This issue was wonderful, everyone on the team is killing it. Lobdell's handle on Jason is pretty damn perfect, he know perfectly what makes Jason tick and the way he's intertwining present and past makes from some very interesting scenes. I have to admit is funny the way now he's being allowed to elaborate upon Jason's past now after being more or less off limits during the N52. I was also surprised at the way he wrote Ma Gunn. Aside of being an evil aunt May she never got much going for her and it was pretty one dimensional. Here in just a couple of pages Lobdell turned her into an interesting character that I wouldn't mind to see become a regular on the series.

For all the criticism Lobdell gets about using inner monologues for Jason, I found them to be the perfect way to peek into his mind. You can learn a lot from Jason simply by looking at what Jason says and how he says it.

I also liked his take on Black Mask, the "JJ Jameson as mob boss" take from UtRH while admittedly hilarious fit more a background character than a full fledged member of the cast. And thus, going for a more refined and full of himself Roman makes for an interesting contrast to Jason. It also helps to play more the "Dark Counterpart" of Bruce Wayne element that Roman has always had. Shame about the gimp mask tho.

The slow buildup towards the introduction of the remaining outlaws does wonders to build hype and it will be more than worth it if Lobdell gives Bizarro an introduction as good as Artemis'

Soy and Gandini are rocking on the art. Soy's detailed pencils and knack for splash pages give Lobdell's script an impact that had lacked since Rocafort left. But as good as Soy's pencils are, it wouldn't be the same without Gandini's colors. Washing out the colors during the flashbacks and constantly highlighting the colors on Jason (and as this issue, Artemis) gives the book a very cinematic feeling that makes it unique between DC's current lineup. I really hope they stick around f more

This issue is leap and bounds better than the end of RHATO. Is clear Lobdell had a lot more time to set up this ending and was more or less given freedom to end it on his own terms.
The Iron Rule ended as nothing more than a plot device to bear the brunt of Jason's rage and dissapointment while Duela ultimately was just a minor hurdle. The thing that broke the boys wasn't Duela's machinations but the bystander's actions. In a pretty clever twist, the online poll was the final nail in the coffin for Roy and Jason's friendship. While was indoubtly awesome to see Jason go all out and take swiftly take down the Iron Rule, the palpable bitterness at the poll results is what struck the most to me. He really tried to change, to trust in people's goodness but his faith was misplaced. Ironically, Duela did break Jason's spirit but not in the way she wanted.

Given the preview pages I was fearful Roy would end scared of Jason and that being the reason of his separation but the truth was more satisfying and poignant: he was still willing to forgive Jason for his actions and start anew. This way Roy proved himself to be a true friend until the end. However, this was too much for Jason than realized if they continued together, Roy would be swept by his darkness and cynism, losing everything Jason valued in the first place. And thus, he decided to cut ties with him. This resolution makes feasible for the series' events to happen before Titan's Hunt making logical the reasons Roy ends with the Titans rounding his character's trip.

For Jason's character this is huge. For the longest time his needs and wants were the only thing that mattered to him but now, Lobdell managed to develop him into someone genuinely selfless willing to put other's needs over his.
I couldn't help but notice how Lobdell depicted the breakup in a way reminicent of a couple so, he gave something to everyone in this issue. The backup story is the perfect cap for the boys' adventures in the N52, perfectl more

Great issue.

While most of it is setup for the arc, it was great to see Jason being willing to help people in need for no other reason that being the right thing, that paired with his confidence on Roy's skills, speaks a lot of how much he has changed from his old "lone wolf" ways. Lobdell's acknowledgement of Ducra was also a pleasant surprise (although for some reason people love to get hung up on it)
Roy characterization here is by far my favorite, he never loses his cool and always has a trick under his sleeve to get out of tricky situations.

JD didn't do a lot on this issue but I was surprised by Lobdell actually usinig the plot beats introduced on Catwoman to mold his story, it really feels like Lobdell is turning the page on JD past and preparing her for something else, Lodbell also undid the whole "JD stitched Joker's face over her own" and that alone is a HUGE plus in my book. The Iron Rule guys looks like an interesting bunch and I loved Jason not getting intimadated whatsoever by them, hopefully, they will have a better performance than Underbelly (whom also started interesting and become sort of inconsequential by the end)

Fernandez and Blond keep knocking out of the park on art duties, the splash pages where Jason is swimming and the dwellers in particular are one of the finest job I've seen, if only Fernandez used the featureless helmet (or even better, Medri's costume) it would be my favorite artist to handle Jason. more

Hugely impressed by this issue. Despite having GordoBats on the cover, he was a relatively minor element on the plot and was used effectively by Lobdell, creating a great fight scene and setting things for the next issue.
The best part of the issue though, were the scenes dealing with the boys' pasts. Roy's in particular was a pleasant surprise since it confirmed his past with Croc is still canon, despite recent stories giving the impression this wasn't the case anymore.
Medri and Blond make a hell of a team and this issue is without a doubt the best looking so far. In a perfect world Blond would take coloring duties from now on because damn, Horie's good but far from being at Blond's level.
In any case, I'm really looking forward for the next issue. more

Simply FANTASTIC.

Lobdell tackles pretty much every complaint about the vigilante-for-hire idea face on and gives a very satisfactory answer to them. His script is filled with action and humor from start to beginning and it ends with an amazing cliffhanger that it left me wishing next issue were out already

But is Medri who steals the show. His art is magnificent, with some incredible panels filled to the brim with action and detail. more

Lobdell isn't taking itself seriously and is delivering a story that is simply fun from start to beginning, however, it keeps a balnce between ridiculousness and seriousness that makes the book feel closer in tone to Duggan and Posehn's Deadpool rather than Palmiotti and Conners' Harley Quinn. The banter between Jason and Roy is delight to read and got my quite a few laughs through the whole issue, their dynamic reminded me a lot of the Winchester Brothers in Supernatural.

Artwise was also a treat for the eyes, Pantalena did a great work although his Roy looks really weird. I wouldn't mind if Medri and Pantalena keep sharing art duties to be honest. more

Lobdell promised a fun buddy cop movie with these two and he made good of his word. The story is simply but filled with action from start to finish while also seeding future plots for the boys to tackle.

Medri's art while stilized is vibrant and very dynamic, melding perfectly with Lobdell's script and giving us an issue that is also a visual treat.

Fantastic issue that shows all the character growth the team has had during 34 issues, without doubt one of Lobdell's finest issues.

Lobdell's return to the book and is like he never left!

All of the sudden the book is fun and enjoyable again!

Pfeifer started strong but ended with a whimper.

Pfeifer's transition arc stars strong, bringing the book to its roots.

As coda to a mediocre run, Tynion's final issue gets rid of Isabel throwing out the window all the potential she brought to the title. A real shame.

Tynion's first (and thakfully final) arc ended insulting the readers' intelligence with a tired "It was all part of the plan" cliche while simultaneusly retconning it rendering the whole thing pointless.

Tynion shows again the poor handle on Jason's character and throws everything made Jason work in favor on some really tired (and frankly dumb) chosen one story. No even Haun's pencills were able to salvage this mess.