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Red Hood: The Lost Days #1-6
Batman: Red Hood - The Lost Days
After his death at the hands of The Joker, Jason Todd was resurrected by Batman’s foe Ra’s al Ghul as a weapon against The Dark Knight. Now, learn what secret events led Jason on his eventual path of death and destruction as he tours the DC Universe learning dangerous skills in an effort to find his way in a world that left him behind.
#1-6.
#1-6.
144 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2011
72 people are currently reading
2850 people want to read
About the author
Judd Winick
790 books393 followersJudd Winick is an American cartoonist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and former reality television personality known for his diverse contributions to storytelling across multiple media. He first entered the public eye in 1994 as a cast member on The Real World: San Francisco, where he formed a close friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora, an experience that deeply influenced his later work. Winick memorialized their bond in Pedro and Me, a critically acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel that earned several literary awards and became a staple in school curricula.
Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.
Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.
Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.
Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.
Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.
Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 257 reviews
September 22, 2020
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: It’s a welcome formidability rehab for a character whose post-return role’s been as Dick Grayson’s also-ran evil twin.
Notes: It’s a welcome formidability rehab for a character whose post-return role’s been as Dick Grayson’s also-ran evil twin.
October 22, 2025
A must-read for fans of Jason Todd.
This gives you the skinny on what went down between A Death in the Family and Under the Red Hood. And it also explains some of what happened in Hush.
I like how this one kind of leaves you hanging a bit when it comes to whether or not Todd's resurrection was supernatural. It gives his story a bit of pop! and opens the door for future writers to play with his origins.
Also, loved the way Talia played both sides against the middle.
Very cool.
Recommended.
This gives you the skinny on what went down between A Death in the Family and Under the Red Hood. And it also explains some of what happened in Hush.
I like how this one kind of leaves you hanging a bit when it comes to whether or not Todd's resurrection was supernatural. It gives his story a bit of pop! and opens the door for future writers to play with his origins.
Also, loved the way Talia played both sides against the middle.
Very cool.
Recommended.
September 30, 2014
“School’s out forever
School’s been blown to pieces”
Alice Cooper – “School’s Out”
This one takes place somewhere between Superboy punching an inter-dimensional wall and Red Hood/Jason Todd returning to Gotham City to say to Batman, “You’re mean. I hate you” and then try to kill him. Kids they grow up so fast.
Jason Todd, formerly Robin II, until the Joker decided to re-arrange his scalp with a crowbar and blow him up. Dead? Sure, for awhile. Throw in some comic book logic and viola, Jason is alive again, sort of. If you call shambling around like a Walking Dead extra, alive. Rescued by Talia Al Ghul, Todd’s tossed into the Lazarus Pit and sent to school to study an all non-Batman crime fighting curriculum of killing, maiming, exploding, torturing, poisoning, and sniping. He brings to class a twisted angry form of justice, so heaven help his instructors if they’re not above reproach. “Golly teacher, I’m all out of apples, so here’s a live grenade.” He graduates as the Red Hood with a degree in mayhem.
Judd Winick’s writing is solid; it’s the art that gives me pause. What does it tell you about an artist’s limitations if they have trouble drawing eyes and basic facial expressions?
School’s been blown to pieces”
Alice Cooper – “School’s Out”
This one takes place somewhere between Superboy punching an inter-dimensional wall and Red Hood/Jason Todd returning to Gotham City to say to Batman, “You’re mean. I hate you” and then try to kill him. Kids they grow up so fast.
Jason Todd, formerly Robin II, until the Joker decided to re-arrange his scalp with a crowbar and blow him up. Dead? Sure, for awhile. Throw in some comic book logic and viola, Jason is alive again, sort of. If you call shambling around like a Walking Dead extra, alive. Rescued by Talia Al Ghul, Todd’s tossed into the Lazarus Pit and sent to school to study an all non-Batman crime fighting curriculum of killing, maiming, exploding, torturing, poisoning, and sniping. He brings to class a twisted angry form of justice, so heaven help his instructors if they’re not above reproach. “Golly teacher, I’m all out of apples, so here’s a live grenade.” He graduates as the Red Hood with a degree in mayhem.
Judd Winick’s writing is solid; it’s the art that gives me pause. What does it tell you about an artist’s limitations if they have trouble drawing eyes and basic facial expressions?
April 4, 2022
This was a fascinating read!
I kind of liked it and its fun and fast paced thats for sure!
It starts with Jason wandering alive and Talia noticing it and taking him under her wing but she sees that he has his soul missing and well a lazarus pit later and hides him again from her father and there we see his training like under different master criminals and we see the Red hood taking shape here as he becomes an anti-hero and learns from different masters like that german guy but he finds most of them are rotten and bad humans and so takes them down and that fight with the russians was cool and that confrontation with Joker and getting his mission statement and the birth of Red Hood!
