Batman and the Outsiders #8 Review

BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #8
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Julian Lopez and Bit

This was probably the best issue of Batman and the Outsiders so far. There was action, comedy and it finally felt like I was reading about the characters instead of just watching random action scenes strung together to form a plot. It's a shame Dixon is on his way out when he finally seems to be hitting his stride on this title.

As you can tell by the cover, Batgirl, the only member of the Outsiders currently in China that was not captured, finally makes her move.

Unfortunately, it's not very Batman-esque as it only involves freeing her teammates at their executions so they can simply die on their feet. No, really, that's her plan. No elaborate escape plan or wish to free them. Just wanted to let them die on their feet instead of lined up and mowed down. Thankfully, Batman is the goddamn Batman and has Nightwing, Thunder and the Remac, now under a motion control system, have used the JLA teleporter to warp to China to save the team.

The Remac or, should I say, the scientist in control of him, Dr Salah Miandad, was actually the best part of this issue. Using the motion control system, jury rigged through the Batcave computers, we get flashes of him and Alfred as he uses the Remac to distract everyone. When Miandad realizes who Alfred is (the guy who made the sandwiches!) is probably the funniest part of the issue as the Remac starts mimmicking Miandad's motions as he speaks with Alfred instead of fighting the Great Ten and Chinese army.

Seeing Nightwing in this issue only makes me wish he was an actual member of the Outsiders. He was probably the best written character in this issue and he definitely makes more sense than having Green Arrow appearing in three or four books this week, let alone every month.

Verdict - Check It. In the end, this is still an Outsiders story, despite being the best of the series so far, and, as such, it's still very much a popcorn flick cum comic book. However, this was a huge improvement over recent issues and is probably worth a look for most fans.

Related Posts