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Outcast #5

Outcast, Vol. 5: The New Path

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A major turning point in the series! New characters are introduced! Big things are in store for Kyle Barnes as he's faced with something he never could have prepared for--hope!
THE WALKING DEAD creator ROBERT KIRKMAN'S latest horror hit is now a Cinemax TV show.
Collects OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #25-30.

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2017

17 people are currently reading
1690 people want to read

About the author

Robert Kirkman

2,745 books6,933 followers
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of the original co-founders of that publisher.

Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.

In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.

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5 stars
325 (22%)
4 stars
674 (46%)
3 stars
383 (26%)
2 stars
51 (3%)
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4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
Profile Image for Patrick.
Author 81 books243k followers
December 30, 2018
It occurs to me after writing my review of volume 4 of this story, that there's a third direction that this story could go other than the two that I was worried about...

If the unfolding mystery of the story is revealing a problem to large for the characters to reasonably deal with, you can also bring in new characters who are *more* capable, powerful, or knowledgeable in order to make the bigger problems solvable.

And that's what happens here. And it it works, because the new character coming in has obviously been planned from the beginning.

So. Bullet dodged there. Curious to see how things continue to progress.
Profile Image for Anne.
4,739 reviews71.2k followers
April 6, 2018
3.5 stars

Volume 5 - The volume with lots of gross-ass beards.

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The short version of this one is that a bearded man shows up and Kyle grows a beard to fit in with his new BFF.
The End.
I'm not really sure which one of them is on the cover because everyone looks exactly alike in this title, and I can't tell if that light spot on his facial hair is the new dude's skunk stripe or just a shadow. Then again, I think it's part of the fun to try and guess who everyone is by looking at which way the stripes on their flannel shirt go, or whether or not they were wearing a toboggan a few panels ago.
*she said sarcastically*

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Ok, ok. It's not so much that this was bad but, for some reason, I'm just antsy for Kirkman to wrap it the hell up already. It's not that good. The plot is basically just circling around the mystery of what these demons are, what the Outcasts are, and where they originally came from. But I'm not 100% sure that is a long-running or sustainable plot in this instance.
And the art is really working my nerves.
Can you tell the difference between the little girl in the bottom of this panel:
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And the little girl in this one?
I can.
And it's because one is wearing a parka and one is wearing a Fargo hat!
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There were some new characters introduced, the basic suspicions about the demons' origins get confirmed, and the lovable preachers teeters a little closer to falling off the edge.

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It feels like I'm in this too far to back out now, so here's hoping the grand finale is worth it.

PS - No beards were harmed in the making of this review.
Profile Image for Sarah.
456 reviews147 followers
November 3, 2017
3.5 stars.

This volume was slightly better than the one before but the series is still kind of underwhelming. Instead of feeling like the story is slowly building into something great, it feels like the story is being dragged out. I am excited about the new characters that were introduced because they could add a little pizzazz to the comic. On a side note, I'm getting so sick of the Reverend. He's been annoying since volume 1 but it's almost unbearable now. With all of that said though, I still do enjoy reading this series.
Profile Image for Chad.
10.3k reviews1,060 followers
February 3, 2020
I feel like this series finally makes some progress in this volume. We find out a lot more where these "demons" come from. Kyle's dad, Simon, shows up and shows him how to channel his chi. My only remaining problems are that the Reverend is an idiot who's going to get them all killed and Azaceta has difficulty distinguishing between the gazillion characters in this book. There's 3 guys with beards, two guys with glasses, and two little blond girls who all look the same. If you don't have the talent to draw characters that look different, at least give them separate features.
Profile Image for Dave Schaafsma.
Author 6 books32.1k followers
November 9, 2017
The fifth volume doesn't advance the action all that much but we do get some clarity about the good guys and the bad guys. The unique things about this series is that exorcism is usually posed as a Angels and Demons issue, as the Reverend suggests, but Kyle, rejoined by his wife and kid, and his father, Simon, see this in secular terms as negative energy that needs to be eradicated. The good guys stay in a kind of safe house for the time being, as the tension slowly builds to some Great War. I am into it, I like the scratch art and I like Kyle, finding his strength in family and positive energy, though the Reverend seems crazier and crazier to me. Actually, there's a lot of crazy apocalyptic vibes going on, and that makes for good storytelling if it doesn't drag on for too much longer.
Profile Image for Donovan.
734 reviews106 followers
March 19, 2018
Violence becomes battle. Mystery becomes much needed, long awaited answers. Plus new characters. Now this series is really getting started.
Profile Image for Artemy.
1,045 reviews964 followers
October 4, 2017
Another volume of Outcast is here, which means it's Halloween season again! It's becoming a tradition for me — three years in a row I am reading Outcast in October. I love it!

