Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Haley Reading Group: Batman and the Outsiders, Part 5

[Haley Reading groups Fall 2020]


In Part 5 of Batman and the Outsiders, Black Lightning and Katana travel to a strange land to rescue Sofia. She's been indoctrinated by RaŹ¼s al Ghul, and so rescuing her proves difficult. There's an ambush and furious battle.

We've previously discussed the content of the story, but this is a comic book. That means, the artwork is integral to the story as well. Dexter Soy illustrates the pages, and Veronica Gandini provides the coloring. 

Which one page or which series of panels did you find especially compelling as works of art (the drawing, coloring, or both)? Briefly explain why you were especially drawn to the art of that scene. 

17 comments:

Thomas Siganga said...

One scene in this part where Raijin was using electricity to hold others away from Katana and Sophia caught my attention. Mostly just the bright color of his ability but also the huge letters representing the sound of electricity across that page. Also, the smoke at the bottom was cool.

-Thomas Siganga

Donovan Washington said...

The scene that caught my attention was when Raijin and Katana first begin their battle with Sofia. Firstly, I focused on Sofia and who caught my eye because she is depicted as almost monster taken over by rage. This came to mind because she seems to be towering over Raijin and Katana here as well as her eyes are completely filled by a light color. Secondly, I noticed how the teamwork between Raijin and Katana was instantly depicted by them moving to have their backs to each other. To me this signifies their trust in each other to handle the foes in front of them.

J'kolbe K. said...

the scene that caught my attention the most was when katana and black lightning were fighting in those ruins. I chose this because that page had very few words, yet the story was still progressing. In the picture they re surrounded and you can see dirt and debris in the air. The scene felt like to me that they were moving.

Isaiah J. said...

I personally found the two images near the end of this part compelling. I believe they were concept art, one depicting Batman standing over Duke's helmet while looking upset, and the other of Batman and the Outsiders with blood on their hands.
I don't know if those images are foreshadowing of what's to come, but it seems like Duke will either end up dying or being taken as Sophia was. Either way, I think those drawings near the end were very compelling.

-Isaiah J.

Torian henry said...

The most moving and exciting series of events for me was Black lightning and his battle against katana. There were a lot of things happening in that battle using very minimal dialogue and a lot of art to portray the sequence of progression. This fight felt very significant to the plot in the sense that a lot things can be altered by any outcome.

Torian H.

Ishmael Freeman said...

The scene that got me excited was when Ishmael is about to fight Duke and Cassandra, saying "It's time you learned how Batman has failed you". This page goes with the next page in which Batman is standing over some of the Outsiders' equipment looking ashamed of himself like he failed them. This foreshadows the battle that comes in the next part and it leaves me excited to see how Duke and Cassandra will fare against their enemy. It also gets me worried for them because of the picture of Batman looking ashamed of himself.

Jalen White said...

I really enjoyed the scene in which Black Lightning uses his powers to full effect. It covers the whole page, and really gives off a truly jaw dropping reaction. So much emotion was shown off in just one illustration, and there's no real need for dialogue to progress the narrative. It may not be the most profound moment, but it's definitely an image that will stick with me above all.

Jalen W

Tyler B.C. said...

While technically not a panel as much as an out-of-story illustration, the drawing where Batman is standing next to the broken and beaten gear of the Outsiders was compelling to me. It shows Batman covered in regret and guilt for what has happened to the Outsiders in a different scenario. It shows that he takes responsibility for whatever happens to them. I believe that a scenario like this will eventually happen. One where Batman will have to face the consequences of what he has sent the Outsiders to do.

-Tyler B.C.

Anonymous said...

The panels I found most compelling was on the first page. The mix of different backgrounds and characters shows how far reaching and hidden the league of assassins' are going from extremely wealthy to homeless. It gives the reader an understanding of how dangerous the organizations black lightning and katana are trying to get into without needing an exposition dump.

Chris W.

Justin Jubert said...

Part 5 was filled with great scenes and imagery, and there are many different panels with incredible artwork. Raijin was the center of a lot of scenes and the way he was drawn with bright colors showed his power and intensity. His scene with Katana was action-filled, but wasn't as emotional as other scenes from previous parts. My favorite drawings were the images of batman on the final few pages. Although they were not scenes and did not have dialogue, they were still some of the best illustrations so far. -JJ

Devin Ellis-Martin said...

I think the one page I liked the most is the one where Raijin is caught off guard and defended by his ally. I find this very consuming due to the vastness of the one scene combined with how serious the moment was.

Devin Ellis Martin

Kendall Dow said...

The opening scene is what I found most intriguing. When they are about to get into battle, they have many doubts and concerns about what they are going to face. Yet they still attack the problem head on. They know what they need to do and there is no getting around it.
-Kendall Dow

Phoenix Johnson said...

The one page that stands out is when Sofia strikes Black Lighting an Katana. I loved hiw when Sofia swung her axe there was a powerful gust from the axe. Katana had to block the wind and not her actual axe which was a great drawing element. The after affects added to the strike is what mad me love this picture.

James Beverly III said...

The most compelling panel was when Rajiin and Katana were beginning their battle with Ra. I do find the art throughout the majority of the book to be compelling and vibrant. It was just the use of lightning and the colors that they used that made this panel pop out. It was also just nice to see Katana block the wind during that battle. I will say kudos to the illustrator because the drawings are quite stunning.

-James Beverly III

Anonymous said...

I like the art depicting Raijin with lightning on both of his hands. He says "Just a little closer" in this scene. I like this scene the most because of its intensity. It feels like I am part of the battle. From the powerful blues to the flash of his eyes, I think this did really well at creating a strong experience for the reader.
Noah Jones 11/1/20

William Shanklin said...

The part I found most interesting is when Black Lightning was fighting. Black Lightning is one of my favorite characters throughout this comic, so seeing him fight to his fullest potential was very exciting for me. The reason that this was also most interesting was because the art in this scene painted the best picture possible for this scene. -William Shanklin

Youssef Hassan said...

The scenes i found most interesting to look at was when black lightening was entering combat. The look of his lightening and the color of it is really satisfying to look at. I also found the sequence with kaliber interesting because they include the sound effects coming from the combat. This reminds me of how combat is represented in other comics which was nice to see.