Outsiders, Vol. 1: Looking For Trouble

After the events of 'Graduation Day', the Titans disbanded as did Young Justice. Cyborg decided to take the heartbroken sidekicks of Young Justice to San Francisco in order to reform the Teen Titans. Starfire and Beast Boy joined as mentors. As for the remaining now adult Titans members, those remainders have gone their own ways. 

If Nightwing has anything to say about it, they'll never reform. If Arsenal has anything to do about it, the team will live again. The former sidekick of Green Arrow has picked up corporate funding, secured a new secret NYC headquarters and added a number of cool vehicles and weapons to the coffers. He's even got a name: The Outsiders. The only thing Arsenal needs is a team. Hopefully, Nightwing, will step up to the role.

Traveling across the country, Arsenal recruits a number of superheroes for his new team. He's got a veteran in Metamorpho, strength in the form of Grace, a 7-foot tall former bouncer and Thunder, a second generation rookie hero. He's even recruited the aqua blue android whose malfunctions resulted in the death of two Titans. Now going by Indigo, her presence might be a deal breaker for Nightwing. Luckily for her, a major disaster is breaking out in New York City and the times calls for immediate action.

Gorillas have invaded the city! A suicide bomber destroyed Air Force One. An energy zapping force field has encapsulated the Big Apple and President Luthor's replacement helicopter is going down! It must be the doing of Gorilla Grodd! And that's just the first half of the book!

Judd Winick's Outsiders is a lot like Geoff Johns' simultaneous release of the Teen Titans. Only where Johns' series is a PG-13, Winick's Outsiders is rated R. Sure, this is a DC book from the mid-2000s, so it's tame compared to the stuff Vertigo was releasing at the time. But compared to most of what DC was churning out, the amount of sex, language and violence is on par with the Zalman King original series that would air on Showtime. 

Part 2 offers a look at Brother Blood's return to power- before he gets whacked by his son who kidnaps Raven to become his teen bride. So if you're keeping tabs, you need to read Teen Titans Volume 1 then this book and then Teen Titans, Volume 2.

Plus one of the Outsiders is revealed to be an impostor... with a twist!

A good book for comic book readers of an older age because of content, not nostalgia.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.