Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "batman-and-the-outsiders"

Batman and the the Outsiders, Vol. 1: Lesser Gods by Bryan Edward Hill

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects the first seven issues of Batman and the Outsiders as well as a bit of a horror comic starring team members Black Lightning and Katana. In this version, Batman is pretty much in the book to increase sales and that's about it. He offers a few minor points, but the real leader as designated by Batman is Black Lightning as Batman is dealing with mental difficulties (and who among us wouldn't be going mad if our lives were being written by Tom King).

As a book, it's a bit of a challenge. The series starts off slow and as an overall storyline, having a team of mostly Gotham-based superheroes go on a mission to stop Ra's Al Ghul from bringing one young woman under his spell seems a bit of overkill, and it takes quite a bit of story for any member of the team to come into focus. However, Kaliber (even though not an outsider) is an interesting character and we do get some focus on Katana and some great moments from Orphan. The book takes some interesting turns and the Seventh Issue ends on a great clffhanger that leaves me eager to see where the book goes next. So despite a rough start, this surprised with me a very solid ending.



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Batman and the the Outsiders, Vol. 2: A League of their Own by Bryan Edward Hill

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Batman and the Outsiders is what happens when a small book gets caught up in the larger events that drive a comic company. The idea for the Outsiders is entirely incompatible with the direction the larger Batman titles were going. So we get a rushed conclusion to the Ra's Al-ghul storyline and then a decent annual involving Katana and Black Lightning.

This book is ultimately not so much a good comic but a symbol of what's wrong with the industry. The big two are obsessed with telling multiple universe-shaking/status quo-overturning storylines every year, they struggle to do the basic thing: put out an entertaining monthly comic mag. The result is a rushed resolution where no character ultimately receives justice.



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