I loved how fast paced this story is and it has no fillers and it does well with the theme of birth of an anti-hero and gives Batman a Punisher type villain with the same beliefs except the no-kill/no-gun policy and its fascinating and I love the way it ties into Hush and Under the red hood and its awesome! The writing and art both compliment each other really well! So yeah a high recommendation from me!
I kind of liked it and its fun and fast paced thats for sure!
It starts with Jason wandering alive and Talia noticing it and taking him under her wing but she sees that he has his soul missing and well a lazarus pit later and hides him again from her father and there we see his training like under different master criminals and we see the Red hood taking shape here as he becomes an anti-hero and learns from different masters like that german guy but he finds most of them are rotten and bad humans and so takes them down and that fight with the russians was cool and that confrontation with Joker and getting his mission statement and the birth of Red Hood!
I loved how fast paced this story is and it has no fillers and it does well with the theme of birth of an anti-hero and gives Batman a Punisher type villain with the same beliefs except the no-kill/no-gun policy and its fascinating and I love the way it ties into Hush and Under the red hood and its awesome! The writing and art both compliment each other really well! So yeah a high recommendation from me!
February 14, 2024
Jason Todd, they could never make me hate you.
June 13, 2019
Pre-review:
I listened to the dramatic narration of this story on Youtube and the storyline, the artwork and the character development totally blows me away! Too bad I have absolutely no money to buy it. *sob sobs*
Edited05/06/2019: Last Saturday I visited a local store specializing in American/European comics for the first time, and BANG! I saw a copy of Batman: Red Hood - The Lost Days sitting there waiting for me! So I brought it anyway. *shrugs*
Actual Review:
*sighs* I'm glad to be able to bask in the awesomeness which is Batman: Red Hood -The Lost Days. If you like action and adventure, there are a lot of exciting action scenes in store for you, plus there are also a lot of raw emotions, betrayal, pain, etc through the story development too.
Red Hood is one of my favorite characters in the Batman mytho, I'm delighted to read this...twisted coming of age story of his. Although I'm not very happy with the few cover artworks in the volume in which Red Hood continues to look like the worst Joker cosplayer out there. *sighs*
Surprisingly, I found Ra's al Ghul's interaction with his daughter Talia, and Talia's interaction with Jason really well written and interesting! Whilst Ra's is being all cold logic and rational about the death of (the second) Robin and how Batman is dealing with the aftermath, Talia shows a rarely seen emotional side of her personality.
Although I don't think I understand Talia's motives and her change of heart all that much, I mean........I understand she first out of love for Bruce, but then why would she intentionally tell ?
Anyway, I seriously, whole-heartedly enjoy reading about the relationship between Talia and Jason, when Talia taking up the roles of mother/older sister/mentor/fairy godmom with Jason. XD
I also noticed when Jason was first revived,
I just think that's a bit unfair. XD
I will keep an eye on Judd Winick's other creations!
*goes back to read Batman online fanfics and draw fanarts*
I listened to the dramatic narration of this story on Youtube and the storyline, the artwork and the character development totally blows me away! Too bad I have absolutely no money to buy it. *sob sobs*
Edited05/06/2019: Last Saturday I visited a local store specializing in American/European comics for the first time, and BANG! I saw a copy of Batman: Red Hood - The Lost Days sitting there waiting for me! So I brought it anyway. *shrugs*
Actual Review:
*sighs* I'm glad to be able to bask in the awesomeness which is Batman: Red Hood -The Lost Days. If you like action and adventure, there are a lot of exciting action scenes in store for you, plus there are also a lot of raw emotions, betrayal, pain, etc through the story development too.
Red Hood is one of my favorite characters in the Batman mytho, I'm delighted to read this...twisted coming of age story of his. Although I'm not very happy with the few cover artworks in the volume in which Red Hood continues to look like the worst Joker cosplayer out there. *sighs*
Surprisingly, I found Ra's al Ghul's interaction with his daughter Talia, and Talia's interaction with Jason really well written and interesting! Whilst Ra's is being all cold logic and rational about the death of (the second) Robin and how Batman is dealing with the aftermath, Talia shows a rarely seen emotional side of her personality.
Although I don't think I understand Talia's motives and her change of heart all that much, I mean........I understand she first out of love for Bruce, but then why would she intentionally tell ?
Anyway, I seriously, whole-heartedly enjoy reading about the relationship between Talia and Jason, when Talia taking up the roles of mother/older sister/mentor/fairy godmom with Jason. XD
I also noticed when Jason was first revived,
I just think that's a bit unfair. XD
I will keep an eye on Judd Winick's other creations!
*goes back to read Batman online fanfics and draw fanarts*
July 10, 2012
Judd Winick returns with another book of his character, the Red Hood, aka Jason Todd (formerly the second Robin), this time addressing the years in between returning from the dead to when he shows up in Gotham – presumably for the events in “Under the Red Hood” (recommended by the by).
