Review: Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 4- Good Night, Gotham

Quick Summary

Pros: The characters here are incredible and their interactions are amazing. The emotions throughout this collection are well executed and meaningful. The end of the book gives some temporary resolution while also building excitement for the future. The artwork is beautiful and continues to enhance the entire series.

Cons: Nothing significant.

Overall: Captivating storytelling and beautiful artwork make the conclusion to this era in Red Hood and the Outlaws history a tremendous reading experience. This book manages to contain action and tension while still managing to tell an incredibly charming story about a troubled group of friends. It also ends in a way that complements the current arc while gearing the reader up for the next one. Anyone who enjoys wonderful characters should make sure to read this whole series so they can read this amazing final volume.

Story

Just when you think that the Red Hood and the Outlaws series can’t get any better, Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 4: Good Night, Gotham comes around and ups the ante once more. In this book, Scott Lobdell continues the story of friendship and adventure that has been taking place across the last three volumes. However, here the action is more exciting, the tension is more present, and the emotions are far more meaningful. Then, the conclusion comes around and delivers a satisfying end to the current drama while simultaneously catapulting the series into a whole new era.

(spoilers start here)

Good Night, Gotham starts out by immediately reaffirming and further developing the friendship and comradery between the Outlaws. Jason and Artemis’s “date” is adorable and charming, even if it is “mostly” a ruse. Meanwhile, both Jason and Artemis get a chance to connect with Bizarro on an individual basis and show that they truly do care for him.

Firmly establishing all of this love and friendship helps make what happens in the rest of the collection more meaningful. As readers learn how serious Bizarro’s condition actually is, his pain is more palpable and real. As readers slowly discover that Artemis may have been responsible for the disappearance of Jason’s father, it completely changes the dynamic of their relationship, even if Jason isn’t aware of this yet. And as readers see that the Outlaws begin to fall apart, the entire series becomes a bit heartbreaking.

However, the story doesn’t simply end here, as Scott Lobdell still has a few tricks up his sleeve. Good Night, Gotham does give a temporary resolution to the action that has been going on thus far, the Outlaws have disbanded and the city is safe for the moment. Yet, while this resolution is being provided, numerous other story arcs are being launched. Jason’s road to redemption goes down a new path, Artemis and Bizarro are put in a very uncertain position, and, most surprising of all, Jason’s father is introduced as an entirely new twist. All of this helps ensure the end of this volume is great while still managing to build excitement for the future.

(spoilers end here)

Art

Anyone familiar with this series thus far will be unsurprised to learn that the artwork in Good Night, Gotham is as gorgeous as ever. The combination of Dexter Soy’s artwork and Veronica Gandini’s colors is amazing and leads to some simply fantastic depictions of Gotham City and the Outlaws. Well-defined characters help enhance the emotions throughout this book and add to the story in a magnificent way. Even the chapters not illustrated by Soy work look great and manage to avoid disrupting the volume’s visual consistency; Marcio Takara’s chapter has the Outlaws in a non-traditional situation, that matches the art style well, and Trevor Hairsine’s chapter is mostly centered around a flashback, which benefits from a change in visuals. Overall, this is another great looking collection in the Red Hood and the Outlaws series.

Continuity

Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 4: Good Night Gotham continues the story from Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 3: Bizarro Reborn (Review).

The story here continues in Red Hood: Outlaw Vol. 1: Underlife.  

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Lex Luthor’s previous attempt at creating Bizarro is mentioned. This took place in Forever Evil (Review).
• Jason Todd’s time with Ma Gunn is a reference to Batman #402-403, collected in Batman: Second Chances.
• The destruction caused by Batman: Night of the Monster Men (Review) (Reading Order) is mentioned at one point.
• Batman mentions something that Batwoman did recently. The actions he is referring to take place in Detective Comics #973-974, collected in Detective Comics Vol. 6: Fall of the Batmen.