Red Hood and the Outlaws, Volume 6: Lost and Found

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011)

by Scott Lobdell, Robeiro Leandro da Silva (Artist), Rafa Sandoval (Illustrator)

They began as outcasts; they became Outlaws. Over the last few years, Red Hood, Arsenal, and Starfire have survived encounters with all types of evil, forging bonds that have held them together as a team, and as friends. But even the strongest of friendships is susceptible to the reopening of old wounds, and a secret from the past is about to tear this trio apart. The team encounters a spaceship broadcasting a message for Princess Koriand'r, known to Earthlings as Starfire. What she finds within the vessel stirs up memories of a time before she came to this planet, a time when she traversed the stars freeing those enslaved as she once was. What she finds is the horror of all those attempts at fighting oppression turned to cinder. And what she finds within herself is a burning rage long suppressed, a fire that can no longer be contained. The dynamics between this team of antiheroes is forever altered as writer SCOTT LOBDELL (TEEN TITANS) and artist RB SILVA (SUPERBOY) -- with additional art from TOM DERENICK, CORY SMITH, and RAFA SANDOVAL -- bring you RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS: LOST AND FOUND!

Collecting: Red Hood and the Outlaws #32-34, Annual #2 and Secret Origins #2, 5.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Superheroes, Batman, Fiction

137 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 2015

About the author

Scott Lobdell (born 1960) is an American comic book writer.

He is mostly known for his work throughout the 1990s on Marvel Comics' X-Men-related titles specifically Uncanny X-Men, the main title itself, and the spin-off series that he conceived with artist Chris Bachalo, Generation X. Generation X focused on a number of young mutant students who attempted to become superheroes in their own right at a separate school with the guidance of veteran X-related characters Banshee and Emma Frost. He also had writing stints on Marvel's Fantastic Four, Alpha Flight, and The Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix mini-series with artist Gene Ha. He wrote the script to Stan Lee's Mosaic and an upcoming film from POW Entertainment featuring Ringo Starr. He also participated in the Marvel Comics and Image Comics (from Jim Lee's WildStorm) crossover mini-series WildC.A.T.s/X-Men.

Reviews

[Jayson]

(B) 73% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: A butchered execution, it makes sense with greater gleaning, but shouldn't be this difficult to dig its deeper meaning.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issue #32, Secret Origins #2, 5 ◦ Issues #33-34

[Ivy]

5 🌟

The Outlaws go to S.H.AD.E. since a ship had a message for Kori. Also has a Christmas comic with Suzie Su and Batman. They also hear about someone named Helspont.

[Chris Lemmerman]

I'll give Scott Lobdell his due, when he starts something, he doesn't let go until DC are forced to take it away from him. So after a short hiatus in which this series was a hell of a lot better, he's back with a vengeance, but luckily, back with storylines that actually make sense for a change.

The two Secret Origins shorts at the beginning of the book are surprisingly good, even if it's all material we've seen before. They're hardly 'secret' origins when both Jason and Starfire's pasts have been covered extensively. If we'd had a Roy Harper one, that might have been a little more fun, although even most of that was covered during James Tynion IV's run on this book.

The three issues collected here form one little story about Starfire's past as a slave, and brings the Outlaws into conflict with SHADE once again. It makes sense, the dialogue is on point, and the artwork is consistent even if there's four artists on three issues, so I'm giving Lobdell a pass for this one.

The annual at the back is an extended Christmas story which does actually tie in to the previous three issues if a little tangentially, but it's far too long when the joke starts wearing thin about three pages in, thanks to Tom Derenick's really odd facial expressions - his art is usually a lot tighter than this.

So Lobdell's back, and it seems he's here to stay as he sees out the rest of this series and then continues on to the Red Hood/Arsenal book that launched off the back of this one, but for now, he hasn't cocked it up that badly. Still nothing spectacular, but not a bad read either.

