This article is part of the DC Database Recommended Reading project, a series of articles written by our editors. They are meant as a guide to help both new and old readers, either getting into comics for the first time or looking to read more on their favorites. These should not be taken as a definitive guide; obviously you can start wherever and with whatever you want, but they're some general suggestions that we think you might find useful and enjoyable.
The Outsiders are a team of super-heroes started by Batman who operate outside of the legal conventions restricting the Justice League. There have been many incarnations of the team over the years, some living up to that original premise, some taking it in another direction.
New readers[]
- The Chrysalis is the debut arc of Chuck Dixon's Batman and the Outsiders series. Batman takes over as leader for the first time since the original series and has them run covert operations in foreign countries.
- The Deep is the debut arc of Peter Tomasi's Outsiders volume. Alfred Pennyworth takes over as leader when Batman disappears, and reunites the original members to function as a military unit.
- Looking for Trouble is the debut arc of Judd Winick's Outsiders volume. This series takes a new direction where the team decide to be proactive hunters of super-villains rather than reactionary defenders. Nightwing becomes the team's leader, having disbanded the Titans in Graduation Day. Winick's run is notable for its diverse and gender-balanced line-up.
- Mike W. Barr's Batman and the Outsiders is the original run of the series. It lasted 66 issues through 1983-1988, changing its name twice to Adventures of the Outsiders and then The Outsiders. Barr's series had the characters deal mostly with political or socially relevant villains, who reflected the problems of the 1980's. It was mildly progressive at the time to have a superhero team with less than half of the members as white males, and the series holds up pretty well today.