| |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 1 |
| Subtitle |
Wars
Ended...Wars Begun |
| Date |
August
1983 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
Batman
was already reaching his limits when he learned
that Lucius Fox was missing in the Markovian Revolution.
He called an emergency JLA meeting. When they refused
to get involved, Batman quit the team.
In Markovia, the king died, leaving his throne to
his son Gregor. His other son, Brion, stood at his
side. Dr. Jace arrived, but it was too late. Gregor
and Brion spoke of the powers she'd given Brion
and their sister, Tara.
Posing as Fox's brother, Jefferson "Black Lightning"
Pierce, went on recon. He found an army leader,
but the man was stabbed in the back by a woman with
a sword. While making a plan, Batman happened upon
an unconscious woman who was glowing. When disturbed,
she blasted him with an energy bolt. Metamorpho,
hoping to become normal again, visited Dr. Jace.
While there, revolutionaries attacked. Prince Brion
was injured in the melee and buried alive.
"Halo," as Batman called the amnesiac
girl, flew him near his friends. He was captured.
When he awakened, he was in a prison with Lucius.
The leader of the revolution introduced himself
- Baron Bedlam |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 2 |
| Subtitle |
Markovia's
Last Stand |
| Date |
September
1983 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
Baron
Bedlam monologued about his father, the Nazis, and
Markovia as Batman waited for Black Lightning to
blast him. When their captor was gone, Batman questioned
him - Black Lightning had retired the costume due
to no longer having his powers.
Outside, Katana grabbed Halo. When they realized
they were on the same side, they broke into Baron
Bedlam's stronghold. Black Lightning finally worked
up some magic and reanimated Metamorpho. He freed
Lightning and Batman. They found Lucius Fox, who'd
been rescued by Halo and Katana. The group went
after Bedlam, who'd grabbed Dr. Jace and headed
to the palace.
All out war for control of Markovia broke out. A
revived Geo-Force attacked Baron Bedlam. The revolution
ended when Bedlam was defeated and given over to
the people of Markovia.
Batman invited the people who'd helped him - Halo,
Metamorpho, Black Lightning, Katana, and Geo-Force
to join his crusade. Metamorpho christened them
"The Outsiders." |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 3 |
| Subtitle |
Bitter
Orange |
| Date |
October
1983 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
Batman
welcomed his "Outsiders" to the Batcave.
He didn't give up his identity, but he did tell
them Bruce Wayne financed him.
A warmonger calling himself Agent Orange plotted
to destroy Gotham City.
Bruce took Halo to a psychiatrist to check out her
amnesia. She later chose the name Gabrielle Doe
as her alter-ego. That night, Batman took them to
the penthouse Wayne used to use as his home. He
invited Halo and Katana (Tatsu Yamashiro) to live
there. He also showed them what would be their headquarters
below. Alfred contacted him and he split.
Batman found some men moving chemicals. Halo and
Katana, who'd disobeyed orders and followed him,
helped interrogate a captive. Batman located Agent
Orange - the leader of the gang, and brought the
Outsiders along. Geo-Force, Halo, and Metamorpho
stopped a bomb, while Batman captured Orange. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 4 |
| Subtitle |
One-Man
Meltdown |
| Date |
November
1983 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
While
a man (Ned Creegan) with burning powers broke out
of prison, the Outsiders enjoyed some time out of
their capes. Batman talked to the prison officials
- Creegan had vowed to kill him (due to having been
put in prison by Batman and Robin).
Batman and the Outsiders captured him and learned
he needed radioactive materials to stay alive. Metamorpho
provided him with his needs. Batman caught the warden
trying to destroy evidence where he'd withheld treatments
for Creegan. Batman agreed to help the man at his
parole hearing. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 5 |
| Subtitle |
Psimon
Says... |
| Date |
December
1983 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr, Marv Wolfman |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
>>continued
from The New Teen Titans 37
Geo-Force and Terra put pieces of land mass back
together into one, and saved the Titans and Outsiders.
Once safe, Batman handed out orders (which alienated
Robin).
Dr. Light left the Fearsome Five after once again
being put in his place by Psimon.
