Outsiders #24

The Insiders Part Two

Judd Winick Writer
Carlos D'Anda Artist
Guy Major Colorist
Phil Balsman Letterer
Tom Palmer Jr. Assoc. Editor
Eddie Berganza Editor

Our cover by Mike McKone follows the same pattern as Teen Titans #24. One of the team's heroes has suddenly turned evil and has altered their appearance to mimic that of a classic villain. Superboy became Lex Luthor, and Indigo has become Brainiac. I haven't been reading Outsiders, so this cover doesn't have nearly the same impact on me. I've never known Indigo as a hero — only the stupid robot that caused the Graduation Day disaster. I also find it odd that this robot, Brainiac 8, would be so concerned about looking so sexy, having its "clothes" barely hanging on to a perfectly idealized frame.

Our story begins with a quick recap of Indigo's origin. She was a damaged robot from the future, desperately teleporting around the world to find compatible technology that could repair her. In this journey, she nearly destroyed Cyborg and inadvertently activated a malfunctioning Superman robot that killed Omen and Donna Troy. S.T.A.R. Labs repaired Indigo, and she became a heroic member of the Outsiders. Until now.

Indigo has transformed into what is likely her "true form," Brainiac 8, and begins attacking the Outsiders. Arsenal had a fail-safe emergency shutdown installed, but Brainiac 8 has overridden that. She then proceeds to beat the crap out of each and every Outsider. Finally, Arsenal targets her with a massive bazooka, and Brainiac 8 teleports away, saying she's already accomplished her goal: "A first shot across the bow."

The Outsiders gather themselves together and fly across the country to meet the Teen Titans at the S.T.A.R. Labs Medical Facilities in Palo Alto. The recovering teens relay their story of how Superboy seemed to be possessed. Wonder Girl says he didn't seem to know or care. Raven adds that she couldn't sense any emotion in him and he seemed like another being altogether. Kid Flash laments that another being would have been nice — Superboy was strong enough to nearly kill them.

Nightwing can't help drawing the comparisons to their recent episode with Indigo, although there is some debate among the Outsiders whether Indigo was actually being possessed by an outside force or merely revealing her true nature. The Outsiders' argument becomes quite heated, and Nightwing tries to calm everyone down. But they only stop fighting amongst themselves when dozens of Superman robots begin descending on the medical facility.

We then cut to a secret bunker three miles below Lexcorp Towers in Metropolis. Brainiac 8 teleports into the lab and is greeted by Lex Luthor, wearing his power armor, with Superboy standing dutifully by his side. Also in attendance is the original Brainiac, who congratulates his "granddaughter" on her work so far, saying their mission to eradicate an entire generation of "heroes" is going according to plan.



The Outsiders sure are a miserable lot. They spent more time fighting each other than actually fighting Brainiac 8. Anyway, I am happy to see these two stories coming together with the Luthor-Brainiac team-up — that pairing always has a lot of potential. But my main problems with the first issue of this crossover persist. Why hasn't anyone called in Superman? He is Superboy's mentor. Luthor and Brainiac are his villains. And those are his robots preparing to attack all our heroes. I mean, at least make an effort to contact Superman. That's all I'm asking for.

Next time, we'll take a break from this crossover to see Kid Flash actually get involved in The Flash #223.