Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Haley Reading Group: Batman and the Outsiders, Part 7

[Haley Reading groups Fall 2020]

So we've reached the end of this first installment of Batman and the Outsiders. In Part 7, "Call Me Ishmael." This issue is hardly a conclusion, with so many things still unresolved. 

When the issue opens, Ishmael has Signal in chains, and on the other hand, Katana and Black Lightning, have rescued Sofia nonetheless have her in handcuffs as they transport on her plane back to Gotham. 

Bryan Hill performs some really interesting multithreading by presenting these two storylines of escape. On the one hand, we see Oprah leading a daring effort to rescue Signal from a moving van. And we see Ra's Al Ghul communicating with Sofia, inspiring her to break her cuffs and free herself. There's also the matter of Kaliber's betrayal. 

What did you think about this issue? Or, what did you find yourself responding to in a strong way as you read? 

16 comments:

Thomas Siganga said...

This issue felt very open-ended, kind of like the end of infinity war where the good guys do not win per see. I would not say that I responded strongly to this issue, but it still did surprise me as I thought there would be more of a positive conclusion out of this finale. If anything, Kaliber's betrayal was the part where I had the strongest response. Then again that does go back to Batman not fully trusting Kaliber in the earlier part of the book as much as Black Lightning and the other outsiders.

-Thomas Siganga

Youssef Hassan said...

It felt like so many things happened in the last chapter, so many parts to keep track of. The pacing to me could have been better but i am still eager to know what will happen next. Also, Ka liber's betrayal was very predictable so i did not have a very strong response. This could be due to him still being a new character to me and i never really resonated with him. What gave me the strongest respnse so far was what Ishmael did and how that will effect Duke.

Devin Ellis-Martin said...

I felt as though Kaliber's betrayal came as a bit as a surprise. I trust him as a character, so I was shocked when it happened. The issue at hand felt pretty open ended to me, and I am so interested to see what will come next.

J'kolbe K. said...

I really enjoyed this issue. Although it ended off kind of open ended I believe it made up for it with good story telling. Every time I opened this comic I felt as though I was on the edge of my seat.

Ishmael Freeman said...

The issue was cool to me, what I found myself responding to in a strong way was the way Ra's Al Ghul manipulated Sofia. I always love watching the villains get inside the mind of others to take advantage of their psyche.

Jalen White said...

I was a big fan of this issue, but not a big fan of the open ended conclusion. I understand the point of doing so, to keep the story progressing and making it easier for writers to pick up on the narrative, but it still a bit grading. Nonetheless, the character progression of Sofia in particular is enough for me to be interested in another installment.

Jalen W.

Tyler Bean-Catencamp said...

I feel like I responded the strongest to how the comic, quoting what my peer said, "felt very open-ended, kind of like the end of infinity war". The ending did not wrap everything up; if anything, it left more to be answered. Such as what exactly happened to Duke or what will happen to everyone on the plane. Overall, I liked the issue, although the art style seemed different to me, which was a little off-putting.

Anonymous said...

What I responded to mostly was how open ended the ending was. I was aware of this run but was never interested due to the in my opinion at the time minor characters involved. After reading this I might seek out more issues of the story to see how things progress I'm very interested now.

Chris W.

Isaiah J. said...

Overall, I was a little disappointed in the ending of this issue. I expected Sophia to play a much larger role than she ended up playing. Almost every other character felt fleshed out, but I feel like Sophia did not live up to her potential.
That said, the most compelling storyline ended up being Duke's and Cassandra's. Their struggle really felt hopeless, highlighting the strength of their bond. At the end, when Cassandra rescues Duke, you can feel the sadness as you see that Duke has been changed by Ra's al Ghul.

-Isaiah J.

Noah Jones said...

I enjoyed this issue, I don't usually read comics so this is a new experience for me. I liked the art they used, we were asked about the scenes with much art and little speech and I thought it did well at making the reader feel immersed in the story. I think it was an interesting choice to leave the ending open, I think this was a good way to build excitement for the next story in the series.

-Noah Jones

Justin Jubert said...

I really enjoyed reading this, even though the ending wasn't straightforward. Open-ended stories are crucial in comics because stories often build on each other, so I do not view it negatively. Overall, it had amazing writing and illustrations. As I've stated throughout the entire story, the way they were able to evoke emotion is one of the best aspects of the story. -JJ

Donovan Washington said...

The way this issue ended was not too much of a surprise. As the story was ending, I began to think that it was "too good to be true" for Sofia to be caught and easily transported as well as for Signal to be saved. I was looking for another twist in the story and that is exactly what happened with Kaliber. Overall, I enjoyed this issue and the multithreading used by Bryan Hill throughout. As a reader being able to follow multiple situations stood out the most to me.

Phoenix Johnson said...

This was an original and classic DC issues. I am a huge fan of DC because they have suspenseful, mysterious, and dark themes that keep readers intrigued. O wanted to know Bruce's lies, Sofia's story, and the heroes inner demons. These dark and mysterious problems with every character helped me stay engaged in the comic. As well, the fighting scenes had amazing illustrations and puns. This comic is a 10/10 in my opinion.

Phoenix Johnson

William Shanklin said...

I really enjoyed this issue, I haven’t read too many comics other than The Walking Dead comics, but this was good. I was very shocked to see the betrayal, because I trusted him. I just wish it didn’t end open ended because I like when the story comes to a complete close when it’s over.

Torian H said...

This sequence of events really surprised me, but also intrigued me. It took a second for me understand the bigger picture behind the events buT once it settled in i began to get excited. The authors and illustrators did a great job in their collaboration to execute and portray the events of the plot.
Torian H.

Jalen White said...

I agree with the overall sentiment of an open-ended conclusion. I wasn't very surprised with the ending, because of the way comic books are made. I'm very interested in continuing the story, and to see the further progression of the characters.