Batman and the Outsiders, Vol. 2: A League of their Own

Batman and the Outsiders (2019)

by Bryan Edward Hill, Dexter Soy (Illustrator), Max Raynor (Illustrator)

Between everything that’s happened in Gotham City and Ra’s al Ghul’s personal attacks on the Dark Knight and his team, Batman lashes out and uses all his anger and skills to take down Ra’s and his new League of Assassins on his own. Can the Outsiders pull him back from his rage-or will they find themselves on the receiving end of it? Collects Batman and the Outsiders #8-12 and Annual #1.

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

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2020

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]

The Outsiders continue their search for Ra's al Ghul while he seeks to corrupt each of them. This is very much the middle act of a 3 act play. It's more or less about setting up that third arc. I really like the interplay between team members. Dexter Soy's and Veronica Gandini's art is terrific.

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like this book. My main problem with the series is it is supposed to be Batman and the Outsiders. There is very little Batman in the series. This volume is set just after the City of Bane. So Batman is compromised mentally. So I can understand that as well as spotlighting on the Outsiders.

For the main series issues 8 to 12 covered here I would hive this book 3.5 stars. The fight back against Ra has begun, but the team is just always a step behind. Good artwork and action the story feels a little bit rushed.

The final issue in this book is the Annual #1 this is an awesome story. Katana and Black Lightning take a side trip to sort out Katana's family business. Me loving martial arts and ninja magic this ticks all the right boxes for me. Put the book in the high good category.

The book also finishes with a cover gallery ofvyge varient covers. Got to say I am really looking forward to the next book.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read again!

We see whatever is going through Jeff's head and like how he deals with it and the thing that happens is also shown and I love the way Hill establishes the emotional link here and its really well done, the next part being we see Shiva's real colors as they go after Martina and from there the trinity of sin of Ra's come in:: Ishmael, Kaliber and Karma and I love the way it happens and it makes this story more epic, the outsiders coming in too and the fight ends abruptly though but then the coming of Batman and what he did with Sofia and they finally find their target: Ra's and his ultimate goals. Next volume seems to be building towards a great ending so excited to read it.

Its a great volume and does well to walk us through Jeff's mindset and its awesome and the transition from killing mood to forgiveness to remembering what a hero stands for is seamless and Hill thrives on it and he writes the banter between him and Shiva really well and also redeeming her greatly. But its the Katana story in the end that I love like how she rescues her husbands soul inside her sword and fighting the demon Tsutomo and accepting her heritage and all, that was such a great story and Hill brings the anime-level epicness here and its one of the best Katana stories easily.

Overall great stories here and exploration of personalities inside the team and the writer builds towards an epic finale in a seamless fashion and the stakes couldn't be higher, the art again is a winner and makes for a great read again!

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hill continues his adventure of writing a damn good Black Lightning and a okay batman.

I wish this was just the outsiders. Because Hill is writing Black Lightning, Katana, orphan, and Duke all great. But Batman? The leader? Not as much. I'm not feeling this moppy Batman who seems to just hate everything about himself. I think batman second guesses himself and such at times but here he seems to just want everyone to know he's not to be looked to at all as a icon or hero. It's weird.

Saying that I really liked everyone else story moving forward. Katana especially was a nice surprise as I usually dislike her story but her accepting her past and fighting off her demons was nice. I enjoyed watching Duke and Cassandra work together as a team in training with new powers. I enjoyed even the slightly flirtiness of some characters.

The plot is standard bad guy wins this round but there's more to come. The final arc. As this stands this is a solid volume but not amazing. A 3 out of 5.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ra's Al Ghul has a new plan - one that involves alien technology, and the destruction of Batman & The Outsiders! But turncoat Lady Shiva has a way of defeating the Demon's Head once and for all - will the Outsiders schism when they find themselves at odds with each other? And what does Batman think about some of his proteges wanting to side with Shiva's murderous ideologies?

Splintered is the word for this group at this point, I think. With Batman on the outside, Black Lightning and Katana stand on one side, with the Signal & Orphan on the other, there's a clear line in the sand as the two groups both try to stop Ra's in their own way. The conflicting methods and justifications are well-thought-out, and it's always nice for some of Batman's lesser known sidekicks to get to stand on their own. Dexter Soy pencils these issues as before; he's a very consistent artist, and able to turn out monthly books with alarming regularity.

Also included here is an annual, which moves that spotlight over onto Katana and Black Lightning's burgeoning relationship. The extra page count helps flesh this out, since most of their stuff in the main series is spent fretting about the others involved. Max Raynor's artwork here is sleek, and the lightning effects crackle off the page.

