Review: We kick this issue off with Jason flipping out and destroying a hotel room like a rock star after learning from a newspaper that Joker was still alive. After beating the tar out of the guys running the hotel, Jason lays down and has a good, hysterical cry. From there the scene shifts back to the Al Ghul's, with Ra's yelling at his daughter Talia for allowing Jason to use the Lazarus Pit. Ra's explains that the Lazarus Pit probably drove Jason insane, but Talia doubts it. Ra's finishes his tirade by warning Talia that she has unleashed a pestilence on the world, and that she'll be sorry. Back with Jason, after a quick flashback to his brutal death at the hands of the Joker, he takes the money Talia gave him and heads to Gotham to avenge his death on the two people he felt were most responsible, Joker and Batman. After shaking the tail Talia put on him, Jason catches a ride to Gotham and plays the Batman like a fiddle, setting up a bogus gun sale with the Penguin, and allowing the information to be leaked to Batman. After watching Batman head to the gun sale sight, Jason sneaks up to the Batmobile and places a bomb underneath the fuel tank before leaving. From there Jason slinks back into the shadows and waits for Bats to get back in the car. After Bats leaves, Jason stands on a rooftop ready to push the button to set off the bomb, but at the last moment, he changes his mind. Later on Jason speaks to Talia and tells her about what he did, stating that he didn't blow Batman up because he wanted Bats to know that it was Jason who killed him. Upon hearing this, Talia realizes that her father was correct, and that by allowing Jason to use the Lazarus Pit, she did indeed unleash a pestilence on the world.
What I Thought: I LOVED this story!!! If I thought it had any chance of succeeding I'd start an on-line petition to get Judd back as the writer of the Batman books instead of Grant “The Butcher” Morrison. Whereas Grant nearly ruined the Jason Todd character in Batman and Robin, Judd shows that he has an EXCELLENT feel for Jason. Not only that, but it now seems that most of Jason's evil actions are due to his exposure to the Lazarus Pit, which is something I hadn't thought about before. As Ra's said, the insanity from the Pit could either come immediately, or gradually, and it seems that his time in the Pit has drawn out more of Jason's darker instincts. What more needs to be said? I'll definitely be looking forward to next month's installment of this mini.
Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.
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Now THAT'S a temper tantrum!
I keep forgetting now that you get weekly comics I don't have to hold back in my reviews :P I loved this issue as well as ya know, and man I'm with you! All of Jason's evil decisions being due to the Lazarus pits is genius. I really can't believe no one else made that connection until now. I also wish Judd could take on Batman and Robin but hell, I'd be happy if he just got a Jason Todd ongoing series.
ReplyDeleteYeah man, let loose with your reviews! I can always skip the few subscription titles I still get. I tell ya, it's great being(mostly)up to date in the world of comics now!
ReplyDeleteThe whole Lazarus Pit connection gives any future Bat-writer such an easy way to rehabilitate Jason. Just find a way to undo the Lazarus Pit's influence, and bam, you've got a more heroic version of Jason instead of the evil red-headed one. And yeah, in a perfect world there'd be a Jason Todd ongoing...
Well that's all I needed to hear. Get ready for a more in depth Ratings and Rantings!
ReplyDeleteExactly. It's the perfect way to say, "Jason didn't do this, the Lazarus pit made him this extreme." And yeah I;d be so content with a Jason Ongoing series, That's why I hope this Under The Red Hood film does great along with the Lost Days so we can get Jason some respect.
HA! You make me feel like royalty or something! X: "JT, make your reviews more in-depth." JT: "Right away sire!" :P
ReplyDeleteWell, after a quick check, the first issue of this mini was the 57th best selling comic of the month of June. All things considered, that's not THAT bad for a character most people probably don't even know about... I'm not sure that that number would be good enough for an ongoing, although that was better then Titans #24, Zatanna #2, Batgirl #11 and Gotham City Sirens #13 to name a few... If THOSE characters can have ongoings, why not Jason? We really need to start one of those online petitions! :P
Lmao! I'm not commenting on that. Lol i just know if I add spoilers thats one less reader (until ya got it) and less comments, and I feed off comments baby!!!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! JT gets redemption!!! I think you're right about us starting a petition I know we'd get a lot of signatures. Apparently the week of the movie release is gonna be Jason Todd week over at ComicBookResources.com and a ton of other sites. Jason has a bigger fanbase than we though eh?
