Red Hood: The Lost Days

Put simply: Jason Todd's Red Hood origin. It was practically guaranteed to be a good read. Jason Todd is my favourite DC character though, so I may be biased. There's a lot to dissect but I'll keep it short. Not a perfect book but a solid origin, an interesting look at what Jason experienced in the time between his rise from the grave and his rise on the Gotham city streets. It squares away a lot of logistical questions about his resources and how he was actually able to accomplish what he did in Under the Red Hood, as well as the physical and psychological journey from catatonic stasis to callous resentment. I didn't appreciate the strange attempt at intimacy between Jason (Bruce's adopted son and underage for most of the story) and Talia (Batman's manipulative adult ex-lover), it mostly just made me uncomfortable. But I believe that has not been mentioned outside of this volume, so I'm just glad nothing came of it. I was also a little disappointed that it was light on the PTSD aspect, leaving me unsatisfied with Jason's motivations for going after Batman before Joker; it made sense in Under the Red Hood but it would have been better to see the development of that mindset throughout this story. Talia's motivations were simply unbelievable to me; her character is frequently under-written and this is no exception. Ultimately, it is a book to which I often return. It is familiar, it is established, it is one of the few origin stories that hasn't been ret-conned to death, and it is one that I don't feel needs an update.