This is definitely Act 2 of a 3 act story, but that doesn't mean it does haven its share of character developments and funky action scenes. The new characters don't land quite as well as the existing ones, but they have a role to play for certain. Let's see if Hill and Soy stick the landing with volume 3.

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman and the Outsiders: A League of Their Own continues where the previous trade paperback left off collecting five issues (Batman and the Outsiders #8–12) of the 2018 on-going series with Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1 and collects two stories: "A League of Their Own" and "Into the Soultaker".

"A League of Their Own" is a four-issue storyline (Batman and the Outsiders #8–11) with a one-issue finale (Batman and the Outsiders #12), which has the Outsiders continue to fight against Ra's al Ghul and his League of Assassins in particular Ishmael with Lady Shiva and Sofia Barrera teaming up with the Outsiders to fight against the League of Assassins.

"Into the Soultaker" is a one-issue storyline (Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1) that stars Jefferson Pierce as Black Lightning and Tatsu Yamashiro as Katana. She has to journey into the sword to save her husband who is trapped in it from the evils within. However, in order to do that she would have to die as she asks Black Lightning to protect her body as she ventures into the sword.

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 surprisingly talkative, despite the many action sequences and Hill does a remarkable job in covering Alfred Pennyworth's death. Surprising it is Hill’s depiction of Lady Shiva that makes her more than a villain.

With the exception of one issue (Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1), which was penciled by Max Raynor, the entire trade paperback was penciled by Dexter Soy. Since he was the only penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. For the most part, Soy's penciling is wonderful with cool and fluid action scenes and beautifully rendered characters. Raynor also complements his style well with Soy.

All in all, Batman and the Outsiders: A League of Their Own is a satisfactory continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman and the Ousiders Vol. 2 A League of Their own collects issues 8-12 and Annual 1 of the comic of the same title. The series is still written by Bryan Hill and Dexter Soy. Annual 1 has art by Max Raynor.

The second volume of this series picks up where volume 1 ended. It is hard to give a summary without spoiling anything from the first volume. So far, this series doesn't feel like it has arcs. It feels like one huge story. The villain from the first volume has set their eyes on destroying Black Lightning. There are still trust issues and feelings of doubt among the Outsiders. This volume also doesn't feel like it actually ends: it just sets up the next volume. The Annual was really good. It felt a lot like the issue from Cursed Comics Cavalcade. This time, Katana and Black Lightning travel to Japan to rid the demon in Katana's sword.

The story is good, it just feels like it is being really dragged out with the same feelings of doubt and mistrust jumping from one character to the next. This volume contains a lot more Batman than the previous but it features a very moody Batman reflecting on the events of the end of Tom King's run on Batman. The art is extremely good in this series. I am still eager to read more of this series, but I am ready for this arc to end.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the previous volume.
I liked Jefferson's and Tatsu's interactions, especially in their tangent adventure, "Into the Soul Taker."

[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.

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying this series. Especially Soys art

[Jaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sprinkling of an overarching plot keeps me reading this series.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic Plot: The Outsiders track down Ra's al Ghul o try to prevent him from using a doomsday weapon of alien origin.

Plot was jumpy, there were a lot of confusing moments in here. The art was inconsistent. Males were drawn well, all of the females looked alike. It didn't help that all but one was Asian, with dark hair. They all blurred together with a lack of distinct features. I'm not impressed.

[danabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the complaints about dc is that it's oversaturated with Batman content and honestly I don't think it would be that much a problem if it was utilized the way this comic does, he plays a role but its relatively minimal and allows for lesser known characters to get their chance to shine.

[Brannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this new version of the Outsiders it’s one of my favorites outside the original run. There’s some great slow burning storylines that I am excited to see how they play out.

[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 second chapter of this story sees significant escalation. Ra’s al Ghul is mostly hidden in the background of this section of the story but his will is felt and the brutality of it is impressive.

I wasn’t completely sure about Batman’s characterisation when I read volume 1 but the intention becomes much clearer here. This isn’t a Batman who can’t connect with his sidekicks and family as I feared, this is a Batman who is grieving the very recent loss of Alfred the only way he knows how, by shutting himself off and keeping his distance. The Outsiders are soldiers in a war to him because of his mental state in this moment. There’s a quiet moment for Bruce alone at Alfred’s grave that I found moving followed by a touching moment with Jefferson.

Black Lightning feels the biggest blow from Ra’s in this volume as his friend is murdered. It’s a very brutal moment and raises the stakes effectively. I did realise here though that people keep telling us Jefferson is an amazing teacher but Hill never shows us this at any point. I’m not saying I wanted an issue of him teaching algebra, but showing his connection to and ability to inspire his students would have helped sell his character more.

