Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: Issue #1: Wars Ended… Wars Begun, and Issue #2: Markovia’s Last Stand
Written by: Mike W. Barr
Penciled by: Jim Aparo
Inked by: Jim Aparo
Colored by: Adrienne Roy
Lettered by: N/A
Editor: Len Wein
Publisher: DC Comics
In light of DC’s summer relaunches of the Outsiders and Teen Titans, it seems appropriate to take the time now to look back 20 years or so to where the definitive runs of these two series began. This is one of my two reviews this week — reviews that will look at the respective first arcs of 1983’s Batman and the Outsiders and 1980’s The New Teen Titans.
Its been years since I cracked open issues 1 and 2 of Batman and the Outsiders. I really should have done it sooner.
In 1983, Batman was still a member of the Justice League of America (JLA), and in addition to his two solo series, Detective Comics and Batman, was also the lead in a rotating team-up book called the Brave and the Bold (BB). BB was wrapping-up its run and DC was looking for a new team book with Batman as the lead. Enter the Outsiders — this loose collection of new and old DC characters didn’t formally become a team until the end of issue 2.
The first issue opens with Wayne Enterprise’s executive Lucius Fox heading to the European backwater country of Markovia on business, where he quickly becomes a hostage and pawn in a revolution to overthrow the country’s benevolent monarch. Batman, a.k.a Bruce Wayne, founder of Wayne Enterprises, unsuccessfully attempts to enlist his JLA colleagues to help him find his friend, but also to help the people of Markovia caught in the crossfire between loyal government forces and the twisted revolutionary militia. Frustrated with the JLA’s inaction, Batman quits the team and sums up his reasoning in a motivational speech — visually accompanied by four flashback panels, beautiful drawn by Jim Aparo, of the formative events that turned Bruce Wayne into Batman. An emotional Batman tells the JLA that: “I’ve heard the cries of the dying… and the mourning… the victims of injustice… I swore I’d do everything in my power to avenge those deaths… to protect innocent lives… and if I fail to keep that promise… my entire life is a lie!”
Batman’s following exchange with Superman and Wonder Woman really illuminates the difference between the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight.
Superman: “But the three of us… we’ve always served as an example to the others (members of the JLA)..”
Batman: “I never asked for that, Superman! I never wanted men to imitate me… only fear me! I only want to do my work!”
The Dark Knight is all business, all into righting wrongs, and helping those who can’t help themselves. I never understood how a character like his would even be involved with the JLA. Having Batman depart the JLA was also a move by DC to limit the exposure of the World’s Greatest Detective. Two solo titles and one team book would be the monthly doses of Batman readers in 1983 would get — a lesson in averting overexposure that DC and Marvel did not learn from with the multiple Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, X-Men, Punisher and other titles that proliferated in the 1990’s and saw franchises seemingly destroyed, i.e. the Punisher, and others clawed back, most notably Spider-Man.
The first issue of Batman and the Outsiders, in addition to establishing the main Markovian revolution plot, served to introduce the future members of the Outsiders to readers. So, in order of introduction, here are the Outsiders, that would join forces with Batman:
Geo-Force (Prince Brion Markov): On his father’s deathbed, his brother Gregor is selected Markovia’s new monarch. The dying King Viktor asks his sons to “work together now, to save Markovia! And when our land is safe… find your sister… find Tara!” The Tara in question is Tara Markov, then-New Teen Titan Terra, who betrayed her Titans teammates by aligning herself with Deathstroke the Terminator — a story that came to a head as part of the classic Judas Contract arc, available in trade paperback and recommended reading. Issue one of Batman and the Outsiders also saw Prince Brion transformed into to the earth-powered Geo-Force by Dr. Helga Jace — who was in the employ of King Viktor and who also gave Terra her earth-based powers.
Metamorpho (Rex Mason): A disguised Metamorpho travels to Markovia to find Dr. Jace who he hopes can cure him of his multicolor disfigurement, a by product of shape-shifting powers. He trades in his car to fleeing Markovian villagers for the whereabouts of Dr. Jace. He finds Dr. Jace just as she’s imbued Geo-Force with his powers. Militia members storm the lab, kill Geo-Force, use a special gun to subdue Metamorpho, and take Dr. Jace hostage. The revolutionaries take Metamorpho and Dr. Jace to their leader, but find time to bury Geo-Force in the earth so that he does not become a martyr and galvanizing inspiration to his Markovian countrymen.
Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce): Batman recruited Black Lightning to infiltrate the Markovian revolutionaries, and subsequently bribe them to free Lucius Fox. Black Lightning (a horrible blaxploitation name if I ever heard one) poses as Fox’s brother — as Batman can’t since Fox is African American and old Bats is Caucasian — and is wired with a device to communicate with the Dark Knight.
Katana (Tatsu Yamashiro): To avenge the murders of her loved ones by General Karnz of the revolutionary militia, Katana cuts a swath across the revolutionaries and kills the General with her enchanted sword. Karnz’s death bungles Black Lightning’s negotiations to free Lucius Fox. Batman listens helplessly as Black Lightning is subdued by the militia and mistakenly fingered as an escaping Katana’s accomplice. A clear case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for Jefferson Pierce.
Halo (Gabrielle Doe): Batman stumbles across an unconscious amnesiac , whom he later dubs Halo, in a presumably abandoned Markovian building. She awakens, uses her light powers against Batman, and realizes that he’s not an enemy. In exchange for promising to help her find out who she is, Halo teams with Batman in his plan to free Lucius Fox and Black Lightning. However, her inexperience leads to Batman’s capture as she helplessly looks on from a distance as he’s carted away by militiamen.
Issue 1 ends with Batman and Black Lightning shackled against dungeon walls, Metamorpho in pieces in the corner, and Lucius Fox handcuffed — all being introduced to the mastermind of the revolution, Baron Bedlam.
The next issue has readers right in thick of action — we know all the players, now its time for the drama to unfold. Baron Bedlam starts issue 2 off by regaling his prisoners with his back story. He’s a Nazi-sympathizer who had some clout in Markovia when the Nazi’s were in control. His father, a minor bureaucrat in King Viktor’s administration, became Markovia’s Regent after King Viktor was exiled. Baron Bedlam had half his face scarred by a woman who spurned his advances by shattering a wine bottle against it. He had her hung as Sgt. Rock and American troops came to free Markovia and return King Viktor to power. Bedlam fled, but watched in horror as his father was hung by the Markovian people, happy to be free from Nazi rule. After his rant, Bedlaam leaves the prisoners and takes Dr. Jace back to her lab.
Outside of Bedlam’s compound, Katana encounters Halo. They decide to team up to free Black Lightning (who Katana inadvertently led to capture) and Batman (who Halo inadvertently led to capture) — the gals want to make amends and take it out on Bedlam’s revolutionary militia guardsmen.
In the compound, Black Lightning overcomes his mental block and uses his lightning powers to reassemble Metamorpho, who uses his powers to free our heroes and Lucius Fox. The freed prisoners do their fair share of damage to the militiamen. In their escape, they encounter Katana and Halo and join forces to stop Bedlam, while Lucius Fox stays behind to guard the vanquished and imprisoned militia army.
At Dr. Jace’s lab, Baron Bedlam imbues himself with the very-same earth-based powers as the resurrected Geo-Force, as Dr. Jace helplessly watches. Bedlam flies off to Markovburg to join his militia in battle against forces loyal to the Markovian monarchy and Prince-turned-King, Gregor.
Batman, Black Lightning, Metamorpho, Katana, and Halo join the battle at Markovburg and side with the Markovian people and Monarchy against Bedlam’s forces. As the battle reaches its crescendo, Geo-Force joins the fray and saves his brother from death at the hands of Bedlam. Geo-Force and Baron Bedlam go toe-to-toe with their earth-based powers atop Castle Markov. Bedlam brings Geo-Force to his knees, and lifts a large chunk of the castle wall over his head intending to crush our weakened hero. However, since the earth-based powers gifted through Dr. Jace’s equipment can only be retained by blood members of the Markovian royal family, Bedlam finds himself losing power and crushes himself under the weight of the stone and mortar slab. In a last fit of anger, with the power continuing to leave him, and his revolutionary forces defeated, Bedlam lashes out at Geo-Force, who sends him over the castle wall towards a group of villagers below with torches and pitchforks. Batman welcomes the mob justice and congratulates Geo-Force on his extreme censure of Baron Bedlam by letting him know that “I like the way your mind works.”
