Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Haley Reading Group: Batman and the Outsiders


This semester, we read Batman and the Outsiders written by Bryan Hill and and drawn by Dexter Soy. We've talked about the various characters, the artwork, the storytelling, and more.  

Folks in our group had a wide range of responses to the book. There were more than enough storylines to keep us busy with things to consider and address. 

After reading Batman and the Outsiders, what did you enjoy or find most rewarding about reading the book?

And, what did you view as a challenge about the reading experience?

16 comments:

Thomas Siganga said...

Mostly the watching the artwork and action unfurl as I'm usually not one to read comic books. The story not really closing off with the typical happy ending was also interesting to me for this book. With the mashup of artwork and effects displayed by words like"bang" on the page, it really brought a more engaging experience within the story.

-Thomas Siganga

Phoenix Johnson said...

The reward i received from the book us that it taught me everyone has secrets and fears. As well, it shows how those secrets or fears can affect one's mental health and relationships. I did not find anything challenging about reading the comic, because I read comics often so I understand the flow of the bubbles. For a first time comic reader it may be difficult to understand how to read bubble to bubble.

Anonymous said...

The thing I found most rewarding about the book choice this year is that I have found a new interest in some of the characters featured in the story. Before reading this I was vaguely aware of black lightning, katana etc. But now I'm very interested in what other stories these characters get into. As far as challenges I did not really have any. I'd say I enjoyed reading this book more because on top of analyzing the dialogue we had to also analyze the images as well.

Chris W

J'kolbe K. said...

What i found most rewarding about this book choice was how much fun it was. At no time did i feel like reading was a chore and i found myself itching to read further than my stopping point. I am used to reading Manga online so it was a nice change of pace in comic design

Devin Ellis-Martin said...

I found the entire cast of new heroes, as a whole, very interesting to read about. As someone who likes superheroes, I did not really know about Black Lightning, and his powers. I found it hard to make good attachments with so many heroes, however.

-Devin Ellis Martin

Noah Jones said...

I found the more in-depth looks at these common characters very interesting. I am not a person who reads comics or watches many superheroes shows so this was new for me. I think it was enjoyable to see that while these superheroes were powerful and had extraordinary powers, they still dealt with human issues such as responsibilities and difficult moral decisions. I think the fact that I don't read many comics was a difficult part for me because I had to get used to the writing style of comics, but that didn't take very long overall.

-Noah Jones

Ishmael Freeman said...

What I enjoyed most was seeing the more personal side of things to these superheroes. I like seeing their inner feelings and how they develop throughout the story. The story is left open ended which is interesting, but I really wanted to see how it ended. There was not much of a challenge other than me just getting used to the new faces I see in the comic like Ishmael and Signal. I warmed up to them however, and appreciated their characters.

Isaiah J said...

I enjoyed this book for its characters and artwork. I like how Batman was portrayed as being not entirely trustworthy and Ra's was shown to be not entirely evil. This made the characters not sure who to trust and caused conflict within the story.
I would not call any part of the story particularly challenging, but it was surprisingly engaging. There was a lot to think about, especially with the ending being as grim as it was.
-Isaiah J.

Tyler Bean-Catencamp said...

What I enjoyed the most throughout the book was the pacing. Comics can be hard to pace, often going too fast to build the world and construct a solid narrative. However, Batman and the Outsiders had no such problem. It still moved at a fast pace, but its dialogue and art allowed a concise, but full story to be told. It was also very interesting seeing a superhero related story that 1.) is more focused on smaller, lesser known heroes and 2.) essentially had the antagonists come out on top at the end. It was refreshing compared to much of the superhero media put out now.

Youssef Hassan said...

What i enjoyed the most reading through this story was getting to know new characters from the DC universe. I am always seeing the more iconic heroes like superman, Wonderwomen and Batman. I also liked some of the sequences that had lots of action. One of the main challenges for me was getting to know the villains'. I have heard of Rhas, but Kaliber and Ishmael are new to me and i do not think the story fleshed them out as of now.

James Beverly III said...

After reading this book, I would say that I most enjoyed the illustrations. I typically don't read graphic novels, they just aren't my cup of tea, but I did admire the artwork in this book. The storyline was also quite nice as well. It was nice to read something outside my comfort zone and actually find some joy in reading it. The story was captivating and it kept me interested.

-James Beverly III

Justin Jubert said...

I really enjoyed reading this because it was different from our normal readings from previous years. This is more preferable because it is more engaging and thought-provoking. The artwork, mixed with the writings and character development, allowed me to not become disinterested. The hardest part was trying to keep up with the story because it developed rapidly. Other than that, it was a good story. -JJ

Jalen White said...

I really enjoyed the conclusion to this issue. The characters, while progressing quite a bit since the beginning, have much growing to go, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here. I do think the ending is purposely open-ended, but I understand that this is essential to progressing the story, while keeping the audience hooked. I feel like the writers did they successfully.

Donovan Washington said...

I found the artwork most rewarding when reading this comic. My eyes were often drawn away from the words and to the drawings during action scenes. The use of color kept me wanting to see more while reading. The challenging part of the comic was trying to keep up with each characters evolving storyline. This comic pushes the reader to understand the background of the main and secondary heroes/villains.

William Shanklin said...

The thing I found so interesting with this was how exciting of an assignment it was. Reading the comic didn’t feel like it was actually for school and it felt natural like a hobby. Another thing I liked about this was that I was able to learn more about the more minor characters in the DC and what role they play.

Torian Henry said...

The most rewarding factor of reading this comic or novel was that it didn't feel forced. It was fun, interesting, and different from a lot things you will read and analyze in many courses. I really appreciated how the illustrations help push the story. the artist and the author were really in sync and it helped polish the story.

Torian H.