Review by Tim Sheridan
“All Hell Breaks Loose”
Writer: Judd Winick
Penciller: Matthew Clark
Inker: Art Thibert
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Asst Editor: Rachel Gluckstern
Editor: Joan Hilty
Published by DC Comics
I tell you all the time that this is a good book. I have enjoyed it since the beginning. But what we have here is a weak issue. The story is fine, it’s just things seem…off.
This past summer, Outsiders was part of a truly great crossover with Teen Titans. It showed all the best parts of the book. But since then, the book has been rather uneven. There was that flashback (sort of) story, which was good, but it just didn’t seem like it belonged in these pages.
And since then, it seems almost like they are filling time until the next big thing happens. We all know of “Crisis” and yes, this book ties into all that, and those parts are good, but the rest is a bit of a mess.
It may also be because the team itself is rebuilding. They have not gelled as a team, and it doesn’t come across smoothly at all. A lot happens in this issue, and it’s all a little weird. Love, sex, hate, violence, and demons all play a big part. Winick gives us Kitana again, a former Outsider, but I just am not feeling it. Other than the nostalgia-value, I just don’t see why she needs to be here.
So the story of the demon Sabbac comes to a close here, and it’s an oddly paced tale. This story could have been told in one issue, or four. It just didn’t work for me.
But we end with Donna Troy showing up (out of nowhere), and basically saving the team, and the issue. For the few pages she is on, the book regains it’s footing and direction. It seems like Donna’s story will be told on these pages next month, so I hope it carries over.
Matthew Clark is doing a great job handling the art here, I like his work here more than on Superman.
So it was a weak issue, but saved at the end.