At issue’s end, Batman gives a rousing speech to this yet-to-be-named gaggle of super-heroes by imploring them to: “Come with me, all of you! You’ve nothing to return to. You’re all looking for something, and I can help you find it. Whether it’s the proper way to use your powers or who you really are or simply some kind of purpose in your lives.”
Metamorpho responds to the offer with some scepticism: A buncha Outsiders like us? It might work… but we could use a name!”
To which Geo-Force responds, “You coined it yourself Metamorpho — ‘The Outsiders’!”
And, Batman uncharacteristically jokes, “I’ve heard worse!”
Thus, a legend is born: The Outsiders!
Overall, these two issues really exemplify what a team book should be. The team has a clear purpose. They are proactive and unafraid to do the right thing regardless of borders with calculated consequences. They are not the Justice League of America, they are a team willing to get dirty for a just cause — a refreshing twist on the traditional hero and team books of the time.
Writer Mike Barr seems to understand Batman’s psyche for the most part, and a weaves an interesting yarn in the first two issues of the Outsiders franchise. His crisp dialogue works well within a plot that had to not only tell an entertaining story, but also establish and bring a diverse group of hero’s together. He made an illogical group of heroes seem like a logical choice for a team. These issues were really well done.
While Curt Swan to me is the definitive Superman artist, Jim Aparo is the definitive Batman artist. Like Swan, Aparo was respected by those within the comics industry, but, at the time, was not fully appreciated for his contribution to the medium by fans. Visually, he contributed much to how Batman is drawn today from movements, to mannerisms, to body type, you name it. He is one of the few pencillers who can ink his own work without butchering it. Aparo’s inks really help his pencils bring the action and characters to life.
Jim Aparo’s cover to issue 2 — with Batman, Metamorpho, and Black Lightning shackled to a wall, and Geo-Force, Halo, and Katana breaking down an adjacent wall, and rushing to stop Baron Bedlam from killing the shackled heroes — is one of my all-time favorite comic book covers.
I still remember where I was when I first saw this particular comic book. I was in the hospital, and I had just gotten my tonsils out. I was in some discomfort and a similar-aged boy in the next room came over to me and offered me two comic books out of the goodness of his heart — a selfless act that we probably don’t see enough today, and one that I still carry with me and remember with much fondness. The two comic books were Batman and the Outsiders #2 and one of the issues of Marvels’ Crystar mini-series at the time, I don’t remember which specific issue it was. Although I thanked him at the time, I also want to do so again, publicly — here — although the chances of him reading this may be slim. Thank-you boy-stranger for your kindness and good taste in the comic books. I’ll continue to carry your generosity with me for years to come. It’s been 20 years and the memory is still sharp, crisp and vivid.
In addition to giving you the 411 on Batman and the Outsiders 1 and 2, I hope this review also spurs a sense of generosity in each and every reader. Go out and share your favorite comic book(s) with those who may need a pick-me-up. I still strongly believe that comic books and the adventures, messages, and artwork resonate to youngsters in a way other mediums can’t — even the more immediate enjoyment ones, like video and computer games, that have curbed the number of young comic book readers today.
Comic book companies today don’t do enough to bring young readers in. They cater to the converted, the older fans. We need to cultivate and support a more diverse fan base.
Batman and the Outsiders 1 and 2 are solid reads and were pleasure to share with you. You can probably pick them up in your nearest cheap comic book bin for fifty cents (pretty close to the cover price in 1983).
It’s a great read. I particularly enjoyed writer Mike Barr’s behind-the-scenes musings about the creation of the Outsiders in the letter column space of issue 1. I was also happily surprised to see Marv Wolfman and Frank Miller thanked by Barr for their input — I had no idea they were ever involved. Years later, I continue to learn more about the Outsiders I grew up with. Barr’s insight in the letter column space was a nice addition to issue 1. It really has me missing the letter column pages of comic books. It’s too bad that we don’t see them anymore.
Go out and pick these issues up. You’ll be glad you did.
