Red Hood: Outlaws is a webcomic by DC Comics done in collaboration with Webtoon. It is the fourth in the partnership, being released after Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, Vixen: NYC, and Zatanna & the Ripper. It was written by Patrick R. Young with art by Nico Bascuñan. The first chapters released on August 14th, 2022.
The story follows The Outlaws (Red Hood, Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, and Bizarro) as they try to go legit — and fail spectacularly. The Outlaws will battle some of DC’s biggest supervillains and superheroes — but their biggest battles are among themselves. Can this team last? And can they find their own identities separate from Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman?
The series ran for 56 chapters, being updated on Mondays. The series finale was released on August 27, 2023, along with an afterword from the creators. The comic in its entirety can be read here
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Tropes Found In This Series Include:
- Adaptational Modesty: The flashback to Artemis' tenure as Wonder Woman showed she sported pants rather than the thong she wore in the original version of the story in the 90s.
- All Just a Dream: Episode 29 reveals that the last month (or last 19 episodes) of the Outlaws' adventures as the Justice League have just been part of a virtual simulation constructed by Batman as a test, and all of the foes they faced were actually defeated and apprehended by the actual League in the real world.
- Always Someone Better: How each of the Outlaws feel towards their respective League counterpart.
- Anti-Hero Substitute: In episode 10, after Jason an argument with Batman, the Dark Knight gives the team a chance to prove themselves by taking their place for a month, effectively making the Outlaws a Anti-Hero Substitute for the entire Justice League. Subverted as of episode 29, which reveals that the Outlaws were just in a simulation the entire month.
- Bland-Name Product: A flashback sequence with Artemis shows that Wonder Woman has a "Pixtagraph" social media page, a stand-in for Instagram. In episode 27, Lex Luthor has a can of "Cryple Cola" on his desk.
- Dem Bones: An army of skeleton warriors appears to try and prevent the Outlaws from stealing the Idol.
- Designated Girl Fight: Defied in the punnily titled "End of the Trope". The group is being attacked by a Carnival of Killers, and Artemis (the lone female Outlaw) winds up against Lady Shiva (one of two female assassins who turned up, alongside Cheshire). Artemis complains that the only two women in a group facing off is so played out, and is satisfied when male killers Assassin and Constantine Drakon show up alongside Shiva.
- Destroyed Hometown: Htrae was destroyed and it's implied that Bizarro was somehow responsible. Later episodes reveal that he implusively destroyed it because it reminded him of what he wasn't, and regrets it to this day.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Ram Prassad may be the Mirror Master, but he's trying to reunite with his similarly-displaced husband Ike. Once he finds him, he stops his evil schemes and the Outlaws let him go. In the real world however, the Justice League stops him before he can do this, and he's seen crying as they arrest him.
- Faking the Dead: A flashback in issue #2 has Red Hood confronting Franco Bertinelli, whom notes he should have been dead. Subverted as it's actually D'kay D'razz, a Martian Manhunter villain taking his place.
- In Medias Res: The story opens with the team already on a mission on Dinosaur Island before flashing back to why they're there in the first place.
- Lame Comeback: Happens during an argument between Red Hood and Artemis in the third issue.
- Last Episode, New Character: In the series finale, "Something New", Artemis introduces her big secret to Jason: her daughter Akila.
- The Multiverse: Episode 19 introduces Ram Prassad, the Mirror Master of Earth 56, who is currently displaced and is trying to reunite with his husband. In the Mirror Dimension, Red Hood and Artemis find alternate versions of themselves, while Bizzaro finds versions of his wife and son, who are dead in his universe.
- Mythology Gag:
- Artemis' Wonder Woman costume from her unhappy tenure taking up the mantle is Diana's costume from the Injustice franchise.
- While waiting around for Jason and Bizarro, Artemis sings a variation of the "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" Christmas song riff.
- Artemis wears her red outfit from The Supergirl from Krypton (2004) in a training session in the JLA Watchtower.
- In Episode 24, during a flashback to when Jason was still acting as Robin, Batman shows him a Gotham City poll asking "Should Batman keep the new Robin?", with 57% of the votes saying No. This in reference to the infamous "A Death In the Family" storyline, where comic book fans got to vote on whether Jason should live or die.
- At the end of Episode 56, the series finale, Upon Artemis introducing her daughter Akila, Jason thinks to himself "Oh my goodness gracious. I've been bamboozled◊."
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Played for Laughs in Episode 30: Among the group of villainous bounty hunters appear to collect the bounty on the Outlaws is the Beard Hunter, a man who only kills people who have beards. When he find out that none of them have any beards (and that Jason and Bizzaro actually shaved clean that morning), he throws a fit and leaves.
- Secret Test of Character: It's revealed that the past month the team went through was just a simulation created by Batman and the League to test them to see if they can be trusted. Jason failed the test when he killed Lex Luthor, causing him and the team to lose their immunity and be branded as actual outlaws.
- Shout-Out:
- One to Indiana Jones, when the Outlaws seek out a hidden temple on Dinosaur Island that's full of traps. Artemis even notes they should leave before a 10-foot boulder appears.
- Later in Episode 16, when the team goes against Medusa and her followers, Bizarro says "Why is it never snakes?" when the cultists merge into one giant snake.
- A double one in Chapter 4 when trying to escape Dinosaur Island, Artemis says they need to "Get to the chopper" with Bizzaro replying "he no understood that reference".
- Episode 12 show Bizarro watching Titanic (1997). When Jason asks for him to watch a cool movie, Bizarro angerly states that he will "always watch Fight Club ever again".
- One to Indiana Jones, when the Outlaws seek out a hidden temple on Dinosaur Island that's full of traps. Artemis even notes they should leave before a 10-foot boulder appears.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Franco Bertinelli's death is an integral part of the origin of the Huntress, but he shows up alive in this webcomic and is said to have faked his death. It's lampshaded when Jason comments he's supposed to be dead, and subverted when it's later revealed this was D'kay D'razz, a Martian Manhunter enemy from Brightest Day, in disguise.
- Sucksessor: Like in her original introduction, Artemis took up the mantle of Wonder Woman for a brief time and was disliked by the general public.
- Transformation Sequence: Artemis has a He-Man/She-Ra-esque transformation sequence that suits her up with more ornate armor.
- Villainous Breakdown: When it's revealed that the Outlaws were in a simulation created by Batman for the last month, the alternate-universe Mirror Master can be seen angrily crying as he's being apprehended by the Justice League, as he failed to reunite with his lost husband Ike.
- Virtual Training Simulation: "All Aboard the Watchtower" opens with Artemis defeating Darkseid in single combat before the next panel reveals it to be a training simulation on the Watchtower.
- Wedding Finale: "Something New", the series finale, focuses on the wedding of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon.
