Outsiders, Vol. 2: Sum of All Evil

There are essentially 2 storylines in Outsiders, Vol. 2. Both involve a member of the Shazam family's Rogues Gallery. However, the first half was just full about some of the most diabolical occult acts I've seen in a non-mature rated comic. In other words: I didn't like it.

Act I sees an entire bus load of people set aflame in a satanic ritual as part of bonding the Captain Marvel villain SABBAC to a low level Russian mobster. Then one of the Outsiders is nearly fatally immolated by this new evil. Add some more grisly killings in his spare. Toss in a legendary Outsider to assist and an appearance by a member of the Shazam family of heroes (and no, it's not Tawky Tawny) in top of a legion of demons and you've got a salad that I wouldn't even touch.

Act II was much better. Dr. Silvana has reorganized the Fearsome Five. Although, isn't one of the members dead? Well, by the end of this story, one of them will definitely be dead, Canada, of all places, will survive a nuclear attack and I will be a new fan in the character of Psimon. 

Since this really feels like 2 different books in one volume, I've got 2 different opinions. For the first half with all this talk about demons and references to the Book of Revelation, why is it that DC Comics will explore the underworld like it's as common as riding a bike in a city park but the concept of Heaven and angels is the stuff of lunatics. Any time a character comes back from the dead, they either have returned from Hell or everything was pitch black. Nobody ever returns from a stint in Paradise. And it's not just WASPs either. DC and Marvel have the same kind of policy with their Muslim, Hindu and characters of other faiths. Personally, it's irritating and not a fair and balanced portrayal of all of the readers of comics.

My take on Act II: I'm not entirely sure that Judd Winick or artist Tom Raney didn't get the characters of Shimmer and Jinx confused. On the two cartoon versions of Teen Titans Go!, Mammoth is the brother of Jinx. However, in this book, his sister is Shimmer, who looks a whole lot like Jinx on the show (minus the purple hair.) The Jinx in the book looks like an African version of Lt. Ilia from Star Trek The Motion Picture, complete with a magical jewel (only on her forehead instead of her throat.) Look, I know that DC didn't make such a glaring error. But when you encounter something that is totally different from what you are used to, it makes for some confusing reading. I really wish that characters on differing mediums would all be consistent. Unfortunately, creator ownership and other executive decisions prevent that for being standard.

Tom Raney provided the artwork for most of this book with a few guest artists for issues #11 and 12. The identity of the inker seems to be a real mystery. Whomever was inking the second half of this book was really something, I tell ya. The artwork of Act I was penciled in a very static 1980s style. I.E.- it was flat. The shading of the last 3 or 4 issues comprising this book was so flashed out. Characters and items were jumping off the page. Such depth. I am a fan!

Not my favorite book. However, with the exception of 3 issues, I have this entire series and I would like to see how it pans off. For now, I keep this book in my collection. Only time will tell whether I keep the 37 individual issues I have, plus annuals complete or will I be selling everything off as a mass bundle. If the rest of this series is as dark and evil as the first half of this book, someone in the Central North Carolina area might be getting there hands on a full run of Outsiders books pretty soon.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

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.

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day

With a title like 'Graduation Day', you'd think that I would wait until May or June to read this and you'd be right. However, I started reading Volume 1 of Geoff John's 2003 take on the Teen Titans and I realized that I need to read this book first before going on. I'd also need to complete this 3-issue miniseries before going on to Judd Winick's 2003 Outsiders as well. No problem! Besides, the phrase 'Graduation Day' is just that. There's no pomp and circumstance whatsoever in this book.

Our story begins in San Francisco. A major conglomerate has called the Titans to listen to a pitch to sponsor the superheroes in their endeavors. Also invited are the members of Young Justice. In the middle of a break, all hell breaks lose when a malfunctioning android attacks Cyborg, causing him to overload and injury several members of both teams. 

The scene jumps to the nearest trauma center where the medical team are facing meta-human physiologies unlike ever before. A team from STAR Labs arrives just about the same time that the news breaks that a Silicon Valley video game company is under attack by the rogue android. What does this rampaging robot want with a manufacturer of video games? Turns out that the facility is a front for a STAR Labs laboratory where a lot of dangerous technology is being housed; including a robotic version of Superman that has a history of being unreliable and it's just been activated by the cybernetic intruder.

Judd Winick crafts a story that changes a large chunk of the DC Universe. Beloved characters die. Friendships are broken. Teams dismantled. The events of 'Graduation Day' are shocking to say the least.

I'm a big fan of Young Justice. I also like the Teen Titans, though I got to admit, their adventures get a little too soap opera-like for my enjoyment. But I've been sitting on a trove of related material of these teams, including the Outsiders, which I inherited after the death of my best friend. Just recently, the database I had been using for the last 17 years just up and shutdown for no warning. So as I scramble to re-catelogue my vast 12K strong collection, I find myself finally motivated to read some of his stuff in order to determine if I've just been holding onto these book for the sake of my best friend's memory or do I really like these books?

