{"id":8462,"date":"2012-06-05T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2012-06-05T08:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=8462"},"modified":"2012-06-11T09:50:35","modified_gmt":"2012-06-11T09:50:35","slug":"outsiders-pay-as-you-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2012\/06\/05\/outsiders-pay-as-you-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Outsiders: Pay As You Go"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Judd Winick<\/strong>, Carlo Barberi<\/strong>, Ron Randall<\/strong>, Scott McDaniel<\/strong>, Freddie Williams III<\/strong> & various (DC Comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-4012-1366-4<\/p>\n

Finally exposed to a world which\u00c2\u00a0 believed them dead and now also blamed for setting off a nuclear explosion which destroyed a large part of Russia and poisoned the atmosphere for miles around, the underground metahuman coalition known as The Outsiders<\/strong> found themselves on a path to oblivion as their series peaked even whilst winding down for a major reboot.<\/p>\n

This sixth compelling compendium (collecting #42-46 and Annual<\/strong> #1of Judd Winick’s grim and witty Outsiders<\/strong> comicbook) saw Nightwing<\/em>, Grace<\/em>, Thunder<\/em>, Metamorpho, Katana<\/em> and Owen Reece<\/em> (speedster son and heir of the recently – and temporarily – deceased Captain Boomerang<\/em>) – up to their muscular armpits in trouble as the story-arc ‘Mad Scientists’<\/em> continued with ‘The Weaving Factories’<\/em> (illustrated by Ron Randall, Pop Mhan, Art Thibert & Steve Bird) as exposed mastermind Dr. Sivana<\/em> attacked Sydney, Australia with a weapon that neutralised technology and turned people into infinitely suggestible idiots (no, even worse than usual\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6).<\/p>\n

First to respond was Nightwing’s team who flew straight to the smug mad scientist’s new lair and straight into a trap. Rather than kill them all, however, the demented doctor made them a staggering offer in ‘The Man Behind the Curtain’<\/em> before Katana spectacularly turned the tables on the maverick savant.<\/p>\n

Even while being driven off Sivana gloated that an irresistible seed had been planted in the rogue heroes’ minds\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The eponymous ‘Pay as You Go’<\/em> storyline then begins with ‘The Skeleton Crew’<\/em> (art by Carlo Barberi & Thibert): an untold tale from the year that was skipped in the ‘One Year Later’<\/em> event and the exploit which led the world to believe the entire team was dead\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

At that time the Outsiders were struggling to cope after the Infinite Crisis, particularly Anissa Pierce<\/em> AKA Thunder<\/em>, who was grieving for her father Black Lightning<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Elder hero Jefferson Pierce<\/em>, believing himself guilty of murder, had surrendered to the authorities and chosen to serve time under an alias in the metahuman prison known as Iron Heights, but when Batman-trained vigilante and part-time villain Red Hood<\/em> reached out to Nightwing with evidence that Lightning had been deceived and was completely innocent of the crime which had crushed his spirit, heart and soul, the conflicted Dick Grayson<\/em> had no choice but to inform the team he had just quit\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The drama further unfolded in ‘Sins of the Father’<\/em> (Freddie Williams III, Barberi & Thibert) as the details behind the guilt-driven Lightning’s self-incarceration were revealed and Red Hood named the who, how, and why of the real killer before ‘Friends, Lovers and Other Strangers’<\/em> (additional inks by Bird) saw the team initially refuse to bust him out because of the political ramifications before changing their minds and sending the new Captain Boomerang<\/em> in to infiltrate and pave the way\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Unfortunately Jefferson refused to go, but when Boomerang realised Black Lightning’s cover had been broken and an entire prison of super-criminals was hungry to kill him the Outsiders had no choice but to go in hard and heavy\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

It all went bad in ‘The Wrong to do the Right’<\/em> (illustrated by Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens) as the hasty plan quickly misfired, resulting in the entire prisoner population breaking free and hard-line warden Gregory Wolfe<\/em> maniacally over-reacting. In the resulting catastrophe 43 inmates and guards perished and the Outsiders, although believed dead too, were blamed.<\/p>\n

Nightwing and Arsenal, who had been noticeably elsewhere at the time, were perceived as not involved, but they knew the truth and shared the blame: the plan had been theirs and in the undertaking of it they had destroyed the team’s standing and reputation forever. Moreover, in the aftermath, one of the Outsider’s, unable to bear the guilt of his actions, ended his life\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Brutal, uncompromising and savagely action-packed, the dark secret of the Outsiders<\/strong> had been revealed just in time for a big finish, but these cynically plausible superhero sagas are still gripping, shocking and extremely readable: compelling tales which will enthral older fans of the genre.<\/p>\n

To Be Concluded\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6
\n\u00c2\u00a9 2007 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Judd Winick, Carlo Barberi, Ron Randall, Scott McDaniel, Freddie Williams III & various (DC Comics) ISBN: 978-1-4012-1366-4 Finally exposed to a world which\u00c2\u00a0 believed them dead and now also blamed for setting off a nuclear explosion which destroyed a large part of Russia and poisoned the atmosphere for miles around, the underground metahuman coalition … <\/p>\n

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