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Showcase Presents #34
Showcase Presents: Batman and the Outsiders, Vol. 1
In this hard-hitting, value-packed volume, witness Batman's formation of the original Outsiders! Metamorpho, Black Lightning, Katana, Halo and Geo-Force star in these stories from BATMAN and THE OUTSIDERS #1-19, BRAVE and BOLD #200 and NEW TEEN TITANS #16!
544 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2007
3 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Mike W. Barr
830 books73 followersMike W. Barr is an American writer of comic books, and mystery, and science fiction novels. Barr's debut as a comics professional came in DC Comics' Detective Comics #444 (Dec. 1974-Jan. 1975), for which he wrote an 8-page back-up mystery feature starring the Elongated Man. Another Elongated Man story followed in Detective Comics #453 (November 1975). He wrote text articles and editorial replies in letter columns for the next few years. By mid-1980 he was writing regularly for both DC and Marvel, including stories for Marvel Team-Up, Mystery in Space, Green Lantern, and various Batman titles.
Legion of Super-Heroes #277 (July 1981) saw him take on editorial duties at DC, while writing issues of DC's Star Trek comic, for whom he created the native American character Ensign Bearclaw and a pacifist Klingon named Konom. In December 1982, he and artist Brian Bolland began Camelot 3000, a 12 issue limited series that was one of DC Comics' first direct market projects. In August 1983, Barr created what may well be his most enduring work, the monthly title Batman and the Outsiders with art by Jim Aparo. Barr wrote every issue of the original series, and its Baxter paper spinoff, The Outsiders.
His other comics work includes Mantra and Maze Agency as well as the 1987 OGN hardcover book Batman: Son of the Demon (with art by Jerry Bingham), proceeds from which reputedly "restored DC Comics to first place in sales after fifteen years." This title, and Barr's work on Batman with artist Alan Davis have been cited by Grant Morrison as key inspirations for his recent (2006) run on the Batman title.
In 2007, he wrote a two-part story for the pages of DC's JLA: Classified (#47-48, Jan-Feb 2008), returned to the Outsiders with Outsiders: Five of a Kind—Katana/Shazam #1 (Oct 2007), contributed to Tokyopop's Star Trek: The Manga, and relaunched Maze Agency at IDW Publishing. He has also scripted many of Bongo Comics' Simpsons titles, including a Christmas story for 2010.
In May 2010, the Invisible College Press published Barr's science fiction/fantasy novel, Majician/51, about the discoveries of a scientist working at Area 51.
Legion of Super-Heroes #277 (July 1981) saw him take on editorial duties at DC, while writing issues of DC's Star Trek comic, for whom he created the native American character Ensign Bearclaw and a pacifist Klingon named Konom. In December 1982, he and artist Brian Bolland began Camelot 3000, a 12 issue limited series that was one of DC Comics' first direct market projects. In August 1983, Barr created what may well be his most enduring work, the monthly title Batman and the Outsiders with art by Jim Aparo. Barr wrote every issue of the original series, and its Baxter paper spinoff, The Outsiders.
His other comics work includes Mantra and Maze Agency as well as the 1987 OGN hardcover book Batman: Son of the Demon (with art by Jerry Bingham), proceeds from which reputedly "restored DC Comics to first place in sales after fifteen years." This title, and Barr's work on Batman with artist Alan Davis have been cited by Grant Morrison as key inspirations for his recent (2006) run on the Batman title.
In 2007, he wrote a two-part story for the pages of DC's JLA: Classified (#47-48, Jan-Feb 2008), returned to the Outsiders with Outsiders: Five of a Kind—Katana/Shazam #1 (Oct 2007), contributed to Tokyopop's Star Trek: The Manga, and relaunched Maze Agency at IDW Publishing. He has also scripted many of Bongo Comics' Simpsons titles, including a Christmas story for 2010.
In May 2010, the Invisible College Press published Barr's science fiction/fantasy novel, Majician/51, about the discoveries of a scientist working at Area 51.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 12, 2021
2020-2021
Having read this collection after reading older comics, re-introducing myself to some of the characters in a way that I hadn't before (reading the original Black Lightning series for instance) has given me a new appreciation for these stories.
I love the fact that for the already established characters, it continued their personal lives. Plus for the characters that were introduced for this series, it allowed them to grow, making you truly invested in seeing where their story went.
