Comic Review: Batman and the Outsiders #1 (2019-)

Batman and the Outsiders #1

DC Comics

Writer: Brian Edward Hill

Artist: Dexter Soy

After a long delay, Batman and the Outsiders #1 is finally here. After a stellar run on Detective Comics, I’ve been anxiously awaiting Brian Hill’s next DC project. Luckily, this book feels a lot like that one. I liked it then, and I still like it all these months later.

This book is very much a direct sequel to that Detective Comics run. As such, it doesn’t feel much like a #1 issue. It’s fairly dependent on the arc that came before, so new readers may find it a bit tough to grab onto. While it doesn’t do a bad job of catching you up, I can see it being an issue for some.

With that aside, Hill’s writing is very strong. Especially in regards to his character work. This is is a grouping of characters that, prior to Hill’s involvement, don’t have much connection to each other. Despite that, Hill justifies the roster through strong character dynamics. Specifically, through Black Lightning and Katana. These are two characters that have never resonated with me, yet Hill makes me care in just twenty pages. Cass and Duke get less of a focus, but what we do see between them works well. Duke, who I’ve always thought of as a blank slate, seems to be beginning a compelling arc. For maybe the first time I’m interested in seeing where he goes as a character.

The story itself, while not amazing right off the bat, has potential. This is a first issue, so the heavy set-up sort of comes with the territory, but I don’t feel that this is entirely negative. Mainly because it’s an interesting set-up. Plus, it seems that its approach is to grab you with its characters first, then worry about the plot later. While I do I appreciate this storytelling method, it does lead to the last page reveal feeling a tad underwhelming.

Most of the gripes I have regarding the plot or characters are minor, but I do have a more significant issue with the art. It’s not bad, in fact, from a technical standpoint I can see that Soy is very talented. However, his pencils in this issue don’t do much for me. It’s a very safe style, and safe isn’t bad; safe works. The art is fully functional, but it just fails to excite me. If I looked at many of these pages completely out of context and was asked to guess who drew it, I don’t think I could narrow it down to single digits.

This doesn’t mean there’s no good stuff in here. For instance, there’s a dialogue scene between Bruce and Jeff that stands out as particularly strong. Soy does some interesting things with a scene that could end up seeming visually bland due to the lack of costumes or action. He doesn’t just draw people talking, he amplifies the conversation and makes it more engaging. If there’s more of this in future issues, I could see myself warming up to it. Plus, he draws a great Batman.

Batman and the Outsiders #1 is a strong start. It’s not blowing any doors off their hinges yet, but the groundwork that’s being built is solid. It’s got great characterizations and dialogue, with hints of an interesting plot boiling beneath the surface. Given time, this book could become something very special.