This is an exposition-heavy volume, and those who were craving some answers will probably be pretty happy with this book. I wasn't too fixed on why Kyle Barnes is so special, or what does he actually do when he exorcises the evil spirits, or where the spirits come from, but hey, I guess it's nice to have some answers anyway.

Other than that, this volume feels a bit too Walking Dead-y: all the good guys find a secluded place with a barn, so they decide to live there in relative safety. I'm sure it won't last, but for now that's what we have.

Even though not that much happened, there still was enough interesting stuff in Volume 5 to be a fun read. That's my entire relationship with this series, really: Outcast keeps being compelling enough for me to keep reading, but it's in no hurry to move the story along, and it doesn't ever get too exciting. I really hope Kirkman won't stretch it to the lengths of TWD, but I guess as long as it sells well, he'll be able to spin that wheel indefinitely. I'll tag along for now.
Profile Image for CS.
1,213 reviews
April 19, 2018
Bullet Review:

Invasion of the Body Snatchers with more beards. Good lord, there were three men in this book with nearly the EXACT SAME BEARD and it's been too long since I read volume 4 - how the flying frak can you expect me to tell the different between Kyle, Simon and whoever the frak the third guy was?

But...I really liked that the story seemed to go somewhere. I honestly think the end is in sight.
Profile Image for Subham.
3,070 reviews104 followers
February 2, 2021
This was a cool volume as it focuses on Kyle getting back with his family, seeing Reverend do some stuff and then getting to know his father Simon, training with him, exorcising stuff and more things related to who these outcast and demons are, the legend behind them and more exorcising. Rescuing a girl named Daphne, growing closer with his sister Megan and his expanded family but there are threats on the horizon, a man named ROWLAND has come and he seems to be the top boss, The great merge is coming. Great volume overall and we get more answers which was cool to have and makes things clear. A better volume and the art was good too!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for James DeSantis.
Author 17 books1,203 followers
October 26, 2022
Time to Kung Fu some motherfuckin Demons.

But seriously, Kyle is introduced to someone from his past. You can probably guess it, bit cliche, but once he's back in Kyle's life they decide to do some training. Learning how to rip the demons out of people with the power of kung fu. It's pretty fucking silly but also kind of amazing? Get some really great fight scenes here, new characters introduced that work to the plot, and some answers finally answered.

The ending introduces us to a new villain in ways, one who has his shit together, and the outcast might be in a bit over their heads.
Profile Image for Shaun Stanley.
1,306 reviews
October 25, 2023
Outcast Vol. 5: The New Path collects issues 25-30 of the Image Comics series written by Robert Kirkman with art by Paul Azaceta.

Kyle is saved by his estranged father who has the same abilities as he does. His father teaches him everything he knows about what is going on and how to channel his power to fight more effectively.

This book feels like a huge step forward with a ton of answers, new characters, new villains, new settings, and more. With all the new characters living together and in hiding, I got really strong The Walking Dead vibes which was really cool. Now that I am over halfway through the series, the ending is starting to take form and I’m excited to see how everything plays out!
Profile Image for Craig Schorling.
2,281 reviews11 followers
April 25, 2025
Some new characters are introduced and there are several big action sequences. It feels like the stage is being set for the climatic conclusion. I am really enjoying seeing Kyle get somewhat of a redemption arc.
Profile Image for L. McCoy.
742 reviews8 followers
December 4, 2017
This series is so good... though this is probably the weakest volume so far.

What’s it about?
I’m not gonna go into all that, that would pretty much be a journey into Spoilerland.