The first time around, I didn't continue reading the series after these issues however, I am invested in seeing exactly how each of these characters move forward.
2017
This collection of comics gives us a good look into the beginnings of the Outsiders and about each of the members as individuals!
I liked the story lines and the way the team worked so well together. But it wasn't just about a team of heroes stopping bad guys. You could feel how much everyone cared for and loved the others. That was really nice to see!
Overall, the perfect collection to read if you're interested in reading the beginnings of the Outsiders!
Having read this collection after reading older comics, re-introducing myself to some of the characters in a way that I hadn't before (reading the original Black Lightning series for instance) has given me a new appreciation for these stories.
I love the fact that for the already established characters, it continued their personal lives. Plus for the characters that were introduced for this series, it allowed them to grow, making you truly invested in seeing where their story went.
The first time around, I didn't continue reading the series after these issues however, I am invested in seeing exactly how each of these characters move forward.
2017
This collection of comics gives us a good look into the beginnings of the Outsiders and about each of the members as individuals!
I liked the story lines and the way the team worked so well together. But it wasn't just about a team of heroes stopping bad guys. You could feel how much everyone cared for and loved the others. That was really nice to see!
Overall, the perfect collection to read if you're interested in reading the beginnings of the Outsiders!
December 10, 2015
Not as good as I remembered. Mike W. Barr's dialog is pretty hokey at times, and his characterization of Halo is plenty annoying, as well. It's sad that the only two black DC characters who were prominent at the time, Black Lightning and Cyborg, both spoke in "ghetto" dialects, even though both were pretty well educated.
Batman is definitely the pre-Dark Knight Rises Batman. Although grim, he's not as anti-social as he'd later become.
There's a brief romance between early 20s Geo-Force (great powers, awful name) and high school aged Halo, then to top it off, it turns out Geo-Force's romantic attachment to Halo was misplaced love for his sister, Terra, by that time (I think) dead over in New Teen Titans. Can anyone say, "Ewwwwww!"? And then Geo-Force has to be schooled by Batman and Superman on why murder is not an acceptable means to mete out justice, but gets away with attempted murder, all the same.
Metamorpho and Katana are the best members of the team and get plenty of room to shine.
Jim Aparo, co-creator, does most of the art for this run, but there are three so issues by other artists that are, at best, so-so, and do not fit the mood of the book very well. Aparo is one of my favorite artists from this time period, so it's always a treat.
Some of the plots work, others don't. There's an interesting tale of a trip to the Egypt of the pharaohs, and lots of back-stories and origins for the new members. This book was a good seller for DC when it was first published, so it's worth checking out, but the stories themselves are an uneven read, at best.
Batman is definitely the pre-Dark Knight Rises Batman. Although grim, he's not as anti-social as he'd later become.
There's a brief romance between early 20s Geo-Force (great powers, awful name) and high school aged Halo, then to top it off, it turns out Geo-Force's romantic attachment to Halo was misplaced love for his sister, Terra, by that time (I think) dead over in New Teen Titans. Can anyone say, "Ewwwwww!"? And then Geo-Force has to be schooled by Batman and Superman on why murder is not an acceptable means to mete out justice, but gets away with attempted murder, all the same.
Metamorpho and Katana are the best members of the team and get plenty of room to shine.
Jim Aparo, co-creator, does most of the art for this run, but there are three so issues by other artists that are, at best, so-so, and do not fit the mood of the book very well. Aparo is one of my favorite artists from this time period, so it's always a treat.
Some of the plots work, others don't. There's an interesting tale of a trip to the Egypt of the pharaohs, and lots of back-stories and origins for the new members. This book was a good seller for DC when it was first published, so it's worth checking out, but the stories themselves are an uneven read, at best.
August 31, 2008
WARNING - EXTENDED RANT
I collected Batman and the Outsiders as a kid. Hurricane Floyd wiped out my original run, but I still have a fondness for the series so I bought this collection. The stories are written by Mike W. Barr, a writer who was popular in the 80’s and is now largely forgotten. Most of the art is done by Jim Aparo (there is an issue drawn by Bill Willingham, of Fables fame). Barr & Aparo created three characters for this series – Katana, Geo Force and Halo –two of whom are still around the DC Universe today.
The stories mostly span one or two issues, and contain lots of action. Barr is a good writer – by that I mean his stories mostly make sense; his characters do things instead of sitting around and talking; and he writes serviceable dialogue. He can be funny and witty without forcing it. He doesn’t try to write dialogue like Quentin Tarantino, or – to cite a recent example – have one character call another a pig, or a fat cow.
