The last two issues of Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly and Robert Careys outsider has to do with two different types of weapons: Batwoman fights a cursed weapon that forces anyone who picks it up to use violence, and Batwing with a giant cannon that can destabilize reality. outsider #10 brings both of these weapons into play, as Jakita Wagner, better known to readers as the Drummer, intends to use her destructive power to revive her universe, which will wipe out every other world in the multiverse. Can Batwoman and Batwing stop her in time?
Lanzing and Kelly use outsider to dive deep into the mechanics of storytelling in a shared universe. With this issue, they tackle the biggest question of all: what happens when a story ends? Endings in comics are rare, especially when it comes to shared universes, but the way Lanzing and Kelly write this comic makes it feel like the world is ending. They know how to build tension: most issues involve Batwing and Batwoman racing to stop Jakita. They know how to keep readers hooked: the ending wasn’t what I expected, and it sets the stage for the final issue.
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But I have to give credit to the Hivemind for managing to incorporate elements from previous issues into outsider #10. The Carrier, after learning of Jakita’s plans, summons Jenny Crisis, Ginny Hex and the giant Leviathan that the Outsiders rescued outsider #2 to stop them. It even uses an element from the haunted house episode! No element of this overarching narrative is wasted, and that’s impressive. Storylines often go unanswered for years in comics, and that’s only when the writers remember to revise them. While I feel like this series could go on for another year or two (or 10), I admire that nothing is left untouched.
The end of this series also means the end of Robert Carey’s artistic work and that is a shame because he delivered some breathtaking images. outsider He arguably reaches his peak in #10, delivering work that literally bursts off the page. There are moments with the Kaiju Child that show how huge he is, while at the end reality shatters and crumbles into pieces that fade to white thanks to Valentina Taddeo. Carey also understands how powerful Jakita is; whenever she hits something, it’s like being hit by a cruise missile: the ground explodes and a shockwave erupts, which he draws with almost loving detail.
outsider #10 is the beginning of the end of the story the creative team has been telling for nearly a year, and it explores what it means to “end” a story in a superhero universe. And I’ll also say that the end of the world never looked so good.
“Outsiders” No. 10 points a gun at reality… but does it fire?
Outsider #10
Outsiders #10 is the beginning of the end of the story the creative team has been telling for nearly a year, and it explores what it means to “end” a story in a superhero universe. And I’ll say it too: The end of the world never looked so good.
Lanzing and Kelly continue to explore the mechanics of storytelling in this series.
Carey’s artwork represents the high point of the series and features images that literally shatter the universe.
Builds on previous problems.
I’m not ready to end this series.
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