Sometimes creating a new guide for Patrons of Crushing Krisis turns into a getting-to-know you process about a hero or team I’ve never read before. That was definitely the case with today’s new guide, about a team of heroes who existed entirely outside of my comics knowledge…

The Outsiders – The Definitive Reading Order and Collecting Guide

I’ve always been dimly aware of The Outsiders, mostly because Batman and the Outsiders (1983) #11 was one of the first dog-eared comic books of my early childhood – years before I started collecting.

Yet, as of a few weeks ago, I couldn’t have told you who a single one of the characters in the header image were aside from Katana. Heck, it was years into New 52 before I realized that the Katana I know from that classic cover image was the same one who starred in Birds of Prey and Suicide Squad! Based on her costume, I thought she was some kind of DC Sunfire analog.

What I learned in putting together this team guide is that the Outsiders really are outsiders. Batman formed the team specifically to work outside the rules and regulations of the Justice League.

Later Nightwing reforms it as an opportunity to run a well-trained force of heroes with none of the emotional connections of Titans. The core team members – Geo-Force, Katana, Metamorpho, and Halo – appear infrequently outside of their own title.

The newly-compressed DC history of the post-Flashpoint world meant there was no time for Batman to form this team as we know it, which means it doesn’t exist in current DC continuity – and neither does Geo-Force! That’s a tricky thing, since both Katana and Halo debuted alongside Geo-Force in the original 1983 origin of the team.

With Katana now a well-established start of Suicide Squad, it seems impossible that this version of The Outsiders could return … but, who knows what might transpire with DC’s continuity by the end of Doomsday Clock!

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DC Guides: Animal Man, Batman – Index Ongoing Titles, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Flash, Justice League, Outsiders, Teen Titans & Young Justice

Marvel Guides: Alpha Flight, Champions, Darkhawk, Dazzler, Gwenpool, Marvel Era: Marvel Legacy, Moon Boy / Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, Ms. Marvel: Kamala Khan, Scarlet Witch, Sentry, Silk, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Venom