Outsiders (vol.2) #1Ω (November, 1993)
"Ashes & Blood"
Writer - Mike W. Barr
Pencils - Paul Pelletier
Inks - Robert Campanella
Letters - Ken Bruzenak
Colors - Stuart Chaifetz
Editor - Bill Kaplan
Cover Price: $1.75
Well, yesterday we closed out a year with an "alpha" issue... so, today we'll ring in the new one with an "omega"... why not, right? Who we hurtin'?
While we're talkin' bout it... Happy New Year friends! Welcome to perhaps the only place on the internet where the only mention of anything Gregorian will be Geo-Force's nephew, the Crown Prince of Markovia! Don't worry though, I won't try and impress upon you that he doesn't matter (while coming across all smug and self-satisfied)... although, as far as this story is concerned, he really doesn't.
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We open with Katana in a Markovian hotel room she's sharing with Halo... who happens to be in an iron lung. I'm not exactly sure the whens, whys and hows of Halo's current condition... but, it'll be a moot point by the end of the issue (or, if you've already read Outsiders (vol.2) #1α, it already is!). Anyhoo, they're in town... er, country, for the Christening of the Crown Prince of Markovia, Gregor Markov II! They're not the only ones either! The Briggs's's's (that's Looker and her husband, natch) are also present and accounted for! We see them enjoying themselves while chatting up Brion's ladyfriend, Denise.
The Christening goes off without a hitch, Queen Ilona presents the child, and he is Christened. With what we know from the α issue, you'd figure she'd wanna be kept as far away from Holy Water as possible, am I right? Anyhoo... everything goes swimmingly, and the Royal Family retires back to the Palace.
Brion and Ilona chat for a bit, before Geo-Force heads back to the festivities. Once he's gone from sight, our man Roderick shows his ugly mug. We get a little insight as to the collusion between he and the Queen... and learn that she will eventually be made immortal (don't bank on that!).
Brion rejoins his ladyfriend, Denise... and sorta-kinda asks her to marry him in the most casual way possible. Before she can answer, however, he receives a phone call from Gardner Grayle, the Atomic Knight! He's working on a way to help restore Gaby to normal(ish).
We shift scenes back to the Queen, as she addresses her council. She intends to share the news of Prince Brion's betrayal on television... and they're not entirely on board with this decision, probably because it's bunk. No matter though, she does the thing anyway.
Katana is watching this unfold on television while eating her dinner. Once the bombshell is dropped, she realizes that she's "on the clock". It's a good thing she decides to "arm up" too... as she's immediately attacked by a group of (what else?) vampires! Meanwhile back at the Palace, we see that Roddy has taken care of the Councilmen.
While Katana beats back the horde (gotta say, Pelletier delivers an awesome-looking Tatsu!), the Briggs's's are also attacked by the vampies! After getting slammed into a wall, Lia Briggs transforms into... Looker, and she goes absolutely ape! Another wonderfully-drawn scene... this Pelletier guy, I tell ya.
Looker, who is with Greg Briggs and Brion's maybe-sorta-fiance Denise, uses her powers to get them to leave... making them think they're all leaving together. This sequence wasn't the clearest to follow, but not nearly as confusing as it could've been.
Looker rendezvous with Katana and helps her finish off the last of the vampires... one of which is carrying an automatic gun of sorts! Gotta remember, this was the 90's. Anyhoo, some of the errant gunfire happens to hit Gaby's iron lung. Okay, that there was a sentence I never thought I'd write... and one that has stopped this piece in its tracks while I giggle uncontrollably. Apologies to anyone currently in an iron lung.
Tatsu freaks out that Gaby will suffocate without the artificial oxygen... but Looker ain't all that worried. She lifts Gaby out of the device, makes her look into her eyes and... bingo-bango, she's all good again... she just looks like a member of Power Pack now.
The ladies suit up and head off into action... which brings us right up to that scene we saw yesterday, where Geo-Force and the three newbies break in under the castle walls... only to be interrupted by Roderick.
You know what's coming next, a big ol' Outsider on Vampire skirmish... this time out, however, we follow Looker inside the castle... where she runs into Roderick who had just done the televised neck-snapping thing.