The “Lost Days” are what you’d expect. Nurtured from the grave by Talia Al’Ghul (who wouldn’t you know it has an ulterior motive!), Jason goes from combat expert to combat expert learning the finer points of shooting, putting together bombs, lethal physical fighting, etc. to give him the edge over Batman.
What makes Jason a more interesting version of the good guy turned bad is that he still retains some of the goodness that Bruce gave him from his training as Robin. Throughout the book Jason’s faced with the scum of the Earth, some of whom he punishes for various discretions and some he leaves alone – it’s the choices he makes which are interesting to see, that despite distancing himself from Batman he still retains a moral code of sorts. Also, as he’s learning and developing prior to going back to Gotham we see him make mistakes and falter in his missions making his character more human.
The only place where I felt Winick dropped the ball was at the end when Jason confronts Joker. He lets him live despite how everything about the character’s personality is geared toward Joker’s death, so Jason’s action and reasoning felt a bit contrived. But then Joker can’t die can he?
Anyway, it’s still a good read with Winick proving once again how comfortably brilliant he is when it comes to writing Jason Todd/Red Hood. Jason’s a complicated guy and a somewhat likeable protagonist despite his ruthlessness and here in “Lost Days” we see how he hones his world view before the climactic events of “Under the Red Hood” which is definitely the next book to pick up after this. Worth a read if you’re a fan of this character.
The “Lost Days” are what you’d expect. Nurtured from the grave by Talia Al’Ghul (who wouldn’t you know it has an ulterior motive!), Jason goes from combat expert to combat expert learning the finer points of shooting, putting together bombs, lethal physical fighting, etc. to give him the edge over Batman.
What makes Jason a more interesting version of the good guy turned bad is that he still retains some of the goodness that Bruce gave him from his training as Robin. Throughout the book Jason’s faced with the scum of the Earth, some of whom he punishes for various discretions and some he leaves alone – it’s the choices he makes which are interesting to see, that despite distancing himself from Batman he still retains a moral code of sorts. Also, as he’s learning and developing prior to going back to Gotham we see him make mistakes and falter in his missions making his character more human.
The only place where I felt Winick dropped the ball was at the end when Jason confronts Joker. He lets him live despite how everything about the character’s personality is geared toward Joker’s death, so Jason’s action and reasoning felt a bit contrived. But then Joker can’t die can he?
Anyway, it’s still a good read with Winick proving once again how comfortably brilliant he is when it comes to writing Jason Todd/Red Hood. Jason’s a complicated guy and a somewhat likeable protagonist despite his ruthlessness and here in “Lost Days” we see how he hones his world view before the climactic events of “Under the Red Hood” which is definitely the next book to pick up after this. Worth a read if you’re a fan of this character.
May 17, 2016
This was pretty good. I'm glad I know the origin of Jason Todd as Red Hood now. That's exactly what this was. He doesn't actually operate as the Red Hood we know until the final page. He's mostly just training with whoever Talia al Ghul picks out for him, and he ends up being very well-rounded in fighting, science, and technology. And he kills a bunch of his mentors because they're super shady and horrible people. So that's how he is different from all other past Robins and Batman himself. He's still kind of a hero because he's fighting villains, but he kills them and wants to kill Batman for a portion of this.
The artwork in this was good, and the dialogue was pretty good. Great character development for such a short comic. I've recently become interested in all the Robins (except Damian because he really annoyed me in Tom Taylor's Injustice: Gods Among Us. *aggressive sigh*). This is a must-read for Robin fans and Jason Todd fans.
The artwork in this was good, and the dialogue was pretty good. Great character development for such a short comic. I've recently become interested in all the Robins (except Damian because he really annoyed me in Tom Taylor's Injustice: Gods Among Us. *aggressive sigh*). This is a must-read for Robin fans and Jason Todd fans.
May 19, 2018
Wow, this came out of left field and completely outdid itself. I've never cared for Jason Todd or the Red Hood character - after all, they've been intentionally writing him as a mostly unlikable antihero for years - but while going down the rabbit hole on Goodreads and the Denver Public Library's online portal, I saw this had a bunch of stand-out reviews and that Judd Winick has written several things I want to read.
The art is definitely not the best, but Winick does some fantastic storytelling in a small amount of space, forging a powerful new character out of the ashes of a very different one.
Possible spoilers below, I guess.
So, from my memory, I thought after Joker killed Jason Todd/Robin (with a crowbar and a bomb) that he was resurrected in a Lazarus pit. From this telling of his first experiences after coming back to life, we're still not sure what awakened him - while buried in a coffin, no less - but we see Talia al Ghul shove him into a Lazarus pit once he's already been training with her and Ra's for some time. It's used more as a triggering mechanism to help restore his mental functions beyond simple muscle memory, apparently. So that mystery, and the general momentum built up as Jason becomes a mass murderer of criminals - like The Crow crossed with Punisher - has me eager to continue the series...if there IS more of it? The publication dates of these issues makes me think it was leading right up to the New 52, after which the character was leading a silly bad boy team called the Red Riding Hoods or some shit.