HA! You see what that one compliment over on the other post did to me? Now I'm comic book royalty!
ReplyDeleteHey, we should totally do something Jason Todd related for that week! I'll have to think of some Jason-ific posts for that week. Whenever it is... When IS that movie coming out?!
You know, after checking out the sales chart, I have to say, I was kind of depressed by how low on the chart Batgirl was... Besides the Jason Todd fans, we need to try to rally the Batgirl fans as well!
I see! From now on I'm gonna just clip you at the knees lol, no more compliments!!! :P
ReplyDeleteJuly 27th I do believe good sir, I'm 95% sure. I agree though, what do you think we should do? I'm obviously reviewing the film but what else...
I think you just wanna rally some fan girls ;) Lol but I agree because that comics too damn good to not be read by a ton of people, so let's do it!
Dammit! I'll have to really start fishing for compliments now!
ReplyDeleteHmm... I'm not sure yet, but since it's still a bit off, I'm sure we'll come up with something. Hell, who knows, maybe I'LL even review the movie!!! How crazy would THAT be?!?
Exactly! Well not the fangirl thing, the "it's too good not to be read by a lot of people" thing. No, I'd be strictly professional... If only I knew a few thousand people and I could convince them to give Batgirl a try... Oh well, it's time to resort to telepathy I see...
Ya won't be getting them here good sir! Besides I figured being a New Yawker you'd be more used to insults than compliments. Oh yeah, I went there :P
ReplyDeleteThat would be insane. So you're actually gonna buy it eh? You don't even WATCH movies!!! Haha, oh what'd you think of that Joker clip I posted, I don't think you commented about it.
Little did he know I used telepathy to tell him to resort to telepathy. And outta curiosity how high was Batman and Robin?
Ha! Well, I guess you do have a point there good sir... I'll take whatever you're willing to give, compliments AND insults! Yep, I'll take whatever attention I can get, sort of like Dale as a kid when he ate those bugs at school!
ReplyDeleteYou know how I am with clips and stuff JT! I have to admit that I didn't bother to watch it! I know, bad X... I just hate to watch things! It takes too long! I'm like a speedster, I have a really short attention span I guess! I'd rather just read something, that way I can go at my own pace.
Being a numbers guy, I like checking out the sales charts every month so I can get a feel for which comics are doing well, and which of my favorites I have to start worrying about... As for the answer to your question, there was no Batman and Robin last month(June)! But Batman #700 was the #2 book of the month(New Avengers #1 was the top book), and the abomination known as Return of Bruce Wayne #3(which I've COMPLETELY forgotten to pick up!!!)was #4. So you'd have to figure Batman and Robin would be around there. For the record, Batman & Robin #12 was ranked 9th back in May. In case you're interested here's the link to the sales chart: http://www.diamondcomics.com/public/ Just click the top 100 comics link on that page.
Lol I know this is a TOTALLY different epidode but you made me think of the basket weaving one where he's talking to the basket like "Would you like some soda?" "Why yes I'd love some soda, Thank you Dale, I love you." Lol he was such an odd kid.
ReplyDeleteLol what I'm wondering is how you make it through Hell's Kitchen commercial breaks then :P I figured ya didn't since everyone else commented on Joker's voice but I can't fault your reasoning.
Ah thanks for the info, I've never even thought to look up that information. You forgot to pick Return of Bruce Wayne or subliminally didn't want to? :P So what else are you waiting for via mail, Batman and Robin? Birds of Prey or do you get that weekly?
I JUST watched that episode today On Demand! That scene was frigging hilarious! I love when Dale tries to kill Hank in the basket factory by throwing baskets at him!
ReplyDeleteRamsay is one of the few things that I can happily sit through. I can wait through the commercials because I know I'll be laughing my ass off when the commercial break is over!
No problemo mi amigo. I know I enjoy talking stats, so feel free to discuss something you find there.
