Review – Outsiders No. 10: Chekhov’s Gun Fires

Outsider #10 – Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, writers; Robert Carey, artist; Valentina Taddeo, colorist

Beam – 9/10

Beam: This series ends after just one more issue – and my goodness, was it a journey. What started as a sci-fi adventure starring Batwing and Batwoman evolved into the most sci-fi-heavy DC comic in a long time – and then became a direct sequel to the famous Wildstorm epic Planetary, introducing concepts like the Carrier and featuring the return of Jakita Wagner, who turns out to be a survivor of DC’s many crises and the last to remember the lost worlds – something that hasn’t exactly left her sane, to say the least. As the superhero “Drummer,” she seems to be a force for good – but that was all just a feint. Everything in this series has been a prequel to this issue, where she takes control of the Carrier and its artificial intelligence, merging several elements to create a weapon that will tear the multiverse apart and start anew.

Such a turnaround is difficult to pull off and feels quite abrupt with only one issue left, but the scale of this issue is mind-boggling. The action takes place almost entirely in the wielder’s chamber as Jakita assembles her ultimate weapon, and she’s confronted by characters from across the series, including Jinny Hex, who makes a dramatic appearance alongside a Lovecraftian monster. We know, of course, that the multiverse won’t be destroyed in a soon-to-end spin-off book, but what makes this issue so successful is that it boils down the scale of the multiversal crisis to a surprisingly intimate story. There are a few characters, the fate of several worlds at stake, and some brilliant artwork that makes it extra dramatic. This is the kind of issue that really demands a re-read before the last issue because it’s really impressive how much detail and foreshadowing was used to set up our final chapter.

Reviews of all DC issues can be found under “DC This Week”.

GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.

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