DCU Comic Book Reviews

THE OUTSIDERS #19

The Deep, Part Five

August 2009

Written by Peter J. Tomasi

Pencils by Fernando Pasarin and Jeremy Haun

Inks by Prentis Rollins, Wayne Faucher, and Jeremy Haun

Cover by Lee Garbett and JG Jones

Synopsis

Deep under the Earth, the Insiders have enough pieces of the Pallasite meteor to use them to find them all and the secure their birthright.  In Opal City, The Outsiders are battling Deathstroke, who was ordered to kill on the Insider’s acolytes.  Elsewhere, Vandal Savage is on a quest.  Meanwhile, the Insiders sent a few of their acolytes to investigate the spacecraft the Outsiders were using as base.    In Opal City, the battle continues.  However, Deathstroke is able to get away.  He thinks he was able to get away with the meteor inside the acolyte, but Geo-Force was able to get it from him at the last minute.  In space, the Insiders acolytes enter the Outsiders Spacecraft.  Inside, they find a note that welcomes them to hell, courtesy of the Creeper.  Meanwhile, Vandal Savage reaches his destination, the home base of the Insiders, where he encounters Ra’s al Ghul.    

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This story and Tomasi’s run started out well enough that it felt like it had potential, but this issue signals that maybe that potential has lost its chance.  This is a decent enough issue that sets the stage for the finale (presumably) next month.  All of the pieces are in place.  I think.  This is the problem.  Tomasi has so much going on that it is difficult to figure out how everything fits altogether.  We have the enigmatic Insiders, whose goals are defined (reclaiming their immortality) even if the need for acolytes or Thrashers or whatever else they are doing is ill-defined (like who the hell hired Deathstroke and for what reason).  Then we have the immortal Vandal Savage and the immortal Ra’s al Ghul, both appearing only recently for no particular reason other than the fact they are immortal.  We also have Deathstroke, whose role is clearly defined, but why Tomasi felt the need to include Deathstroke isn’t quite clear.  I mean, the role of the assassin could’ve been played by pretty much anyone and since the Outsiders are meant to win the battle, I think it might’ve worked to go with someone less imposing than Deathstroke.  Basically, I think, what it comes down to is that Tomasi has a number of pieces roaming around the proverbial chess board, but I don’t think he has quite figure out they all fit together. 

It is a shame that most writers tend to forget the one scene in Identity Crisis when Deathstroke takes down the entire Justice League in a matter of seconds.  It was a cool scene and I wish more writers would show the same planning and cunning that Brad Meltzer showed in that scene.  Here, Tomasi reverts Deathstroke back to a hostage-taking thug.  It completely undermines whatever Meltzer had done to the character. 

When the acolytes report back to the Insiders, they say the bad news is the ship is n the shape of the bat and they will be facing capes.  How in the hell is this news?  I mean, they couldn’t see it on the monitor when the Insiders show it to them.  And wouldn’t the phrase “Batman’s foot soldiers” suggest there would be capes waiting for them?  Wouldn’t it have made sense for them just to say the bad news is that we don’t think we’re alone?

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