todd fans have been waiting for.” [...]

The series is the first ongoing comic book series for Felker-Martin, best known for their horror novels Manhunt — named as one of the 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature by The New York Times — and Cuckoo; it’s also Spokes’ highly anticipated follow-up to their DC Black Label series Jenny Sparks, with writer Tom King. The first issue of the run builds on that creative pedigree with variant covers from Jim Lee, Brian Bolland, Jae Lee, Kyuyong Eom, and Nick Robles, in addition to a primary cover from Spokes himself. [...]

Wow, there certainly are some left-wing folks working on the project, and associated with other notable leftists too. And this series is apparently an excuse to portray a character with Batman connections as somebody willing to use deadly force for battling crime. Next thing you know, we'll probably see this approach applied to Huntress as well. Yet if the part about personal connections says anything, it suggests Jason won't get much character development beyond the mere premise of willingness to use lethal force for the sake of depicting a Batman-connected character in such a role. Just because back in 1987, one of the writers implied Jason might've killed a violent criminal who took a fall from a building, and it was left to readers to decide if that was the case. However one looks at it, that still didn't justify turning Todd into a sacrificial lamb at the hands of the Joker out of a moral panic. But it also doesn't justify the current direction now.

I suppose it's a good question though - is Jason really a fan favorite? Well, it's hilarious they're only saying so now, considering that back in 1988, there were, most unfortunately, quite a few mental cases who voted in favor of having Todd killed in Batman's A Death in the Family storyline when Denny O'Neil decided to set up a phone-in poll to determine via readership. And some of those anti-Jason Todd jerks most likely weren't even genuine Bat-fans; they likely saw the advertisements and thought what fun it could be to influence a story where the Clown Prince of Crime would wind up causing the death of a Batman cast member. That doesn't mean Jason didn't have his fans then; there obviously were people who at least tried to swing the pendulum in a better direction. But even those folks at this point have obviously grown so weary of where DC's gone since, they're unlikely to try out this "adult" take on flagship continuity, or whatever remains of it.

But again, let's be clear. It's not the fault of a fictional character for anything they were written/drawn doing in the past that may have been a poor example. It's the fault of the writers and artists. And where the current scribes are going now, in what's likely an attempt to mimic Marvel's Punisher, is coming far too late, and while resurrection in science-fiction-based worlds is okay, that doesn't mean what the writers will do with the revived characters going forward is going to amount to anything meaningful. Based on what DC became when Dan DiDio took over their editorial and publishing, it's clear it won't.

Labels: bad editors, Batman, dc comics, golden calf of death, golden calf of LGBT, history, moonbat artists, moonbat writers, msm propaganda, violence, women of dc