Brainiac 8 > Brainiac 5
The Good: Ok, so, I have to say that D'Anda draws an even better Brainiac 8 than Matthew Clark. Clark draws a better Indigo, but D'Anda's Brainiac 8 is just superb in the depth of the cyberpunk details. It reminds me of something Tsutomu Nihei would design, and that's just awesome.
We get a closer look at how Indigo began, which is good for readers who jumped in after Graduation Day. At this juncture it also serves to highlight the tragedy of her betrayal.
The badass fight scene in this issue is much more interesting and personal than the one in Teen Titans. Sure Superboy's utter annihilation of the Teen Titans was awesome, but he basically fought everyone at once. Brainiac 8 gets much more personal with her combat, decimating each Outsider one on one at a time. This allows the banter to dig deep into each character's weak spots emtotionally. So all in all, Indigo's betrayal hits so much harder than Superboy who's obviously being controlled and doesn't even speak.
The Bad: The cover just doesn't work. At all. I understand the idea just fine, but the artist draws a really weird and stupid looking Brainiac 8. Just... ewww.
In Conclusion: 4/5
I feel like Winick is doing the best he can with this major change up forced upon him by Geoff Johns. From the progression previous in Outsiders, this feels like a sharp turn down a hidden alleyway. It doesn't seem quite right. But for what it is, it's damn well executed. Winick does a much better job getting more heart wrenching about the betrayal, as a betrayal this close should be.