Red Hood And The Outlaws Vol 1: What It Actually Is
Red Hood And The Outlaws Vol 1 is the initial run of a DC Comics series that launched in 2011 as part of The New 52 relaunch. The creative team was Keith Giffen on writing and Andrea Sorrentino on art for the early issues. It ran for 24 issues before being followed by a second volume. The core concept is straightforward: Jason Todd, the former second Robin who died and came back as the Red Hood, forms a team with Artemis and Bazelevs. Later, Bazelevs is replaced by Deadshot, which is where most people actually get interested in the book. The premise works because it forces Jason Todd into situations where he has to lead people who are clearly more competent than him in various areas. Artemis handles the tactical side. Deadshot is the professional killer. Red Hood brings the heart, or whatever version of that he operates on these days. The dynamic is less about family found and more about three damaged people who happen to share a mission. One thing beginners miss is that this volume has two distinct phases. Issues one through twelve are structured more like standalone adventure stories with a loose continuity thread. Issues thirteen through twenty-four pivot toward a more serialized format and introduce the villainous element called the H-2. The tone shift is noticeable but not jarring. If you're trying to find out where the story properly begins, it starts at issue one and there's no need to read any tie-in material to understand what's happening. Giffen writes it accessibly enough on its own.
The art transitions matter more than most readers acknowledge. Sorrentino handles the first six issues with a very clean, almost textbook superhero style that suits the setup but doesn't push boundaries. After that, Greg Land takes over and the visual language becomes more dynamic, more expressive, and honestly a bit more chaotic in a way that matches Jason Todd's mental state better. If you're collecting this and care about artwork, expect a noticeable change at issue seven and adjust your expectations accordingly. I ran into a problem with one copy I was tracking down a while back where the first six issues were listed as the Sorrentino run but the interior pages were clearly reprints from the animated movie adaptation. The seller had mixed in the wrong variant covers to make the lot look complete. You can catch this by checking the indicia page on any issue. The original comics will have DC Comics Publishing as the publisher and a specific creative team listed. The animated movie tie-ins will credit Warner Bros and have different formatting on the credits. If you see any issue with that animated style, it's not part of the actual comic run. Stick to the main series numbering and you'll be fine.
What Makes This Volume Worth Your Time
The series is notable for being one of the first post-death Jason Todd stories to properly explore what happens when he operates outside the Batman umbrella without being controlled by him. There's an episode where he has to choose between saving a civilian and following through on a promise to Deadshot, and the story doesn't conveniently resolve that tension. That kind of moral ambiguity is what separates this from a lot of the superhero team books that came out around the same time. The Deadshot characterization is also where this volume earns its keep. Most comics treat him as either a straight villain or a redemption case. Giffen writes him as someone who genuinely believes in professional detachment while simultaneously being the most emotionally honest member of the group. It creates friction that feels real rather than manufactured for plot convenience. There are some structural problems though. The middle section around issues fifteen through eighteen drags noticeably. The H-2 storyline introduces too many minor characters without giving them any room to breathe. You'll find yourself skimming through exposition dumps to get to the actual conflict. This is where the serialized format works against the book. Each issue is meant to advance the plot, but the plotting is occasionally rushed and doesn't give scenes enough room to land. If you're reading digitally, you might consider grouping those issues and power through them rather than waiting for each release to hit emotionally.
Get the Full Details
The collection format is another consideration. The trade paperbacks collect five issues each and the hardcovers collect ten. If you're buying singles, be aware that the first six issues have two major variant covers each and the pricing can get complicated fast. The direct edition copies are the ones with the actual content. Newsstand variants from this era sometimes have slightly different interiors or missing pages depending on the printing. Always check the barcode area and the indicia to confirm you're getting the standard version.
Reading Order and Context
The series exists in isolation from most of The New 52 event tie-ins, which is unusual for a book launched during that era. You don't need to read Death of the Family or Zero Hour or any of the other cross-over material to follow along. The one exception is an early reference to the events of Batman Eternal that appears in issue four, but it's mentioned in passing and doesn't require prior knowledge. If you want to read it in context with Jason Todd's broader story arc, you should know that the character originates from the 1988 Death in the Family storyline. He returns in under A Demon Reborn from 2004, then appears as Red Hood throughout the 2000s before dying again in final crisis and coming back as Red Hood in 2009. By the time you get to this volume, he's been operating independently for a while and the book treats that history as established without requiring you to reread it. The ending of volume one sets up volume two without wrapping things up completely. If you stop here, you'll have a solid standalone story but you'll miss how some of the character relationships develop further. That said, volume two takes a significantly different tone and direction, so stopping at the end of volume one is a perfectly reasonable place to pause if you want to evaluate whether the book is worth continuing with.
There are a few collected editions available now. The omnibus collections are the most complete route if you have shelf space. The trade paperbacks are more practical for most readers and contain the exact same content as the single issues with slightly larger pages. Skip the variant-heavy special editions unless you're specifically collecting cover art, because the regular editions have everything you need to follow the story. The series concluded with issue twenty-four and the final issue lands on a note that feels more like a midpoint than a conclusion. That's intentional on Giffen's part and it sets up the second volume to pick up where this one left off. If you finish this and enjoy it, the second volume starts right where the last page ends without any significant time jump or status quo reset.
