Outsiders #1 – Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Writers; Robert Carey, Artist; Valentina Taddeo, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: It’s a testament to how good DC’s talent recruitment efforts are that they have so many major Marvel names dipping their toes in the DC pool. The latest are the “Braintrust” duo of Lanzing and Kelly, best known currently for their spy-genre work at the competition. For their latest DC effort, their first major one outside of the Batman Beyond continuity, they’re not straying far from that—with a big twist. This new take on the Outsiders takes the title literally, focusing on two erstwhile members of the Bat-family seeking a new purpose outside of Gotham. Kate Kane wants to get as far away as possible from her cousin’s current madness, and Luke Fox has a lot of money, a lot of questions, and a lot to prove. He recruits her—along with elderly Native archaeologist Drummer—for a mission into a mysterious cavern containing what might be the world’s largest bomb, or the world’s largest ship.
This series has a hard sci-fi bent, and it’s very obvious where it’s taking its inspiration from. While it might be named after a major DC franchise, it takes a lot of cues from the Wildstorm universe—especially once we recognize exactly where that ship comes from and what it used to be. The visuals in this first issue are excellent, courtesy of artist Robert Carey, and the scale and tone of the issue can be a bit overwhelming at times. It moves fast, almost too fast, with some major developments happening off-screen. The last page makes clear that this is pretty much a direct sequel to one of the best Wildstorm books of all time—a major challenge to meet. Still, despite the huge focus, it has a great take on its two main leads and the scenes between Luke and his silent partner Lucius are really well-done. Lanzing and Kelly are an incredibly talented writing team, and this is a very promising if slightly bumpy launch.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
