Writers: Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly
Art: Robert Carey
Colors: Valentina Taddeo
Letters: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: December 12th, 2023
An eternal storm rages in the Enlil Triangle (similar to the Bermuda Triangle) and in Outsiders #2, Kate Kane wants the new Outsiders team (she, Luke Fox and Drummer) to investigate reports of a sea monster destroying ships in that area. But when they get there, they run into a classic DC Team who have a lot of experience with the unknown themselves. Great, right? Well unfortunately, this version of the legendary team are jerks! How will Kate and the Outsiders be able to investigate the creature in the Enlil Triangle when they have to deal with a team whose members make Guy Gardner look as sweet and humble as Clark Kent?
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The Story
Outsiders #2 continues the interesting new twist on The Outsiders team. Past incarnations of the team have had different motives and members. My favorite was the original team, when Batman basically gave the Justice League a middle finger and left to form his own team. This version of the team is composed of Batwoman (Kate Kane), Luke Fox and Drummer (a female version of the character from Planetary). Luke formed the team to investigate alien and supernatural events in order to stop them before they blow up into Crisis-level threats.
The book’s a fun combination of “The X-Files” and superhero adventure, with this issue taking the characters out to the ocean to investigate a Bermuda Triangle-style phenomenon. Like many episodes of “The X-Files”, they find deeply buried secrets behind the supernatural/alien events. Batwoman’s been my favorite member of the Bat Family for a long time and she shines in this book, though I feel Kate’s written a bit too hot-tempered and quick to action at times, which causes her to butt heads with Luke and Drummer at times. Drummer and Luke Fox seem rather bland at times, Luke seeming like a knock-off of Marvel’s Tony Stark, without Tony’s witticisms and swagger. Drummer is enigmatic but she speaks so little and we’ve seen so little of her personal life that it’s hard to care about her. Unlike Kate and Luke, we’ve only seen Drummer when she’s on a mission. Hopefully over the next few issues we’ll get to see her downtime.
There seems to be some secret agenda with her and Planetary that was hinted at last issue but not mentioned here. The Outsiders run into a new version of a classic DC team while in the Enlil Triangle and the bulk of the issue has them squaring off with one another, as that team claims they’re handling the phenomenon in their own way. It makes for some tense scenes, but I wish that team were more like the original version. This version of the team seems more militant and war-based rather than exploratory and scientific. It helps add conflict to the story, but it didn’t make me too interested in seeing them again after this issue.
The Art
Robert Carey’s art on Outsiders #2 is slick and gives the book a modern hi-tech feel, like watching a “Mission: Impossible” film. The underwater scenes are lovely and convey how simultaneously dangerous and beautiful the ocean is. When the menace behind the Enlil Triangle is revealed, it’s suitably horrific and terrifying.
Final Thoughts
Outsiders #2 continues the great concept of superheroes going after the unexplored corners of the DC Universe, confronting bizarre threats and phenomenon. Though I love the concept of the book, I feel Luke and Drummer aren’t written in a dynamic way. Hopefully as the series goes on, the characters will grow to be as fascinating as the situations they face.