Pros:
The story is still interesting and is growing a lot!
The art is still fantastic! There’s some really cool panels in this volume!
This volume is very unpredictable.
Most of the characters are very interesting. There’s some new characters that should be very cool!
This series continues to do a great job at religion related commentary. This book has good and not particularly biased depictions of both Christians and atheists. It shows a lot of common problems with both sides and is pretty accurate for the most part. I think a lot like the pastor
There’s some action in there as well.
The cliffhanger ending is great (though it does make me feel slightly mad that volume 6 isn’t out yet)!

Cons:
The horror is slightly weak in this volume. It’s kind of weird because I usually consider this a comic that’s legitimately scary (except for this volume and volume 3).
This book sometimes seems to jump all over the place sometimes.
I often have a problem with kids in books. Don’t get me wrong, it works for some stories and usually works in this series... not in this volume though. It makes sense why she’s there and all but to be honest it gets pretty f***ing annoying when a pile of the story is oh no she’s sad, oh no she’s scared, oh no she’s flipping out, etc. Maybe it’s meant to make me care about the kid more but there’s a reason I would actually say I don’t like kids (or at least dealing with them, IRL or in certain books), a big part of that is how they flip out over almost everything and I know might sound twisted but if I have sit through piles of that in future volumes I slightly hope she gets killed off (and Kirkman isn’t afraid to kill off characters, even kids so it’s not really a crazy thought) because at least then Kyle will be even more p***ed off at the demons and s*** would get more real than ever before). Right now I honestly think all she’s doing is being annoying and adding a bit more peril.

Overall:
The weakest volume in the series but still definitely a good one and I look forward to volume 6. Let’s just hope it’s not as all over the place and that the kid doesn’t get too annoying.

4/5
Profile Image for Craig.
2,884 reviews33 followers
March 17, 2018
I still like this series a lot and with this volume, we finally meet Kyle's dad, another Outcast who starts training him in the ways of "the force" (just kidding). He's an interesting character addition, but a lot of the mystery of this book has drained away as a result. Kyle and his dad go out and clean up demon safe houses and the story moves away from the personal focus on one troubled guy and his family and becomes more of a superhero/vigilante-type thing. I'm still going to keep reading, but it isn't the same book--it's like when Hannibal Rising gave us the backstory/childhood of Hannibal Lecter and a lot of the mystery/fascination with that character was drained away.
Profile Image for Frédéric.
1,971 reviews86 followers
June 1, 2019
Some action and revelations- at last! Yippee! You thought the series is taking its sweet time? Guess again. Hints say it's going for the loooong haul. Don't believe me? We'll talk about it when Barnes meet Grimes in issue 195, in 15 years odd.

Jokes aside new players come into the fray, the plot takes a lot of steps in one volume and there's real action- like fights- that lead somewhere! Yippee again.
Kyle's personality evolves , as the reverend's though in different ways. Probably will lead to a clash sometime.
The mood is still oppressive but a bit differently, less local and more in a "grand scheme" way. Sounds promising but should take 2 zillions issue or so...
Profile Image for Dakota Morgan.
3,390 reviews53 followers
April 5, 2019
I'm pretty keen on Outcast, even if I read one volume every two years and completely lose the thread between readings. Kirkman can write the pants off a compelling narrative, even if it doesn't make much sense. He's got real skill at building and maintaining mystery over hundreds of pages. Who are these demons? What is the merge? What are outcasts? Still don't really know! But in this fifth volume, I certainly feel like I'm getting closer to knowing. And that's kinda all I need.

The art team is excellent too, although this volume contains far too many beards, causing murky fight scenes to be even murkier. Oh yes, there are many fight scenes now. Turns out Kyle's dad has been alive this whole time and he's suddenly turned up to train Kyle on being a demon-fighter. Rad! He is 100% a plot device, but it works in Outcast's favor, so I'm for it. Kyle, Simon, and another new addition are basically light-side Jedi now, sneaking out of their hidden dojo to chest-slam some Sith into the other universe. I dig it.