I’m not saying this collection is perfect. It’s a mixed bag. The Max Zeus storyline, set in L.A. during the 1984 Summer Olympics, is a real stinker. Some of the stories feel rushed, and sometimes the characters’ actions don’t make a whole lot of sense. But there are some goodies, too – my favorite story features the Cryonic Man, a creepy guy from the 1950’s who collects body parts for his frozen fiancée. After a fight scene in a tunnel he freezes the Outsiders in liquid nitrogen, creating an actual cliffhanger.
This is old school – lots of action; fast-paced storytelling; great cliffhangers. The collection has twenty issues and one annual, for a whopping total of fourteen different stories. In contrast: the past twenty issues of the New Avengers, set in the Bendis Universe, have five stories. And Ed Brubaker’s sleep-inducing Captain America run – featuring Sharon Carter getting kidnapped multiple times and the new Cap sitting around waiting for SHIELD to tell him what to do – has been idling on neutral for a record-setting eighteen issues.
People complain that the monthly comic format is dying; yes it is, and the culprit is decompression. Comics are now written for trade collections. You used to have one or two issue stories; three issues was something special. Now the single and double issue is a dying art (Paul Dini’s run on Detective Comics is the exception to the rule); four issues is the norm, with six becoming more and more common. I read the first two issues of Warren Ellis’ run on Astonishing X-Men, and there was nothing there. It wasn’t bad – Ellis is a wonderful writer – but I’ll wait for the trade because there’s not enough happening in the individual issues to keep my attention. Too bad.
END RANT
I collected Batman and the Outsiders as a kid. Hurricane Floyd wiped out my original run, but I still have a fondness for the series so I bought this collection. The stories are written by Mike W. Barr, a writer who was popular in the 80’s and is now largely forgotten. Most of the art is done by Jim Aparo (there is an issue drawn by Bill Willingham, of Fables fame). Barr & Aparo created three characters for this series – Katana, Geo Force and Halo –two of whom are still around the DC Universe today.
The stories mostly span one or two issues, and contain lots of action. Barr is a good writer – by that I mean his stories mostly make sense; his characters do things instead of sitting around and talking; and he writes serviceable dialogue. He can be funny and witty without forcing it. He doesn’t try to write dialogue like Quentin Tarantino, or – to cite a recent example – have one character call another a pig, or a fat cow.
I’m not saying this collection is perfect. It’s a mixed bag. The Max Zeus storyline, set in L.A. during the 1984 Summer Olympics, is a real stinker. Some of the stories feel rushed, and sometimes the characters’ actions don’t make a whole lot of sense. But there are some goodies, too – my favorite story features the Cryonic Man, a creepy guy from the 1950’s who collects body parts for his frozen fiancée. After a fight scene in a tunnel he freezes the Outsiders in liquid nitrogen, creating an actual cliffhanger.
This is old school – lots of action; fast-paced storytelling; great cliffhangers. The collection has twenty issues and one annual, for a whopping total of fourteen different stories. In contrast: the past twenty issues of the New Avengers, set in the Bendis Universe, have five stories. And Ed Brubaker’s sleep-inducing Captain America run – featuring Sharon Carter getting kidnapped multiple times and the new Cap sitting around waiting for SHIELD to tell him what to do – has been idling on neutral for a record-setting eighteen issues.
People complain that the monthly comic format is dying; yes it is, and the culprit is decompression. Comics are now written for trade collections. You used to have one or two issue stories; three issues was something special. Now the single and double issue is a dying art (Paul Dini’s run on Detective Comics is the exception to the rule); four issues is the norm, with six becoming more and more common. I read the first two issues of Warren Ellis’ run on Astonishing X-Men, and there was nothing there. It wasn’t bad – Ellis is a wonderful writer – but I’ll wait for the trade because there’s not enough happening in the individual issues to keep my attention. Too bad.
END RANT
March 23, 2024
Read one summer, I think, nearly twenty years ago. I loved it! I hate that DC has never reprinted the entire series.
March 5, 2017
For an old comic book collector like me, this was a pleasant blast from the past.