[Campo Reviews]

I really like Red Hood and the Outlaws, it started off really fun and surprising me with the writing. I'm glad to see Scott lobdell is back but the last like 2 maybe 2 and a half volumes have been pretty meh and boring. I need to know DC wont let one of my favorite series go into the pooper, because it's slowly headed in that direction. I like the Jason Todd back story even though I've heard it a million times ( I liked it but it was completely unnecessary. I did not like the starfire back story at all, it was super boring, and i didn't feel like I cared about what was going on. also I swear they gave us this whole back story already in volume 2 or 3 (not sure too lazy to check). I really liked the Christmas Story at the end it was fun and silly and made me laugh. I rate this 3 out of 5, If you're not a fan I would stay away from this.

[Phoenix]

Well, I know what graphic novels I’m considering trading in for credits at my local comic shop or selling as a lot. The writing in this was, quite frankly, embarrassing to read. I can’t remember the last time I felt so annoyed with a messy plot that I had to speed-read the end half of a graphic novel. I’m so glad Lobdell’s efforts improve when this series hits Rebirth.

[Lost Planet Airman]

A short volume of short, mostly background or set-up stories (I think the whole DC universe is taking a breather after the whole Crime Syndicate thing). As usual, al lot of violence from Jason, a lot of adolescence from Roy, and a lot of tragedy from Kori. And too much skin.

[Chad]

More of Lobdell's all flash, no substance. I feel like the writing is by a kid with A.D.D. Plots come and go at the drop of a hat. The amount of aliens Lobdell has living on earth is beyond ridiculous. Humans would be considered a minority at this point.

R. B. Silva's art is pretty great. I saw some of his bare pencils in the back and they look even better than the fully inked and colored art.

[Jenny Clark]

Not bad, and I am glad to see the normal artists back for this one, the other art was just a tad sketchy for me. So, going in the home stretch of Red Hood, we have Blackfire coming back. This ought to be interesting...

[Michael Church]

Trust that this is not the worst volume in the series. With the ending of the title quickly closing in, this does a good job of crafting an interesting story while moving our heroes toward a natural ending. There's a lot of additional backstory on Starfire to flesh out her character. I still love this version of her. She can switch on a dime from being this badass warrior chick to being totally naive about the world.

I do have some issues, though. Roy and Jason stop Kori from killing someone at one point. It's the typical "don't become something you're not" crap that these books always use to justify keeping villains alive. Which I've come to terms with. My issue is that Kori has definitely killed before and that makes this argument invalid. It's selective and annoying. Plus, what comes right after makes no sense. And they also bring back the whole selective amnesia thing with Kori, but why hasn't she used that for the truly hurtful and haunting memories?

Anyway, I still really enjoyed the book. This team is one of the most unexpectedly delightful pairings of the New 52. Despite some missteps along the way, it's still been very entertaining. I'm sorry to see it go but glad that it seems like we will get some closure.

The art has also finally started to bounce back. There are some panels that seemed blurry, others that seemed overly shiny. The whole look is rather good, though. I hope this guy sticks around.

The annual is totally separate and is a somewhat fun romp, but nothing really lasting. It's another building block toward whatever they wanted to accomplish with Helspont (maybe something in Future's End? I forget). It makes better sense here because it references Starfire's past. The Christmas theme probably would have been a lot more fun to actually read around Christmas time, too.

Anyway, same as its been for a while now. If you have a reason to start the series or are already invested, check this out, but it won't be for everyone.

[M]

Scott Lobdell is back to guide the Outlaws into the home stretch in the penultimate volume of their New 52 adventures. The volume begins with brief origin tales offered by DC Presents titles, focusing on Starfire's escape from slavery and Jason Todd's emergence as the Red Hood. The appearance of an alien starship sends Starfire on a mission of vengeance and retribution, hunting down extraterrestrial slavers on Earth while recalling her emergence as a freedom fighter. The book concludes with a holiday-themed annual, wherein the Outlaws are depicted as children attempting to unravel a Christmas mystery. While the plotline seems more streamlined than the previous collection, Lobdell cannot right this faltering ship. It seems that both Red Hood and Arsenal are relegated to the backseat for the majority of the arc, as Lobdell is unable to find the balance necessary for a team book. Once again numerous artists are on duty, helping add to the overall disjointed read. Though the volume is Lost and Found, lost is all readers will feel after concluding this book.

