So I did a video on comparing the classic Batman and the Outsiders #1 from 1983 with the new hotness. If you don’t want to click, I think it’s a fantastic read and everyone should read it and even get the awesome variants. I’d love to hear what you guys think about BatO!
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Schway video. Batman and The Outsiders is an evergreen favorite of mine. Not just the original series, but the concept as well.
I love the original volume, I loved the late '00’s series and I really like the current volume. Whenever the concept gets a new coat of paint, it always end up as either my favorite Batman title of the time, or a very close second favorite.
The original is the best and that’s admittedly a biased opinion. Jim Aparo’s art is incredible, and his takes on Batman and Katana are my all-time favorites.
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Yes, Batman & the Outsiders was a replacement for The Brave & the Bold. Here’s a quote from Mike Barr:
What happened was that one of DC’s foreign publishers, I think it was in South America, was publishing four Batman books as a weekly title. It was Batman , Detective , World’s Finest and Brave and the Bold , published weekly as a Batman title. So when Brave and the Bold was canceled, they wanted another Batman title to take its place, and I suggested Batman as the leader of a team of heroes.
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I always feel like a fool when a new version comes out because I go “oh this’ll be fine, but it won’t ever compare to -” and then I read it and add it onto my list of loves.
I’d definitely agree that the original, at least to me, was everything I didn’t know I needed in a comic at the time. I also got called a hipster during the Nightwing “Not The Titans” era because everyone was in love with the Titans and I was preaching the gospel of the Outsiders. It’s why I started working on the Reader’s History of the Outsiders just so I can go through the whole history and hopefully get more people interested in it.
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Thanks, mate! I swore I read about it before but I couldn’t find where or what interview it was when I did the original research for the video and it’s easily something I could have overlooked! Thank you!
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And preach on, you should. The Outsiders is one of the best teams in the DCU. I’d love to see a Batman and The Outsiders animated TV show, especially if the show’s character designs were to follow Jim Aparo’s comic designs.
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Now that would just be the best thing ever. I THINK that Young Justice may go that route if they do a Season 4 but yeah, the Aparo designs would be the way I’d live to see it done. Even if it’s just an animated one. Hell, I’d even do my friend’s price for script writing on it. xD
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Thanks for the video… nicely done! It’s always good to know that another Outsiders fan is on DCU! The team doesn’t get talked about enough. I’m partial to the original team from the 1980s, but I enjoyed the Nightwing/Arsenal team too. I need to check-out the new series, since it’s receiving high praise (and features two of the OG Outsiders, Katana and Black Lightning).
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Love Outsiders 83. Bought it when it came out!
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It’s definitely a good series to check out. I do have to give the asterisk that it is a continuation of a Detective Comics but I honestly showed up mostly for Black Lightning and Katana so the focus on them and giving Katana a hook where she can’t hear her sword is pretty good and so far it’s been a great read!
It was that cover, wasn’t it? Made me instantly read it when I was a kid.
The cover is a classic. There is a great meme edit of the cover with Batman joining Motorhead.
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I always kinda saw B&TO as the Batman take on Doom Patrol. A group of misfits & broken psyches brought together and realizing they can be heroes if they have the will to do so.
Loved the original run.
I’ve always wondered if the are going to relaunch a title like this that changing the main character (Batman) to somebody else, Black Canary or Ted Grant or another “street level” hero would be a good twist.
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I could actually see that.
I think that’s what I like about the new B&TO where Batman is there but the team itself is less about Batman and focusing on growing Black Lightning as a leader. Then again, it has a tone more akin to the Nightwing Era, at least on how I read it so that could also do it.
I’d love to see a non-Bat title for it though and hopefully it can get popular enough to spin out of the shadow of the Bat.