Off to answer that question, and then hopefully get further in this stack of too many books checked out from the library all at once (I *had* 20 on my shelf, then I picked up 12 more from my hold shelf and feel like I'm gonna have to really focus myself to get through them while doing other things in my waking life.
The art is definitely not the best, but Winick does some fantastic storytelling in a small amount of space, forging a powerful new character out of the ashes of a very different one.
Possible spoilers below, I guess.
So, from my memory, I thought after Joker killed Jason Todd/Robin (with a crowbar and a bomb) that he was resurrected in a Lazarus pit. From this telling of his first experiences after coming back to life, we're still not sure what awakened him - while buried in a coffin, no less - but we see Talia al Ghul shove him into a Lazarus pit once he's already been training with her and Ra's for some time. It's used more as a triggering mechanism to help restore his mental functions beyond simple muscle memory, apparently. So that mystery, and the general momentum built up as Jason becomes a mass murderer of criminals - like The Crow crossed with Punisher - has me eager to continue the series...if there IS more of it? The publication dates of these issues makes me think it was leading right up to the New 52, after which the character was leading a silly bad boy team called the Red Riding Hoods or some shit.
Off to answer that question, and then hopefully get further in this stack of too many books checked out from the library all at once (I *had* 20 on my shelf, then I picked up 12 more from my hold shelf and feel like I'm gonna have to really focus myself to get through them while doing other things in my waking life.
October 20, 2019
This really explains Jason's transition from "Robin" to "Red Hood" well. It doesn't really explain how he came back from the dead, but I didn't really care about that.
Rating: 4/5
Rating: 4/5
November 25, 2025
Incredible insight into Jason Todd’s philosophy for justice. There's a scene where Jason arms Somalian locals against foreign mercenaries who are sent to sow tribal discord. Now, I can understand criticism on how Red Hood functions as his own Judge-Jury-Executioner, which is very much based on his moral principles and is subject to personal flaws. But the fact he gave these Somalian locals a means to fight back against their oppressors IS ASTOUNDING: it's decolonization.
I bring up this point specifically because it reminded me of this tweet by Najma Sharif (@overdramatique): "what did y'all think decolonization meant? vibes? papers? essays?"
Najma got SO MUCH FLACK over that tweet, but it spoke to something ugly that the Western world refuses to acknowledge: sometimes we have to achieve justice through violence. Stick with me, I know that a lot of people are prone to black and white thinking, but a lot of times it's just not that simple. The realities of our world are murky shades of gray, and while I respect Batman's attempt to reform unjust systems, his privilege creates blind spots. Is it enough to swoop in, save a group of impoverish people, then leave without giving them the means to survive long term? Does a victim of child SA find peace in knowing their abuser is behind bars for a temporary period of time?
Jason Todd doesn't exactly have the right answer to everything, but he recognizes the limits of an unjust legal system - one that was originally designed to primarily protect wealthy white men.
I really, really enjoyed seeing how he formed the foundation of his justice system in this interm period between his death and rebirth as Red Hood. OH MY BESTIE JASON, YOU TRULY HAVE SUFFERED SO MUCH, THEY COULD NEVER MAKE ME HATE YOU (even though the comic book artists decided to make him look like 40 years old, like please, this kid is in his early twenties why is he sporting 5 'o clock shadow GAH)
I am also choosing to forget the insane Jason x Talia scene THAT WAS HORRENDOUS. NEVER DRAW THAT SHIT EVER AGAIN DC, TALIA IS HIS MENTOR FIGURE. Y'ALL ARE FREAKS FOR MAKING THEM KISS.
I bring up this point specifically because it reminded me of this tweet by Najma Sharif (@overdramatique): "what did y'all think decolonization meant? vibes? papers? essays?"
Najma got SO MUCH FLACK over that tweet, but it spoke to something ugly that the Western world refuses to acknowledge: sometimes we have to achieve justice through violence. Stick with me, I know that a lot of people are prone to black and white thinking, but a lot of times it's just not that simple. The realities of our world are murky shades of gray, and while I respect Batman's attempt to reform unjust systems, his privilege creates blind spots. Is it enough to swoop in, save a group of impoverish people, then leave without giving them the means to survive long term? Does a victim of child SA find peace in knowing their abuser is behind bars for a temporary period of time?
Jason Todd doesn't exactly have the right answer to everything, but he recognizes the limits of an unjust legal system - one that was originally designed to primarily protect wealthy white men.
