Old Wounds
The zombie apocalypse isn't quite in Gotham right now, but who knows what will happen by the end of this maxi-series, what with not only Harvey Dent working on his own Lazarus Resin program, but probably more importantly, we have the dastardly Mr. Bloom working with Powers International on the same program and you know that nothing good can come out of that relationship. In our previous issue, Harvey Dent and Red Hood recruited the former Suicide Squad into their merry band of monsters but little did they know that zombie Mr. Freeze went and got a little greedy and stole all of the Lazarus Resin our "heroes" had left, leaving them with a serious case of overwhelming odds when it comes to storming Powers International. Let's jump into this issue and see if Red Hood can get some more when he goes after the bit he previously gave Batman. Let's check it out.
For this issue of Task Force Z, while we do get some progression in our Lazarus Resin story, this issue really just becomes a Bat-Family book as Red Hood does his damnedest to try and outplay not only Batman but Oracle, Nightwing, Tim Drake, and Cassandra Cain as well. So yeah, that's quite a feat when you're the former Robin that everyone always shits on and that's kind of the point of this issue. The idea that Jason Todd is just as capable as everyone else and for the most part it works out really well.
While I do enjoy this issue it does rely on old tropes that kind of get you to roll your eyes as you're reading. Everything that Jason has done is brought up, his death and even why he uses crowbars, it's your basic run of the mill experience between Jason and his family and that's a bit tough overall when all I really want, and obviously, this is from a personal point of view, but all I want is for Jason to be an actual part of the Bat-Family again and not an outlier that you're always waiting to fuck up. That's not exactly the case here, but it's pretty close as Jason does what he has to do to see his mission through and it ultimately comes off as a fun romp where our hero is constantly trying to stay one step ahead of his family.
All in all, this is an enjoyable issue with great art all the way through, but sadly with the complaint that there are too many Bat-books at DC right now, this issue just kind of makes something that while set in Gotham, was at least on the fringes of that concept go right to being a full out Bat book this issue.
That being said and some of the tiring tropes that always get brought up with Jason Todd about his past, this issue still manages to be fun and a good look at how capable Red Hood actually is and show us that he's willing to screw himself from his family because of his overall determination to do what's right. It's a hell of a look at Jason Todd I just wish it felt a little fresher in its execution. As for our Task Force Z elements of this book, Mr. Bloom continues to be terrifying and I do enjoy seeing what little team we have left working together to get the job done.
Bits and Pieces:
Task Force Z continues to be a fun time, even with this issue almost becoming just another Bat book overall, but even with this small disappointment, the outcome to this issue was amazing and I can't wait to continue my adventures with Harvey Dent and Red Hood's zombies as they try to get their Lazarus Resin program back from Mr. Bloom and Geri Powers.
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