The verdict so far is that the prospects are promising. I definitely want to keep reading those Teen Titans and Outsiders trades. If all goes well, they like this book will definitely be a keeper.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Batman: As The Crow Flies

One of L'il Gotham's Dustin Nguyen's first takes at the Batman Family. 

The Scarecrow makes a play for the Penguin's piece of the pie that is Gotham City. A number of bodies are turning up and it appears to be at the hands of a powerful new drug created by Jonathan Crane. Now Oswald Cobblepot and the Dark Knight are on the hunt for Scarecrow. One will bring the madman to justice. The other will take the fiend to hell! It all depends on who gets to Crane first!

This was a very good story by Judd Winick (Pedro and Me). There's a great twist character in the end. Plus, all of the characters were executed beautifully. But I need to talk about that cover...

It's awful. Check that- it's MOSTLY awful. Matt Wagner's Batman is done in a classic 1930s way that I love. But that has got to be the worst renderings of the Scarecrow I have ever seen this side of a Kelley Jones Batman: Gotham After Midnight. 

A good book with not so great covers. I'm counting the individual issues in this volume as well. Nguyen's sketchbook is awesome and worth a good portion of the cover price of $12.95. Though with this book being 15 years old, you can probably find it used for a very nice price.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

DC Universe Decisions #1

   Someone has a grudge against the candidate for President. Not just one candidate, but all of them and the person behind the scheme is using mind controlled suicide bombers to try and eliminate all of the competition. When former Doom Patrol member Robotman is nearly killed saving one of the candidates from an assassination attempt, it prompts the Justice League to get involved with the investigations.

   Assigned to security detail for one of the Democratic candidates, League member Green Arrow discovers that the bomber is using close members of each candidate's campaign to carry out the attacks. The attack also happens live on national television right after Arrow declares to there are no active bomb threats. To save face, the hero agrees to an interview. But Ollie makes things go from bad to worse, when he accidentally gives his endorsement for the job seeker he is supposed to protect.

   I had heard from friends that this miniseries from 2008 was really preachy. Maybe it gets that way in the later issues, but this opening issue didn’t feel preachy. It felt like an intense political thriller. Sure, Green Arrow makes everyone wallow in his self-righteousness, but hey so what else is new?

   Okay- the role reversals are totally new territory. The wild card candidate that says whatever is on his mind is the Democrat. The Republican candidate is an African American female who's considered even tempered and refined. I’m telling you, it’s this year’s election only reversed...

I’m wondering if the editors at DC planned it this way to avoid backlash because co-creator/ writer Judd Winick (Batman) is considered one of the more liberal voices in comics. Or maybe his writing partner Bill Willingham (Fables) kept him wheeled in.

   A good opening act. I hope it doesn’t go downhill from there.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Batman: Harley & Ivy

Witness the formation of one of DC Comics' most tightest friendships turned whirlwind romances! Batman: The Animated Series' Paul Dini and Bruce Timm rejoin forces to bust Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy out of Arkham! While on the lam, the girls will take on a banana republic known for it's massive deforestation practices, Hollywood big wigs making a movie about the criminals, the big guy Batman, and each other!

I was surprised how titillating this story was. There's nearly nude prison showering, gratuitous crotch shots in lingerie and much more. Well, based on that scene in Mad Love when Quinn asks Mr. J if he wanted to take a ride on his Harley, maybe I'm not that surprised. 

While the story is firmly set in the TAS universe, this miniseries isn't all ages!

This volume also includes 2 short stories. Judd Winick (Red Hood: The Lost Days) pens a tale in which Harley seeks to best The Joker with planning the greatest heist ever pulled! Unfortunately for Harley and Ivy, they pick an event attended by Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake. Then Paul Dini is back with a story that has Harley and Ivy betting who can get the most smooches while confined in Arkham. Can Harley even compete against a villain who can control men with her special plant based pheromones? 

If you love Harley Quinn- and I truly do- you will enjoy this collection of stories! Poison Ivy isn't one of my favorite characters. But she works really well with Harley Quinn. They are such a great paring of opposites. 

Again, not suitable for all ages because of the eye candy artwork and innuendos. Those jokes might work on TV as they could be glossed over. But when they are in print, it's hard to avoid the tongue-in-cheekiness. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

"Superman/Shazam!: First Thunder"

This could have been a 5 star book, but in between the Very Cool Lethal Weapon Type buddy story of the first meeting of Sups and Capt. Marvel, and the poignant morality play finish, this story got all demonic and evil. And it dropped a star.

And Eclipso??? It’s like the dumbest super-villain ever, and not needed for this story.

Take note of this Judd Winick.

Still with an amazing opening and closing act, it’s worth consuming.