I really, really enjoyed seeing how he formed the foundation of his justice system in this interm period between his death and rebirth as Red Hood. OH MY BESTIE JASON, YOU TRULY HAVE SUFFERED SO MUCH, THEY COULD NEVER MAKE ME HATE YOU (even though the comic book artists decided to make him look like 40 years old, like please, this kid is in his early twenties why is he sporting 5 'o clock shadow GAH)
I am also choosing to forget the insane Jason x Talia scene THAT WAS HORRENDOUS. NEVER DRAW THAT SHIT EVER AGAIN DC, TALIA IS HIS MENTOR FIGURE. Y'ALL ARE FREAKS FOR MAKING THEM KISS.
July 11, 2011
Really I though Judd Winick had lost it as a writer and I mourned for his writing not being up to the standards of Barry Ween, Frumpy, Pedro. Especially, when he got drawn into the resurrection of Jason Todd storyline as a work for hire writer. I had heard this was a good series, so I picked up the trade. Winick glosses over how Todd survived the Joker's beating all of those years ago (when a telephone poll led to DC Comics to kill Todd off). We get the tale that sows Todd's travels from near death to becoming the sociopath Red Hood. While following his acquisition of skills for his shot at revenge we get a peak inside of the mind of man who believes he is killing those who are a threat to society. A pleasant surprise.
April 7, 2014
Red Hood: The Lost Days is a cohesive stand alone story that also adds and expands on Jason Todd's transition from death to his identity as the Red Hood.
The writing works really well, both in creating single issues that function themselves and towards a cohesive whole. There is a good balance of exploring emotion as well as action, and where I often feel that having a character continually narrate in a comic can at best explain the obvious, I found the narration worked really well as it sounded like a distinct character was talking, instead of a writer fretting that the reader hasn't put together all the parts.
What's better, I found myself genuinely sympathizing with Jason. I hated Batman when it was shown that he had taken on Tim Drake as the next Robin, and my heart went out to Jason when he discovered that the Joker was still alive. I noticed a lot that in close up panels with Jason, there would be no light to his eyes; whether that was intentional or accidental, it really helped to subtly illustrate how broken Jason was feeling.
The art definitely picks up with the second artist, though I found both fell into the trap of using the same drawn image repeatedly with slight modifications (cropping, close ups, showing pauses, etc). That said, the colors and strong inks do a lot to get across a rawness to the book, which fits Jason and also Talia's emotional states. The panel flow works as I never felt jarred or confused about how to read the page, and I found Jason's physical growth from teenager to a twenty-something believable—he's fit, muscular but without too much bulk (all the better considering how much of an acrobat he was and continues to be). That said whoever did the issue covers really should have been replaced as the colors, imagery and physical depiction of Jason Todd/Red Hood were completely at odds from the tone and look of The Lost Day's content.
I'm sure some people might have reservations about reading a book where a former Robin turns into a calculating, vengeful killer, but honestly, when the past involves taking a child and arming him with martial art techniques, weapons and technology, and when that child's mentor and father figure portrays himself and the child as dispensers of justice, above the law and all reproach, where physical violence (often extreme physical violence) is almost always the solution, the shocking thing to me is not that one of the Robins went rogue and took combating crime to its logical conclusion. What surprises me is that it took a death and rebirth to get there, and if the Batman mythos wasn't so completely entrenched with regard to no killing, I'm sure DC would have gone in that direction ages ago.
*ultimately the Batman/Robin dynamic and mythos is utterly creepy when you think of a filthy rich bachelor millionaire taking in children, raising them to risk their lives each and every day while building a freaky one-sided codependent relationship. It's remarkable that the tabloids aren't accusing Bruce Wayne of being a pedophile, let alone putting two and two together but maybe that's just me.
The writing works really well, both in creating single issues that function themselves and towards a cohesive whole. There is a good balance of exploring emotion as well as action, and where I often feel that having a character continually narrate in a comic can at best explain the obvious, I found the narration worked really well as it sounded like a distinct character was talking, instead of a writer fretting that the reader hasn't put together all the parts.
What's better, I found myself genuinely sympathizing with Jason. I hated Batman when it was shown that he had taken on Tim Drake as the next Robin, and my heart went out to Jason when he discovered that the Joker was still alive. I noticed a lot that in close up panels with Jason, there would be no light to his eyes; whether that was intentional or accidental, it really helped to subtly illustrate how broken Jason was feeling.
The art definitely picks up with the second artist, though I found both fell into the trap of using the same drawn image repeatedly with slight modifications (cropping, close ups, showing pauses, etc). That said, the colors and strong inks do a lot to get across a rawness to the book, which fits Jason and also Talia's emotional states. The panel flow works as I never felt jarred or confused about how to read the page, and I found Jason's physical growth from teenager to a twenty-something believable—he's fit, muscular but without too much bulk (all the better considering how much of an acrobat he was and continues to be). That said whoever did the issue covers really should have been replaced as the colors, imagery and physical depiction of Jason Todd/Red Hood were completely at odds from the tone and look of The Lost Day's content.
