Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Carlos D'Anda
Publisher: DC Comics
Judd Winick has never shied away from controversy. From his Pulitzer Prize nominated Pedro and Me, to the brutal beating of Green Lantern’s gay friend Terry Berg, to the revelation of the H.I.V.-positive Green Arrow sidekick Mia, Winick uses his comics gig -- for better or worse -- as a podium from which to address some brutal and uncomfortable issues. And, again, he’s taking comic book superheroes into some heavy territory. So why the cheesy photo cover of John Walsh? Despite the cover, this issue is more than a gimmick.
While investigating gun-runners in New York, the Outsiders unveil a child-slavery ring. Grace, the team's powerhouse, is particularly outraged by the discovery, eventually telling teammate and sometime lover Arsenal that she was in fact abducted and sexually abused by the same ring when she was a child. Seeking revenge and justice, Grace pleads with new team leader Jade to let her go hunt down the “scumbags” responsible for the sex slave ring. Offering another solution, Nightwing suggests they go public by contacting John Walsh, the host of the TV show America's Most Wanted.
Many readers out there would love to see their superheroes stay in the shiny realm of black-and-white morality. Then there are those who enjoy the Ultimate-Marvel-realism trend, with naturalistic dialogue and “ultra-realistic” violence (a term which I find hilarious, ironic, and ridiculous, by the way). I think Winick has accomplished something truly amazing with this issue of Outsiders: He’s managed to keep superheroes super-heroic while tackling an ugly real-world issue.
Comics have been dealing with such issues for years, with varying degrees of success. Denny O’Neill and Neal Adams’ groundbreaking Green Lantern/Green Arrow stories of the early 1970s -- which dealt with such issues as teenaged drug use, racism, and inner-city crime -- set the standard for the ways in which the comics medium could use melodramatic splash pages to make young readers think about the world around them. The 1980’s produced Marvel’s anti-famine comic Heroes for Hope which again tackled an ugly issue with four-color melodrama. Winick’s Outsiders follows a comics tradition. So to say that Winick bombards us with “politics ” is doing a disservice to the issue at hand. There seems to me nothing political about child slavery.
In terms of art and writing, this issue is a triumph. Carlos D’Anda’s pencils are gruff and exciting -- a perfect fit for this title. It’s good, too, to see the return of good old-fashioned inking, or as I call it “analogue inking.” Sno-Cone’s coloring is a bit murky, sometimes hindering the clarity of the action and sacrificing some of the beautiful black and white contrast for the sake of attempting a dark mood. (Also, Sno-Cone, seriously, man -- I’ve heard of pen names, but you might rethink this one. Unless, of course, Sno-Cone is a collective of miniscule robots or something. In which case, cheers guys!)
Winick’s dialogue, like the art, is definitely on the PG-13 side, but again, perfect for this title. He has a terrific ear for characterization and rhythm, and although he sometimes lapses into Kevin Smith’s type of writerly masturbation, he stays tight in this issue. Any fans of old Teen Titans stories will be more than happy with the way Arsenal and Nightwing have moved into some exciting and dramatic territory.
This issue also marks the emergence of Grace as a truly memorable character who I hope catches readers’ imaginations as much as she’s captured mine. She is a truly ground-breaking character -- a female superhero who is as gruff and confident as any Wolverine or Nick Fury. Winick clearly has a mission to bring stronger and more nuanced female characters into comics, and I think he’s succeeding in a huge way.
The only element of the story that smacks of some weirdness is that Nightwing -- D.C. ’s second-best detective -- decides to turn to John Walsh instead of doing some actual detecting. A little odd, but then that would have meant no John Walsh appearance. And, sorry to say, I kind of chuckled at the last panel. Couldn’t help myself. As Chubby the Choona said in Grant Morrison’s recent beautifully strange Sea Guy, “’Da fug?”
Besides all the hype and media-coverage, this is a truly solid read. Outsiders is one of D.C.’s gems, and Winick’s energy has become infectious.
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