Red Hood: Outlaw #46
DC Comics
Written by: Scott Lobdell
Art by: Paolo Pantalena & Travis Mercer
Inks by: Paolo Pantalena & John Livesay
Colors by: Arif Prianto
Letters by: Troy Peteri
Red Hood: Outlaw covers never tend to disappoint, but the two for Red Hood: Outlaw #46 (main by Paolo Pantalena and Arif Prianto, variant by Philip Tan and Elmer Santos) are among the best we’ve seen in some time.
While I typically lean toward Tan’s work, Pantalena stole the show this time around. The combination of Bizarro’s ferocity, Red Hood’s desperation and Artemis’ control sums up the group perfectly. Plus, this cover is a perfect tease for what comes in Red Hood: Outlaw #46.
Maybe it’s the return of a certain Mistress that’s brought balance back to the Outlaws, or maybe its something else, but the group felt in-sync in a way they haven’t in a while.
And while the return of the All-Caste and The Untitled is something I’ve griped about in recent issues, Scott Lobdell helped make sense of why both groups are suddenly back in the mix. Though, it might’ve been better to let us in on the secret a bit sooner.
(WARNING: Spoilers for Red Hood: Outlaw #46 ahead.)
Essence’s mea culpa is just the beginning. Not only did she misread the situation with Jason, but now she’s also realized she involved Isabel wrongfully. (Not that involving Isabel in the first place was right.) Though something tells me she’s not exactly in for a world of hurt. Essence knows she made a pretty big mistake, and I get the feeling she’ll try to correct it.
If Isabel enters the fold, I wonder how that’s going to impact the Jason-Artemis dynamic. Probably more drama. At least she got Mistress back — and her old look.
But as much as I’m glad to see Artemis back in control of that excessively large ax, it would’ve been cool to see the human manifestation of mistress in action for an issue or two.