three jokers might have been trash, but jason todd was absolutely divine
(appreciate some jason and a lil bit of my rant about how dc has been treating him)
First of all, Jason Fabok, the artist of Three Jokers, is absolutely phenomenal, and that Jason Todd look is easily the best I've ever seen but despite the great art, Batman: Three Jokers is a story I just can't like at all.. The way Jason's character is portrayed especially towards the end is honestly pathetic. His attempt to guilt Barbara into becoming his girlfriend is just beyond ridiculous, it is such a bizarre reduction of his character that it completely undermines everything that makes Jason such a compelling character.
anyways the bigger issue is that DC has no bloody clue what to do with jason anymore. utrh is still the gold standard but rhato in new 52 was absolute character assassination. They butchered jason, they butchered starfire, they butchered roy harper (another of my favourite character).
After years of being away from DC Comics, I recently picked up some new stories and couldn't believe how far they've fallen in terms of handling Jason Todd. Bruceās treatment of him is downright baffling. He drags Jason back to Ethiopia to relive his literal death, beats him senseless on a rooftop and breaks his helmet, and then hits him with fear toxin. In what universe is that remotely acceptable? like
And this is what really pisses me off: Jason Todd was originally written as a good kid with potential, intelligence, heart, who slipped through the cracks of society. He is what happens when institutions fail children. Bruce taking him in was meant to be a gesture of faith, of recognition. Jason wasnāt a lost cause, he was someone worth saving.
You could even argue Jasonās death came because Bruce didnāt trust him enough.
Red Hood was never about some angsty, homicidal tantrum. Jason is what happens when a hopeful, heroic kid grows up and realises the worldās systems are fundamentally broken. He refuses to be passive. He refuses to sit still and hope the world fixes itself. Red Hood is a commentary on justice, on complicity, on how far you go when the structures meant to protect people are the ones doing the damage.
Yet lately, DC has decided Jasonās ācharacterā is just:
Jason was never some ābad seedā who was just destined to be this angry, reckless brat. Jason was a good kid. He had a lot of potential, and he was smart, sarcastic, and a bit rough around the edges. He was someone who saw injustices, and when he couldnāt stop them by normal means, he went to extremes.
DC has turned him into a dumb, angry gun guy who just fights people for the sake of it. utrh!jason was cunning, agile, and strategic. He was able to outwit Batman and Nightwing, and thatās part of why he was so dangerous. He wasnāt some street-level brute, he was a master manipulator, and he used his intelligence just as much as his fighting skills. But over time, theyāve completely thrown that out the window in favour of a guy who just punches things and shoots guns, and itās beyond frustrating.
DC needs to remember that he wasnāt just a carbon copy of bruce's anger issues. He had his own reasons for becoming who he was, and they are so much deeper than just "he got mad and started killing people." bla bla bla.
DC is treating him like just another emo batfam kid, and itās beyond frustrating.
Jason Todd deserves so much more than this. Bring back the clever, strategic, morally grey Red Hood we all know and love, please.
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
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