Red Hood and Artemis get closer to finding out about Bizarro’s secret life, as Bizarro takes it upon himself to end the henchmen business in Gotham City once and for all.
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS VOL. 2 #20
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Dexter Soy
Color Artists: Veronica Gandini
Cover Artist: Trevor Hairsine and Antonio Fabela
Publisher: DC Comics
What You’ll Need to Know:
Still unsure of where Bizarro’s loyalties lie after Lex Luthor augmented his intellect in a life-saving procedure, Red Hood and Artemis begin to notice strange and secretive behavior in their Kryptonian friend. They finally agree to give Bizarro some space, trusting that he will come to them should anything be wrong, but both anti-heroes secretly fear that by that time it may be too late for their friend.
What You’ll Find Out (SPOILERS):
On his never-ending mission to rid Gotham City from its criminal element, Red Hood stalks a European munitions launderer. Surprising him in his hotel room in the dead of night, Red Hood threatens his mark with violence if he doesn’t return home immediately. Fearful, the criminal quickly agrees to leave, but not before informing Red Hood that his sudden disappearance will undoubtedly upset his business associate, The Penguin.
Meanwhile, a new phone application titled ‘HenchMates’ becomes a popular go-to service for Gotham City henchmen looking for quick money and high-end criminal jobs. A notice goes out on the app for anyone interested in work must meet at the Lenox Hotel the following day.
Having a moment to themselves, Artemis and Bizarro grab dinner at Swilly’s 50s Diner in Crime Alley. After some pleasant banter, Bizarro tells Artemis that he knows she has some real questions on her mind and to spill them. She does, telling him that she doesn’t know what he’s up to, but that she does know it involves working on his own side agendas. She points to his inaction during the battle with the Batman Inc. team and the Suicide Squad team-up, insinuating that he organized these moments strategically. Artemis tells Bizarro that he’s been manipulating them and that she wants to know why. Bizarro responds with a sinister answer, that he quickly passes off as a joke.
The feeling of the answer though is more of a passive-aggressive way of telling Artemis that he plans to keep his secrets for now. Red Hood then joins the duo for dinner. The now trio don’t leave their dinner pow-wow until the sun comes back out over the horizon.
When they part ways, Red Hood uses a new cloaking device to trail Bizarro, to see where he goes on his time alone. He ends up trailing Bizarro to the Lenox Hotel. Inside, many desperate men looking for work are directed to the hotel ballroom. After some waiting around, the doors close and a strange purple gas begins filling the room. The various men begin gasping for air and falling to the ground. Bizarro addresses the men, telling them that he set up the meeting as a way to get rid of the city’s endless supply of henchmen, which would then cripple the many madmen mobs within Gotham. Seeing them pathetically floundering on the ground, Bizarro has a change of heart from his original plan of killing them. He says that there is no difference in good guys and bad guys if the ends don’t justify the means. Using his super breath, Bizarro blows away the purple gas. He tells the men that they are now given a second, and last chance, to be better people. Red Hood turns off his cloaking device and reveals himself to Bizarro.
After Bizarro tells Red Hood that he’s ashamed of what he’s done, Red Hood tells him that he is no one to judge. He does say, though, that he’s glad Bizarro didn’t do anything he’d regret later.
Back at their cloaked headquarters, Artemis goes into Bizarro’s private quarters and begins looking around. Trying to get to the bottom of Bizarro’s prior actions, Artemis finds a glowing crack on the floor. She uses her mystic axe to pry it open, only to find a set of stairs going down into a green glowing room. Leaving her axe behind, Artemis enters to see Bizarro’s liquid Kryptonite chamber. She walks over to the vats to inspect them, and questions why they are there.
From behind her, Bizarro appears with her axe and implies that his earlier joke really wasn’t a joke at all.
What Just Happened:
The cat is officially out of the bag. Artemis now knows that Bizarro is hoarding liquid Kryptonite, but she still doesn’t know why. It’s only a matter of time before everything is brought into the light.
Two things also happened in this episode that will undoubtedly upset key mob bosses, the Penguin specifically: Red Hood ran off Penguin’s munitions dealer, and Bizarro scared off the majority of the city’s henchmen. There’s no way this isn’t coming back to the Outlaws in a sinister way.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Final Thought: This issue is a long time coming. The overall arc of the book has organically shown the ties between all three Outlaw members, and just how strong those bonds have grown. Now that Bizarro’s side actions have been revealed (the possible murder of the city henchmen, and the secret liquid Kryptonite vats) all members of the pseudo-family team will now begin to question their loyalties, and possibly unravel their trust. For fans of the current comic run, this will either bring about stronger resolve among the super friends, or heartbreak.
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