Batman and the Outsiders, Vol. 3: The Demon's Fire

Batman and the Outsiders (2019)

by Bryan Edward Hill, Dexter Soy (Illustrator), Gleb Melnikov (Illustrator)

The reign of Ra's al Ghul!

Ra's al Ghul has had everything taken away from him. His League of Assassins, his power...even his family. All he has left is his mission to bend the world to his will and save it from itself. He's more dangerous than ever,and it'll take the combined might of the Outsiders team to take him down!

But the Outsiders are far from all together.

Black Lightning is pushing his powers to their limits and trying to show Batman that his potential has no limit.

Katana is trying to save Orphan's and Signal's souls from the allure of the ruthless Lady Shiva—who is acting benevolent for the moment, but Katana can see through her ruse.

The Outsiders will have to overcome their shortcomings, ambitions, and insecurities in order to stop Ra's al Ghul from using a device tha t promises to change the balance of power in the entire DCU!

Find out if they have what it takes to win in Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 3: The Demon's Fire—the epic conclusion to the critically acclaimed series from writer Bryan Hill (Wildstorm: Michael Cray, TV's Titans) and artist Dexter Soy (Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Hush, Red Hood and the Outlaws). Collects Batman and the Outsiders #13-17.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy

128 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2021

About the author

Bryan Hill is a screenwriter, photographer, tv writer, and director. He is known for his work on the DC show TITANS and for his work in comics, most notably his outings on DETECTIVE COMICS, POSTAL, AMERICAN CARNAGE, KILLMONGER and ANGEL.
His writing is infused with esoteric principles, which can also be found in his photography and music.
He lives and works in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the addition of Lady Shiva to the Outsiders. I like her as a foil tempting team members to do things differently than Batman demands. The final confrontation with Ra's al Ghul was a bit of a letdown though. While I did like how Hill amped up Black Lightning, the battle with Ra's was "Meh". I did like how the book ended with all the team members going off onthe ir own paths, abandoning Batman. Dexter Soy's art keeps getting better and better.

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the story and artwork of the book, it was lacking on that action side. I think because the series was finishing these last 5 issues were a bit rushed. In fairness I do think it was the right decision to cut out some of the fights to further the story.

The thing that really bothers me about the book is now that I am really invested in these characters, and especially their growth. Now the series is over I want to know where they go from here. I also think they have the perfect team leaders and shadow mentor to continue their journey and evolution.

One of the themes of this series is all the characters of this series are good enough to have their own series and go beyond the Bat family or Gotham. There is a lot more potential here than an actual ending. If anyone know where I can follow the Outsiders now that the series is over I would appreciate it.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another fun read!

We have the final moments as the team makes their move against Ra's but before that some filler issues as Bruce warns Ra's by destroying hs people and properties, Shiva and Duke and Cass go on some solo adventure and then Jeff gets a new suit and when the encounter begins it should be epic with everything in place but we have Ra's use some sort of alien device and his battle is with Jeff (newly powered up) and I thought it will go for a few pages but it ends so soon and all Ra's does is warn him and that was disappointing like after so much build-up it gets over too soon.. lazy writing or maybe they just wanted to wrap things up. But still it made for agreat confrontation and maybe teases Jeff joining the JL in the future maybe!

Its a fun volume overall but I really enjoyed the last story with how the team deals after the whole fiasco and the end of the team and its done beautifully and we have an amazing moment with Cass and Bruce here which I loved, Sofia makes a choice that will change her relationship with the Bat and it will be interesting to follow and Black Lightning and Katana on a date maybe? That relationship was developed really well here and I would love to follow it in the future and its super-well drawn by Soy!

Its a bitter-sweet ending and sure the fight with Ra's was not epic like I hoped it to be but its still good and gives a good closure to the whole series and new status quo to characters and leads well into future state where it will be interesting to follow their stories. Overall the writing was great and the aftermath of the climax was a great breather and it ends naturally with some great art throughout the series. So yeah I'd recommend the entire series! Just a fun read throughout!

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 3 The Demon's Fire collects issues 13-17 written by Bryan Hill with art by Dexter Soy, Gleb Melkinov, and Marcio Takara.

The conclusion to the story takes the battle to Ra's Al Ghul.

I'm torn overall on this book. I think Bryan Hill really gets Black Lightning and I enjoy his relationship with Katanna. I think the two of them would make a great series. Hill has done a great job of elevating Lightning and I think he could continue to make him an integral character in DC. But I think the way he writes Batman is inconsistent: Batman either seems to care too much or not at all. Orphan/Cassandra has a good arc but I think Signal/Duke suffered. More needs to be done with his character to build him up. Overall I liked he story told and think Hill could have a good career at DC.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, rounded up.

Ra's Al Ghul has a device which could make him all-powerful, and only Batman & The Outsiders can stand in his way. But the team is still on shaky ground, and the addition of Lady Shiva to the mix might be the fracture point that sends them all tumbling, right when they need to be united most.

This final volume of Batman & The Outsiders is great on the surface. The story has been building to the confrontations contained here since the beginning, and it feels satisfying for the A plot, no doubt. The character arcs are completed as much as they can be, and everyone is in a different place than when the series started (except maybe Batman, but this book was never really about him anyway).

