The young man, though devoid of memory, is haunted by trauma and bears the physical scars of an explosion. DNA testing reveals the startling truth: this lost soul is none other than Jason Todd. Talia, defying her father's wishes, decides to rehabilitate Jason and immerses him in the Lazarus Pit, a mystical pool famed for its restorative powers. While the Pit revives Jason's memories, it also rekindles his trauma and resentment, particularly towards Bruce Wayne, who failed to avenge him by killing The Joker and has since replaced him with a new Robin, Tim Drake.

Driven by vengeance, Jason returns to Gotham, intending to blow up the Batmobile with his adoptive father inside. Yet, at the last moment, he cannot bring himself to kill Batman, opting instead for a more personal confrontation. He vows to Talia that he will face Batman and end his life with his own hands. Concerned by his growing instability, Talia fears she has unleashed a psychopath.

To prepare for his revenge, Jason infiltrates an international terrorist group, not to join their ranks, but to learn and refine his skills. His moral compass, though twisted, remains intact as he annihilates the terrorists upon discovering their involvement in human trafficking. He spends the next few years dismantling criminal organizations worldwide unti he ultimately decides to confront The Joker, the architect of his death, now free from incarceration. Yet, as he stands on the precipice of revenge, ready to immolate The Joker, Jason steps back. He confides in Talia that the conflict transcends mere revenge; it's a complex web entangling him, The Joker, and Batman. The story culminates with Jason embracing his Red Hood persona, setting the stage for Under the Red Hood.

Red Hood: The Lost Days is a masterful exploration of Jason Todd's trauma and the psychological intricacies that define his character. Judd Winick delves into the depths of Jason's psyche, unearthing the turbulent emotions and moral dilemmas that were often overlooked in earlier tales. Jason's hesitance to kill Batman, alongside his eradication of mobsters and terrorists, reveals a deeply ingrained moral code, though warped by his suffering.

His anguish is a tapestry of PTSD, a troubled childhood, resentment towards his adoptive father, jealousy over Tim Drake, and Talia's manipulative influence. The decision to portray Jason and Talia's relationship as sexual was an odd choice on Winick's part, considering the age disparity between the two, Talia's previously "motherly" affection for Jason, and her recurring relationship with his father. It raises questions — was it a further way to manipulate Jason?  Was it an expression of sympathy for the troubled Jason — or some form of revenge against Bruce for whom she has very complicated feelings? Whatever the case, it felt unnecessary.

In the final analysis, this book stands as one of my favorite Jason Todd stories, as it provides a profound insight into his emotional and psychological landscape. The narrative primarily exists outside the traditional "Batman universe," making it distinctly Jason's story. Batman's presence, when it appears, is mostly through flashbacks, reinforcing focus on Jason's journey.
​
The dark and emotive artwork complements Jason's tumultuous path and his internal struggle. What's more, Red Hood: The Lost Days not only solidifies the Red Hood character but lays the groundwork for Jason's eventual redemption and reintegration into the Batman Family.

RELATED FEATURES: Red Hood Collection | Batman Collection | Nightwing, Batman and Adoption Problems | Tim Drake Collection | Jason Todd's Empty Grave | When Jason Todd Helped Save Superman | Nightwing Collection

What If It's Us is a LGBTQ teen novel about two boys who have a chance encounter on the streets of New York City and spend the rest of their summer obsessing over each other. It's also a bit of a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of dating your friends... as by the end of the book all the characters are hooking up more freely than Rachel, Ross, Joey, Phoebe, Chandler and Monica. And yes, this causes problems.

The main characters are Arthur and Ben. Arthur's just in the city for the summer, doing an internship at his mother's high-powered law firm. He does very little work as he's more interested in Instagram stalking his friends back home, trying to score tickets for the HAMILTON Broadway Show, and checking out cute guys. While making a coffee run for the law firm, he runs into Ben on the street. Slightly older and much more experienced, Ben's on his way to the post office to mail off a box of belongings to his ex-boyfriend, Hudson. Arthur strikes up a conversation, but before he can ask for the stranger's name and contact info, Ben vanishes. The only clue Arthur has to his identity is a crumpled up mailing label with Hudson's name on it.

Both guys regret not learning more about the other, but Arthur takes it upon himself to begin a 21st century style investigation via social networking and web-stalking. Against the odds, he manages to locate Ben. But their reunion is still fraught with difficulties. Ben's not quite over Hudson... and Arthur's insecure and jealous. Plus, the clock is running out and Arthur will soon have to return home to Georgia.

The book is co-written by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. The writing style, with each author assuming the voice of one of the characters, reminded me of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Frankly however, I think it was done more effectively in that book than this one. While the two voices are distinct and nicely rendered, there's a lot of repetition of plot which slows down the action. Also, Arthur's whininess and obsession with pop culture becomes tiresome after a while. The latter issue even seems like fan-pandering. While putting constant modern day references, tons of emojis, teen slang, etc. into a book might connect with youth reading it in 2018, it will definitely date the book in the years to come. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book but the love story was the least interesting part for me. The first third of the novel, before the boys know who the other person was, is actually more intriguing. We've all had those chance encounters with others that seem to have promise but are then cut short. And our ignorance about who the other person actually is allows us to build our own stories about them. Romantic Arthur fantasizes that Ben will be a knight in shining armor who will heroically rescue him from his lingering virginity. Ben wonders if Arthur will the be "true love" he's been looking for but seems to keep sabotaging. While the quest for each other isn't enough to maintain the drama for the entirety of the novel, finding each other just kind of reinforces how incompatible they actually are yet I don't feel the book really addressed this. Instead, we get a "everything's OK" ending that really does feel like a FRIENDS episode. 

I liked Abertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda much more, and I liked Silvera's voice for Ben more than Albertalli's voice for Arthur. But, that being said, What If It's Us is still a fun rom-com-style ride. 

RELATED: LGBTQ Book Collection | LGBTQ YA Collection on Bookshop.org