Batman and the Outsiders #5: A Showdown in the Sand.

So for four issues now the Outsiders book has been…awkward. The pacing is just off and it’s trickled down to noticeably effect the rest of the book from beginning to end. The one saving grace has been the outstanding interactions between Black Lightning and Katana. The difference between them and the rest of the events occurring in the book is palpable. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that #5 focused almost exclusively on the pair until the narrative forced it to go elsewhere.

The flip to that is if you never understood what I meant by those past criticisms then this one is the perfect explanation of what I meant. The pair talk about what it means to be a hero, what it’s like to be in a kill or be killed situation and just who they are as people and all of it is phenomenal. I would legit be so, so, so, SO down to buy a monthly that was written just about the pair doing superhero stuff or whatever together. Kinda of like the Black and Blue mini that dropped a few years back and was greatly underappreciated. Katana and Black Lightning have historically been the heart and soul of every incarnation of the Outsiders they’ve been involved in and this time is no different. The other characters, Batman included, are almost just distractions in the way of the one major selling point of this book. Al Ghul’s plan is goofy, the bad guy dialogue in general feels very phoned in and words cannot express just how lame a knock off Cable running around really is.

But even through all that Black Lightning and Katana are awesome! I really cannot reiterate that point enough because if there was a reason to buy this book aside from 1) diehard loyalists of all things Outsiders and 2) Dexter Soy and Veronica Gandini Hulk smashing the art, that’s it. The rest is kinda just there and isn’t really all that memorable or frankly enjoyable. But the two of them being written so well might be just enough to keep even the casual reader coming back.