Comic Reviews: December 🎄❄️

 

Comics read this month:

• Batman (1940) #402

• Green Arrow: 80 Years of the Emerald Archer The Deluxe Edition

• Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85-86

• Absolute Batman #1-3

Spoilers for those issues ahead!

Hey y'all!

The comics I chose this month have a purpose in leading me to better learn about two characters that have caught my interest. Through watching the movie Batman: Under the Red Hood and the TV show Young Justice, I really wanted to explore comics related to Jason Todd and Roy Harper. And Absolute Batman is to keep up with a current run. I'll be doing a mix of old and current comics as I go forward!

Batman (1940) #402

Under the Red Hood is now on the list of one of my favorite movies of all time, I was so impressed with it! Jensen Acles killed it as Jason, that was a great casting choice. I really loved his portrayal of Jason. The movie made the character so compelling and nuanced, I just had to know more about him!

I read all my comics through DC Infinite and they have a section for exploring comics related to certain characters in the 'Get to Know!’ section, Red Hood is included in that list. It listed 'Batman (1940) #402' as the start to get to know him when he was still Robin. It was very interesting to see him so young question Batman on if killing is an option. Which obviously we'll explore with that in his character arc as Red Hood. Bruce even questions if he should have involved Jason in crime fighting at all as Robin. He certainly will tackle that issue later on in his lore. 

I didn’t particularly like the coloring of this issue. But I'm wondering if in the original print it may have looked different than what’s displayed through my screens. I find the colors too bold and at odds with the other colors on the page at times. I also thought at times Jason was drawn looking much older than he’s supposed to be.

There are 10 more comics in the "Origin of Jason Todd" list so I'll be reading a few of those in January before I move on the 'Death in the Family' story line!

Green Arrow: 80 Years of the Emerald Archer The Deluxe Edition

I've watched some DC movies and shows years ago but never explored any of the comics or media beyond that before watching the show Young Justice in August of 2025. I really loved it and was so enamored with the characters! So many of the characters had great plotlines and showcases throughout the series but I really loved Roy Harper's storyline. He was a stand out character for me in the series. I may do a whole other blog post on my thoughts of that show later, I definitely want to rewatch some episodes after I get to know the comics a bit more to compare.

Unfortunately Roy doesn't have a 'Get to Know!' section on DC Infinite so I did an internet search to see what other fans recommended in getting to dive into his character. I found a Reddit post that listed some comics that are key moments for Roy so I decided to start there. 

 

Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85-86, 'Snowbirds Don't Fly'

I chose the collected edition 'Green Arrow: 80 Years of the Emerald Archer' because it included 'Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85-86'.  That is the famous 'Snowbirds Don't Fly' storyline. The book was really interesting because it's a linear collection of Green Arrow comics, so it was fun to start with the older comic which had a lighthearted feel. That made the progression into the darker and more intense storylines all the more impactful. 

Addiction themes are very tough to handle. Many readers already have preconceived notions about addicts and drug use, so it can be polarizing. I was really sympathetic to Roy in the Snowbirds story, to me he's just a kid making some bad choices and acting out when hurt. He expressed that he’s lonely and feeling ignored, which causes him to find comfort and connection outside of Oliver and into his druggie friends. Those kids also talk about the struggles they're facing in society and why they are also hurting. Though my sympathy for them wanes when they betray our heroes and attack them to gain favor with the drug pushers. 

When Roy tries to broach his seemingly hypothetical reason for why someone would turn to drugs Oliver isn’t sympathetic to the plight at all. Of course this reaction causes Roy shame and has him hide his problem from him. I'm interested in finding some more comics that lead up to this one that shows more on how Roy and Oliver’s relationship deteriorated to this point. The shock and outrage I had for Oliver's treatment of him and his overall disdain for addicts was fierce. Oliver offered no help and instead lashed out at Roy by hitting him and kicking him out of his home. It’s amazing that Roy was able to rise from this rejection from his father figure and by the end overcome his addiction. It’s very fortunate he had other support in his life from Dinah and Hal. Support systems are key for battling addiction.

I'm excited to read more issues that follow this story to see how Roy deals with his fallout and damaged relationship to Oliver.

The rest I read of the collection was really great to learn more about Green Arrow. And I really enjoyed seeing that art progression throughout the years. I particularly liked the art style from 'The Hunters' issues from Mike Grell and Julia Lacquement. The color and art style was really beautiful. As an artist I want to explore other artists' work so I may seek out other issues of theirs to study their style.

In January I'll continue on with this volume and review a few more of its issues.

Absolute Batman #1-3

To start, the art for this series is absolutely beautiful! I love the designs for the characters, it’s so interesting to see a regular everyday person take on our gotham villains. In some cases it was easy to identify who’s who as compared to their previous designed counterparts, but others were surprising. I love the design of the characters as kids. The coloring for this series is really great.

I read both the comic book layout and the “Go!” version of the comic. While some details seemed to be changed or even lost in the “Go!” version, I do like the convenience of being able to easily scroll on my phone and still get the whole story. But overall I prefer the traditional layout. I think the panels flowed pretty smoothly in their composition and the lettering was easy to read. 

It’s interesting that the narrator of the story is Alfred. And that we’re learning about Bruce as Alfred is also getting to know him. It puts us and the narrator in the same view point, learning together as the story unfolds. I look forward to seeing how their relationship grows as they potentially work together. And finding out Alfred’s backstory. What organization is he working for? Why is he estranged from his daughter? How much does she know about what he does?

The friendship between the classic rogues and Bruce as kids and now adults is really cool to see. In issue 3 we’re seeing more of Selina Kyle and him in the past, though it’s hinted that they are not as close in the present as they once were. Bruce has also pulled away a bit from his other childhood friends it seems by how surprised they were that he showed up for game night. Yet his motive wasn’t to connect with friends but use them for information. He goes on to ask for favors from them too in his mission to stop the Party Animals gang. We’re shown that he isolated himself after his fathers death in the past, so maybe his relationships never recovered fully. Or his crusade as Batman caused him to pull away from his friends and their more morally gray viewpoints. We’ll find out!

That’s it for this month. I’ve got more lined up for January. Stay tuned to see what I read next!

Flow me at: Socials