The
Outsiders are fictional characters, a
DC Comics superhero team.
As its name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who
allegedly do not fit the norms of the mainstream superhero
community, namely the
Justice
League.
The Outsiders have had three different incarnations over the years.
They were founded by
Batman, whose ties to
the League had become strained. In its most recent formation, the
group's leadership was relinquished by
Nightwing to Batman, who recruited former
members as well as new additions. He has stated his intent to use
the team as a
black ops version of the
Justice League, able to take the proverbial "fall" in public
opinion where the League cannot. After Batman's apparent death in
Final Crisis, he posthumously
charged
Alfred Pennyworth with
recruiting a new team of Outsiders for a forthcoming mission of
"great importance."
Batman and the Outsiders/Adventures of the Outsiders
(1983-1986)
They first appeared in the final issue (#200) of
The Brave and the Bold in 1983.
The team was given its first comic,
Batman and the
Outsiders, which debuted in August 1983, created and
originally written by
Mike W. Barr and illustrated by
Jim Aparo, and then later illustrated by
Alan Davis.
After Batman left the group in issue #32, the title was changed to
Adventures of the Outsiders and lasted until #38. After
that issue, the book started reprinting stories from
The
Outsiders (1986) until it was cancelled on issue #46.
The cast of the Outsiders was notable for having mostly new
characters (Geo-Force,
Katana,
Halo, and
Looker), two characters who refused
membership in the Justice League (
Black
Lightning and
Metamorpho) and a
former Leaguer, Batman.
Biography
Markovia and Baron Bedlam
The Outsiders form in the fictional Eastern European country of
Markovia, which was at that time ravaged by war. Batman and Black
Lightning have traveled there in order to free the captive
Lucius Fox from
Baron
Bedlam, who has killed the country's king, King Viktor.
Geo-Force himself is the prince of the country who gains powers
from Markovia's top scientist, Dr. Helga Jace, in order to stop
Bedlam. Metamorpho is searching for Dr. Jace in order for the
doctor to help him with his powers. Katana arrives in Markovia in
order to kill General Karnz, Bedlam's military commander, as
vengeance for her family. During the adventure, Batman finds a
young
amnesiac girl exhibiting light-based
powers in the woods, who he dubs Halo. The team bands together,
defeats Baron Bedlam and decides to stay together afterwards. They
fight such villains as Agent Orange, the
Fearsome Five and the Cryonic Man.
Masters of Disaster and the Force of July
Recurring foes are the
Masters of Disaster (
New Wave,
Shakedown,
Windfall, Heatstroke and Coldsnap), who at
one point are almost able to kill Black Lightning. Windfall becomes
disenchanted with her team and joins the Outsiders. Similar
recurring opponents are the
Force of
July, a group of patriotic
metahumans
who also regularly came into contact with the
Suicide Squad. During this time, Geo-Force's
sister
Terra dies as a traitor to the
Teen Titans. Batman reveals his real
identity as Bruce Wayne to the team, although they have already
learned it. Eventually, the origin of Halo is revealed, and Emily
Briggs (who during a later adventure becomes the superheroine
Looker and joins the team) is introduced. Denise Howard, the love
interest of Geo-Force also appears for the second time.
Without Batman
Baron Bedlam later returns to life. With the assistance of the
Bad Samaritan, Masters of Disaster and
Soviet forces, he again tries to retake control of Markovia. Batman
withholds this information, angering the rest of the team. This
eventually leads to Batman disbanding the team and returning to the
Justice League. The team nonetheless travels to Markovia,
discovering many Markovian military casualties. They are defeated
by the Masters and learn that Bedlam has cloned
Adolf Hitler. The younger clone commits suicide
in horror of the actions his original self perpetrated. The
Outsiders become unofficial agents of Markovia, so that they
receive Markovian funding.
The team moves to Los Angeles
, as Geo-Force leaves behind his girlfriend Denise
and Looker separates from her husband.
Outsiders (vol. 1, 1985-1988)
This series featured again the original group and lasted 28 issues,
plus an Annual and a Special. This title originally ran alongside
the
Adventures of the Outsiders title, chronicling events
a year after that series. In the end, the first couple of issues of
the title were reprinted in
Adventures of the Outsiders
before that title was canceled.
Biography
The team
have moved into a new headquarters in Los Angeles, and once again
become involved in an adventure with the Force of July, ending in
Moscow
. Villains such as the Duke of Oil, and the Soviet
superteam
the People's Heroes are introduced during this time. The
team's adventures take them all over the globe, most notably when
the Outsiders' plane is shot down and the team is marooned on a
deserted island for three weeks. Tensions rise as Geo-Force tries
to resign his leadership and he and Looker give in to temptation.
