Outsiders #25 Annotations
by Andrew Dowdell
Thanks for joining us here at Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, a seriously fun look at the activities within the DC Universe. If you love comic books, and the DCU in particular, then I'm happy to have you drop by. In the past, I have written articles, reviews, and blogs dealing with Infinite Crisis, 52, Countdown to Final Crisis, Justice League of America and various other books, and after taking a year off to recharge my batteries, am excited to jump back into the world of review, analysis and trivia. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride...and feel free to e-mail or post a comment if you like! I'd be happy to hear from you!
"Turn to Stone"
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Fernando Pasarin and Derec Donovan
Inker: Keith Champagne, Fernando Pasarin and Derec Donovan
Editor: Michael Siglain
Synopsis
While Geo-Force, Owlman, Black Lighting and Metamorpho deal with Black Lantern Terra at the Outsiders' bunker, Katana, Halo and Creeper, with an assist from Killer Croc, fends off an attack by the Black Lantern Yamashiros. In the end, it is Halo, using her light-based abilities, who is able to destroy all of the Black Lanterns, but she mysteriously vanishes after the battle, leaving the rest of the Outsiders to pick up the pieces...
Notes
Page 1: Geo-Force, Black Lightning, Metamorpho, Owlman and Black Lantern Terra last appeared in Outsiders (fourth series) #24.
Page 2: I think that the lesson that I learned from this issue is that if your formerly dead sibling comes back to life and plunges your hand into their chest so that you can rip their heart out...well, then you're probably having a really bad day.
Page 3: Metamorpho, Owlman and Black Lightning are feeling hope after Terra's stirring speech, while Geo-Force feels love. The saps.
Pages 4-5: Ouch. That looked like it hurt.
Page 6: Katana and Black Lantern Maseo Yamashiro last appeared in Outsiders (fourth series) #24.
"It reminds me of our days before the boys..." Isn't it nice how Katana's long-dead husband can still sweet talk her?
Page 7: "Tell me, what did that magical little sword of yours see?" Katana's Soultaker sword allows her to capture and communicate with the souls of those she kills with it. By using it on the Black Lantern, she has touched the power of Nekron, which probably isn't a good thing.
Page 8: Halo, Creeper, Killer Croc and Black Lanterns Reiko and Yuki Yamashiro last appeared in Outsiders (fourth series) #24.
"It's no fun for us if you pass out." Black Lanterns are pretty sadistic. They like their victims to be alive and feeling the pain when they rip their hearts out of their chests.
Page 9: I don't know why I didn't mention this last time around, but little undead Japanese kids? Creepy.
Page 11: "Croc wants to go back to Gotham." I hate to tell you this, Croc, but things aren't much better back in Gotham City...as if that was a surprise. It's usually a pretty good bet in the DC Universe that as bad as things are, things are usually infinitely worse in Gotham.
Halo sure does know how to handle unruly kids, even the undead, creepy, Japanese kind.
Page 12: "Tochigi" is a city in the Tochigi prefecture, or jurisdiction, of Japan, apparently the former home of Tatsu Yamashiro and her family.
Page 13: Well, it's about time the heroine with the extra-dimensional light powers put her abilities to good use...
Page 14: Aaaah! Jarring artistic change!
It's not that I don't like the artwork of Derec Donovan (or Derec Aucoin, no idea why he has two last names). It's that his work is so dramatically different from Fernando Pasarin's that there's no artistic continuity from the start of the book to the finish. I wouldn't have minded it so much if one artist handled the Geo-Force/Terra scenes, and the other dealt with Katana and company, or if Donovan just penciled the whole issue himself.
Owlman, Black Lightning, Metamorpho and Geo-Force are feeling rage. At least, I think that's who those red shapes are supposed to be...
Page 15: Call me stupid (you're stupid) but can someone explain to me how Terra can hold Metamorpho captive with some rocks? He can shift his body into any compound imaginable with a thought; he should be free from that trap in no time flat.
Page 16: Hmmm, say, speaking of elemental metamorphs...where did Metamorpho run off to? Maybe he got free and is about to incapacitate Black Lantern Terra...
Page 17: Oh, no, that's right; Metamorpho's still trapped in the rocks. He needed Owlman and his projectile owl-ears to save him.
Can you imagine Batman shooting projectile ears out of his cowl? It just strikes me a little bit ridiculous is all...
Pages 18-19: Mr. Freeze and Clayface have been in the Outsiders' custody since Outsiders (fourth series) #23.
Page 21: "The kid gloves are off, sister or no sister!" Oh, now you feel like waking up and fighting, Metamorpho? What was the clincher? Being trapped in rock or having golems made of the Earth attack you
Page 22: Okay, Black Lantern Terra creating rock structures in the shape of the Black Lantern symbol was pretty neat, I have to admit.
Page 23: Aaaaand once again the Outsiders are trapped by rocks...the shape-shifting metamorph included.
Page 25: Someone needs to give Halo a raise, as she's the only Outsider who's done anything in this whole issue.
Terra called Halo by the nickname "Sparkles"...you know, when she was alive and all.
Page 26: Yeah, more lackluster performance by the male members of the Outsiders...
I guess Halo really hated it when Terra called her "Sparkles."
Page 27: Terra and the New Teen Titans met Halo and the Outsiders in The New Teen Titans #37 and Batman and the Outsiders #5.
Page 28: Yay! No more Black Lantern Terra! That bitch was really getting on my nerves...
Halo is disappearing into the light....don't go into the light, Halo! Don't go!
Sorry. Having a Poltergeist flashback there.
Page 29: Wherever Halo has disappeared to, I have a funny feeling it involves the rest of Blackest Night.
Page 30: Since this takes place after the events of Blackest Night, these little reflections are a bit vague, but they close the door on the past year of Outsiders adventures and set the stage for the new creative team, coming next month.
Check out more Blackest Night annotations at my blog, Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice....
Andrew Dowdell lives in the wonderfully-named Sleepy Hollow, NY, with his wife Allison and miniature schnauzer Casey. Though he works as a bartender, he hopes someday to leave behind the world of customer service to writer for a living. In college, Andrew wrote, directed and produced several theatrical productions, and is currently working to hone his skills as a comic book scriptwriter. In the meantime, he spends his time trying to keep tabs on the convoluted structure and continuity of the DC Universe. His sanity should vanish any minute now. Please feel free to e-mail your questions, comments, thoughts and job offers to andrewdowdell@ymail.com. Emphasis on the "job offers" part...
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