Black Lightning and Katana’s relationship grows effectively here, with the seeds of romance planted as a strong bond forms. The two have excellent chemistry together.

Duke and Cassandra’s partnership is also cemented effectively and I briefly wondered if romance was blossoming there too but it became clear in fact they are defining themselves as siblings. They offer each other a lot of support which they clearly need from each other and, being a physical creature, Cass has lots of hugs to offer. By the end of this volume, Duke is calling her sis, and he really needed to form a closer relationship with someone in the Batfamily to start feeling like he belonged. As for Cassandra, she had close bonds with Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown but they drove off into the sunset together at the end of Tynion’s Detective Comics, and her friendship with Clayface similarly came to an end, so she’s been alone and needing someone to bond with too in that aftermath. In short, they’re a good team.

Sofia starts to enter the world of the Bat and it’s interesting to see how Bruce guides her through that process.

I objected to how Hill shifted characterisations in his Detective Comics volume to fit his narrative. Here however, when Hill does a 180 on Shiva’s character after Tynion’s reintroduction of her, it’s actually a big improvement. Resurrection by Lazarus can pass as an explanation for the change of heart if need be. I liked seeing Shiva as a grey figure and her turn on Ra’s has precedent. Her sudden love for Cassandra made for a more interesting plot, and I liked seeing Shiva join the Outsiders’ ranks for the remainder of the plot.

Ra’s collection of henchmen (Ishmael, Karma and Kalibre) aren’t the most interesting bunch of villains but they serve their purpose. Seeing the team come together to take them on is satisfying.

Ra’s last move here, the destruction of Shiva’s village, gives a nice scale to the story and sets up the final act brilliantly.

Also included here is an annual focused on Katana as she enters the soul realm of her sword to tame a demon and save her husband. I really enjoyed it, both learning more about Katana and seeing more of her with Black Lightning.

[PebbleInTheBrook1794 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This Book 2 by Bryan Hill pursues its own little story and I'll happily go along with it. Jefferson Pierce as Black Lightning is still the entry-point character in this ensemble team book, I'm glad to say. All the Outsiders receive development but Black Lightning is the de facto leader and he is figuring out what that means working alonhgside Batman. And I'm just glad that a black male writer like Bryan Hill gets to write BL so competently, and it's really quite good.

The plot has the Outsiders battle against Ra's Al Ghul's forces, and indeed, batting Ra's in this game of chess is the Outsiders raison d'etre. Lady Shiva is involved, which has implications for Cass Cain, and Cass and Duke Thomas get some needed development together. Meanwhile Black Lightning and Katana as the senior and experienced adult members on the team become closer. I really like this as these underutilised but solid B-list characters need development, and the tentative relationships feel earned.

I can see why DC gave Hill the room to spin off his story from Detective Comics and into BATO here. I am interested in reading what Hill might do on a more mature readers title, and I'll certainly check out his Ultimate Black Panther title for Marvel. For now I've got his BATO Vol 3 to read, to see how the Outsiders' fight with Ra's is resolved. Good stuff here.

[Adam Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Aayushi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ugh once again this series has so much wasted potential! 3 stars for Cassandra and Duke because I love them but it really just went nowhere. Why do comic writers insist on pushing character development in boring circles to stretch out a run instead of pushing anything substantive or interesting? This team has so much potential and it deserves a better storyline.

[Sarospice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title really digs in this volume, giving everyone something interesting to do. It really doesn't need Batman, who's greiving Alfred. Orphan meets her mother, Lady Shiva. Signal gets some darkness powers. Lightening and Katana start a romance. And Ra's ah Ghul just wants to fuck with everyone for shits and giggles.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ra's al Ghul's latest sinister plans are slowly revealed. Allies become enemies, enemies become allies, Batman's team evolves. A lot happens that is arguably major to the DC universe. More interesting than some of the previous Outsider stories, but still not my favorite part of DC. And why can't the art team draw female characters who don't all look exactly the same save for their outfits.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5.

A professional comic book story that hits all the notes it needs to to give a brief moment of entertainment.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak sauce... I know the 80s DC comics have their problems, but I'm actually enjoying reading the old stuff more via DC Universe.

[FortressOfBookitude · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hill versucht die Charaktere zu verstehen, aber sie fühlen sich trotzdem alle so viel out of character an, dass es mich stört.

[Will Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little too boring and set-up-y for me.

[Steven W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the character work here, but they still don't quite gel as a team.

[Kurt Lorenz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annual 1, Into the Soultaker, ☆☆☆☆
8-12, A League of Their Own, ☆☆☆