I'm sure some people might have reservations about reading a book where a former Robin turns into a calculating, vengeful killer, but honestly, when the past involves taking a child and arming him with martial art techniques, weapons and technology, and when that child's mentor and father figure portrays himself and the child as dispensers of justice, above the law and all reproach, where physical violence (often extreme physical violence) is almost always the solution, the shocking thing to me is not that one of the Robins went rogue and took combating crime to its logical conclusion. What surprises me is that it took a death and rebirth to get there, and if the Batman mythos wasn't so completely entrenched with regard to no killing, I'm sure DC would have gone in that direction ages ago.
*ultimately the Batman/Robin dynamic and mythos is utterly creepy when you think of a filthy rich bachelor millionaire taking in children, raising them to risk their lives each and every day while building a freaky one-sided codependent relationship. It's remarkable that the tabloids aren't accusing Bruce Wayne of being a pedophile, let alone putting two and two together but maybe that's just me.
September 5, 2014
I became acquainted with the "Under the Red Hood" storyline via the animated movie, and it is definitely a very dark part of the Batman history. I have recently embarked on exploring the Batman graphic novels, and decided to give this one a swing. This was very good.
This serves as a bit of a prequel to when the Red Hood enters the Gotham scene. It's not about Batman. It's about Jason Todd, who was found in the ruins of the warehouse that the Joker brought down on his head after beating and torturing him nearly to death. Initially, Jason is catatonic, but Talia Al'Ghul sees him as a pawn in destroying Batman and mentors him into the dangerous and murderous vigilante/assassin he becomes. He learns everything that Batman doesn't teach him about the darker Arts of War, with the goal of getting revenge on Joker (and peripherally Batman). In the process, he realizes that deep down, he still believes in fighting for good, but is willing to use extreme methods to deal with evil that Batman would never countenance.
This feels like a credible action/suspense story. Jason goes deep into the darkest pits of corruption and criminality, learns the skills he needs for his ultimate quest, and finds he can't turn a blind eye when innocents are harmed, or the tutors that Talia acquires for him turn out to be reprehensible in their habits. He also realizes that not all the means are justified for a desired end. Jason has a phenomenal brain and the incredible acrobatic and martial arts skills that demonstrate very clearly why he was Batman's Robin. Ultimately, I don't see that he has departed to far from the path that Batman sent him down. Maybe he is lost, but I think he will find his way. I need to read Batman: Under the Red Hood soon!
Definitely worthy of a 4.5/5.0 star rating.
This serves as a bit of a prequel to when the Red Hood enters the Gotham scene. It's not about Batman. It's about Jason Todd, who was found in the ruins of the warehouse that the Joker brought down on his head after beating and torturing him nearly to death. Initially, Jason is catatonic, but Talia Al'Ghul sees him as a pawn in destroying Batman and mentors him into the dangerous and murderous vigilante/assassin he becomes. He learns everything that Batman doesn't teach him about the darker Arts of War, with the goal of getting revenge on Joker (and peripherally Batman). In the process, he realizes that deep down, he still believes in fighting for good, but is willing to use extreme methods to deal with evil that Batman would never countenance.
This feels like a credible action/suspense story. Jason goes deep into the darkest pits of corruption and criminality, learns the skills he needs for his ultimate quest, and finds he can't turn a blind eye when innocents are harmed, or the tutors that Talia acquires for him turn out to be reprehensible in their habits. He also realizes that not all the means are justified for a desired end. Jason has a phenomenal brain and the incredible acrobatic and martial arts skills that demonstrate very clearly why he was Batman's Robin. Ultimately, I don't see that he has departed to far from the path that Batman sent him down. Maybe he is lost, but I think he will find his way. I need to read Batman: Under the Red Hood soon!
Definitely worthy of a 4.5/5.0 star rating.
August 2, 2014
This is a prequel to Batman: Under the Red Hood, showing the period of time after Jason Todd's death and rebirth. I have always loved Red Hood so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this, even though Red Hood doesn't really make an appearance. It's more of an origin story of the events that lead him to become the masked bad-ass.
I have been loving the New 52 Red Hood & the Outlaws title so I was eager to read this when I spotted it at the library. I have seen Under the Red Hood movie so I had a basic knowledge of what went on, though after reading this I'm really keen to read the book now. I always find the movie adaptions never really live up to the book.
The thing I love about Jason is that he's essentially still a good person. Sure he kills people, but they're always people who deserve it. He does what Bruce can't do and takes criminals down permanently, which makes for some ruthless adventures. Dangling on the line of right and wrong Jason is not afraid of getting his hands dirty. We see him acquiring his many different skill set in this collection, how he became the man he is today. His interactions with Talia were fun to read, I had no idea they got beow wiki wow wow.
There's not much else I can say about the story without letting anything slip. If you are a fan of Red Hood then definitely give this one a read. Judd Winick portrays the character perfectly, delving into Jason's thought process. While the art by Pablo Raimondi and Jeremy Haun is slick and gorgeous. A great insight into the ever developing Bat-mythos.