Eventually, they are found and are able to leave.
Even more troubles arise when a detective is hired to look into
Looker's private life (now working as a model under the alias of
Lia Briggs), who learns of her actual identity of Emily. The
detective tries to blackmail her, but she hypnotizes him, and he
leaves. However, he is shortly killed afterwards and Looker is
arrested. The Outsiders however are able to clear her name.
Reuniting with Batman
The Outsiders are reunited with Batman when they band together to
fight
Eclipso. After the adventure Batman
gives them access to a
Batcave situated in
Los Angeles, and the team is also infiltrated by the clone of
Windfall. Meanwhile, Looker and Geo-Force feel guilt over their
affair and eventually call it off, and Metamorpho faces his own
personal problems with his lover Sapphire Stagg. The clone of
Windfall is ultimately killed and the Masters of Disaster are
defeated as the real Windfall joins the team. The team also come in
contact with the other Los Angeles based team,
Infinity, Inc.
Millennium
The team is next involved with the company wide crossover event
Millennium, wherein it is
revealed that Dr. Jace is an operative of the villainous
Manhunters and kidnaps the team. The
team, now also joined by the
Atomic
Knight, are able to free themselves, but Dr. Jace blows up both
herself and Metamorpho. Looker is called to return to Abyssia, the
origin of her powers, where she must also face the Manhunters.
During the course of the adventure, she is drained of much of her
power and returns to her normal form. Halo is hit in crossfire,
saving Katana's life, and slips into a coma, as Katana vows to look
after her. The team is disbanded by Geo-Force as Looker returns to
her husband, and Batman has since rejoined the Justice
League.
Outsiders (vol. 2, 1993-95)
This revival of the title in 1993 lasted 24 issues and was written
by
Mike W. Barr, with most of the issues penciled by
Paul Pelletier.
Biography
Declared a traitor in his native Markovia, Geo-Force is forced to
seek the help of old and new Outsiders to battle the
vampire lord who controls his country. This is later
coupled with the framing of the Outsiders for the slaughter of a
Markovian village, and thus the Outsiders are forced into hiding.
This fugitive status motivates the Atomic Knight to go after the
Outsiders, hoping to bring in his former allies without too much
trouble. He's eventually convinced of their innocence and joins
them at a later juncture.
The new members who join the team in Markovia are the magician
Faust, the warsuit-wearing engineer
and industrialist
Technocrat,
and Wylde, a friend of Technocrat's who has been turned into a
mountain bear by Faust's uncontrollable magic.
During the initial confrontation with the vampires, Looker is
apparently killed. Hiding out in
Gotham
City, the Outsiders take another loss, as both Halo and
Technocrat's wife Marissa are killed. This happens during a fight
with 'Batman', or rather the man standing in for Bruce Wayne:
Jean-Paul Valley. However, Halo's
spirit survives in the reanimated body of Marissa. For some time
afterwards, Technocrat has trouble accepting that his wife is dead;
after all, her body is still walking around but the spirit is that
of Halo. Eventually, it turns out that Looker is not dead, but
undead. The Outsiders find her and free her from the vampire king's
control.
Split in two
After the defeat of the vampires, two teams, (one composed of
Geo-Force, Katana and Techonocrat and another composed of the
Eradicator, Looker, Wylde, Halo
and Faust), claim the name the Outsiders, even though both teams
are still considered fugitives for some time, thanks to some
questionable tactics by their new members. During this time, the
teams learn that Halo's original body has been brought back to life
by the
Kobra terrorist organization.
In control of the body is Violet Harper, the evil woman whose body
Halo originally inhabited. She now has abilities similar to Halo's
and ends up calling herself Spectra, and joining
Strike Force Kobra alongside Dervish and
Windfall. Both Kobra and Violet Harper are defeated.
The two teams unite to confront
Felix
Faust, father to the Outsider Faust. During the confrontation,
the bear-like Wylde betrays the team when Felix promises to restore
his humanity. The team is able to defeat Felix Faust and Wylde
eventually becomes an actual bear, without the ability to speak,
and locked up in a zoo.
The title ends with the clearing of the Outsiders' names and the
wedding of Geo-Force and Denise
Howard.
Outsiders (vol. 3, 2003 - 2007)
Outsiders volume 3, almost completely unrelated to the
previous series, was launched in 2003, featuring new members, some
of whom had previously been part of the
Titans. The series was cancelled with issue 50
and relaunched as
Batman and the Outsiders (vol. 2),
featuring a mix of current and new members.
Formation
This new team is put together in the wake of the
Titans/Young
Justice: Graduation Day crossover that dissolves both groups.
