Outsiders #10 – Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Writers; Robert Carey, Artist; Valentina Taddeo, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This series is wrapping up after only one more issue – and hoo boy, has it been a journey. What began as a sci-fi adventure teaming Batwing and Batwoman turned into the most sci-fi driven DC comic in a long time – and then turned into a direct sequel to the famous Wildstorm epic Planetary, bringing in concepts like the Carrier and featuring the return of Jakita Wagner, who turned out to be a survivor of the many DC crises and the last one who remembers the worlds that were lost – something that has made her, to put it lightly, not exactly well in the head. As the superhero “Drummer”, she seems to be a force for good – but it was all a feint. Everything in this series has been a lead-up to this issue, where she takes control of the Carrier and its artificial intelligence, piecing together multiple elements to create a weapon that will rip the multiverse apart and start anew.
A heel turn like this is hard to pull off, and it does feel rather abrupt with only an issue to go, but the scale of this issue is off the charts. Taking place almost entirely in the Carrier’s chamber as Jakita assembles her ultimate weapon, she’s faced off against by characters from throughout the series, including Jinny Hex making a dramatic appearance alongside a Lovecraftian monster. We obviously know the multiverse isn’t going to get destroyed in a soon-to-end side book, but what makes this issue work is that it takes the scales of the multiversal crisis and boils them down to a surprisingly intimate story. You have a few characters, the fate of multiple worlds at stake, and some brilliant art making it extra dramatic. This is the kind of issue that really demands a re-read before the final issue, because it’s genuinely impressive how much detail and foreshadowing was used to set up our final chapter.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