[Amber]

The art is amazing in this next installment of the Red Hood and the Outlaws story. While many fans may miss Kenneth Rocafort's art work, the work in this book is still great. You can see the amount of detail on many of these pages.
In terms of story Scott Lobdell delivers another great adventure for these guys. You can really see the team building and I love that we get more origin story for Jason Todd and Starfire. I would love to see more Roy Harper back story, but it was still worth while to get to know more about Starfire and her captivity and see more Jason Todd and Batman's rocky relationship.
This book is a perfect example of why readers should continue the series. Because, at first I thought that the series had taken a turn for the worst, it has come right back around in these last few volumes.

[Adam Fisher]

Scott Lobdell comes back on the scene here to help this title head towards its ending much like the way it began: fun and carefree. There is plenty of drama here as we see parts of Starfire's past come back to haunt her, but the overall tone is lighter than the last Volume. The origin stories of Jason and Kori aren't needed, but a nice reminder of her past helps clear up the narrative of the present.
Knowing that in the post-Convergence DCU, there is a "Red Hood and Arsenal" title and a separate "Starfire" title, I am curious to see if Kori drinking the "amnesia juice" again will have something to do with their separation, OR will we see more of an action packed closing to their run?
Still a recommended DC title for me.

[Jacob]

Public library copy.

As I've often expressed in other quick reviews, I don't generally buy a lot of DC Comic book titles and this title wouldn't be something I ever deemed good enough to buy or want to read more than once. It was more of the same to me, which is to say, if you liked what has come before then this volume shouldn't disappoint, but if you're like me and never truly enjoyed the series it's unlikely this volume will change your mind.

[Drucilla]

This volume wastes time rehashing a lot of backstory for our main characters, but it does expand on Starfire's history a little bit so that was nice. However, the last issue in volume 5 wasn't explained so I'm a little annoyed.

[Gilles Callens]

The main story is readable and the origin of Red Hood is okay. The Christmas story in the annual is plain horrible... Just enough to be worth a second star, but I'm glad this series only has one other tpb.

[Tanya]

hell yes was my thought when i saw this i was so happy to get another installment in my favourite series and enjoyed reading this volume as much as the others in the series a definite must read for those following this series.

[Robert]

A mish-mosh of rehashed origin tales and unrelated stories, forgettable even while being read.

[Ben Truong]

This trade paperback picks up where the previous volume left off, collecting the next three issues (32–34) of the 2011 on-going series, Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual #2, and Secret Origins #2 and 5.

It's interesting to see Scott Lobdell back in the writer's chair again. Yet he seems to be recycling plot points again. First we had the All Caste and The Untitled, then the Blight, then the Basilisk, then the League of Assassins, and now S.H.A.D.E. again – it seems like the Outlaws really don't get along with others. The story shifts back to Starfire as it deals with the fallout from Starfire's past.

The trade paperback starts with the Secret Origins stories for both Starfire and Red Hood both written by Scott Lobdell and penciled by Paulo Siqueira and Jack Herbert respectively. These short stories were written and illustrated rather well. However, it's just rehashing old stories that we already heard before, with very little new added – if any.

Red Hood and the Outlaws Annual #2 is an extended Christmas story written by Scott Lobdell and penciled by Tom Derenick. It's an interesting story, semi-tangential to the on-going issues in this trade paperback, albeit a tad long – perhaps too long. Derenick provided some cute illustrations of The Outlaws as children, which was rather well done.

For the most part the writing seems somewhat good and more importantly consistent, which makes sense considering everything was written by Lobdell. His writing this time around has been stronger and tighter and nearly reminiscent when he began the series.