Arsenal accepts the sponsorship
offer of the Optitron corporation and uses the money to buy an
enormous
bomb shelter that used to
belong to a multimillionaire and renovated it to create the group
headquarters. He recruits a group of young heroes, the last of them
being his friend Nightwing, who joins reluctantly. Instead of
functioning in a reactive capacity like most other super-hero
teams, Nightwing decides that this group should act as hunters,
tracking down super-villains before they can cause problems.
Infinite Crisis
Former Outsiders Technocrat and Looker are in close proximity of
Breach when he explodes in the
Battle of Metropolis. The fate
of Technocrat remains unclear, while Looker soon appeared in an
issue of the
World War III
limited series.
Roy Harper is saved by
Superman from
Doomsday.
Captain Marvel, Junior was sent to
Earth-S when it was reformed.
When New Earth came, he went with other heroes who could fly to
fight
Superboy-Prime. In the
Infinite Crisis hardcover, Freddy joined alongside the
other Titans to take down members of the Society who tried to kill
Robin.
One Year Later
After
Infinite Crisis the Outsiders are "officially" no
more.
Because of the Freedom of Power Treaty, the
Outsiders have been operating covertly outside of the United States
. Most of the members were presumed dead
until a botched mission forces them to reveal their presence.
Following the revelation of their continued existence, they are
recruited by
Checkmate to pursue
missions which Checkmate cannot support publicly. Checkmate's
assignment as part of the "CheckOut" crossover arc involves
dispatching the Outsiders to Oolong Island in China, the scene of
World War III the
previous year. The mission goes disastrously
when
Chang Tzu manages to capture Owen
Mercer and Checkmate's
Black Queen,
until both sides are eventually bailed out by Batman. In the
aftermath, Nightwing decides to give Batman control of the team
once more.
Trade paperbacks
The third volume of the Outsiders has been collected in the
following
trade
paperbacks:
| Title |
Material collected |
| Looking for Trouble |
Outsiders #1-7 |
| Sum of all Evil |
Outsiders #8-15 |
| Wanted |
Outsiders #16-23 |
| The Insiders |
Teen Titans #24-26
Outsiders #24-25 & 28 |
| Crisis Intervention |
Outsiders #29-33 |
| The Good Fight |
Outsiders #34-41 |
| Pay As You Go |
Outsiders #42-46
Outsiders Annual #1 |
| Outsiders/Checkmate:
CheckOut |
Checkmate #13-15
Outsiders #47-49 |
| Five of a Kind |
Outsiders #50
Outsiders: Five of a Kind #1-5 |
Batman and the Outsiders (vol. 2)/Outsiders
(vol. 4 2007 - present)
In November 2007, writer
Chuck Dixon and
artist
Julian Lopez relaunched
The
Outsiders as a new volume of
Batman and the Outsiders
with the Dark Knight taking control of the team in the aftermath of
the "CheckOut" crossover with
Checkmate.
As a result of
Batman R.I.P.
and
Final Crisis, where Batman
apparently died, the title was renamed
Outsiders and
features Geo-Force, Metamorpho, Katana, Black Lightning, The
Creeper and Owlman as the new team roster. The change occurred when
a new creative team took over,
Peter
Tomasi writing and
Lee Garbett on
art duties. Tomasi began with
Batman and the Ousiders
Special #1 and then the retitled series began with issue
#15.
Outsiders: Five of a Kind and Outsiders
#50
In the weeks leading up to the new series debut, Batman holds
tryouts to determine who will be on the team in a series of
one-shots called
Five of a Kind. Each issue featured a
different creative team (including Outsiders creator Mike W. Barr),
as well as an epilogue written by Tony Bedard. Batman angers
several members who feel he has no right to remove people already
on the team.
Captain Boomerang leaves the team for
Waller's
Suicide Squad and Nightwing
decides to take no part in the Outsiders' questionable activities.
Katana is chosen as the team's first
official member, with the
Martian
Manhunter,
Metamorpho, and
Grace as later recruits. Thunder is kicked off
the team and
Aquaman is
rejected as a member because Batman feels he doesn't match up to
his predecessor,
Orin. Batman then tells the
other members that "Whether you like it or not, you're here to save
the world. And you're going to be
hated for it." After the
team's first official mission in
Outsiders #50,
Catwoman overheard the other recruits' talking
about the team being "down by law", and said, "Batman can't
possibly start up his own crew of super-crooks without
me in it!"
Between the release of
Outsiders #50 and
Batman And
The Outsiders vol. 2 #1, announced series writer
Tony Bedard was replaced by
Chuck Dixon.