We wrap up with Roddy... plunging his fangs into Lia's neck, which brings us right to the same exact ending as in the α issue!
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Okay, I know I was pretty down on this one yesterday... and I still kinda am. I mean, the story isn't any great shakes... but there's something about these characters that just draws me in. Though, I'm sure the fantastic art is doing at least some of the heavy-lifting.
Let's touch on the "gimmick" for a second. While yesterday's α issue was definitely an "incomplete package", I feel like it gave a more "complete" look at what was going on. Like, if you had to choose only one of these to read, the α issue would/should likely be the one.
This one provides a good amount of flavor... but, outside of the Halo recovery and Lia getting bit... it's not terribly necessary. They could have (and perhaps should have... for narrative sake) just made Outsiders (vol.2) #1 an over-sized issue and tacked an extra 50-cents onto the cover price. Of course, that's not going to juice sales like the α/Ω gimmick... but, it would sure read a lot better!
I'm not even sure how well this performed on the market. I'm missing the issue of Wizard that would have had the Top 100 the month this came out... but in subsequent months Outsiders (vol.2) doesn't even chart! That is to say, there were at least 100 better-selling comics on the market. Not a great way to kick off a new series... though, the market was a strange and interesting thing back in the long ago.
Narratively speaking, I can only really compare this to the storytelling method in the final season of Lost... that "flash-sideways" or whatever the called it. We're getting bits and pieces... but, it's not so much exposition or background information... we're getting the same amount of info, just in a really odd (and unsatisfying) way.
Really, the best thing about this issue... and I hate to go all gushy-fanboy here, but... it's Paul Pelletier's art! It's crazy to consider, dude was so good back in 1993... and has only gotten better! I'd say if you came across this in the bins, it'd be worth a look for the art alone. The fact that it's a gimmicky 90's relic... well, it might be worth grabbing for novelty's sake as well. Like I said yesterday, this is available digitally from DC... and it's an all-in-one (α/Ω)! Also like I said yesterday, I'm actually tempted to grab it, if only to see if they played around with the pagination... though, I couldn't imagine that they would.
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The α and Ω of Covers:
covers by Travis Charest
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Outsiders (vol.2) #1α (November, 1993)
"Blood & Ashes"
Writer - Mike W. Barr
Pencils - Paul Pelletier
Inks - Robert Campanella
Letters - Ken Bruzenak
Colors - Stuart Chaifetz
Editor - Bill Kaplan
Cover Price: $1.75
Happy New Year's Eve, friends!
We're going to be doing things a little oppositty here at the blog... we're going to close out 2018 with an "Alpha" issue, and ringing in 2019 with an "Omega" issue! That's right, back in ye old 1993, DC decided to release two different versions of Outsiders (vol.2) #1! Oddly enough, this happened two years before the Marvel event I usually blame for the Alpha/Omega issues, Age of Apocalypse! Good on ya, DC, rolling out the irritating stunts first!
Now, it is New Years... so, we do have a decision to make. Are we going to be more annoyed tomorrow by people quoting Neil Whatshisface Tyson about how "New Years Day is meaningless" or are we going to be more annoyed by the people who express outrage at those quoters?
Makes me wonder, before we had social media... how could we so effortlessly and carelessly attempt to ruin other peoples' good time? That's what we in the biz call "Progress", my friends!
Anyhoo, let's knock this one out... I've got about 18 hours of Twilight Zone episodes I've seen skatey-eight hundred times before waiting for me.
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We open in Markovia, where a vampire has decided that his next feast will be on the Outsiders. He wanders passed a cave, where he gets the attention of a rather large bear... who decides its next feast will be on the vampire. A man (who we'll meet in a bit) watches the whole thing go down, and seems more than pleased to see the vampire get his.
The following morning, we head to a different part of the country, where a pair of fellas named Barron and Wylde are visiting in order to try and sell the Markovian Royal Family some security. They are greeted by Brion (Geo-Force) Markov... who hands over a gift as a sign of a warm welcome. There's a bit of a hiccup here, as Barron's assistant, Wylde slaps the package away... just as it explodes! Wylde says that it looked different from the other packages he wrapped... which would imply that they brought it with them, though here, it's clearly Brion giving it to them.
