Books : Batman: Under the Hood, Vol. 2

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- 0 stars is not an option
I still am against the idea of Jason Todd (especially), whose death added another tragic layer to the Batman mythos, returning from the grave. The impact and fear of losing one's life in a heroic act - the ultimate sacrifice one could make - is almost nil in modern comic books. Characters die and return from the grave almost constantly, an unfortunate cliche that has hurt the mainstream's view of comics-as-art and rendered death as nothing more than a temporary setback for superheroes.

Aside from the very concept itself, Jason's return is also poorly executed. The new Black Mask, who is woefully out of character, is still present. The Joker is sacrificed to Jason Todd's credibility. And how does Jason come back, you ask? What's the cool creative explanation that isn't a tired IC-related explantion that doesn't fit the Batman universe motif? *Spoilers*: Superboy-Prime punching the walls of a paradise in another dimension is the explanation. Jason wakes up in his coffin and digs his highly battered young body out of his coffin and 6ft of dirt using only his belt buckle. The coffin had sensors that could detect people getting in, but amazingly could not detect people getting out. What kind of crazy silly sensors are those? A new coffin is reburied, and the greatest, I repeat greatest, detective in the world, who forensically examines the coffin in all its minutia, neither notices the reburial or the new coffin. I couldn't make this junk up. A must not read for batfans, in my opinion.

Rating:

- Vengeance Has No Foresight...
Judd Winick concludes the Under The Hood saga with a cataclysmic ending. Jason's desire for vengeance drives him to kidnap his murderer. Now Batman has a choice, kill Joker, or let Jason kill him.

An expertly written graphic novel. Had me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. Spectacular dialogue and intense action sequences build the tension leading up to the stunning climax.

Now unlike the fans who despise Jason Todd and his resurrection, I enjoy the fact that he's come back. It makes the book interesting and I like Jason's character. He's very different from Batman, and seeing the world through the eyes of somone who will cross the line Batman never will is a nice change that I like, I think it's always interesting when good guys go bad. For fans of Jason, this is a must read.

Rating:

- Soilers ahead
This is the second volume in the Under the Hood saga which returns Jason Todd alive and well into Batman continuity. This book collects Batman #645-650 which wraps up the Hood story-line and collects Batman Annual #1 which is where the hows and the why of Jason's return is revealed.

This book picks up right after volume one. Batman is still coming to grips with Jason's return and is analyzing everything (even the coffin where he was buried) to confirm his return. We also get a glimpse into how Batman met Jason and the gradual change that Jason undergoes. Meanwhile, Jason continues his fight against Black Mask and does everything from blwoing up his shipments to launching a missile through Black Mask's office. Black Mask is then drafted into Luthor's secret society with Deathstroke serving as the liaison. The Society dispatches Captain Nazi and Hyena and Count Vertigo to take down Jason. They almost succeed until Batman interferes. The fight scene with Batman and Jason is worth the price of the book alone. Mahnke does an excellent job of showing well...pretty much everything. But as usual, Jason crosses the line and Batman has to take him in.

I don't want to spoil the story any further other than that this is possibly one of my favorite Batman stories in the recent years. The story itself has a lot of heart and portrays the estraanged but at the same time very profound and intricate that Bruce and Jason share, the bond between a father and a son. The internal monologue is very well written for both Batman and Alfred. I love the way Winnick flashbacks into more happier times in Bruce's life and told by Alfred. It also shows the depth of Batman and Alfred's relationship. And as for Jason's return, I like how Winick ties it into the larger infinite crisis. His return is not cheapened by being restircted to Batman's Rogue's gallery. It is bigger than Batman and his villains and is part of the bigger events happening in the DC Universe. That's just the way it should me.

The art chore is split between Doug Mahnke, Eric Battle and Shane Davis. Dough Mahnke is hands down my favorite but Shane Davis is a close second. Shane does great pencils and is very detailed. This guy is going to be one of the more popular artists soon.

If you are still reading this, then stop and go out and buy the book. You get a hefty helping of good comics under $8.00. It's a great story for a very reasonable price. Highly recommended.

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