Scott Lobdell is a name that many Bat-fans are not familiar with, but that will change come this September. Not only is Lobdell writing Tim Drake in Teen Titans, but also has the task of making Jason Todd more vigilante and less villain. Comic Book Resources interviewed Lobdell about his work and the concept for Red Hood and the Outlaws.
CBR: So, we've got Jason running around with Roy and Kory. Why put these three characters together?
Scott Lobdell: This is going to sound like an odd answer, but I don't really see them as being "put together." As I'm writing them, they feel like the most natural characters in the world — I feel like I am peeking in the window of their Character Living Room (and sometime Character Bed Room) and just taking copious notes and running back to the keyboard to send those observations to the artist. When you read it (and you will!) you'll see what I'm saying — they just belong together.
Now, do I make choices as a writer? Sure! Was I a little taken aback when DC said they wanted two street level guys teamed up with a walking nuclear reactor from another planet? Hell, yeah! But when you see them all together and you see the way they interact and the way they rub up against each other or the way they care (and in some cases don't) about each other? It just feels so organic that I can't wait to start on the fourth issue!
CBR: Since emerging as Red Hood, Jason has been a villain. Is this a chance for you to develop Jason Todd beyond his role as the "Evil Ex-Robin?"
Scott Lobdell: I think of "Evil Ex-Robin" as the first mile of a hundred mile marathon. You had it rough, Jason, nobody likes to be murdered. Got it. But to think it is going to inform his every footstep of the race, every sip of water along the way? I don't see it. The good news is, for anyone who wants to see that side of Jason and that side alone, there are some very excellent trade paperbacks and an awesome DC animated movie written by the foremost authority on Jason Todd, Judd Winick. Judd did an excellent job reintroducing the character into the DC Universe — I'm honored that such a complex baton has been handed off to me and I'm hoping to make Judd proud. But yes, like all great characters, Jason is going to grow, his branches reaching to the Heavens even as his roots as ex-Robin are still in the ground.
For the entire interview, including info on how Lobdell landed the writing gig at DC, head over to Comic Book Resources. Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 is solicited for a September release.
Posted by Dustin Fritschel