Inside the palace, the security salesmen meet Queen Ilona... wife to Brion's late-brother, Gregor Markov. She is wheelchair-bound, and recently gave birth to Brion's nephew, Gregor, Jr. The salesmen show their stuff... and it's a pretty unimpressive-looking suit. Upon seeing the suit, Brion shoots them down. Ilona isn't pleased with being upstaged in front of the salesmen, and reams him out in the next room. She says he "contradicted her", which I didn't see happen... maybe that's a scene from the Ω issue?
Anyhoo, Queen Ilona decides it might be best for Brion to have some "time away", and he doesn't seem all that bothered by that. After he leaves, we see that this dialogue has been witnessed by a vampire named Roderick. It's revealed that they (Roddy and Ilona) were behind the bomb in the package... which, again, makes me wonder how Wylde noticed it? Anyhoo, they realize they want Brion out of the picture, and figure they'll have an "accident" befall him during his time away.
We jump over to Brion as he unpacks at his Summer cottage (complete with armed-guard at the door). The place is attacked by a swarm of vampires! Brion is able to hold his own, and even winds up staking a few! Before the last one "dies", it tells its would-be target that vampires have infiltrated the country... and it's already too late. Brion suits up.
Back at a hotel, Charlie Barron is trying on the "Technocrat" suit, when he receives a call from his wife. The phone cuts out, and so he and Wylde decide to have a look around to see what's up. Once outside, they find themselves pursued by bear! Wylde unloads his pistol into its gut... which doesn't do much to slow it down. The bear rips away at his belly, at which time Wylde jabs a knife into its throat... killing it. But, ya know... he's probably going to die from his injuries anyway...
... or is he? Enter: that dude from the beginning of the issue. We learn that this man goes by the name Faust... as in Sebastian Faust, son of Felix. This is his first appearance, so... bags and boards at the ready! Anyhoo, Faust says it isn't too late to save Wylde, and gets to work with the hoo-doo.
The result is a disturbing amalgamation of Wylde and the killer bear. Before our man-beast can get a good look at himself, the trio are descended upon by... vampires! Technocrat is able to take them out with some electrified darts.
Back at the Castle, Roderick prepares Ilona for her upcoming appearance on Markovian television... where she will announce that Brion Markov is a traitor to their people.
Speaking of Brion, once he enters the area, he finds himself attacked by vampires Wylde! It's a short-lived skirmish, and they are able to straighten things out pretty quickly... like in a matter of a panel or two.
The now-foursome heads toward Castle Markovia, and digs themselves in under the walls. Once inside they meet... the rest of the Outsiders! That's Halo, Katana, and Looker. If we wanna know how they got here, we're going to have to check out Outsiders (vol.2) #1 Ω... which we will, tomorrow. Anyhoo, they're reunion is interrupted by the pontification of Roderick!
He sends some vampires out... which means we get a couple of pages of Outsider on Vampire action... including holy water! While this goes down, Brion gives chase to Roddy... who leads him right into Castle Markovia's in-house TV/Media center!
Now here's where it gets clever. Roderick wraps his hands around Ilona's throat... Brion rushes over to pull him off of her... just as he does, however, Roderick snaps Ilona's neck! Now, what's so clever about that? Well... Roderick's a vampire, and so he isn't picked up by cameras... which means, all of Markovia just saw Geo-Force snap the neck of their beloved Queen!
Roderick takes advantage of the shocked Brion, and smacks him around a bit before taking his leave. When Geo-Force comes to, he heads into the hallway, where he is greeted by the rest of the Outsiders... who inform him that Looker has been killed! The following day, news of the apparent assassination has spread globally!
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Ya know, I talked about a choice we have to make up in the preamble... and now, I'm met with another. What's more boring? A whole lotta vampires... or a whole lotta zombies? Luckily, that one can (and will) end in a tie.
Gotta say, up to the very end of this issue, I just wasn't feeling it. It was written in a rather confusing way... which, I mean, we could "write off" as being fleshed out in the Ω issue. That is, if some of these boggling bits actually are! I get that this is a gimmick, and I understand why they did this... I mean, during the early-to-mid 90's, DC figured out a way to release two #1 issues in a month (week, even!). It's a great way to juice sales, but that doesn't make it a satisfying read.
