Batman and the Outsiders #12 Review
Writer – Bryan Hill
Art – Dexter Soy
Colors – Veronica Gandini
Letters – Clayton Cowles
Publisher – DC Comics
Well, it has been awhile since I got to do a review of a physical batman book and I cant even begin to tell you guys how great it feels to be sitting here at my laptop writing this and knowing ill be able to hop on down to my local comic shop and pick up a new Batman comic. After what feels like has been months of waiting, DC has partnered up with two new distributors to be able to slowly get new comics back out to shops which isn’t only great for us fan, but its great for all of these shops around the world that have been suffering because of the halt of new books being shipped. Its also great to be jumping back in with what I believe to be one of the best team up books currently being published at DC. Batman and the Outsiders is a perfect title to get us back into things especially since the story has been so incredible as of late and is ramping us up for something big to come. So now that I got to ramble on to you guys a little bit about my excitement of being back, let’s get into the review!
After a bit of a break, Batman and the Outsiders #12 returns us back to the Outsiders preparing to take on Ras Al Ghul as he carries out his plan to destroy everything. This issue really takes a step back from the teams’ actions and instead gives us more of an emotional side of things as all of the characters deal with their own internal struggles in advanced of what could be the end of them all. Bryan Hill does a beautiful job really peeling back all the capes and cowls of these heroes and misfits and showing us a more vulnerable side of these tough and courageous figures. The story takes us between all of the characters as they interact more on a one on one basis exploring the emotions each one of them is facing internally and the story progresses through them all before taking us back to the preparation and action ahead for the Outsiders. Hill does an excellent job exploring these characters struggles without going over the top or under delivering their moods and keeping the reader engaged and does this in a way that pulls on our own emotions making it so we can relate to the more human side of these characters. The story then progresses into the climax which then gets us excited and pumped and right back into the action knowing the fate these heroes may face but still feeling their struggles. The reader is engaged by the story all the way until the last page and we are left excited and ready to see what’s next for this story arc. Personally, I feel this is one of the best written issues so far from Hill and the way the story ends leaves us intrigued and wanting more right away which is how I feel a comic should always leave off Just an all around enjoyable script for this issue.
With a script this deep and enjoyable you couldn’t ask for a better artist then Dexter Soy to bring those emotions to life visually. Soy rally sets himself apart from other artists with his stunning art in this series and this issue really shows how beautiful he tells the story visually for us. The character designs in the series are probably my favorite out of any other series out there right now. The characters all have a more realistic look to them with an edgy and gritty feel that comes off the pages at the same time giving us an impactful visual for this story. The panel work of this issue also has that edgy feel with Soy limiting the number of panels and giving us more panel breaks and art outside of them which really hep set this story apart from others from a visual standpoint. Soy labors all the details in all of his work and you can tell by how little of his work is left unfilled or bare. I like to say that he adds detail to the detail which just makes it that much more incredible. Veronica Gandini is also a master of her craft giving us beautiful and emotion filled colors on top of Soy’s work that really just makes it that much more engaging and creates a mesmerizing look and feel to the visual story being told by the art team. There are very few instances of flats in this issue with all the colors flowing together in perfect harmony of each other. The letters of this issue also all read very easily and are clean and clear and crisp which is almost a given when Clayton Cowles is behind them. Normally I try not to make such bold statements, but I believe this series consists of not only the best art but also the best art team. The styles of each member really just make the others that much better and has created some of the most amazing visuals I have ever seen in a comic book. Just a stunning work overall that make my eyeballs very happy!
