Batman and Red Hood #20 comes out today and I highly suggest picking it up even if you are not a fan of the Dark Knight. There are aspects of this issue which reflect the darkest Batman stories ever and it is sure to become a classic issue we talk about for many years to come. While I do not want to ruin the story for you, I do want to say that as a father, I can relate more to the Death of Damian storyline than any other Batman story I have ever read and Batman and Red Hood #20 is an integral part of the story we are experiencing right now.
Batman and Red Hood #20
Disclaimer About This Posting on Batman and Red Hood #20
This is not a spoiler article. The points I am going to write about from the issue will be general (with the exception of one sentence). To this point, I have been able to avoid using this site to spoil stories for readers and I do not want to start running spoilers on current issues now. If you want to read everything that happens in Batman and Red Hood #20, I am sure there are at least a dozen sites running the complete story this morning.
What You Should Know About Batman and Red Hood #20
Essentially, what you need to know about Batman and Red Hood #20 could already be assumed from the title and from what has already been assumed about the progression of the story. Yes, Carrie Kelley is in the issue but that is not important to the overall story. Red Hood, though, is crucial.
Relating to Batman and Red Hood #20
I have been a Batman fan my entire life and have read hundreds (if not thousands) of his stories over the years. I have never been able to relate deeply to Batman or Bruce Wayne until now. As a father, my worst fears would revolve around something happening to my daughter. In Batman and Red Hood #20, our favorite caped crusader goes to more of an extreme than he has so far to displace his anger at the loss of Damian and goes to a darker extreme than he did when he consulted Frankenstein about bringing Damian back from the dead.
The Most Important Line in Batman and Red Hood #20
“Because I am seeing red” is a key line in the issue and a key line in Batman’s rage about what happened to his son. Batman is not able to deal with the death and is filled with a level of anger few writers will ever experience writing about. Without telling where the line is used in the issue, we have to wonder if Batman is seeing red because of the death of his son or because he was not able to save him.
One More Step in Batman and Red Robin #20
As I stated before, I know my greatest fear is something happening to my daughter. In this issue, Batman continues to lash out at those he cares about. I am sure (though I hate to admit it) I would end up lashing out if I lost a child and have to commend Peter Tomasi for including this common step in the healing process which is often forgotten.
There are workers in our Detroit area comic book store which have picks of the week. Even though Constantine, Batman, and Suicide Squad came out this week, I would have to name Batman and Red Hood #20 as my Pick of the Week. I highly suggested picking it up and seeing (if you are a parent) how you relate differently to Batman and Bruce Wayne after reading it.