We can look at the torrent of Team Titans #1's... each with a variant origin story. Scuzzy move? Sure... but, you didn't need to buy all five to keep up with the ongoing narrative... the origin bits were just added flavor to flesh out characters who (I'm guessing) DC assumed would be around for a long time. With this stunt, we're losing out on half the story... and, I mean... there are footnotes saying "Confused? Well, you wouldn't be if you read the other half of this story!" That's kinda lame, innit?
Okay, enough of the gimmick... what about the issue itself? Markovian intrigue never really rocked my socks, but the way this one wrapped up was incredibly clever! It really took me aback for a moment there... the entire world thinks Geo-Force snapped the Queen's neck! Really well-done, and really compelling.
The new characters we meet here are... fine. Faust, Technocrat, and Wylde... decent enough, I guess. The latter two won't really get much play outside of this title... which might be for the best. I will say that it is refreshing to see new (non-derivative) characters introduced any-which-way-we-can though! We don't get enough of that anymore.
I'd be remiss not to mention that (despite the Image-looking cover) this issue is drawn by my main man, Paul Pelletier! Just love his work... though, his Halo kinda looks like she should be starring in Power Pack at this point. Everything else though, is tops!
Overall... this is a bargain-bin book at this point, and one that shouldn't be too terribly hard to track down. I always look at this volume as the "forgotten" one. It doesn't get all that much play. I'd say this is worth checking out for the art, and the twist ending! This issue (α and Ω together in one file) is available digitally. I'm almost tempted to grab it myself to see how it's paginated!
I'll close out today by being just the latest person to wish you a Happy and Safe New Year. There'll be a lotta jerks on the roads tonight... don't add to their number!
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Outsiders (vol.2) #17 (April, 1995)
"Sibling Rivalry: The Truth About Terra!"
Writer - Mike W. Barr
Penciller - Paul Pelletier
Inks - Robert Campanella
Letters - Kevin Cunningham
Colors - Gene D'Angelo
Associate Editor - Eddie Berganza
Editor - Kevin Dooley
Cover Price: $1.95
Today we're going to take a look at, what I usually refer to as the "forgotten" volume of Outsiders. I mean, even to this day... I sometimes forget that it even happened! Anytime I come across an issue in the bins (which is, admittedly, pretty often) I'm surprised that it exists. Not sure what it is about it...
Also... we're finally going to solve the riddle that is Terra... the other Terra, that is. I mean, this issue is called "The Truth About Terra!", they wouldn't be lying to us... would they?!
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We open with Geo-Force being forcibly ejected from the Titans' base. He's come to speak with Terra... the other Terra... the one who looks a whole heckuva lot like his half-sister, but isn't really... and, the Titans, for whatever reason, don't much like the idea. He finds himself faced with both Arsenal and Green Lantern... and a fight is on.
Roy hangs out on the ground while Kyle and Brion scuffle in the sky. What starts as a scrape turns into a full-on game of "chicken". Kyle and Brion soar directly for one another... however, at the very last moment...
... Darkstar, Donna Troy breaks up the melee. We get a pretty cute scene of Donna scolding the fellas as though they were children... which leads to a bit of finger-pointing. I'm going to mention this in our "review" portion... but, man alive... I love this art!
Back inside, Donna checks in with Terra... and asks if she'd be down with meeting her "brother". She's nervous that Brion won't actually listen to her... he won't see that she's not who he thinks she is... not really, anyway. She ultimately comes around, and Brion is allowed in to see her. Clearly nervous, he begins rambling on and on... you'd almost think he writes this blog! Anyhoo, Terra tells him to shut uppa his face so she can explain things.
She more or less tells him to calm his transference. She ain't that Tara... she ain't his half-sister. She goes on to say she's not sure who she is at all... which doesn't tell us a whole bunch. I feel like we might be using the title "The Truth About Terra!" a bit willy nilly here.
Brion tells her that he understands... but I ain't buyin' that for a second. Before they can continue, however, there is a rumbling, and Titans HQ is filled with gas! Brion is able to use his powers to cause the gas to settle to the floor, as to not asphyxiate anybody present. Then... giant mechs burst through the wall!
