Outsiders

Genres: Action, Adventure, Superhero
Publisher: DC Comics

Vol 1: January 1985 – February 1988
Batman’s former personal strike force, the Outsiders, departed the doom and gloom of Gotham for the sunny skies of California in the opening issue of this title. The comic saw the popular team given the enhanced quality of a Baxter-format series (printed on high quality paper). Written by Mike W. Barr and drawn by Jim Aparo, the landmark debut issue included a special fold out splash page showcasing the ragtag team adventurers in their new surroundings. Also featuring the costumed debut of new member Looker, the series began with the team up against a new group of opponents, the Nuclear Family. Also new to the readers was the teams new headquarters, as they based themselves at Station Makovia, an oil rig just off the coast of Santa Monica.

The enhanced format of “The Outsiders” main book soon led to a variety of back up features by many different artists while the regular news stand “Batman and the Outsiders” title gave way to “Adventures of the Outsiders” and began to reprint the stories from this Baxter format title. As the Outsiders battled the Force of July, the People’s heroes, and the Duke of Oil. back up stories featured solo adventures of the team’s members, fake trading cards, and even a parody of the 1888 baseball verse “Casey at the bat.” The series finally came toa close after 28 issues, and with its end the team disbanded as well.

Vol 2: November 1993 – November 1995
A Zero Month crossover issue. The Outsiders have disbanded. Without a home, Halo goes to visit Looker, to see how she is making out being a vampire. The visit is interrupted by Eradicator, who wants to enlist Looker’s aid in taking down a gun-runner. Eradicator, Looker, and Halo infiltrate the mansion of the boss, Oscar Bolt, and finds that he has Wylde captured. They free Wylde, and take down Bolt. Eradicator discovers the ammunition Bolt is selling is energy in nature, so the group brings Faust in to determine it is magic. The group instead discovers it is alien, and uncovers a scheme of the Pharon Empire. The reformed Outsiders defeat the Pharon Empire, but news gets out about the mansion’s destruction. Geo-Force, Katana, and Technocrat vow to bring in these rogue Outsiders.

Vol 3: August 2003 – November 2007
Outsiders (Volume 3) began publication in September of 2003 and ended in 2007 after printing 50 issues. The series followed the break-up of the Titans after the events of Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day and included former Titans members Nightwing and Arsenal. The rest of the initial line-up included Jade, Indigo and Shift (an aspect of Metamorpho). The series also introduced two new characters, Grace and Thunder. Following cancellation, the team was re-organized as the second incarnation of Batman and the Outsiders.

Vol 4: 2009 – 2011
Outsiders (Volume 4) is an ongoing series that is a continuation of Batman and the Outsiders (Volume 2). It began a complete rebooting of the team under the new jurisdiction of Alfred Pennyworth (after Batman disappeared during Final Crisis), containing a completely new team membership Batman had instructed to be together in the event of his death. The team consists of the original Outsiders roster plus Owlman and The Creeper. The series is again titled Batman and the Outsiders for the final issue of the series.

Vol 5: November 14, 2023
EXPLORE THE FORGOTTEN CORNERS OF DC’S MULTIVERSE WITH BATWOMAN AND LUKE FOX! A universe of secrets is about to come to light. Batman protects Gotham City from evil. Batman Inc. protects the rest of the known world. But what of the unknown world? What of the ancient evils in hidden tombs and forgotten tragedies from a magic-and-mad-science fueled super-heroic century? Using his fortune, Luke Fox launches a new organization dedicated to shining light into the world’s darkest corners. His first recruit: Kate Kane, the Batwoman—who will re-embrace her military background to protect Luke’s dream and encounter every bit of strangeness the DCU has to offer. And just wait until you meet the Third Man…or learn what universe-shattering secret they’ve discovered buried under Antarctica. Outsiders is the return of comic book archaeology, digging into all the forgotten corners of DC’s history to preserve, record, and better understand the true nature of the DC Multiverse…and the forgotten stories that make up its fabric.

Outsiders

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