DCU Comic Book Reviews

OUTSIDERS #35

The Good Fight Part Two:  Meet The New Boss

June 2006

Written by Judd Winick

Pencils by Matthew Clark

Inks by Art Thibert

Cover By Daniel Acuña

Synopsis

The Outsiders capture the assistant of inter-department affairs in the capital city of Mali.  Grace Choi and Own Mercer (aka Captain Boomerang) torture him to learn the location of sarin gas being held by the Mali government.  Elsewhere, the President of Mali realizes that his country has been infiltrated and he orders the release of Silver/Grey.  Meanwhile, the Outsiders learn of the location of the sarin gas.  They are able to get past the guards and to its location, finding enough sarin gas to kill the entire country.  Before Metamorpho can alter the gas, each one of them is carried out the room and to a jail cell by a speedster:  Silver/Grey.

Review

“Then why Grace and Boomerang?”

“A seven-foot psychotic woman in a leather mask is scarier than me.”

This was a much better issue than the last one because it actually focused on the team and not someone else.  And, to me this is the key, it shows the Outsiders doing what they had originally said they would do:  find the criminals before they did their evil deeds.  In this case it is finding nerve gas before it has been used.  The actions by the team are not exactly superhero actions in terms of massive strength or flight, but I think that is the key to this book in some ways.  Evil does not necessarily dress up in a fancy costume, give itself a funky name, and then do evil.  Some bad guys are dressed like you and me.  This issue shows that plainly with the assistant at the beginning, someone who does his job but is fully aware of what he is doing.  I liked when he lied about his family because it shows he is a bad guy and not a schmuck being forced to do it.  He may report to the President, but he is fully aware of what is going on.  So, what Grace does to him, I think he fully deserves. 

Having said all of the above, I am curious to see what happens with the showdown with the speedster.  The ending to Infinite Crisis #7 stated that the Speed Force is gone and the best Jay Garrick can do is light speed, so this guy is not really fast.  I liked the way the speedster was first introduced with each character disappearing suddenly in a different panel on the page.  It was a good trick that had me wondering until I turned the page.  But it still begs the question:  how and when did he get his powers.  And how did the president of Mali get involved with what I would assume might genetic engineering? -- MRB

In case you are interested, here are the code names: 

Metamorpho = Blender

Katana = Sheath

Boomerang = Catch

Leadfoot = Thunder

Wirework = Nightwing

Bootheel = Grace

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