Batman and the Outsiders (Vol 1)

[Silver Nemesis]

This thread is for the original Outsiders comic that ran from 1983 to 1987. Originally titled Batman and the Outsiders, the series focussed on the Dark Knight's adventures leading a colourful group of lesser known heroes that included Katana (soon to be appearing in the upcoming Beware the Batman animated series), Metamorpho, Geo-Force, Looker, Black Lightning and Halo.

Batman eventually left the Outsiders at the end of issue 32, and for the remaining fourteen issues the series was retitled Adventures of the Outsiders. But for the first thirty-two issues, plus two annuals, it was a fully fledged Batman series. But despite his name being on the front cover, the stories invariably revolved around the younger heroes and their personal problems. Batman himself was seldom the central focus. And for that reason, it's hard to recommend this series to Batman fans.

I've read every issue and I'm struggling to recall a truly 'classic' Batman story from amongst the lot. Which is odd, considering Mike Barr was the main writer on the series. Still, there are a few comments I could make on individual storylines.

The first noteworthy story would be 'Bitter Orange' (Batman and the Outsiders #3, October 1983), in which we see Batman taking his new teammates to Gotham and setting them up with places to live. He spends time with them as both Batman and Bruce Wayne, explaining that the latter funds the former's operation and thereby providing an explanation for why the Batcave is located beneath Wayne Manor without them suspecting his true identity. The notion that they wouldn't figure it out, even though they meet Alfred in the Batcave, is a bit hard to swallow. But it's entertaining to see just how much of his operation Batman can reveal without betraying his secret identity.

The Outsiders do eventually discover Batman's true identity in 'In the Chill of the Night' (Batman and the Outsiders #13, August 1984). Batman was poisoned by a blow dart in the previous issue, and this one begins with the Outsiders taking his unconscious body to Alfred and asking for Bruce Wayne's help. Alfred has no choice but to tell the young heroes the truth.

They then concoct a plan to save Batman's life by forcing him to relive the horror of the night his parents were killed. This is the closest the series comes to exploring Batman's inner workings and motivation.

There's an enjoyable two-parter than runs between issues 6 and 7 concerning a freeze gun-wielding villain known as the Cryonic Man.

On the surface, this villain is no more remarkable than any other ice-themed criminal. But what makes him noteworthy is his motivation: his wife, who was diagnosed with an incurable degenerative illness, is frozen in suspended animation, and his criminal acts are driven by a desire to find her a cure. Sound familiar?

Keep in mind that this story was printed between January and February of 1984. Mr. Freeze's similar back story wasn't told until the Batman: The Animated Series episode 'Heart of Ice' in September 1992. Could the Outsiders story have influenced Paul Dini? If so, this storyline could be considered a landmark in the evolution of the Mr. Freeze character.

The only other story that stands out in my memory as worth reading is 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad S?' (Batman and the Outsiders #19, March 1985), a festive tale in which Batman has to call in Superman to help resolve a yuletide crisis.

Don't get me wrong, the other issues are worth reading too. But they're worth reading as Outsiders stories, not Batman stories. I know it's not really fair to judge a team series on the depiction of only one team member. But since Batman's name is in the title, and since this is a Batman message board, that's the precise basis on which I'm evaluating it.

What I find most frustrating about this series is that the first issue debuted one month after the final issue of Brave and the Bold Volume 1. Now I don't know the backstory behind Batman and the Outsiders, but it would appear that DC cancelled Brave and the Bold to make way for this instead. And there's really no comparison between the two. Brave and the Bold Vol 1 is one of my favourite comic series ever, and during its 200 issue run it produced plenty of classic Batman stories that still hold up to this day. The Outsiders is fun as a superhero team comic, but as a Batman comic it pales in comparison to the mainstay titles. Brave and the Bold could hold its own against those titles, Batman and the Outsiders couldn't. At least not in my opinion.

Then again, maybe it's just a coincidence that this series started when BatB ended. Who knows? At the end of the day it was a fun series of comics and I just wanted to share some of my thoughts about it. In case anyone is curious to check out these stories the first nineteen issues are reprinted in DC Showcase Presents: Batman and the Outsiders.