The Titans and Outsiders mingled and found they
had more in common than any of them realized. Black
Lightning captured Dr. Light, and it appeared Halo
attacked the groups momentarily. Raven was forced
to shut her down. After they got Light to talk,
Cyborg was able to get a device ready and treat
everyone for Psimon's imminent attack. When he did,
the Titans and Outsiders were the only people in
Manhattan who were not "frozen." The citizens
became Psimon's zombies against the heroes. Robin
backed Batman down and gave orders.
Halo stopped Psimon from escaping with her stasis
beam, and Cyborg destroyed his gadgets. New York's
citizens woke up. Batman and Robin patched things
up between them. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 6 |
| Subtitle |
Death
Warmed Over |
| Date |
January
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
After
Tatsu got Gabrielle off to her new school, she met
with Bruce Wayne. He told her that Batman had instructed
him to buy her a Japanese book store to run. She
hesitated, but eventually warmed up to the idea.
Rex and Brion were visiting Dr. Jace at the hospital
when they heard gunshots. They ducked into a closet
to costume up. The attacker escaped with a kidney,
which was to be used on a young girl.
Batman called the Outsiders together and told them
about "Cryonic Man." They encountered
him (after setting a trap) in a tunnel bridge. He
blasted the group with liquid nitrogen and made
off with Katana. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 7 |
| Subtitle |
Cold
Hands, Cold Heart |
| Date |
February
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
The
Cryonic Man, much like Mr. Freeze, had a loved one
frozen in hopes of finding a cure for her. He planned
to use Katana's organs as a replacement for those
failing. Rescuers attempted to get Batman and the
Outsiders free from their frozen state. Halo beat
them to the punch by unfreezing both herself and
her friends. Using Katana's magic sword (which had
been left behind at the scene), Halo led the group
to their captured comrade. Batman and Geo-Force
went after Cryonic Man while the others rescued
Katana. With the villain captured, the Outsiders
questioned his frozen friends - they'd been frozen
in 1947 fearing nuclear war. He'd been communicating
to them that it was still 1955. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 8 |
| Subtitle |
The
Hand that Rocks the Cradle |
| Date |
March
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
Batman
and GCPD investigated a kidnapping - an infant from
its home. A man was found with finger prints matching
that of the kidnapper, but the man was elderly and
couldn't have possibly knocked the mother out. Batman
thought he saw the Phantom Stranger. On a hunch,
Batman learned the old man and the kidnapped baby
had identical finger prints. At a nursery school,
several children instantly became elderly. Geo-Force
helped a couple get to the hospital - the wife was
in labor. When the baby was delivered, it turned
into the sorcerer Tannarak. Phantom Stranger appeared.
As they battled, Stranger realized Tannarak had
been possessing babies for quite some time until
he'd discovered a way to fully use their bodies.
The Outsiders arrived and began to help out, but
infants attacked them. When Stranger defeated Tannarak,
all the elderly babies reverted back to their original
form. The woman who'd just given birth miraculously
gave birth to another.
A woman calling herself New Wave took a contract
to kill Black Lightning. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 9 |
| Subtitle |
Enter:
The Masters of Disaster
Halo: Battle for the Band |
| Date |
April
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr
Mike W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo
Bill Willingham, Mike DeCarlo |
| storyline |
Thirty-year
old Jefferson Pierce - Black Lightning - continued
to question himself. New Wave and her gang, the
Masters of Disaster, shook down an inner city
crime boss looking for Black Lightning.
Bruce Wayne attended the groundbreaking of a new
housing project he was funding; the Masters of
Disaster struck. Batman called in the Outsiders
and the two teams went at it. They demanded Black
Lightning and he obliged.
Gabrielle had joined the marching band at school
after learning she had musical talent. At a competition,
their band leader was kidnapped by the opposing
team. Halo sprung into action. She nabbed the
kidnappers. No one was hurt, and since they were
all minors, her hands were tied. She took their
clothes and left them naked at the scene.
Gaby's band won the competition. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 10 |
| Subtitle |
The
Execution of Black Lightning |
| Date |
May
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Steve
Lightle, Sal Trapani |
| storyline |
Geo-Force
questioned Batman's decision of letting the Masters
of Disaster take Black Lightning. Black Lightning
found out why he'd been captured - Trina Shelton's
mother showed up where he was being held. He relived
the moment where a mugger's stray shot killed
the girl. The woman realized how wrong she was
to pay to have him killed.