With such an emotionally deep and exciting script brought to life by some of the most visually stunning art out there, we really couldn’t have asked for a better first book back into the Batman world of stories. This issue has everything we have been missing in comics and really gets us back into the exciting escape that we all probably need more now than ever. DC really couldn’t have picked a better time to release such an amazing issue that will help get us back into the exciting world of these stories we love and need right now. Batman and the Outsiders #12 is available today so after you are done reading this review head out to your local comic shop if they are open or you can order a copy online from a number of shops doing ship to home right now. It is also available in digital format and you can read it from your favorite digital retailer. I am so grateful to back writing these reviews and this story was exactly what I needed to read to get me back excited and into the swing of things. I hope all of you guys stay safe and please be sure to check back every week as we ramp back up into full review mode here at Comics the Gathering,
-Wes Greer
Art – Dexter Soy
Colors – Veronica Gandini
Letters – Clayton Cowles
Publisher – DC Comics
Well, it has been awhile since I got to do a review of a physical batman book and I cant even begin to tell you guys how great it feels to be sitting here at my laptop writing this and knowing ill be able to hop on down to my local comic shop and pick up a new Batman comic. After what feels like has been months of waiting, DC has partnered up with two new distributors to be able to slowly get new comics back out to shops which isn’t only great for us fan, but its great for all of these shops around the world that have been suffering because of the halt of new books being shipped. Its also great to be jumping back in with what I believe to be one of the best team up books currently being published at DC. Batman and the Outsiders is a perfect title to get us back into things especially since the story has been so incredible as of late and is ramping us up for something big to come. So now that I got to ramble on to you guys a little bit about my excitement of being back, let’s get into the review!
After a bit of a break, Batman and the Outsiders #12 returns us back to the Outsiders preparing to take on Ras Al Ghul as he carries out his plan to destroy everything. This issue really takes a step back from the teams’ actions and instead gives us more of an emotional side of things as all of the characters deal with their own internal struggles in advanced of what could be the end of them all. Bryan Hill does a beautiful job really peeling back all the capes and cowls of these heroes and misfits and showing us a more vulnerable side of these tough and courageous figures. The story takes us between all of the characters as they interact more on a one on one basis exploring the emotions each one of them is facing internally and the story progresses through them all before taking us back to the preparation and action ahead for the Outsiders. Hill does an excellent job exploring these characters struggles without going over the top or under delivering their moods and keeping the reader engaged and does this in a way that pulls on our own emotions making it so we can relate to the more human side of these characters. The story then progresses into the climax which then gets us excited and pumped and right back into the action knowing the fate these heroes may face but still feeling their struggles. The reader is engaged by the story all the way until the last page and we are left excited and ready to see what’s next for this story arc. Personally, I feel this is one of the best written issues so far from Hill and the way the story ends leaves us intrigued and wanting more right away which is how I feel a comic should always leave off Just an all around enjoyable script for this issue.
With a script this deep and enjoyable you couldn’t ask for a better artist then Dexter Soy to bring those emotions to life visually. Soy rally sets himself apart from other artists with his stunning art in this series and this issue really shows how beautiful he tells the story visually for us. The character designs in the series are probably my favorite out of any other series out there right now. The characters all have a more realistic look to them with an edgy and gritty feel that comes off the pages at the same time giving us an impactful visual for this story. The panel work of this issue also has that edgy feel with Soy limiting the number of panels and giving us more panel breaks and art outside of them which really hep set this story apart from others from a visual standpoint. Soy labors all the details in all of his work and you can tell by how little of his work is left unfilled or bare. I like to say that he adds detail to the detail which just makes it that much more incredible. Veronica Gandini is also a master of her craft giving us beautiful and emotion filled colors on top of Soy’s work that really just makes it that much more engaging and creates a mesmerizing look and feel to the visual story being told by the art team. There are very few instances of flats in this issue with all the colors flowing together in perfect harmony of each other. The letters of this issue also all read very easily and are clean and clear and crisp which is almost a given when Clayton Cowles is behind them. Normally I try not to make such bold statements, but I believe this series consists of not only the best art but also the best art team. The styles of each member really just make the others that much better and has created some of the most amazing visuals I have ever seen in a comic book. Just a stunning work overall that make my eyeballs very happy!
With such an emotionally deep and exciting script brought to life by some of the most visually stunning art out there, we really couldn’t have asked for a better first book back into the Batman world of stories. This issue has everything we have been missing in comics and really gets us back into the exciting escape that we all probably need more now than ever. DC really couldn’t have picked a better time to release such an amazing issue that will help get us back into the exciting world of these stories we love and need right now. Batman and the Outsiders #12 is available today so after you are done reading this review head out to your local comic shop if they are open or you can order a copy online from a number of shops doing ship to home right now. It is also available in digital format and you can read it from your favorite digital retailer. I am so grateful to back writing these reviews and this story was exactly what I needed to read to get me back excited and into the swing of things. I hope all of you guys stay safe and please be sure to check back every week as we ramp back up into full review mode here at Comics the Gathering,
-Wes Greer
A Look Inside