It is the illustrations that brought this trade paperback down – there were just too many illustrators! R.B. Silva, Rafa Sandoval, Cory Smith all penciled for the on-going series, although R.B. Silva did penciled all three issues. Paulo Siqueira and Jack Herbert penciled the Secret Origins shorts, and Tom Derenick penciled for the Annual. It just gives an inconsistent feeling to the trade paperback and I really wish they could find a more permanent artist.

All in all, Red Hood and the Outlaws: Lost and Found is rather good trade paperback – the story was just only three-issues long, so there wasn't much in it, but it's one of the better story arcs.

[Krzysztof Grabowski]

Widząc powracającego Scotta Lobdella i tytuł nowego tomu Czerwonego Kaptura zastanawiałem się, ile z tego dotyczy sytuacji podmiany autora przy okazji dwóch ostatnich części serii. I rzeczywiście Scott się zgubił, ale i się w końcu znalazł, bo vol. 6 to momentami kawał dobrej i zabawnej lektury.

Początek jest... nudny. To dwie krótkie historyjki z przeszłości Kori i Jasona, wchodzące w skład tzw. Secret Origins, które można nabyć w osobnych dwóch dosyć obszernych tomach (a które są takie sobie). Jednak to dopiero pierwszy "właściwy" zeszyt dał mi odpowiednią radochę. Mowa tu o pewnym kopnięciu Starfire, w coś w co się na ogół nie kopie. Miny chłopaków bezcenne. I to takie momenty są miodem na moje oczy. Szkoda, że takich momentów jest tutaj mało.

Zaskakująco sporo tu kadrów zahaczających o dramat, który skupia się na tym co przeżyła kiedyś Kori. Wizyta w siedzibie S.H.A.D.E. i badanie statku obcych wywołuje z jej pamięci pewne szczegóły, które popychają ją do takiego a nie innego zachowania. Wiem, że to dosyć enigmatyczne, ale warto samemu zobaczyć co tu się dzieję. Mamy też klasyczny motyw, skupiający się na tym co zrobić z przestępcą, który zresocjalizował się poprzez założenie rodziny. Zemścić się i zabić czy wyprzeć przeszłości i okazać akt miłosierdzi, jednocześnie ratując własną duszę. Finał nawet mnie zaskoczył...

Końcówka to świąteczny specjał, pokazujący jak wyglądał by Gwiazdka w wykonaniu Outlaws. Jest karykaturalnie, nawet zabawnie, choć końcówka mnie w żaden sposób nie zaskoczyła. W sumie tego się nawet spodziewałem, choć pojawienie się pewnego wroga na końcowym kadrze w finalnie zapowiada coś większego. Oby, bo seria tego potrzebuje. Tym bardziej, że kolejny tom wieńczy tego tasiemca, a jest tu miejsce na coś więcej.

Bawiłem się świetnie, więc stąd tak wysoka ocena, gdyż realnie całość zasługuje bardziej na "trójeczkę", może z plusem. Nie mogę jednak nie docenić całkiem ładnej kreski we właściwych zeszytach posuwających historię do przodu (Secret Origins pomijam specjalnie). Cała seria wydaje się mi też mocno niedoceniana, więc jakoś ten fakt też trzeba wyrównać. Lobdell zalicza udany powrót. Oby tak dalej.

[Sarah]

I've ended up really enjoying this series--mostly because I just adore watching these three damaged, but innately good (even if their actions can't always be labeled as such) characters interact with each other. I enjoy the friendship and trust they have cultivated and the way each has grown individually, despite the fact that all three have every reason to spiral downward. But instead, the rise above and grow... but in their own special, anti-hero ways. I didn't like this volume quite as much as the previous once, since it focused on Kori more (and, while definitely an intriguing character, she's just my least favorite of the three). But it makes sense that this volume would give her the spotlight since the last couple have been far more heavily focused on Jason and Roy. That said, my favorite stories were: (1) The secret origin of Jason Todd. (I mean, seriously, I don't think there's any such thing as diving too much into this character's backstory and subsequent development.) And then: (2) The Christmas story. Even though it all ended up being a *spoiler* psychic hallucination *spoiler*, it was still beyond cute and amusing to imagine these three interacting together as children. So violent... but also so adorable. I'm a fan of stories that take two seemingly opposite ideas (like the aforementioned violence and adorableness) and somehow make it work. And, really, that's what this series has been doing from the beginning: Taking "outlaws" and making them heroes. Should it work as well as it does? Probably not. But honestly, if this is wrong, then I don't want to be right. Let's keeping diving into those shades of gray and evolving as people! On to (sadly) the last volume!

