DCU Comic Book Reviews

BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #9

The Uninvited

September 2008

Written by Chuck Dixon

Pencils by Julian Lopez

Inks by Bit

Cover by Dougie Braithwaite

Synopsis

Metamorpho has returned to Earth, but has been imprisoned for damaging a space shuttle.  However, he is able to escape by going down the toilet.  When he emerges via the sewer system, Batgirl and Katana are waiting for him.  Meanwhile, Dr. Langstrom relays that the space gun that fired into the moon has been under construction for more than a year without anyone knowing about it.  In some way, the astronauts working on it have retained no memory of what they did.  In Amsterdam, Batgirl, Katana, and Metamorpho kidnap one of the astronauts and bring him back to Gotham.  There, Batman takes him to Looker, who detects an alien presence in the astronaut’s mind.  However, the effort drains Looker and she passes out.  Batman returns her home, where she tells Batman they are monsters in Gotham.  Elsewhere, a man pays a grand for drugs, but instead finds himself face to face with a monster. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

What the...?  Is it my imagination or did the plot just take an abrupt turn into a completely different direction? We went from space guns and the moon to creatures of the night and the turn seemingly happened on a dime.  I will guess that the weird creature at the end might play a role in whatever alien abduction thingy is going on with Jardine and the astronauts, but it is not clear that what Looker is telling Batman is connected to what she saw.  Or maybe I just missed something.  Either way, the ending scene just seems so at odds with the rest of the issue (which is actually pretty good with Rex looking like Waldo and Langstrom doing a great exposition recap of the story so far), and indeed the rest of Dixon’s run, that it made my head spin around.  Compounding the problem is the fact that this is Dixon’s last issue.  So the question becomes, did Dixon write the last scene or did DC editorial step in to help the new writer without whatever they wanted to do.  Of course, it will be difficult to know for awhile since we will first get a Batman R.I.P. tie-in for next several months.

I am amused to see Batgirl in the scene with Batman and Dr. Langstrom (which I think takes place in Gotham) and then immediately, the next page actually, Batgirl is in Paris rescuing Metamorpho.  I don’t think I would’ve noticed if the beginning of Metamorpho’s escape through the sewers had not started before the Gotham scene.  It makes me think that he was stuck in the sewer the entire time it took Batgirl to fly from Gotham to Paris.  That is an awfully long time.

 

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