HA!!! It could be either or! Maybe the thought of Return #3 horrified me SO much that I couldn't stand the thought of ordering it! Or maybe I just forgot... I kind of like the first choice more, so I'm gonna go with that one!
GL, GLC, BoP, B&R... Man, am I SO lazy that I have to abbreviate EVERY single title?! Sheesh... Hmm, what else... Wonder Woman, REBELS, JLA, JSA, Red Robin, Sirens, Streets of Gotham, Batman, Titans, Supes, Action, Flash(although only for 3 more issues)GA, and I THINK that's it from DC. I prob have about that many Marvel titles as well. And then there's the 39 titles I get from the comic book shop monthly...
Lmao yep, I watch that and the other one on demand like daily, i turn it on when I get ready to go to sleep. Why would you try to kill someone with a forklift?!
ReplyDeleteYou're damn sure right about that! Man, Falisha and I are starting season 5 later tonight, that show is so damn good!
Cool dude, I'll definitely start throwing some at ya in the near future.
Lol Bruce Wayne's return, may be the biggest disappointment of the year. and damn that's ALOT of comics. So how do you feel about all the WW controversy?
Yeah, once I found out about that channel I started to watch those two KofH on an almost daily basis.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've got to say, Hell's Kitchen is really a blast. That's one show I'm glad I listened to my sister about.
Yeah, as of right now I wouldn't deny that. I don't know what Grant is up to here... Maybe he's saving his best work for the second half of the mini? Yeah, I know, doubtful... I haven't gotten the newest WW yet... DAMN that subscription!!! So there's some kind of controversy? Interesting...
Dude I HATE cops and Robert and I always watch it. I hate Hank's story because its so dumb, Hank would never be that stupid. Why wouldn't you call and say, I mistakenly stole your wallet, I want to return it. He's like "This is Hank... I know where you live... I'll be seein ya." Like wtf when has Hank ever been that much of an idiot?
ReplyDeleteSo do you guys watch it together on Tuesdays? And how are you liking them showing two hours now instead of one episode per week.
Yeah, I won't say anything except the entire WW mythos is now.... void I guess.
Yeah, I totally agree! There were like 100 different things that Hank could have/should have done there... Why not just stop by the guys place and slip the wallet in his mail slot, or like you said, just explain that it was all a horrible mistake? And why the hell did Bill and Boomhauser go with him?
ReplyDeleteYeah, unless she's working, and then I record it for her. I'm def glad that it's on 2 hours instead of 1! That way I can watch HK until 10, and then put on KotH!
Well, I just got that comic in the mail today(as well as like 6 or 7 other books!)so I'll prob give it a read once I'm done here.
Lol right?! He could've easily left it on his porch or in his mail slot or just explained on the machine. And they had NO purpose for being with him, they could've atleast set it up like "Let's go see Dale after I drop off the wallet." That episode would've worked better for someone dumb like Bill or who doesn't talk much like Boomhauer because it would've made more sense than Hank magically being an idiot.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I totally agree! There were like 100 different things that Hank could have/should have done there... Why not just stop by the guys place and slip the wallet in his mail slot, or like you said, just explain that it was all a horrible mistake? And why the hell did Bill and Boomhauser go with him?
Exactly dude, exactly. I love two hours of HK then a hour of KOTH. What does your sister do anyway? Her working that late seems hectic.
Sweet, I'm awaiting a review for that one!
That's exactly right! I'd have accepted if it was Dale and Bill who had done the wallet thing, but for Hank, it just seemed so out of character...
ReplyDeleteUgh, they have the very early(first season)KotH's on now... I hate the first season and a half. The animations look off(my sister and I joke about the fact that it looks like Hank gets a face lift after the first few episodes 'cause he looks SO much better), and some of the guys voices aren't quite there yet. You could see that the actors were still trying to develop the right voice/personality for the guys. I think Bobby is like the only character who seems like himself right from the start.
She's working at JC Penny. Until she can get a job with one of the degrees she picked up, she's gonna be working there until a good job opens up.