I have been loving the New 52 Red Hood & the Outlaws title so I was eager to read this when I spotted it at the library. I have seen Under the Red Hood movie so I had a basic knowledge of what went on, though after reading this I'm really keen to read the book now. I always find the movie adaptions never really live up to the book.
The thing I love about Jason is that he's essentially still a good person. Sure he kills people, but they're always people who deserve it. He does what Bruce can't do and takes criminals down permanently, which makes for some ruthless adventures. Dangling on the line of right and wrong Jason is not afraid of getting his hands dirty. We see him acquiring his many different skill set in this collection, how he became the man he is today. His interactions with Talia were fun to read, I had no idea they got beow wiki wow wow.
There's not much else I can say about the story without letting anything slip. If you are a fan of Red Hood then definitely give this one a read. Judd Winick portrays the character perfectly, delving into Jason's thought process. While the art by Pablo Raimondi and Jeremy Haun is slick and gorgeous. A great insight into the ever developing Bat-mythos.
June 20, 2020
5 🌟
After Jason Todd is resurrected, he gets training of different skills from different people around the world. He kills some of them because they are bad and eventually decides to return to Gotham as the Red Hood.
After Jason Todd is resurrected, he gets training of different skills from different people around the world. He kills some of them because they are bad and eventually decides to return to Gotham as the Red Hood.
August 17, 2018
Understanding Jason Todd. That's what I needed. And I need more of him and his full red mask!
February 10, 2026
Was absolutely fantastic until it got to THAT part in the ending and I had to put it down for a hot minute (I physically recoiled 😭). But love how it goes in detail about Jason's return and his characterization!!
May 30, 2022
that sucked!
February 3, 2024
حتى انا ابغى تاليا تتبناني….
October 12, 2019
After reading this book Jason has become one of my favorite characters in the dc universe. The book was so amazing!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2022
3.5 stars
Interesting story but that part at the end never happened.
Interesting story but that part at the end never happened.
August 16, 2024
3.5 stars
Jason is far from my favorite Robin (out of the five main-line Robins, I would honestly put him at the bottom of the list), but he's probably the one I think about most often. He's one of those characters that gets sadder and more fucked up the more you think about him, but there's a huge gap between his resurrection and confrontation with Batman, so naturally I had to figure out what he was doing during that time.
Plot-wise, this comic is pretty simple. Jason gets resurrected (via an off-page Superboy-Prime punch through reality, which I think is stupid, and I like the Lazarus Pit resurrection way better, but whatever), Talia takes an interest in him as a way to try to win favor with Batman (another note: I think the al-Ghuls' crazy obsession with Batman is also kind of stupid, but again, whatever), and he spends most of the book training with different killers on al-Ghul money and gaining the skill sets that will eventually come into play in Under the Red Hood, thwarting a couple of low-lives along the way.
Character-wise, there's a LOT to unpack. We see how much being Robin, the manner of his death, and the aftermath fucked with Jason's head. I mean, hell, he sees himself as some sort of vengeful wraith brought back from the dead to enact the justice Batman won't dole out, and he becomes pretty irritated at any comparisons of himself to Batman (despite the fact that training under Batman for so long clearly affected his ideas of + desire for vigilante justice). And then there's his grief about Batman leaving the Joker alive and replacing Jason with Tim.
Good stuff, but there wasn't quite as much focus on this side of Jason as I would have liked (a lot of training and gushing over how terrifying and awesome and unstoppable Jason Todd is, etc.), and it wasn't as groundbreaking as I hoped either. Although, maybe that's just because all the Batman message boards before reading this spoiled me. Either way, it got me wanting to read Under the Red Hood (more than I already did, anyway) to see how this all plays out.
Jason is far from my favorite Robin (out of the five main-line Robins, I would honestly put him at the bottom of the list), but he's probably the one I think about most often. He's one of those characters that gets sadder and more fucked up the more you think about him, but there's a huge gap between his resurrection and confrontation with Batman, so naturally I had to figure out what he was doing during that time.
Plot-wise, this comic is pretty simple. Jason gets resurrected (via an off-page Superboy-Prime punch through reality, which I think is stupid, and I like the Lazarus Pit resurrection way better, but whatever), Talia takes an interest in him as a way to try to win favor with Batman (another note: I think the al-Ghuls' crazy obsession with Batman is also kind of stupid, but again, whatever), and he spends most of the book training with different killers on al-Ghul money and gaining the skill sets that will eventually come into play in Under the Red Hood, thwarting a couple of low-lives along the way.
Character-wise, there's a LOT to unpack. We see how much being Robin, the manner of his death, and the aftermath fucked with Jason's head. I mean, hell, he sees himself as some sort of vengeful wraith brought back from the dead to enact the justice Batman won't dole out, and he becomes pretty irritated at any comparisons of himself to Batman (despite the fact that training under Batman for so long clearly affected his ideas of + desire for vigilante justice). And then there's his grief about Batman leaving the Joker alive and replacing Jason with Tim.