There was a season in Batman's career when he quit the Justice League and found himself working with five relatively unknown heroes, two veterans and three newcomers. He'd worked with Metamorpho and Black Lightning in the past, but Halo, Katana and Geo-Force had just recently suited up and joined the superhero life. They found themselves in the small country of Markovia for different reasons (Batman and Black Lightning to rescue his friend Lucius Fox and the others for their own concerns) and after working together to save Geo-Force's homeland from Baron Bedlam, decided to remain a team.
This book covers the first nineteen issues- their growing pains as a team, Batman learning to trust them and personal subplots involving each team member. Katana's origin was revealed (if you saw the Suicide Squad movie, her character there was faithful to the comic book version, down to her supernatural sword containing the soul of her slain husband) and Halo's background began to open up in the 16th issue (still unresolved by the end of 19).
There was a season in Batman's career when he quit the Justice League and found himself working with five relatively unknown heroes, two veterans and three newcomers. He'd worked with Metamorpho and Black Lightning in the past, but Halo, Katana and Geo-Force had just recently suited up and joined the superhero life. They found themselves in the small country of Markovia for different reasons (Batman and Black Lightning to rescue his friend Lucius Fox and the others for their own concerns) and after working together to save Geo-Force's homeland from Baron Bedlam, decided to remain a team.
This book covers the first nineteen issues- their growing pains as a team, Batman learning to trust them and personal subplots involving each team member. Katana's origin was revealed (if you saw the Suicide Squad movie, her character there was faithful to the comic book version, down to her supernatural sword containing the soul of her slain husband) and Halo's background began to open up in the 16th issue (still unresolved by the end of 19).
November 30, 2008
Whereas the Challengers of the Unknown showcase book really suffered from the black and white printing, this book glories in it. When these issues were originally published (1983-1985) comics printing was at its most cheap and rubbishy (ironically the title went to pieces after graduating to fancy Baxter printing). Here the artwork is perfectly clear and very attractive. Jim Aparo does some wonderful work on the title, while Bill Willingham and Trevor von Eeden take enjoyably different approaches on fill-ins.
(I can't wait for the JLI showcase volumes that we're bound to see one day. If ever wonderful artwork was buried under unsympathetic printing it was then.)
As for the stories, written by Mike Barr, I think the Slings & Arrows Guide says it best (as usual): "pedestrian, but generally entertaining". There's nothing amazing here; it's run-of-the-mill team stuff, and the characters and their relationships aren't all that great. But despite that I've always had a soft spot for the Outsiders (to see them at their best check out The Nail, the JLA graphic novel by Alan Davis). If you're in the mood for a simple, self-contained team book, this'll do the trick.
For me the best thing about the book is Batman himself, or The Batman, as he is usually called here. He's not the affable duffer of the 1950s and 1960s comics, nor yet is he the middle-aged foster parent of the modern comics. He's as young as I've ever seen him portrayed - you'd think him in his mid-20s in some panels - and he's flawed, passionate, and still finding his way. He's a hero working with his peers; he's the best trained and best equipped of them, but they don't worship him. This was a Batman I really enjoyed reading about.
(I can't wait for the JLI showcase volumes that we're bound to see one day. If ever wonderful artwork was buried under unsympathetic printing it was then.)
As for the stories, written by Mike Barr, I think the Slings & Arrows Guide says it best (as usual): "pedestrian, but generally entertaining". There's nothing amazing here; it's run-of-the-mill team stuff, and the characters and their relationships aren't all that great. But despite that I've always had a soft spot for the Outsiders (to see them at their best check out The Nail, the JLA graphic novel by Alan Davis). If you're in the mood for a simple, self-contained team book, this'll do the trick.
For me the best thing about the book is Batman himself, or The Batman, as he is usually called here. He's not the affable duffer of the 1950s and 1960s comics, nor yet is he the middle-aged foster parent of the modern comics. He's as young as I've ever seen him portrayed - you'd think him in his mid-20s in some panels - and he's flawed, passionate, and still finding his way. He's a hero working with his peers; he's the best trained and best equipped of them, but they don't worship him. This was a Batman I really enjoyed reading about.
June 2, 2014
Probably one of the smoothest mainstream comic book collections ever written. They are able to effortlessly mix in solid action with a bunch of DC Comics all stars with slightly less mainstream appeal, and touch upon the personal issues that make them who they are. So if Katana is upset about Halo moving to live with her parents, it seems like it gets one panel an issue and you get it perfectly. Also a strong sense of humor and action-based irony/conflict.
