Outsiders

Outsiders 34-43

Judd Winick’s One Year Later take on Outsiders sucks.  Indigo’s dead, Shift committed suicide, Captain Boomerang is randomly on the team, the fun’s been sucked out of the team, and both the Mali and Mallah and the Brain arcs plod along at a glacial pace.  I’d cut these in a heartbeat if it didn’t break up the run.  But these are ten issues I hope I never read again.

Regret Buying: No

Would Buy Again: No

Would Read Again: No

Rating: Stupid

Outsiders 44-49

Outsiders Annual 1

Checkmate 13-15

Things get a little better when Winick fills in the missing year.  The character bits still aren’t as fun as the first 25 issues of the series, but at least the plots are better than the One Year Later stuff - Grace and Anissa start their relationship, the Black Lightning prison break is pretty fun, and the Checkmate crossover is interesting enough.  I wouldn’t buy it again, but at least I’d reread it.

Regret Buying: No

Would Buy Again: No

Would Read Again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Batman and the Outsiders 1

Chuck Dixon reboots the title with Batman taking over from Nightwing.  With Winick gone, I had no reason to keep buying this.

Regret Buying: Yes

Would Buy Again: No

Would Read Again: No

Rating: Fine

Outsiders

Outsiders 5-33

Teen Titans 24-25

With this run, writer Judd Winick masters the key to a successful TV procedural: Excellent characterization and interactions between the ensemble cast.  As long as you nail that, the quality of the plot itself is almost inconsequential to the enjoyment that the product.  I just love spending time with this not-a-family team.  Things that stood out this time around:

The quality plummets dramatically when Winick makes room for a guest writer.  Peter Tomasi (so stellar on Green Lantern Corps) has a boring two-parter starring the original cast of the Outsiders, and Jen Van Meter is equally stultifying with his Infinite Crisis tie-in.

Winick collaborates with a number of pencillers, but unlike his run on Green Arrow, they’re all above average - Tom Raney, Carlos D’Anda, and Matthew Clark all do a great job.  The colors by Gina Going are also worthy of note.

Raney's anatomy and faces are always contorted, but they totally work.

Love the composition of the last panel by D'Anda

Excellent work by both D'Anda and Guy Major.

That face in the final panel is perfectly hilarious.  Great work by ChrisCross:

I love the relationship between Shift and Indigo.  They are perfect for each other, so cute, and awesome as individuals.  It makes Indigo’s turn and death actually tragic, something that doesn’t happen often in comics anymore.  

They're just so cute!

This totally reminded me of...

...this

I found Sivana's plot utterly charming.  For once, we see where the money for an tropical island base comes from:

Regret Buying: No

Would Buy Again: Yes (No for the guest written issues: 26, 27, 32, 33)

Would Read Again: Yes (No for 26, 27)

Rating: Good  (Nice for Teen Titans, Boring for the guest written ones.)

New Comics, Outsiders

A ton of new comics!

Black Cat 6-10

This is just so much fun.  Jed MacKay writes super entertaining adventures, and while the artists constantly rotate in and out, they’re all up to the task of bringing out the humor in his scripts.  Not sure if I should get the last two issues individually or hope that a trade comes out.

Perfect art (Dike Ruan) and lettering (Ferran Delgado) in the first panel.

I loled at the bones line

Die 13

Definitely better in trade, but I’m going to stick with it.

DCeased: Dead Planet 3

The first DCeased issue that isn’t exceptional.  Just knowing that the New Gods are entering the picture bores me to tears.  (Unless it’s Tom King writing Mr Miracle…)

Fire Power 3

The intrigue builds.  Kirkman and Samnee know what they’re doing.

Hawkeye: Freefall 6

A way darker ending than I expected.  Matthew Rosenberg and Otto Schmidt finish up this series strong.  Looking forward to more from either of these creators.

Strange Adventures 5

Alanna is reading more and more like a Lady MacBeth with each issue.  But it’s also a little too blatant.  Trusting Tom King to know what he’s doing.

She's ready to rule the world and look good doing it.

Wonder Woman 761

Yeah, I’m out.  It doesn’t look like Mikel Janin is drawing any issues starting from here, and Mariko Tamiko’s story isn’t good enough.  I find Maxwell Lord as boring as the New Gods.  

Outsiders 1-4

Starting Judd Winick’s 50-issue run.  I remember really liking this, and so far things are meeting the expectations of my memory.  A fun group of characters, and I really like the new (to me, at least) characters - Indigo, Grace, and Thunder.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen them outside of this title.

Regret Buying: No

Would Buy Again: Yes

Would Read Again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good