Posted by darren in Comics
Over in the Outsiders world, the Outsiders face the first established DC Comics threat, Kobra.
Kobra believes that he is the bringer of the Kali-Yuga, the end of the age of men and order and ushering in a new era of chaos over which he will rule.
To that end Kobra has thousands of thralls all willing to die in his cause. Hail Kobra! and Hail Naga-Naga! are phrases frequently uttered by these weak minds, for those lieutenants of Kobra, they are much deadlier as they have been allowed to keep their personalities intact. They are there for a high reason, nihlism.
Along the way to Kobra’s defeat the Outsiders meet a young woman named Emily Briggs. She is non-descript, even mousy and is married to a man named Greg. She works as a banker and is as dull as they come, however she does feel some feelings of inadequacy for not looking good enough for her husband.
It turns out Emily is a descendant of a group of subterranean dwellers known as the Abyssians. Emily is the descendant of a long line of royalty in Abyssia and once the Haley’s Comet passes the Earth, her latent powers will come out to fruition. Greg discovers More >
Posted by darren in Comics
There really is not a lot to say about the next story in the Outsiders which features the Outsiders traveling to ancient Egypt to save Metamorpho from the machinations of Simon Stagg.
But hey, cool looking covers eh?
Mostly, these stories are a cool little two parter while the truth about a certain amnesiac teen comes to light. As Halo rejoins her hometown, we discover that the Violet Harper who woke up in Markovia with powers is a far cry from the original Violet Harper.
Back in Gotham, Geo-Force’s college friend Denise is having some issues of her own as a professor makes unwanted sexual advances towards her. Of course, this stirs up the hot head of the group and it results in Superman stopping by Gotham to team up with the Outsiders. Geo-Force gets rid of the scummy professor by the way.
I wish I had this ornament for my tree.
Back in Anytown, USA, life is swiftly become unbearable for one Violet Harper. That is okay though as her life is exactly what is up for grabs.
Syonide apparently killed Violet and her boyfriend and left them in the ruins in Markovia shortly before Batman found Halo. She was sent due to the bad drug deal More >
Posted by darren in Comics
As the Outsiders reel from Katana’s origin they are faced with attempting to save Batman’s life from the blowdart poison he took at the end of their last case. This forces Alfred Pennyworth, Batman’s long time butler and confidante to reveal Batman’s secret Identity as Bruce Wayne to the rest of the Outsiders and to suggest that for Batman’s sake they try to keep his body functioning as a way to burn out the toxin.
Of course the Outsiders manage the task with a little interference from a street gang and Batman himself reveals his identity afterwards to them as a sign of his trust.
And speaking of trust, in 1984, one could hardly go anywhere without a George Orwell reference. You know, “Big Brother” (not the tv show)… well The Outsiders would meet another group of super-villains, this time a group of patriots that had been conned into believing The Outsiders were simply Unamerican!
Look at them after all….
“…From his accent, this man, Geo-Force, is NOT an American… This Girl, Halo, is probably an American, and quite possibly the unwitting pawn of these ‘Outsiders’. These two, Black Lightning and Katana, definitely have some foreign blood in them…. Metamorpho… who knows what he is.. This More >
Posted by darren in Comics
In Gotham City, Batman and the Outsiders continue to bond together as a group.
Batman puts Katana and Halo together as a mirror Batman and Robin, with Katana’s dourness and Halo’s brightness counterbalancing each other. He helps Black Lightning become a teacher again and find his true calling. Geo-Force enters college overseas and begins to meet other people not tied to the Markovian crown. Metamorpho, well, he’s still stuck on Sapphire and dealing with all the issues that come with loving a beautiful woman with a controlling maniacal billionaire father with a cro-magnon as a body guard.
Halo goes off to school and Batman (disguised as Bruce Wayne) sets up Katana as a Japanese bookseller. It is at this point that the Cryonic Man strikes, first in an altercation at a hospital where Geo-Force and Metamorpho are visiting Dr. Jace, still fresh from their confrontation with the Fearsome Five. At the end of the issue, the Cryonic Man has encased the Outsiders in ice and has kidnapped Katana.
Katana is to be used as replacement parts for the Cryonic Man’s family, locked in cold stasis, very similar to another Batman villain, which makes me wonder why Mister Freeze was not used in this More >
Posted by darren in Comics
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, More >
Posted by darren in Comics
Here we are again in the Wild and Woolly West… More heroes have taken up the call to tame this era of human history and here they are.
El Diablo…the Devil of the West is Lazarus Lane. He was a broken man with pangs of remorse about a fellow bank teller who was killed because Lazarus did nothing to stop it from happening. When he managed to find the bank robbers they threw him into a shallow river where he was struck by lightning. Found by an Apache shaman named Wise Owl, he nursed Lazarus back to life (on the third day no less) and explained that Lazarus was now two men, the body of Lazarus Lane and the spirit of a restless avenger. In addition to being an excellent marksman he is an expert with knives, bolas, and the bullwhip. He also has an uncanny ability to escape certain death, whether this is some sort of mystical mojo or not remains to be seen.
Johnny Thunder and Madame .44… John Tane was the son of a sheriff and a teacher. While John’s father believed in dealing out justice with guns, John’s mom believed that education would solve all the world’s ills. More >
Posted by darren in Comics
In the Super Friends days Superman and Batman are best buddies. Calling each other “chum” and going off on adventures together in comics as well as cartoons. This complete and utter friendship upon reflection… really does not make a whole lot of sense.
The two men are opposites in almost every conceivable way.
Superman gets his powers from the sunlight. Batman works at night as urban myth. Superman instills hope. Batman instills fear. Superman is invulnerable. Batman is completely human.
However, there are some similarities between the two men.
Both lost their parents. Clark was too young to know his real parents and had a surrogate family growing up. Bruce saw his father and mother gunned down in front of him in Crime Alley. Both have very strong senses about right and wrong. Clark’s was instilled by his midwestern upbringing and Bruce’s instilled by his father’s example and his desire to make sure what happened to him never happens to another child.
Superman will do anything to protect his friends and so would Batman. Their methods however do not always compliment each other. Superman favors “by the book” actions, while Batman is not afraid to dangle a crook over a ledge to get some information. Superman frequently jumps in More >