Good stuff, but there wasn't quite as much focus on this side of Jason as I would have liked (a lot of training and gushing over how terrifying and awesome and unstoppable Jason Todd is, etc.), and it wasn't as groundbreaking as I hoped either. Although, maybe that's just because all the Batman message boards before reading this spoiled me. Either way, it got me wanting to read Under the Red Hood (more than I already did, anyway) to see how this all plays out.
January 7, 2026
This was a solid enough read—enjoyable in the moment, although not particularly memorable.
It was great finally plugging the gap between A Death in the Family and Under the Red Hood. However, aside from the actual resurrection and the final moments where he truly adopts the mantle, the rest of the story felt a bit like a series of side quests. It actually reminded me of Bullseye: The Colombian Connection, with Jason methodically targeting the mob and training under various masters.
Jason developed well throughout the miniseries; we see that underlying streak of morality he still possesses emerging despite his trauma. I also liked how it tied nicely into his appearances in Hush, confirming those early seeds of his return.
My main issue was that a lot of the individual issues merged into one in my brain. There weren’t really any standout, "water cooler" moments that stuck with me.
While this doesn't feel like an essential read for a casual fan, as a big Red Hood enthusiast, it was still a fun time and worth the look for the context alone.
It was great finally plugging the gap between A Death in the Family and Under the Red Hood. However, aside from the actual resurrection and the final moments where he truly adopts the mantle, the rest of the story felt a bit like a series of side quests. It actually reminded me of Bullseye: The Colombian Connection, with Jason methodically targeting the mob and training under various masters.
Jason developed well throughout the miniseries; we see that underlying streak of morality he still possesses emerging despite his trauma. I also liked how it tied nicely into his appearances in Hush, confirming those early seeds of his return.
My main issue was that a lot of the individual issues merged into one in my brain. There weren’t really any standout, "water cooler" moments that stuck with me.
While this doesn't feel like an essential read for a casual fan, as a big Red Hood enthusiast, it was still a fun time and worth the look for the context alone.
April 1, 2021
The longer this went on, the less interested I became. It could have easily been trimmed down to 4 issues. And Jason sleeping with Talia was so unnecessary. There are some good moments here, but I wanted to like this one more than I ended up. Still, it was interesting being in Jason’s head and the art was overall good. 3.5/5 stars.
April 17, 2023
3.4 🌟
Issue#1: 3☆
Issue#2: 3☆
Issue#3: 3☆
Issue#4: 4☆
Issue#5: 3.5☆
Issue#6: 4☆
It follows Jason right after his death and right before he becomes Red Hood. Entertaining to read and fast paced. Always love to read about Jason and the reasoning behind him going after Joker and Batman.
Issue#1: 3☆
Issue#2: 3☆
Issue#3: 3☆
Issue#4: 4☆
Issue#5: 3.5☆
Issue#6: 4☆
It follows Jason right after his death and right before he becomes Red Hood. Entertaining to read and fast paced. Always love to read about Jason and the reasoning behind him going after Joker and Batman.
August 13, 2024
So so good. omg
May 5, 2022
This slapped so incredibly hard i really need to read more Red Hood contsnt
January 18, 2019
Every situation has its variables, and the difference between success and failure is ones ability to ADAPT. Quickly. Efficiently.
This one is, definitly, a good story on Jason Todd aka Red Hood. It has the background on the characters development, and with this statement I mean that throught the reading we can see where the actual comic version os the Red Hood got its skills and morals.
Another thing we see, is how he grew from training just because he wanted revenge to still fight and do what is 'right', per say, by saving people that came across his way.
Overall, I really enjoyed this comic, however, I'm not a big fan of the art style in it.
This one is, definitly, a good story on Jason Todd aka Red Hood. It has the background on the characters development, and with this statement I mean that throught the reading we can see where the actual comic version os the Red Hood got its skills and morals.
Another thing we see, is how he grew from training just because he wanted revenge to still fight and do what is 'right', per say, by saving people that came across his way.
Overall, I really enjoyed this comic, however, I'm not a big fan of the art style in it.
October 31, 2021
This was an excellent follow up to Winick’s original Under the Hood run. It was published many years after that initial run.
The story in this sort of weaves itself in and out of that original Batman story and shows us in more detail what happened to Jason Todd and how he became the Red Hood.
I loved this. It fills in a lot of gaps and makes it even more clear Jason Todd’s motivations. He’s such a great character.
The story in this sort of weaves itself in and out of that original Batman story and shows us in more detail what happened to Jason Todd and how he became the Red Hood.
I loved this. It fills in a lot of gaps and makes it even more clear Jason Todd’s motivations. He’s such a great character.
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