Matches Malone and his gang visited with Morgan
Jones' gang (the ones the Masters of Disaster
shook down looking for Lightning). Malone wanted
Lightning and believed Jones could deliver him.
They said they could arrange Malone to witness
Lightning's execution, but only if he went alone.
He took the offer. With Malone on site, the Outsiders
struck the abandoned oil rig. During the fight,
Mrs. Shelton sacrificed herself for Black Lightning.
The Masters of Disaster retreated. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 11 |
| Subtitle |
The
Truth about Katana part I: A Sword of Ancient
Death |
| Date |
June
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
Tatsu
and Brion fell victim to attempted muggers.
A ninja watched the fight.
Back at home, Tatsu presented Gaby a pet kitten
then polished her sword. The ninja attacked.
Katana warned Halo off, but she persisted and
was knocked out. Katana, too, was knocked out.
The ninja took her talking sword (and left her
his own). It seemed to know him.
Mr. Jefferson seemed to enjoy teaching more
after his new lease on life. Gaby got asked
out. When she returned home to tell Tatsu, she
found a note. Tatsu had left (she returned to
Japan). When she arrived, the Outsiders were
there waiting for her. She explained to them
the loss of her sword, and that it contained
the spirit of her dead husband.
Maseo's brother exercised him from the sword
and others from other swords. He was ordered
to kill Katana. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 12 |
| Subtitle |
The
Truth about Katana part II: ...to Love, Honor,
and Destroy |
| Date |
July
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo, Dick Giordano |
| storyline |
Batman
ordered Katana to stay put while he did recon
- she was too emotionally involved. She disobeyed.
Katana and Halo attacked the men who'd stolen
her sword. Batman and the Outsiders fled the
fight and went back to Katana's hotel room.
She told them of her past: Maseo and his brother
(one of the men who'd revived him) both fell
in love with her, but the brother joined a cult
when she chose Maseo. They were married and
had two children, Yuki and Reiko. Takeo later
attacked them and killed Maseo. Their children
were also killed, but somehow, Maseo's soul
entered the sword which killed him.
Batman and the Outsiders found the place they
were looking for, and it was in the middle of
a mob war. Maseo was forced to kill both her
husband and his brother. The mobsters escaped.
On their way home, Batman fell unconscious from
the poison of a blow dart. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 13 |
| Subtitle |
In
the Chill of the Night |
| Date |
August
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Dan
Day, Pablo Marcos |
| storyline |
The
Outsiders got Batman to a hospital, but without
a sample of the poison, they couldn't help him.
The doctors suggested keeping him moving - perhaps
it would work the poison through his system.
The Outsiders went looking for Bruce Wayne for
help.
At Wayne Manor, the Outsiders learned the Batman
was Bruce Wayne. Bruce, dreaming, relived the
night of his parents' murder. In reality, the
Outsiders were reenacting the crime to get Batman's
blood flowing. They lost sight of him. While
searching, Jones's men captured the Outsiders.
Batman caught a glimpse of Joe Chill about to
kill his mother again (actually, one of the
gangsters with a gun at the Outsiders) and attacked.
The Outsiders took down the gang and got Batman
back home. He thanked them and revealed his
Bruce Wayne identity to them. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 14 |
| Subtitle |
Two
by Two |
| Date |
October
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Bill
Willingham, Bill Anderson |
| storyline |
Gaby's
date walked her home, but they were interrupted
by a crash in a nearby alley. Halo later learned
it was Geo-Force, her self-proclaimed chaperone.
Later, she tried to set Tatsu up with one
of her teachers.
Maxie Zeus escaped and made contact with the
Monitor.
Gaby ruined Brion's date and split. He got
into costume and chased her. When he caught
her, they kissed.
Batman positioned his team at the Olympics
fearing Zeus would find it too difficult not
to strike. He did. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 15 |
| Subtitle |
Going
for the Gold |
| Date |
November
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Trevor
Von Eeden |
| storyline |
The
Olympic stadium was evacuated so the Outsiders
could do battle with Maxie Zeus' group. Each
participated against a member of the opposite
group until Batman left to find Zeus' real
reason for escaping. The clues led him back
to the man's daughter. He wanted her to be
happy.