But there's also a feeling of unfulfilled potential. Like the story wasn't quite finished. Duke, Cass, Katana, and Black Lightning all have further to go, and while this stage of their journey may be over, there's this nagging sensation that we won't get to see where they go next just yet. I know from reading interviews with Hill that he had plans for a second season of the book, and I hope they get picked up somewhere, even if not by Hill himself.

The artwork remains predominantly Dexter Soy, while Marcio Takara pops in to finish the series off when Soy takes off to launch a different book instead. Soy's been going from strength to strength at DC, and while Takara can't quite match his sleek visuals, he's not a bad fill-in to end on.

Batman & The Outsiders' final volume does what it sets out to do - it brings everything to a conclusion, and it does it well. But once the dust has settled and the story is over, the lingering doubt that there's more to tell and we may not see it, could leave a bit of a sour taste in your mouth.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

So finishes up a decent run on Batman running the outsiders.

Bryan Edward Hill creates some fantastic characters with the crew, just never really loved his Batman here. He gives him interesting ideas but I can't help but feel like it doesn't sound like Bruce for me. Still, everyone else works really strong. I just wish the story itself was stronger as Ra is one of the lamest villains around. The ending leaves the family of the outsiders broken up too which is a interesting idea.

Overall, good like the rest of the series. A 3 out of 5.

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman and the Outsiders: The Demon's Fire continues where the previous trade paperback left off collecting the last five issues (Batman and the Outsiders #13–17) of the 2018 on-going series and collects two stories: "The Demon's Fire" and "The Inside".

"The Demon's Fire" is a three-issue storyline (Batman and the Outsiders #13–15) with a one-issue finale (Batman and the Outsiders #16), which has the Outsiders conclude their fight with Ra's al Ghul and his League of Assassins in particular Ishmael with Lady Shiva, Sofia Barrera, and for one issue Martian Manhunter teaming up with the Outsiders to fight against the League of Assassins.

"The Inside" is a one-issue storyline (Batman and the Outsiders #17) that offers an epilogue of sorts of the series. It has Sofia Ramos fate safe and sound with the Outsiders officially going their own ways. With Jefferson Pierce questioning the future and Tatsu Yamashiro and Lady Shiva going their own way, and Duke Thomas and Cassandra Cain going back to Gotham City to figure out their own future as well.

Bryan Edward Hill penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written moderately well. Hill does a better job with the relationships between the characters, which seems more realistic. The narrative is somewhat lacking in this trade paperback – it teases some Bat-drama that never quite manifests and the ending, while nice, was anticlimactic. However, Hill's depiction of Lady Shiva is written rather well and she serves as a good alternative to Batman – especially to the junior members of the team.

With the exception of two issues: Batman and the Outsiders #13 (Gleb Melnikov) and Batman and the Outsiders #17 (Marcio Takara), the entire trade paperback was penciled by Dexter Soy. Since he was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. As for Melnikov and Takara they complimented each other rather well, whose penciling styles are more cartoonish – it just didn't meld well with Soy's penciling.

Overall, this Batman and the Outsiders series was written satisfactorily well. Hill has created an interesting and diverse team – with the exception of Batman everyone on the team was a person of color. It's just the execution and storyline was far too ambitious. Having one villain – Ra's al Ghul throughout the entire seventeen-issue was perhaps too much and there was pacing issues as it stalls in odd places and rehashes too much of the same point.

All in all, Batman and the Outsiders: The Demon's Fire is a satisfactory conclusion to an equally satisfactorily series.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

**Review is for all three volumes

Not enough Batman, to many Outsiders, and Ras Al Ghul is always a terrible villainy to use for any lengthy run - and he's really the only villain for 17 bloated issues.
Filled with more repetitive, preachy non-action panels endlessly spouting variations on 'I want justice', 'no, you want revenge' babble than anyone needs, a never explained alien tech McGuffin that didn't require a cameo from the Martian Manhunter but got one anyway, and a handful of lieutenants flanking Ras who are unnamed, underused, and dispatched in about two panels by a single 'hero' - - - so just another underwhelming sequence in a series filled with them.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars mostly for Shiva walking all over everyone at every moment.

[Chris Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman and the Outsiders by Bryan Hill isn’t a series of story arcs like superhero comic books, it’s one epic saga stretched across three books: Batman and his team at war with Ra’s al Ghul.

The Demon’s Fire is the final volume of this series and sees Batman and his Outsiders finally confront Ra’s al Ghul face to face.

The build up to their last battle is excellent. The actual showdown is sadly a little rushed and underwhelming. It does make a complete coherent story though adds up with the rest of the run to a satisfying whole.

Sofia Ramos was the starting pistol for this war but by the end, I didn’t feel like we had actually got to know her. I cared about how her ending would affect Batman, but not actually about her. I did however think her ending was a good one for her. We’re presented with two options for her ending, become a superhero under Batman’s guidance or live happily ever after on a Bruce-funded horse range. So I enjoyed that she found a third option. The story started with Sofia in a tug of war between Batman and Ra’s, so it’s narratively satisfying that she chooses a middle path by going with Shiva.

