Strike’s war on the criminals of The Hill is getting out of hand. Can noted hothead Red Hood help her cool down? I wouldn’t bet the rent. Your Major Spoilers review of Red Hood: The Hill #1 from DC Comics awaits!

RED HOOD: THE HILL #1

Writer: Shawn Martinbrough
Artist: Sanford Greene
Colorist: Matt Herms
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Editor: Dave Wielgosz and Ben Meares
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: February 13, 2024

Previously in Red Hood: The Hill: Welcome to the Hill, a place that required its residents to band together to keep themselves safe when the police, and sometimes even Batman, wouldn’t. Now, old habits die hard as the vigilante known only as Strike works with her team to keep the town safe–but she’s not alone. Jason Todd, one of the Hill’s newest residents, is more than happy to don the visage of Red Hood to help Strike keep his new home safe. But a new villain is emerging from the shadows. Will Red Hood, Strike, and the Hill’s small militia of vigilantes be able to keep their home safe?

IN THE SHADOW OF THE JOKER WAR

Red Hood: The Hill #1 starts with a flashback to the days before The Joker War ravaged Gotham City, and the origins of Dana Harlowe, who would become the vigilante called Strike. In the present, she is active, battling the mysterious Slayer who threatens her neighborhood. She’s also in way over her head, and nearly gets taken down, but thankfully Red Hood and the rest of The Watch arrive to bail her out. Dana’s life is complicated out of costume as well, as her sister Denise is in the middle of a lawsuit with Demitrius Korlee, Junior, but Demitrius is actually behind The Slayer. As for Red Hood, Jason has found a place to belong on The Hill, and is determined to keep Strike from going the way he has often gone in his own vigilante career: Off the rails.

But no one can protect another from themselves.

REMEMBER THE YEAR 2021?

Fans of Martinbrough’s work and Jason Todd will be happy to know that this series picks up exactly where Red Hood left off when it was canceled almost three years ago, which I actually appreciate greatly. Unfortunately, this issue doesn’t do a lot to explain that point (save for a reminder to buy and read Red Hood: The Hill #0, which reprints the last two issues of that book), throwing readers right into the middle of a sprawling narrative with few guideposts. I do appreciate that most of the characters are identified in dialogue, but it will take more than one careful read for a new reader to have the necessary context. Red Hood: The Hill #1’s art feels a little bit off to me, with Jason Todd’s face looking lumpy and cartoonish throughout, making some sequences feel very wrong. The costumed parts of the issue actually suffer worse from the inconsistent linework, as Strike’s helmet and armor change proportion and size from panel to panel and page to page.

BOTTOM LINE: A TOUGH SELL FOR ME

The combination of those artistic peccadilloes and the fact that we’re suddenly being thrown into what’s essentially a delayed number fifty-three of a canceled series, Red Hood: The Hill #1 goes right off the rails for me, hard to get into and occasionally tough to look at, earning 1.5 out of 5 stars overall. If you’re still missing the previous volume of Red Hood, though, I’d say this is a book for you.

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