It's made clear from the get-go that they're here to nab Terra... which, I suppose is convenient for this story, ain't it? Anyhoo... the mech does in fact manage to grab her... and takes off, leaving Brion behind with a trio of angry and suspicious Titans.
Ya see, these mechs were of Markovian tech... and the Titans think Geo-Force might've had something to do with their arrival. Stands to reason, right? Like I said, it is pretty convenient. Brion is steadfast in his innocence, and even goes to contact the rest of the Outsiders to assist in the rescue. Speedy fires an arrow into Geo-Force's communicator (and also, his wrist?!) because the last thing they need is more "muscle" they can't trust.
On the very next page... we (and the heroes) find Terra. Wow... that was a lot of build up, wasn't it? Turns out, she was nabbed by Dr. Simone Kneidle... a Markovian scientist.
While the trio of Titans fight off more Markovian mechs, Geo-Force gets down to the nitty-gritty with the Doc. Her plan is to analyze Terra's abilities in hopes of duplicating them. Ya see, Markovia isn't as secure a country as it had been in the past. When Brion inquires as to why they resorted to kidnapping instead of simply asking... Kneidle kinda rolls her eyes... Terra only received her powers by the grace of Markovian technology anyway.
At this point, Terra wakes up... and she ain't happy. She snags the Doc in a rock-trap... and begins to squeeze. Brion tells her to let go before she allows herself to become just like the old Terra... and after a moments hesitation, she does.
Terra tells Doc Kneidle to bug off... after all, Markovia ain't her country. Brion apologizes for the hassle and ensures Tara that she's a better person than her namesake would suggest. Even though she's not his half-sister, she's still someone he'd like to get to know better. Terra agrees.
Geo-Force heads out, but not before stopping at the old Titans' graveyard so he can pay his respects to his actual half-sister... and by "pay respects" I mean, say how much closer he feels to his fake half-sister. Classy move, dude.
We wrap up by switching scenes entirely. We catch up with Outsiders (Sebastian) Faust and (a brunette) Halo outside of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. They talk a bit about the upcoming Batman movie... without calling it a Batman movie, natch.
Then... they're attacked by Felix Faust! He strikes, informing his son that old debts have come do. He then apparently vaporizes him! Oh, and he also messes up Gaby pretty good too!
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Whew, so glad we got to the bottom of the Terra mess.
Right?
Yeah, notsomuch, huh? We know, basically just as much as we did after reading Team Titans #6 (which came out two years earlier). This Terra ain't that Terra... and the world she comes from no longer exists. I mean... that's all we really knew... and it's all we really know now.
If you're a regular reader to the blog, you'll remember that, not too long ago, we talked a bit about the concept of transference. Then, it was about some of my own expectations regarding Ted Kord (and his ability to make me laugh)... today, we have it coming from Geo-Force.
Even after this encounter (and messy event), Geo-Force still wants to get to know this Terra better. Even though she's little more than a perfect stranger to him... he still can't let it go. I mean, it's only natural to be drawn to people we find familiar... I suppose that's why concepts like transference are so universal.
I do wish we had a little less action here... and more awkward "getting to know you" type chatter from the Markovs... though, it must be said... any opportunity to see Paul Pelletier draw action scenes is one I'm going to take. This fella... I mean, wow. He's definitely in my Top-5 of comics artists (probably even Top-3)!
There's a "freshness" about his work. It stands out from other DC art at the time... it has some of the (good) trappings of Image Comics art, without all of the crazy line-work and bad anatomy. And the faces? Oh man! Excellent, excellent faces! Just really, one of (to me) the best artists in comics. Can't say enough good about Paul Pelletier.
Overall... if you're reading this to get the skinny on "Terra-Two", well... you're probably going to be a bit let down. If you're just looking for a fun superhero romp, however, I think you'll dig this! This hasn't been collected... nor been made available digitally. Seems maybe this is the forgotten volume of Outsiders after all! Shouldn't be hard to find... and almost certainly won't break the bank (or even a buck!).
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Letters Page (including a review of the first year of the volume!):
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