Convergence: Batman and the Outsiders #1

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undeadpool

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Edited By undeadpool

The Good

Convergenceis becoming a strange beast unto itself, and it’s one that clearly requires a deft touch. It’s a massive event dealing with well-known players, but it’s dealing with them at various times in their existence, and that means a lot of alternate dimensional stuff that calls up DC’s most ingrained, esoteric roots. Which is why it requires a very, very specific kind of story to resonate both with longtime fans and newly minted ones, and this issue is a fantastic example of how to do that. Marc Andreyko had the unenviable position of taking up the mantle of BATWOMAN after one of the most spectacular runs in the character’s history, and he did the best with what he had. Given the opportunity to be more unrestrained here, he does some truly great work. Every character manages to get their moment, and not just the big guy who’s name is at the top of the title, we get to see someone who has actually BENEFITTTED from the bizarre dome that has cut off Gotham from the rest of the world(s), and that is, far and away, the most interesting thing in this issue. Through all the hardship, there’s someone who’s benefitting and doesn’t even feel guilty about it. Andreyko gives us a bunch of truly great character moments, though, ranging across the entire roster and culminating with a Batman who, perhaps for the first time in his career, is truly at a loss of what to do next. Painting Batman as vulnerable without painting him as weak is another tricky thing to accomplish, but this issue threads the needle very, very well.

Carlos D’Anda helps give this issue an ironclad emotional core, and does it in an unexpected way: through highly cartoonish character designs. The characters and backgrounds in this issue have a wonderfully over-the-top look that still has its grounding in realistic proportions and allows for some great melodrama to be communicated across characters’ faces. Since many readers may be meeting these characters for the first time, the exaggerated appearances can help bring a core of more raw emotion and invest the reader in their struggles more readily. Gabe Eltaeb’s colors do a fantastic job evoking the Pre-Crisis DCU that these characters are drawn from, starkly contrasting the dark themes with bold, sharp colors.

The Bad

There’s definitely a feeling of missing out if these characters don’t already have an emotional connection to the reader. While the creative team does a great job of establishing one very quickly, there’s a slight sense of hollowness that comes from not knowing who the major players are to one another, or to their loved ones, that unfortunately resonates through the issue.

The Verdict

This is a great example of very quickly investing the reader in characters they might not be entirely familiar with, and while it doesn’t fully work, it works enough to make this issue incredibly compelling. This is an issue where what happens next has a measure of suspense and stakes because these characters don’t NEED to survive this event, so the emotion that’s already been invested in them can be ripped away at a moment’s notice. And that is the definition of anxiety.

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senglord

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Vulnerable and not weak is the biggest hurdle to writing street level characters. And very few can get that. Worth a look.

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deactivated-5c6600594117e

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That cover is gorgeous.

Loved the classic Outsiders team.

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HolySerpent

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This was a decent issue.

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BigAl_81

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TERRIBLE continuity fck-up across this ish & FLASH#1....won't spoil it but if you've read both books, you'll know what it is.

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Surza7

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#6  Edited By Surza7

this issue was great.I had no idea who some of the characters were but it was just really well told I felt.This and Green Lantern Corps were my highlights~

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detective38

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This book really isnt for new readers that dont know the characters but if you loved the old series its great

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Great review!

"I may be a detective, but even the best detectives need clues." Alright. I'll buy that. However, Sherlock Holmes found clues in details through careful minute observation. This is a point that tells me that Batman does not operate best on the cosmic plane. Batman, like Green Arrow, works well on a grounded street level.

I've not read it, but Convergence seems very much like No Man's Land. I get that Batman would be most stymied. Which is a great place to put him - outside his comfort zone. I have no plans to read Convergence, I mostly picked up the tie-in titles, like this one for nostalgia's sake.

Interesting that Batman and The Outsiders would face OMAC...