The art by Jim Aparo is amazing, very vibrant and suited for action and for personal quirks in the characters, and the other artists who mimic Aparo's style are also pretty good, more or less.
A very fun, smartly written team-up issue. The Christmas cameo by Superman was sublime 5/5
The art by Jim Aparo is amazing, very vibrant and suited for action and for personal quirks in the characters, and the other artists who mimic Aparo's style are also pretty good, more or less.
A very fun, smartly written team-up issue. The Christmas cameo by Superman was sublime 5/5
February 21, 2015
I saw this book on sale for only five dollars, and I figured it was well worth taking the risk on it for that price. Even if I didn't much care for the book, I thought it would be good enough due to the inclusion Batman and Jim Aparo's art. I was really surprised at how much I actually did enjoy it though. This book would have been worth it, even at full price.
The first issue deals with the formation of the team. I liked how they give a real reason for the team coming together, with Batman quitting the Justice League because they won't help him save his friend. Though, it is rather corny and cliché that all of the soon to be Outsider members happen to be in the exact place where Batman's friend is being held, at the same time. It comes off as a bit of lazy writing but I have to remind myself that is was a different era of comics, where most stories were simply one and done issues, even an origin.
Once you get past that origin it's pretty basic super team stuff. The characters are getting to know one another, while they take on some new villains. Some interesting character developments, that keep the book from just feeling like a "freak of the week" style, where they just fight the newest villain. It was great to see that they where tying to give the Outsiders there own villains and not just have them take on Batman's already established rouges.
The first issue deals with the formation of the team. I liked how they give a real reason for the team coming together, with Batman quitting the Justice League because they won't help him save his friend. Though, it is rather corny and cliché that all of the soon to be Outsider members happen to be in the exact place where Batman's friend is being held, at the same time. It comes off as a bit of lazy writing but I have to remind myself that is was a different era of comics, where most stories were simply one and done issues, even an origin.
Once you get past that origin it's pretty basic super team stuff. The characters are getting to know one another, while they take on some new villains. Some interesting character developments, that keep the book from just feeling like a "freak of the week" style, where they just fight the newest villain. It was great to see that they where tying to give the Outsiders there own villains and not just have them take on Batman's already established rouges.
October 1, 2012
Batman and the Outsiders did well to rebound to two stars after the debacle of Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1, "…Land Where Our Fathers Died…!" Paranoid, left-wing tripe. The F.B.I. & C.I.A. are bigger threats to Americans' freedoms than Communism? Writer Mike W. Barr should have learned something of the blood-stained history of the Soviet Union (which still existed when the original issues were published in '83 & '84) before proclaiming that Communism was so benevolent.
April 8, 2010
Nothing earth shattering here, just some solid, straight forward super hero stories. Nearly all these stories are two parters and there are some sub-plots, but they never take over and weigh the series down.
Plus, there is Jim Aparo art, and Aparo is at the top of my list of favorite Batman artists. He draws everyone great.
Nice stuff here with a team that's more street level than the Justice League.
Plus, there is Jim Aparo art, and Aparo is at the top of my list of favorite Batman artists. He draws everyone great.
Nice stuff here with a team that's more street level than the Justice League.
June 4, 2015
I love this collection. This is a nice bronze-age super-team book. Batman fronts a group of heroes who battle revolutionaries, travel back to ancient Egypt, and battle scumbag college deans. I love comics from this time period. One panel packs as much story as one of today's comics. The only thing keeping this book from getting five stars from me is that the stories are in black and white, however this choice of printing allows for more pages of content so it is a fair tradeoff.
December 13, 2008
Fun to re-read stuff that I sold long ago... and that, for the most part, I collected out of clearance bins at comic cons. It'd be nice if it was in color, but the artwork (except for the Trevor von Eeden) is pretty strong without it.
May 1, 2008
This was a total trip down memory lane for me... I read this series when it first came out in the 80's, and loved it. It really held up well, in my opinion!
August 11, 2024
7/10
Some really decent story telling for the time. While the first issue sort of awkwardly introduces all these superheroes together, the next 19 issues does well to slowly add depth to the characters and explore each of their origins and underlying plot points.
The whole collection feels very well rounded with it ending with almost no loose ends apart from maybe how Halo got her powers.
A really decent read and some of the art and guest art os fantastic.
Some really decent story telling for the time. While the first issue sort of awkwardly introduces all these superheroes together, the next 19 issues does well to slowly add depth to the characters and explore each of their origins and underlying plot points.
