The Outsiders by Judd Winick, Book One: The Darker Side of Justice

The Outsiders by Judd Winick

by Judd Winick, Tom Raney (Illustrator)

A renegade Superman robot goes on the rampage, and a long-standing member of the Teen Titans dies. Stricken with grief, old allies Nightwing and Arsenal decide that enough is enough: a more proactive approach to justice is needed.

Calling on established heroes like Jade and Metamorpho, as well as newcomers like Black Lightning's daughter Thunder, the mysterious powerhouse Grace and Indigo, an android from the distant future, this new group will find the threats before they become real, no matter what the cost.

The Outsiders by Judd Winick: The Darker Side of Justice collects Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3, Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files 2003 #1 and Outsiders #1-7 from artists Tom Raney (Uncanny X-Men), ChrisCross (Superman/Batman), Ale Garza (Batgirl) and more!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels

312 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2019

About the author

Judd Winick is an American cartoonist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and former reality television personality known for his diverse contributions to storytelling across multiple media. He first entered the public eye in 1994 as a cast member on The Real World: San Francisco, where he formed a close friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora, an experience that deeply influenced his later work. Winick memorialized their bond in Pedro and Me, a critically acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel that earned several literary awards and became a staple in school curricula.

Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.

Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.

Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.

Reviews

[Chad]

This series is a lot of fun. Winick writes some crackling dialog and balances the fun and gritty elements well. I like how he brings the Titans and Young Justice titles of the time to an end, while at the same time setting up the Outsiders and the Teen Titans series to come. I feel Tom Raney is one of the more undersung artists of his time. His art here is brilliant with some great character designs. I'm glad to see DC is finally reprinting the series.

[Cristian]

The prelude mini series crossover with Young Justice that kicks off the collection is really, REALLY bad. You can tell that neither the writer nor the artist have their hearts in it. Then the main series starts, a bit slow at first, but then gets more dynamic and elegantly narrated and funnier with every issue. Sadly, it looks like the second volume of this collection was cancelled recently - DC style...

[A E]

I liked this so much more than I thought I would considering I wasn’t familiar with any of the characters aside from Nightwing and Arsenal. really enjoying this team so far and I’m excited to get to know them better

[Nate]

The first half of the book shows the dissolution of the Titans (soon to be rebooted with Young Justice members) and death of Donna Troy and Lilith. It’s nothing special, typical plot-driven crossover stuff with lots of fighting. Then we get the first seven issues of the new Outsiders series featuring Nightwing, Arsenal, original member Metamorpho, Jade, and newbies Thunder, Indigo, and Grace Choi. The group works well together and Winick does a good job with everyone’s personality. His typically snappy writing is on display, leading to many standout (and funny) moments. The plots are fine - going up against Grodd and Brother Blood - but as with the best team books, it’s about the characters and their interactions. The final issue focusing on Metamorpho is a highlight in that regard.

I have one complaint though: Nightwing is uncharacteristically harsh at times. I know he’s Batman’s stand-in for the team, but he’s always been more kind and caring than his mentor. I guess he’s feeing down after the end of the Titans and Donna’s death, but his personality seems slightly off.

That aside, I had a lot of fun with these seven issues. Tom Raney’s art is great, too. Though it looks like the second volume was cancelled...? Too bad.

[BruceSB]

This One Is A Goer

I started this one after coming off a real dud and what a pleasure it was to read.
This book has everything going for it.
Great characters, great story, great artwork.
Nicely introduces the characters, not just the new ones but all of them.
Nice to have an established superhero in Metamorpho, even if he can’t remember much!
Loved the plot turns which I will not give away.
Even has a special guest appearance.
What more could you want?
You won’t be disappointed with this.
Strongly recommended.
Bruce

[Heather Robinson (GFB)]

Dick & Roy!!! 💚💚💚 I love them so much!

This was a fun read. The dialogue and interactactions of the characters were excellent. I love Indigo. ❤️ Joker & Lex were highly amusing. And of course Dick & Roy my favorite 😭😭😭

[Logan]

Fun…but still hasn’t found a good antagonist story.

The dialogue and interactions between the team members is one of the best things about this story. Not sure why these characters work so well together but they do. Many feeling like a dynamic duo and first and then becoming a full fledged team.

My issue is the antagonists. Starting off with the president, Lex Luthor, being attacked by Gorilla Army? Silly, but it seems like too big of a threat for a new team. Blood Brother had good buildup but actually felt like a silly villain for the team. The one highlight of this story is when there is no villain at all - fib Metamorpho. Giving a grounded character story that has action and great morality question.

Good story overall.

[Jake]

Reading this made me lose brain cells, and cured my nostalgia for the 2000s. It’s extremely disjointed, and the characters are dull(except for Shift). Also a reality tv star makes a guest appearance like wtf?!

[David]

Quite enjoying this series. Wish DC had continued collecting this series in the fatter tpbs.

[Nico]

was under the hood just a fluke

[John]

No star
This was a waste of my time

[Bob]

I enjoyed the stories, I thought them a bit odd with the
tech they were using then I found out why! The original
comics were written in 2003 updated in 2019 still using
the same text very OOD!!!!

[Highland G]

Fun read. Kinda ends the young justice story and starts up the outsiders. I might hunt down the older books so I can read on as they haven’t released any more of these thicker ones yet.

[***Dave Hill]

Man, the early 00s were dark and violent and a bit twisted. Or so Winick's work on this book (which includes setup issues from "Titans/Young Justice" and "Teen Titans/Outsiders" as well as the first seven issues of Winick's "Outsiders") would seem to indicate. Secrets, mysteries, betrayals, trauma, torture, death -- grim-and-grittiness all abound, to a degree that sometimes feels gratuitously unpleasant.

That said, the (eventual) team setup here is marvelous -- Nightwing, Arsenal, Jade, Grace, Thunder, Indigo, and an amnesiac Metamorpho, all make for a volatile mix, and tee up (once things get rolling) some great drama and adventure.

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UPDATE 4/22

Bumping from 3 to 4 stars. Good art counts for a lot (even if there's a fair amount of cheesecake), and the story, once it gets rolling (with a lot of cross-title activity around the traumatic founding of the team) is solid.