The more I write, the more Outcast seems kinda stupid. But it doesn't feel that way when you're reading it! And that's the sign of a great, trashy piece of literature, which I am all about. Keep 'em coming, Kirkman.
Profile Image for Kiarash.
117 reviews30 followers
May 29, 2022
بهترین جلد این کمیک تا به اینجای کار بود. بالاخره به یک سری از سوالات اساسی پاسخ داده شد و چندتا کارکتر جدید معرفی شدن که به داستان جان تازه ای ببخشن و ابعاد قضیه رو گسترش بدن. سیری که کارکترهای اصلی تا اینجا طی کردن هم سیر نسبتا جالبی بوده، خصوصا کشیش داستان یعنی پدر اندرسون. طراحی ها هم همچنان به فضای کار میاد خصوصا کلوزآپ ها که احساسات واقعی شخصیت ها رو بازگو میکنن و یک ایده ای از وضعیت روحیشون به مخاطب میدن
Profile Image for Rod Brown.
7,352 reviews282 followers
December 6, 2017
The protagonist of this series has floundered about for four volumes. Finally, in this installment a new character is introduced who brings some definition to what is happening, trains the protagonist and sets him on a series of missions. I sort of like the new focus, but wonder if I really even care at this point. I'm mostly reading this series because it's there.
Profile Image for Jamie.
976 reviews12 followers
October 8, 2017
Not a dull moment in this latest installment. Between this and the latest Walking Dead book, Kirkman is absolutely killing it lately!
Profile Image for Zedsdead.
1,367 reviews83 followers
January 9, 2018
Finally, ANSWERS. Big plot happenings are afoot.

Plot points:
Profile Image for Angie.
3,696 reviews53 followers
April 2, 2018
Finally some real movement in this story. Things really ramp up in Volume 5. Kyle, the reverend and the rest of the group are hiding out in the country and they are now joined by Kyle's dad Simon! Turns out Simon is a wiz at battling the demons and teaches Kyle to do the same. We finally have some real battles that do seem a bit one-sided, but at least things are moving along. We learn more about what is really going on as well. I do hope this means a conclusion is not far off as I would like to see where this story is going to end up.
Profile Image for Vicki.
269 reviews10 followers
September 26, 2018
Things were finally happening...and then they slowed again.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
740 reviews2 followers
January 5, 2020
FINALLY understand what an outcast is! Good volume....don't know if I trust Simon, definitely don't trust Rev Anderson, and Rowland seems like the baddest cat yet. Great series so far.
Profile Image for Juan.
324 reviews4 followers
September 24, 2017
I am choosing to give this volume only 4 stars even though I think it has a great argument for 5 stars. I only choose to do so because of mixed feelings I have about the truths we have been told. First and foremost, this volume is important because we finally get our reveal on what an Outcast is, what are the motives of both the good and the bad, and we get to learn more about Kyle's abilities and the fact that others not related by blood exist.

I have mixed feelings for Simon. He has been missing for so long and briefly held a scene with Kyle's mother stating that he was anticipating that Kyle would not survive the task at hand. For some reason, I do not trust him even though he is working on training Kyle and gradually working on saving others. Without him, we would still be totally into the dark about the enemy.

As for the enemy, well my understanding is now that they are not necessarily fighting "demons" but more generally a negative energy. For my understanding, it was at this point where I stopped considering religion as being the made topic and stopped considering Kyle and company's work as "exorcisms." It just seems like our continuing use of the work exorcism is only justified as being a simplistic form of terminology to explain something that is beyond our comprehension. Sort of as a segue, I took a lot of objection to Rev. Anderson's terminology of calling Kyle "an angel."

Please do not get me wrong. I do not consider myself as religious by any means but neither do I find myself compelled to define one group or another. Even as Kyle is attempting to explain how the forces are not necessarily angels verse demons yet the Reverend insists on preaching his word and using his terms, claiming to be a holy person despite the fact that he did INDEED kill a flesh and blood person. I am thinking I am only taking offense to this because I absolutely hate people that preach and force their beliefs on others. Sure, he is keeping his new found flock calm but my impression is that he is still turning a blind eye towards the real situation. I appreciated his work and counsel when it was just him and Kyle but, ever since then, we have learned so much more and have found more people with the ability to dispel the negative. In short, I hate the Reverend's type.

How about Roland? We shall see...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Abby.
323 reviews
October 12, 2017
This series just keeps getting better! It introduced several new characters and the plot just keeps getting thicker and thicker.
Profile Image for Nicolas.
23 reviews
June 23, 2019
Important novel for the story. Introduces new characters and shows how Kyle is evolving at last.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews

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