The whole collection feels very well rounded with it ending with almost no loose ends apart from maybe how Halo got her powers.
A really decent read and some of the art and guest art os fantastic.
October 22, 2018
80's Batman- some alright ideas for stories but overall this seems rushed (and some of the art is, at best, subpar).
July 8, 2020
Good adventures of a misfit team of Superheroes including established heroes such as Batman and Black Lightning, to new heroes including Halo and Katana. It showed a pre crisis Batman.
October 7, 2015
Batman and the Outsiders finds Batman finding his own Superhero team and quitting the Justice League after the Justice League refused to compromise World peace to go in and rescue Batman's friend, Lucius Fox and by and by he ends up forming his own superhero group, "The Outsiders." Which is composed of two heroes who had been around a while but not quite become star characters (Black Lightning and Metamorpho.) as well as several newer characters.
There are some character moments as well particularly with Katana, Black Lightning, and Halo. What also makes the stories really work is that most of them are two part tales. Given the length of a single issue in this book is 23 pages (+1 page for cover), that gives 46 pages to tell a story which works really well for a comic book.
It should be clear that this book is part of its time when the New Teen Titans and X-men were up and coming stars, Batman and the Outsiders tried to tap into that same market but wasn't quite as good, but that doesn't mean it wasn't without merit.
What is problematic is the Batman and the Outsiders Annual which has the Outsiders battling group of evil metahumans who think they are heroes, but are really tools of a right wing plot It's a plot that goes to great lengths to illustrate how any conservative imagining a liberal conspiracy dominating the media is way off based as proven by this by this left wing biased comic book...Kind of ironic when you think about it.
Other than story, the stories are pretty good. The art by Jim Aparo is well-drawn. There's a bit of decline in quality in the issue Aparo doesn't work. Still, the book works far more often that it doesn't and overall this is a fairly enjoyable collection of comics.
There are some character moments as well particularly with Katana, Black Lightning, and Halo. What also makes the stories really work is that most of them are two part tales. Given the length of a single issue in this book is 23 pages (+1 page for cover), that gives 46 pages to tell a story which works really well for a comic book.
It should be clear that this book is part of its time when the New Teen Titans and X-men were up and coming stars, Batman and the Outsiders tried to tap into that same market but wasn't quite as good, but that doesn't mean it wasn't without merit.
What is problematic is the Batman and the Outsiders Annual which has the Outsiders battling group of evil metahumans who think they are heroes, but are really tools of a right wing plot It's a plot that goes to great lengths to illustrate how any conservative imagining a liberal conspiracy dominating the media is way off based as proven by this by this left wing biased comic book...Kind of ironic when you think about it.
Other than story, the stories are pretty good. The art by Jim Aparo is well-drawn. There's a bit of decline in quality in the issue Aparo doesn't work. Still, the book works far more often that it doesn't and overall this is a fairly enjoyable collection of comics.
November 18, 2010
Contains the first 19 issues, Annual 1, Brave and the Bold 200 and The New Teen Titans 37. A really good series which although started a little slow (when do they not) but really began taking on a life of its own as time went by. In this volume you get origins of nearly every character including a retelling of Batman's, as well as finding out about Halo's past although the volume ends before you get to dig very deep into it, which brings me to, when the heck is volume 2 coming out lol! its been like 3 years or so. The interplay between the characters was enjoyable as they became more of a team and developed their abilities as well as their relationships between each other. Highly recommended for those interested in early 80s comics.
May 20, 2009
Reprints Batman and the Outsiders #1-19, Annual #1, and Brave and the Bold #200. Batman leaves the Justice League to start a new team and the the team deals with learning to work together. Batman and the Outsiders is a pretty typical comic of the 1980s. Nothing extremely shocking happens, and it is very standard fare for dialogue, art, and story.
September 27, 2012
Batman comes off as a castigating shrewish parent in this first volume, treating the Outsiders like they are children. The artwork and the writing were pretty meh. Katana's sword looking like a giant size scimitar during most of the latter issues bugged me a lot.
January 28, 2024
Not as good as I remembered. I loved the outsiders as a kid, but comics like a lot of fiction are an element of their time period. Some 80s comics dont age well and unfortunately these did not. I kept reading it to finish it but nothing really stood out.
August 20, 2009
A fun compilation of books I read in my twenties when they first came out.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews