Customer Reviews

Teen Titans/Outsiders: The Insiders

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After hitting a high point with the "Lights Out" storyline, the Geoff Johns incarnation of the Teen Titans sort of takes a stumble with the next story arc, a crossover with Judd Winick's The Outsiders called simply, "The Insiders", and written as a collaboration between Johns & Winick.

The story is okay, but nothing more. One member of each team (the Titans and the Outsiders) is seemingly possessed, goes berserk, and attacks their erstwhile friends. Both groups then go and team-up to try and find out what the heck is going on, and to bring their "traitors" back in. The trail leads them back to the scene of a previous tragedy, and a showdown that is both gut wrenching and tragic at the same time. And lays further clues and seeds for the Infinite Crisis, soon to rage across the DCU.

The problem with this story is that, in many ways, there really isn't one. Rather, the whole thing is one long, extended fight scene that keeps moving to different locales. Kind of like those fighting video games where each round takes place in a different stadium. Yes, there is some explanation of what is going on and why the two team members have "betrayed" everyone; it doesn't quite make sense, and one gets the feeling that there's still something more to it that we're not getting. Johns & Winick do have a go at making it all sound reasonable, but quite frankly, this time it comes out as something of a mess.

Clearly, this story was planned from the beginning of both runs of The Outsiders and the Teen Titans, because the seeds for this showdown were laid practically at the very beginning of each series. But with that much lead time, you'd think they'd have come up with something more substantial than this.

This TPB also reprints two other issues, one from Teen Titans, the other from The Outsiders. Although not part of The Insiders arc proper, both work as nice codas to the story. I particularly enjoyed the Teen Titans one, which has Raven helping a fellow Titan sort out recent events.

Thankfully, the art of The Insiders is top notch. Matthew Clark does half the issues here (two Teen Titans and one The Outsiders), Carlos D'Anda does two issues (both for The Outsiders), and the aforementioned Teen Titans coda story was penciled by Tony Daniel. Interestingly, this volume contains the first issues by the two current principal artists of Teen Titans and The Outsiders - Tony Daniel (principal artist for Teen Titans) and Matthew Clark (principal artist for The Outsiders) both have their debut issues for their respective titles collected in this volume.

Bottom line: It's readable, but not great. Compared to what came before and what's come since, in both titles, this story arc was something of a disappointment. And this is coming from someone who otherwise likes Winick's Outsiders and LOVES Johns' Titans. Still, it is somewhat necessary to understand some of the things going on in later storylines, both in the two titles and in Infinite Crisis. I just wish the story lived up to the two years of build up it was given.

I've been following Winick's run on "Outsiders" since the beginning, and I had to get this after the cliffhanger in Vol. 3. I was giving Winick one more chance to "wow" me after being a little disappointed with the writing in #3. To my surprise, this book works. Maybe collaborating with DC heavyweight Geoff Johns did the trick. There is a ton of action, releasing built-up tension from both books. Traitors are found in both super-groups! This is a classic comic book plot device (some may call it a cliche, but hey, this ain't Shakespeare folks). The story also has a nice feeling of winding down, showing the characters' emotional reactions to the major events they just lived through.

All of the pencillers on this book do a bang-up job, especially Matthew Clark. He has a clean style that never feels cartoon-y. I'll be on the lookout for more of his work.

I really enjoyed "Insiders." So Mr. Judd Winick, you've got me for at least one more volume of "Outsiders." Don't blow it!

I'll have to preface this review with the revelation that I am not a regular reader or fan of The Outsiders.

Perhaps if I was, I would have enjoyed this TPB and story much more.

As it stands I rate it 3 stars, since I can not give it a 2-and-a-half stars rating.

The Teen Titans side of the TPB is, for me, much stronger. The art is just better, cleaner, more "professional" seeming.

Likewise, the impact on the characters seems much more interesting and vital than in the Outsiders side of things.

In the Titans we have a major character that is now given a new, interesting facet to deal with.

With the Outsiders we have a new, almost unknown character who ultimately leaves the scene.

That the TPB does not pick up and deal with things that were revealed in the previous TPB or issue of The Outsiders is a flaw, in my eyes.

This TPB can be glossed over on the store shelves and the reader will still get the story and still understand the impact of the events within. There are no subtle points.

I am very interested in the future fate of Superboy in relation to what occurs in this story, and I hope that the event that instigates Indigo's ultimate fate is expanded upon more in TPBs or issues to come. But neither of these make up for the detractions in this arc/TPB.

Out of curiosity, I picked up a current issue of Teen Titans (issue 17, I think) and was impressed by the ease with which I could figure out who was who, without having to go back and recollect the entire series of books. That made me pretty happy. I've been collecting that title and the Outsiders ever since.

This story arc begins with Superboy (Conner Kent) deciding to reveal the secret of his parentage with the rest of the team. Turns out that he was cloned by Cadmus Labs from DNA taken from Superman and Lex Luthor. Who knew. (I'm still trying to wrap my head around how they managed to clone him from DNA from, well, two males...where is the female chromosome, hmm?) Meanwhile, over at the Outsiders headquarters, Indigo (a blue-skinned humanoid robot, who knew) starts acting funny right after they receive the signal from the Titans that Conner has gone rogue. All of the sudden...Indigo is glowing with strange, pink circuitry and announcing "I am Brainiac 8! I am your destruction!" I was hooked from that point on.

I know I'm encapsulating the plot too simply, but again, I'm a dedicated Marvel reader, and I am still getting to know DC's characters. Humor me. I read the "Light" story arc in single issues in Teen Titans before buying this, so I had already begun to like that series. When I picked up the first individual issue of this arc, and it had the lead-in page in the back saying to buy the next "Outsiders" issue, I initially groaned about having to buy another title to see what happened next. Initially. Now I regularly collect Outsiders, too.

I loved the artwork. I love Judd Winick as a writer, particularly the Juniper Lee cartoon on Cartoon Network. His humor is snappy and he has a nice flair for dialogue, since he makes conversations sound like something you would overhear at the coffee shop instead of inflated and "superhero-ly." The inks in the issues of the Outsiders in this TPB are dark and threatening, which fits. It reminds me of old issues of Marvel's "New Mutants" when Bill Sienciewicz was still the principal artist.

The villains are well-defined and rise to the occasion, they're pretty evil. Lex Luthor reminds you of why you love to hate him. Brainiac is back, once again trying to conquer humanity (at least as far as I can tell; but he's definitely evil).

I love the intergroup friendships, and the whole concept of all the "sidekicks" from popular DC duos forming their own team(s). I also like the aspect of the Outsiders "passing the torch" to the younger Titans team, including all of the personal risks and potentially endangering their lives.

The problem with taking the Outsiders and Titans titles from this story arc and printing them in one TPB is that it is not seamless. You have the Titans issues, written for a slightly younger audience, sandwiched between the snarkier, grittier Outsiders issues. This creates slight holes and a WIDE gap in the style of dialogue as you read from one chapter to the next.

This story offers frequent, steady doses of action and dark comedy, which I like. The tragic end to one of the characters (I won't say who; some of you have read this already, anyway) was bittersweet but worked, especially in the aftermath, as you watch the remaining characters left behind dealing with their loss.

So, this was worth buying as a collection if, like me, you missed an issue or two because your local bookstore didn't carry it or sold out of it. After reading this, I've decided Grace Choi is my new favorite heroine. Potty mouth and all.

This was actually a pretty good crossover as far as crossovers go anyway. The Titans and the Outsiders both have a member betray them. They art is awesome and the writing is pretty good. If you like either series pick it up and read it you will enjoy it.

Obviously a crossover story between the two teams. Each team has a member who has been turned against them. Indigo, in the case of the Outsiders, has Brainiac problems. Superboy, in the case of the Titans, has Luthor problems. Taken by surprise, they need to regroup and deal with this. Trying to stop a Superboy is not very easy to do without dying.

The story is not a bad one, but the combination of writers can be feeled.

Although it doesn have good action scenes, seems to be the events that take place here come in a rush (although expected) and that make the book feel a little, I don't know, hurried.

The art is good, but it didn't made me feel the sense of flow between frames. Is not like I felt with Infinite Crisis or Identity Crisis. That took a bit out f the comic.

Still, I recommend it if you are following the Teen Titans or Outsiders books. It does lead incredibly well to Infinite Crisis too.

After the cliffhanger ending to the third TPB of Outsiders (Wanted), this crossover book is a must-read. The teams' interaction is written effortlessly by both writers, who are clearly relishing the chance to play with each other's toys as it were, using the new dynamics to let both teams shine.

Judd Winick is uniquely gifted at writing the human side of superheroes, and this collection features one issue that allows the Outsiders a quiet moment of reflection and mourning. These are the moments that make this series so compelling and Winick one of my favorite writers.

Contains issues #24 - 26 of the Teen Titans series, and #24,25,& 28 of the Outsiders series.