[Cale]

Everything I liked about the previous volume is gone here. We get ANOTHER retelling of Jason Todd's Origin (and one for Kori as well) as the storyline at least settles down in its plotting, jettisoning the galactic hijinks in favor of hunting down crimelords on Earth. Kori actually gets some focus here, albeit in redundant flashbacks. Although some of the art is good, the dialog and chemistry falls apart. And this also includes a 'Christmas' issue, which is one of the worst things I have ever read in the New 52. Child versions of the Outsiders go off to save Santa, in the process fighting rabid reindeer and gingerbread cookies. Really. And then it doesn't even conclude half the action scenes, and then throws an idiotic rationale and pointless reveal to end it. Just garbage. The rest of the book is better, but not enough to justify reading it.

[Chris Richards]

Lobdell returns and the style of the book shifts back to how it was at the start for better or worse.

This is a short volume with one 3-issue arc and an annual.

The main arc sees Starfire confronted a former torturer from her past as a slave. SHADE also guest stars and I did not know Man-Bat had become their head of security. It’s a decent and touching story for Kori though fairly unmemorable.

The annual is also unmemorable but fun as the Outlaws as children hunt Santa. Obviously everything isn’t quite as it seems and there’s some set up for next volume.

There is no resolution to the DC Universe Presents issue in last volume.

You can read Jason and Kory’s origins again instead though?

[Sean]

The very short arc of the actually series was very good. We finally get some development and seeing Kori deal with her past was done well. You could argue that Jason wouldn't have tried to stop her since he's an "Outlaw" (still a terrible title). The rest of the book however was just filler, and that quite a bit. The series seems to have no idea what to do with itself. The art was decent and sadly, this was the best collection in quite awhile. Overall, the Starfire arc is what you read this book for.

[Rowan's Bookshelf (Carleigh)]

Finally Kori is getting some real, focused development! The team feels a bit more like family, especially Roy and Jason, but they obviously care about Kori a lot even if they don't understand her completely. I like that she's allowed to be pissed off, go on a whole revenge rampage due to some old wounds being brought up again.
She hunts down an old slave trader who has seemingly turned his life around, but Kori doesn't care at all lmao she is pissed and ready to destroy him. I loved it

[Michael Rivas]

Is there a straight story line or is this how all comics are. It feels like filler type of material. I do like the art in this one and I respect the Santa Claus. I don't even know what to say about it. There are mini chapters that repeat things over and over, doesn't correlate with the full story of the mag much less all the characters. Im hoping I just don't know comic books.

[Roman Colombo]

A lot of the series was from Arsenal's point of view, but now we get a lot of Starfire. With only one volume left, it will be interesting to see what happens to this team. The main arch was good...The annual was ridiculous.

[Lillian Francis]

The first two issues are origins and a bit of a duplication of what's gone before. But any drop in rating for the first two issues was more than made up for by the Christmas issues, which was excellent. And the artwork was great.

[Charles Malloch]

The best of the New 52’s Red Hood

I understand people have gripes about RHATO in the New 52, but I think this trade here is probably the best out of all of them I’ve read so far (so all except the last one). The story is more coherent, and it does well to set up a finale.

[Paweł]

Dalej idziemy wgłąb problemów z tożsamością, tym razem ze Starfire na tapecie. Fabuły jako takiej nie ma, po prostu rzeczy dzieją się tam gdzie postanowili pójść bohaterowie. Albo dokąd zostali porwani.

[David Wickham]

3.5