Customer Reviews

Batman: Under the Hood, Vol. 2

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

Batman: Under the Hood 2 is overall a good item. It follows the events after the first volume in which it is revealed that the second Robin, Jason Todd, is still alive. This Red Hood is a vigilante who is willing to kill criminals. Batman must confront inner demons of guilt and try to stop Jason.

The art and inking is really good in this work, and the characters are pretty well-written. Jason still thinks that life is a "game" and believes that killing criminals is the only way to save Gotham. Batman, who refuses to kill, sees things differently.

Also, if you were curious how Jason came back to life, there will be some closure for you in this volume. The end came rather abruptly and unexpectedly, and I hope that a third volume shows up. Indeed, the way it was written strongly suggests that possibility. Overall, this is a good graphic novel.

After a great start to the year long "Under the Hood" Storyline, presented in the first volume, we are subjected here to string of fill-in artists to make up for the departure of outstanding series artist Doug Mahnke. Although Mr. Mahnke stays on for a few parts of this volume, the rest of the book is completed by Shane Davis, who does a great job, and Eric Battle, who makes a complete mess of the last two chapters. Sadly, the end result is a mish-mash of styles that the editors at DC could have avoided by changing artists only once, and at least trying to keep a consistant style throughout the book, which they failed to do.

The reviewer above points out some valid flaws in the storyline, such as the tie-in to the "Infinite Crises" mega-event from DC comics, which undermines the spirit of realism established in last year's outstanding Batman Begins movie as well as many fine Batman comics of the last two decades.

I disagree with the comments above regarding Black Mask, who is one of the better Batman villians of the last ten years. He has some funny one-liners and proves to be quite a menace to Batman, while the Joker is squandered as ussual.

Overall, the saga is worth reading, but your money would be better spent on the outstanding Batman and the Monster Men by Matt Wagner, or the classics like the Killing Joke, Year One, the Cult or Arkham Asylum.

This volume reprints Batman issues #645-650. I picked this and the previous volume up in my local library, not knowing anything about the character, who apparently has established a place for himself in the DC Universe since this volume. For those like me who are not familiar with him, the Red Hood is revealed here as the resurrected Jason Todd, the formerly dead Robin II. The main story is the escalating battle between the Red Hood and the Black Mask, with Batman caught in the middle. Alfred gets an excellent and substantial role also, as befits his place in the Batman Family. The denouement involves the Red Hood finally revealing himself to Batman and forcing him to chose to save him or the Joker, and also reveals why Batman cannot kill the Joker.

The story's epilogue fills in how Jason survived his death due to the `Infinite Crisis', his being discovered by Ras al Ghul, and his eventual freeing by Talia.

It is an interesting and entertaining Batman-universe-related story, with excellent artwork

This graphic novel continues the action-packed first installment where there is a sometimes co-operative truel in Gotham between the criminal Black Mask, Batman and an entity that wears a red hood. The red hood battles both the criminal elements as well as Batman, he kills when necessary and clearly with pleasure, the red hood is what Batman would be if he did not have such a strong moral code against killing.

The red hood taunts Batman, arguing that by killing the evil ones, he is lowering the overall death count, preventing the innocents from dying, punishing only the guilty. This is a significant moral dilemma, harkening back to arguments of the form, "Would killing Adolph Hitler in the 1930's have been murder or a noble act of prevention?"

The action is non-stop, the dialog between Batman and the Black Mask and between Batman and the red hood is excellent. Batman is torn in his battles with the red hood, for they have a positive history between them. This is a great story with a very ambiguous ending, although many of the previously unknown loose ends are finally connected.

A really good follow-up to the first Under The Hood. I don't want to ruin any surprises but the explanation for the main character's appearance wasn't satisfactory to me and the final resolution was a bit hurried for my taste. The Joker maintains an evil energy that keeps you hoping for the best and worst out of him. He truly is the greatest Batman villain. No other has the kindof emotional response or is as visceral as The Joker.

"Batman: Under the Hood, Volume 2" collects the concluding installments of the initial "Red Hood" storyline that originally appeared in the ongoing "Batman" comic book series (Batman #'s 645-650, to be specific), as well as a lengthy "Batman Annual" that reveals in detail how the Red Hood and his supposedly deceased alter ego came to be.

Like the first volume of this storyline, this one contains solid, entertaining superhero storytelling, no more and no less. I will say that it was a little strange to see epic science-fiction type elements from the larger DC universe play a brief but notable role in the Red Hood's origin, but, hey, Batman's gritty Gotham City world does exist in the same universe as Superman, the Justice League, and various alien species and intergalactic conflicts, so fair is fair. And besides, as said, those "out there" elements are fairly brief.

Batman and his dark, shadowy world of gritty crime-fighting lends itself well to intense, involving storylines of both the shorter and longer varieties. The "Under the Hood" epic is a well-crafted, engaging example of the latter.

This was a truly great book, and very underrated. To make this short and sweet, all Batman fans should buy this. :)

Under the Hood Vol 2 explains everything. i was worried that it wouldn't explain how jason returned from the grave. basically, the new red hood is jason and is planning revenge upon the madman who killed him, the Joker. it also reveals some insight on Batman and how is dealing with his new 'enemy.' I totally recommend this story, especially if you have or want to read Battle for the Cowl.