Black Lightning and Katana both end the series having gone through significant power upgrades. Jefferson has overcome his doubts and realised he could be standing next to the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman, just like Batman always thought, but needs to decide if that’s what he wants. Is he a school teacher or a Justice League level superhero? It’s a question that troubles me as I don’t see why he can’t be both, but I liked his answer: he’s going to go with Katana to find themselves together. Hopefully that relationship continues to grow as they really need to get kissing already.

Cassandra gets a sweet scene with Bruce where he tells her what she means to him and that he trusts her and has faith in her. I still miss their pre-Flashpoint relationship but this is a good step. She also now has a mother who is proud of her, so her time as ‘Orphan’ looks like it’s coming to an end. She goes back to Gotham with Duke to look for Stephanie Brown, setting the stage for her role as a Batgirl.

As for Duke, his powers are now both light and shadow, which I liked. I still think his powers need better defining though. Shiva offers him the chance to learn more from her, which I hope is an offer he takes up. If nothing else, he needs her costume design tips. Ditch the awful yellow Duke and we’ll talk about keeping up with your future.

Shiva gets a heroic role as part of the team, and having played a mentor role for a short time to both Duke and Cass. She is the one who is able to tell Batman how the others have decided to move on at the end, unafraid of his reaction. She is the one who Sofia chooses to follow. It’s been a good run for Shiva, redefining her in ways I’ve liked.

Then finally of course, there’s Batman. Bruce might win the war but the final image is him sat alone in the dark of the happy house he tried to build for the ending, the room torn apart by his rage. Hill’s Batman remains a tragic, broken figure. He might be able to smile for the others’ benefit, but when he’s alone, it doesn’t feel like he’s won.

I really enjoyed this run, much more than I expected to. The ending wasn’t as epic as I’d hoped but it was still nice to see Ra’s al Ghul being used effectively. The strength of the run is in its character work and I felt like all our leads grew and I’m excited to see where they go next.

[Memphis Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best of the three volumes. All the characters deal with the insane choices they’ve been forced to make, including Batman. Ra’s al Ghul has one of the best character arcs I’ve read for him.

The ending is very satisfying, not just the usual “good guy wins/back to the status quo” that sometimes mars stories about characters who have existed for decades.

More stories are definitely possible about these very interesting characters, who have all become more than “Batman’s friends who can’t quite earn enough pull list money in their own books”.

Incidentally, I recommend listening to R.E.M.’s underrated 2004 album “Around the Sun” while listening to this book. It was a great soundtrack.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read through this whole series, I can say that I enjoyed it plenty. It wasn't perfect by any means (some areas with Bruce I felt could have been better), but I enjoyed it. This concluding volume was solid. The fight with Ra's al Ghul got wrapped up well enough and we got some teamwork with Cass, Duke and Lady Shiva. And as always, I enjoyed Dexter Soy's artwork (who worked through this series, but also in Rebirth's Red Hood and the Outlaws, which was a favorite of mine).

I definitely thought it was worth the read and enjoyed that Ra's was used for the series since I feel he hasn't been utilized much these days.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Volumes 1-3 in a couple of sittings. Maybe it's that I've let my graphic novel reading lapse for the past few years, but despite what appears to be some lower ratings on these volumes, I totally enjoyed the run. Part of it for me was seeing Batman a little out of character in showing some vulnerability to Jeff and a gratefulness to the Outsiders Team that was dangerously close to some leadership skills..;). I also always seem to enjoy stories involving Ra's and Shiva; have a weak spot for that element of mysticism and immortality!

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

High point: Bruce telling Jefferson, "You should be standing next to Diana and Clark. I've always known that."
But, plotwise, there are temporary solutions to problems; and it felt to me like they were basically going in circles and wanting to set up future plots.
It also didn't help that Bruce's reaction to Sofia deciding to hit the road with Lady Shiva is halfway trashing the kitchen.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman et al face Ra's al Ghul to try to thwart his massive scheme. Batman decides to step away from the team and let everyone be who they want/need to be without him. Just as well, as the story line wasn't really going anywhere. The art is done by different people each book, and is fairly unimpressive for the most part. Glad this brief series is done.

[Sarospice · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 This title was really coming together then poof. Hill did a great job giving every character a storyline and eventually an upgrade especially Black Lightning and Cassandra Cain. It would have been perfect for Batman to leave them be a team. I guess sales weren't there... Too bad.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

A forgettable Outsiders series.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid team book that hovers a lot around choices.

[Patrick]

3.5 Stars

[FortressOfBookitude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Konklusionen für die einzelnen Figuren sind erstaunlich zufriedenstellend dafür, dass ein gutes Build-up für diese fehlt.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely wrapped up for the Outsiders. Black Lightning finding more of his power, other characters finding more of their viewpoints.

[Luis Escobedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine enough

This serie wasn't really that memorable but it is a fine story. The concept and the characters motivation and emotional states keep going round and round once and again in circles and nothing is really concluded at the end. They keep searching for what they really wants and how the really feels.