Zeus was recaptured. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 16 |
| Subtitle |
The
Truth about Halo, part 1: ...Goodbye... |
| Date |
December
1984 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
Halo
continued to have nightmares about her real
identity (or lack thereof). Tatsu went to
Bruce, thinking he'd done nothing to help.
He gave Tatsu a geographic location and possible
name for her (Midwest, Violet). He'd sent
PI Jason Bard to scout out the areas. He found
her to be Violet Harper, from Arlington, Missouri.
Batman told the group and planned to take
Violet home that weekend.
Katana stopped a man from robbing a clinic
(of drugs). Her sword cut punctured his lung.
The physician on staff began help the man.
Rex (Metamorpho) Mason went home to find his
beloved Sapphire. Stagg (Sapphire's father)
and his men attacked him with Orbs of Ra,
killing him. Dr. Jace burst in and ordered
Sapphire to help her get him help.
Bruce Wayne (and the Outsiders in civilian
garb) got Violet to her parents. While they
were getting accustomed to each other, Batman
learned that Violet had been linked to a boy
who'd died of a drug overdose about the same
time he found her in Markovia.
Back at home, Dr. Jace asked the Outsiders
to help with Rex. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 17 |
| Subtitle |
We
are Dying, Egypt - Dying |
| Date |
January
1985 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
Batman
and the Outsiders headed to Egypt, hoping
they could help Rex at the location where
he'd become Metamorpho. On the way, Sapphire
told the group his origin: Rex worked for
her father and they'd fallen in love. He was
sent to Egypt to find the Orb of Ra, but was
double-crossed by Stagg's men (he didn't want
the man with his daughter). Left for dead,
Rex happened upon an ancient meteor and found
himself to be changed forever.
At the pyramid, they took down some guards
and headed in. They found the meteor and placed
Rex's body near it. It began to heat up as
Metamorpho phased back to life. After a flash
of light, Egyptian (ancient) guards entered
the room. The Outsiders had been transported
3000 years into the past. Metamorpho turned
on his friends. The Outsiders escaped the
pyramid. They were captured and returned to
Ramses VII. Batman realized they must help
the pharaoh win his war - if he lost, the
future would be forever changed.
In present time, Violet (Halo), was visited
by a police officer about her ex-boyfriend.
Her father dropped her off at school and told
her the memory loss was convenient. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 18 |
| Subtitle |
Who
Wears the Crown of Ra |
| Date |
February
1985 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
Metamorpho
pledged allegiance to the pharaoh's
opposition. At a annual meeting, Ahk-ton's
people attacked Ramses. Batman got
Metamorpho back on their side and
they won. Ramses's got the Outsiders
back to their own time; Sapphire proposed
to Rex.
Violet (Halo) had a difficult time
adjusting to her school. No one seemed
to like her, and the sister of her
ex-boyfriend slapped her for "killing"
him. A girl at Brion's school committed
suicide after one of her professors
attempted to take advantage of her
in return for a scholarship. |
|
 |
| Issue |
Batman
and the Outsiders 19 |
| Subtitle |
Who's
Afraid of the Big Red S |
| Date |
March
1985 |
| Writer(s) |
Mike
W. Barr |
| Artist(s) |
Jim
Aparo |
| storyline |
Halo
visited Brion - they both confessed
they didn't love each other. While
she was there, he got a call from
Denise - she needed help. Geo-Force
got her to an ambulance (she'd ODed
on sleeping pills). Halo went to Bruce
after Geo-Force said he would kill
the dean for pushing her. Bruce called
Superman. The Man of Steel met Halo
and went after Geo-Force. Superman
took him down while Batman mounted
evidence against the sexual predator.
Rex and Sapphire did some Christmas
shopping; Katana and Black Lightning
took down some muggers preying on
charity Santas. |
|
| Notes,
references to time, and chronology: |
| |
The
collected edition of these issues is one of the huge black and
white "Showcase Presents" volumes. |
| |
Batman
quit the Justice League and formed his own team - the Outsiders.
|
| |
Per
issue 9, Jefferson "Black Lightning" Pearce is 33
years old. |
| |
The
Monitor from Crisis
on Infinite Earths is featured in issue 14. |
|
|
|
