As the Outsiders marched on in their own title, Batman had grown fairly fond of his team, though he would never admit to it.  Perhaps it was Batman’s first time of being completely in charge of his teammates as opposed to having to explain his plans in details to his compatriots in the JLA.

The Outsiders proved victorious in battles against an ex-military man who was a victim of Agent Orange and now wished to infect the rest of the world with the same affliction he suffered.

and one of their many nuclear themed foes, the One-Man Meltdown.

As the Outsiders grew closer and closer as a team, and as this put strain on the Batman/Robin dynamic, it was bound to happen that the Outsiders and the Titans would meet in a conflict of the Fearsome Five.

  • Mammoth – An Australian juggernaut incredibly strong and with almost limitless stamina, he is brother to his fellow Fearsome Five member, Shimmer.
  • Shimmer – Sister to Mammoth, can transmute elements if she can touch them.
  • Gizmo – The Dwarven gadgets expert, he can build any sort of gizmo, and his size gives him an advantage in combat for those who underestimate him.
  • Psimon – Perhaps the most dangerous of all, Psimon is a thin, gaunt man with a transparent skull.  His psionic powers know few rivals.
  • Doctor Light – The old, somewhat inept foe of almost all the DCU, the Titans had humiliated him before and it was only with the promise of money that Mammoth frees Dr. Light from jail.

From l to r, top to bottom:  Doctor Light, Shimmer, Halo, Gizmo, Starfire, Geo-Force, Terra, Psimon, Metamorpho, Mammoth, Robin, Batman, Kid Flash, Cyborg, Black Lightning, Raven, Katana, Changeling (Green Cobra), and Wonder Girl

Upon the end of their breakout from jail, Mammoth and Shimmer discover that Dr. Helga Jace, who is responsible for giving Terra and Geo-Force their powers, is also in town and was responsible for Mammoth and Shimmer’s powers as well.  The Fearsome Five are intent upon kidnapped Jace now.

Inside Titans Tower, the Titans are assembled when Terra’s wrist starts buzzing, an alarm put in the costume by Dr. Jace.  Terra goes to see where Dr. Jace is and discovers the Outsiders on Titans Island.  A fight breaks out until Kid Flash and Wonder Girl realize that they are also fighting veteran heroes like Metamorpho and Black Lightning.

Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are discussing recent events and the formation of the Outsiders when they are both summoned by their teams to lead them into battle as the Titans have deduced that the Fearsome Five are involved in Jace’s kidnapping.

Psimon forces the good Doctor Jace to cooperate with the Fearsome Five and she constructs “mud men” to do the Five’s bidding.  When the Titans and Outsiders confront the Fearsome Five, they do rather well, until an army of sentient “mud men” come out of nowhere to turn the tide.  Psimon protects the Fearsome Five and destroys the lab they are in sending all the others crashing into the sea.

Terra takes the opportunity to save her own hide and her teammates by forming a mini island herself while Geo-Force lifts it to the surface.

Batman immediately asserts more and more control over the Titans group, to Robin’s increasing frustration until it all boils over in a confrontation between the two of them that dressed Batman down in front of his own team.

Batman:  “Robin, you’re out of line–”

Robin:  “The HELL I am!  I know the Titans better than you, and I know more about running a TEAM than you!  I won’t let you endanger us all, just because you like to be In CHARGE!”

 

With that salvo, Dick Grayson sets into motion his graduation from the Batcave and while the end of the story has the heroes wrapping things up quite nicely with Bruce and Dick showing admiration towards each other in front of the team, Dick Grayson’s days as Robin, the Boy Wonder, are numbered.

Other moments to notice…

  • Katana’s sword is impervious to normal heat damage and she considers herself a Samurai following the Bushido code.
  • Kid Flash’s debate about leaving the team intensifies.
  • Terra is still playing a game at being the good little heroine, although she seems more caustic here than in the past when dealing with other heroes like Metamorpho.
  • Halo is easily subject to suggestions from others and can enter a trance like state where she appears to not be in control of her actions.

Next Up:  A question that will haunt DC fans forever.. Just Who IS Donna Troy anyways?