Batman and the Outsiders #11: Next Time On…

For the most part, Batman and the Outsiders is a fun series with some fun action. Batman sells the book, but it is the Outsiders that I feeldeserve the spotlight. For the past couple issues, Batman has been advising Sofia, while the Outsiders do their own thing. Last issue, readers were left with the Outsiders ready for a fight. We got that fight this issue, and it takes up the bulk of the it. I am all over the place, because I love seeing the Outsiders in action, but somehow to fight dragged but also felt too quick.

A big part of this problem was the dialogue; it felt too choppy. It was almost like the text bubbles were already laid on the page, and writer Bryan Hill wrote the dialogue after the fact. A lot of the dialogue was mid-fight and took away from the momentum. At times it felt like I was watching a Dragon Ball Z fight, but the parts where there is a quick fight followed by corny banter.

Batman and Sofia’s conversation was really interesting. Batman finally gives in and tells Sofia to be a hero. He basically gives her access to a bunch of equipment and says, “Play dress up.” He seems nervous, though. The way he talks about Ra’s al Ghul makes me think that he is nervous. By the end of the issue, we see Ra’s in the desert approaching what looks like a giant mecha or ship resembling a turtle. I can get behind a Dragon Ball Z-style fight between Batman and the Outsiders and Ra’s and his giant turtle.