Warning: contains preview pages for Task Force Z #2!
In the now-classic “Death in the Family” storyline, Red Hood, then the second Robin, met his death at the Joker’s hands. Now, years after his resurrection, Red Hood is facing an even worse death, frozen in place as his zombie teammate crawls closer and closer, compelled to eat him alive. In a preview for Task Force Z #2, on sale in print and digital November 23, Red Hood’s rag-tag team of zombies is falling apart, and he may be their final meal.
After his death in 1988’s Batman #428, Jason Todd would lay dormant for 17 years, returning in 2005’s Batman #635 as the Red Hood. For the next several years, Red Hood and Batman would have a tense, at-times adversarial relationship, fueled by Red Hood’s extreme methods - including using guns and murdering his victims. That has begun to change, and relations between the two have thawed considerably, to the point where Batman has welcomed Red Hood back into the Bat-Family. Now, a mysterious organization is reviving dead villains as zombies, using resin derived from the Lazarus Pits used by Ra's al Ghul. Red Hood, having experience with death and resurrection himself, is put in charge of Task Force Z, a Suicide Squad spin-off consisting of dead villains, such as Bane and Man-Bat, revived with the same Lazarus Resin. The first mission did not go well, and now Red Hood is facing what is potentially his worst death yet. The book is written by Matthew Rosenberg, with art by Eddy Barrows, inks by Eber Ferreira, colors by Adriano Lucas and letters by Rob Leigh.
In the preview pages, provided to AIPT and shared below, Red Hood is frozen in place; the result of a fight with Mister Freeze. The Arkham Knight, one of the resurrected members of Task Force Z, is crawling towards Red Hood, ready to feast on him. Red Hood panics, calling for help. Meanwhile, Mister Freeze is attacked by the enigmatic Mister Bloom, the one member of Jason's team who claims not to have been resurrected with the Lazarus Resin.
The preview ends there, leaving readers hanging on how Red Hood will escape from the Arkham Knight’s zombie clutches. When the Joker killed Red Hood years ago, he bludgeoned him to death with a crowbar, leaving him for dead. That is a horrible fate, but being devoured by a zombie is even worse. Furthermore, there is a potential for Red Hood to become a zombie himself here (it's unlikely Task Force Z would simply leave him to rest in peace), which would make his death even worse. Interestingly enough, Red Hood is in a similar situation with Arkham Knight that he was in with the Joker many years ago. In both situations, he was at a serious disadvantage, but unlike when he fought the Joker, Red Hood has far more resources at his disposal, and is at least able to fight for his life.
Unfortunately, even if Red Hood frees himself, it seems that being frozen in place will have consequences. Mr. Bloom - a villain who uses pharmaceutical 'seeds' to give others superpowers - has already gotten his hands on an injured Mr. Freeze. If he can assert control over the villain, Bloom can begin undermining Task Force Z with an outside agent, underlining Jason's utter failure to control his team. It would be particularly devastating for Red Hood to meet failure so soon after he gave up his lethal tactics and made a true effort to overcome the lethal philosophy his first death instilled in him. The Joker’s murder of Red Hood years ago continues to linger over the character, and now he is facing an even worse death - consumed by zombie villains who will then be unleashed on Gotham.
Source: AIPT