Well, you may be waiting a while! :P I'll see what I can do, but I'm half expecting to get HAMMERED with homework tomorrow, so we'll see. I'm actually leaning towards doing a random post or a vs type post tomorrow. I jotted down a few ideas, but I'm still undecided...
I'm glad you agree, for a while I thought I was just REALLY over thinking that.
ReplyDeleteI agree dude, the art looks horrible compared to later seasons, Dale has a different voice actor, Peggy looks and sounds odd... Bill isn't an idiot yet and Dale is like... just weird. He commands respect lol.
Ah got ya. Hell I wish I could find a job to be honest, I've been going through the interview process for a temp job at Chrysler and hopefully I'll get it.
That's fine I'm never in a rush haha, oh how'd ya do on ya test?
Yeah man, I HATE watching the early KotH's... Like you said, the animation is just bad(especially the stuff in the background)and everybody sounds wrong! It's all just weird... Plus Hank looks REALLY old!
ReplyDeleteCool! Best thing about a job is that money! More money automatically means more comic books! :P
I got a 94 on it mi amigo! I am SOOOOO pleased about that! Only one guy did better then I did in the whole class. So far so good! My next test is next Monday, so if I can ace that I'll be swinging an "A" average. Oh, and I got a certificate telling me I'd made the President's List today in the mail! It's all coming up roses for me at school lately! :D
Lmao yep, that's that facelift ya sister mentioned. And now that I'm used to old Joseph I hate pre-pubescent Joseph.
ReplyDeleteExactly bro! lol I'll be making 14 bucks an hour if I get it.
Great work dude. On the test AND the President's list. Aren't ya glad you voted for Obama? :P Lol kidding but that's awesome bro.
Yeah, I agree with the Joseph thing too. I prefer older, weird Joseph to pre-pubescent Joseph.
ReplyDeleteHey, that's not bad at all! Good luck mi amigo!
HA!!! I knew that vote would pay off eventually! :D
I've been wanting to quote things from that Basket weaving episode at you like ALL day.... "I have a Question, I find it interesting that Pockets originated from Baskets and were originally called Pants-Baskets."
ReplyDelete"That's not a question."
Thanks bro, I already took a physical and a drug test they wanted and since I've never taken any drugs in my life I should be good haha.
Lol he found out and he's paying everyone back. Soon I'll be on the President's list and I'm not even in school! :P
HA!!! The best part of that is when the guy's just like, "That's not a question." I also love the part where Dale is spying on Hank and the other basket weavers and they're ripping how sucky his baskets are, and Dale is saying out loud, "They don't even know I'm eavesdropping... How's THAT supposed to motivate me?!"
ReplyDeleteSweet! Same here mi amigo. Never taken ANY drug ever. Never plan to either... Then again, who would be dumb enough to PLAN to take drugs?
HA!!!
LMAO Right?! He says it SO stale. "That wasn't a question." Best part, without a doubt was when Dale's thinking of everyone laughing at him, and Me-Gan is just sitting there with the most SOLID look ever. That gets me every time.
ReplyDelete"I'm gonna take some heroin on... September 24th" Lol that's how you PLAN to take drugs. Oh, speaking of drugs (sorta) guess who saw Red Hood today :D
Lol I love that reply.
Huh, you know, the more we talk about this episode, the more great moments I can remember from it. Like when Dale throws that weak-ass temper tantrum and really doesn't damage anything! He knocks some baskets over and throws the picture and it just sort of lands undamaged!
ReplyDeleteHA! Thanks for clearing that up for me JT! I like that. You have the date AND the drug! That's REALLY some solid planning there! :D
Wait, what?!? It came out? The Red Hood movie came out, or were you just hallucinating that you saw Red Hood walk past your house or something, because either way I'd like to hear more!
Lol and the way he throws those baskets at Hank like you mentioned, and Hank's basket is so big and sturdy it can hold all the other baskets haha.
ReplyDeleteYou know it! Now all i need is a place for my planned drug usage and I'll be super pro-active!
Apparently some places are already selling it in your home state, and people have been uploading it to the net, so I got it, threw it on a hard drive and watched it on my PS3 with perfect DVD quality.