The team from
Outsiders #50 was featured in the first two
issues of
Batman And The Outsiders vol. 2, after which
both Catwoman and Martian Manhunter left the team, and
Batgirl,
Geo-Force,
and
Green Arrow joined; Thunder has
consistently appeared in the series as well. In issue #5, Ralph
"
Elongated Man" Dibny and
Sue Dibny make a guest appearance. They seem to be
able to possess people in a method similar to that of
Deadman. Dr. Francine Langstrom (wife of Dr. Kirk
Langstrom, AKA
Man-Bat) serves as the team's
technical advisor, and her assistant Salah Miandad operates the
"blank" OMAC drone known as
ReMAC. In issue #9,
Batman calls on former team member Looker to assist in an
interrogation.
Vol. 2
The first main storyline of the title involves Batman sending the
team to investigate the mysterious Mr. Jardine, who is organizing a
convoluted plot to populate a subterranean lake on
the Moon with strange alien lifeforms. While trying
to stop Jardine's unauthorized space-shot in South America,
Metamorpho is blasted into space, and is forced to escape from the
International Space
Station, where seemingly-brainwashed astronauts from around the
world are building a giant weapon. Seeking a shuttle to hijack, the
rest of the team infiltrates a Chinese space facility, only to be
captured by members of the
Great Ten. Only
the timely intervention of Batgirl and ReMAC saves the team from
execution.
Metamorpho manages to steal a shuttle back to
Earth, then escape from the ESA
and hook
back up with the team.
Aside from major covert missions, Batman has in fact used the
Outsiders in Gotham. In the final issue of the mini-series
Gotham Underground, the
Outsiders participate in a raid of a crime boss' HQ.
During the
Batman R.I.P.
events, an assembly of the Outsiders, including
Thunder, receives a message from the
missing Batman, asking them to feed a secret code in the cybernetic
mind of the ReMAC, allowing him to track the Caped Crusader and the
Black Glove and help him into his fight. As they comply, against
Batgirl's advice, the code reveals itself as a cybernetic boobytrap
coming from Simon Hurt, the mastermind behind Batman's downfall,
and ReMAC explodes. Several Outsiders are wounded, and Thunder
suffers from brain injuries severe enough to knock her in a
seemingly irreversible
coma. However her
in-costume appearance in the "Final Crisis: Submit" story suggest
she recovered afterwards, as the
Final
Crisis storyline occurs after the events in R.I.P.
After Batman
In the wake of Batman's apparent death in
Final Crisis, a new team of Outsiders is
created. One night, after going to the graves of Thomas and Martha
Wayne, Alfred awakes in Wayne Manor to a giant door opening in his
room. He walks through it where he sees a pod with a chair inside.
He takes a seat, as a hologram of
Batman
activates. Batman explains that because he has not entered a
special code into the Bat Computer or any of its subsidiaries for a
certain amount of time, this recording is playing, meaning he is
most likely dead. At this, he tells Alfred of a very important
mission that Alfred must undertake on his behalf since he is unable
to do so, but gives Alfred a choice to accept or decline. Alfred
promptly accepts while Batman explains what Alfred has meant to him
throughout his life, saying to him what he didn't have a chance to
say at his death: he told Alfred, "Goodbye, Dad."
With this, Batman charges Alfred to assemble a new team of
Outsiders. Alfred travels around the planet, recruiting
Roy Raymond Jr.,
Black Lightning,
Geo-Force (leader),
Halo,
Katana,
the
Creeper and
Metamorpho. As a member of the team, each member
must become a true "outsider," living away from their families and
the public eye for months at a time. Each member fills a role that
Batman once filled, making this team a composite of Batman
himself.
Future
Dan Didio and
Phillip Tan will begin a new run on Outsiders in
January 2010.
Other media
Television
The Outsiders, consisting of teenage versions of
Black Lightning,
Katana, and
Metamorpho, appear in several episodes of
Batman: The Brave and
the Bold.
Initially, they appear as vigilantes gone rogue under the
brainwashing control of the Slug, who resembles the evil
New God Sleez. With the aid of
Batman and
Wildcat, they break
their conditioning, turn on the Slug, and begin training under
Wildcat's tutelage.
The Outsiders appear again fighting against
Despero, in a simulation created by Batman in the
Batcave.
They are later kidnapped by
Psycho-Pirate, who feeds on their rage by
trapping them in nightmares. Batman enters their minds to help them
confront their anger and fear, and defeat Psycho-Pirate.
See also
References
- Chuck Dixon names as new Batman and Outsiders
writer, Newsarama, November 16, 2007
- Dixon Shakes Up "Outsiders" Right Off the Bat,
Comic Book Resources, November 13,
2007
- Life Without Batman: Peter Tomasi Talks The
Outsiders, Newsarama, December 16, 2008
- Final Crisis: Submit (2008)
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