Judd Winick is rapidly becoming one of my trusted writers. That is to say, writers I will read no matter what they’re writing. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the second volume of Outsiders. I liked the first volume, but didn’t know where Winick was going to go that wouldn’t be just another superhero story. He blew me away with the second volume, which is all about consequences. Most superhero comics brush over what happens after the fight is over and the villain of the day has been vanquished. Winick addresses Roy’s (Arsenal) fear and vulnerability in his recovery from the bullets he took at the end of the first volume of Outsiders. Winick also begins to question whether Nightwing’s insistence on emotional distance from his team is perhaps more dangerous than effective. The artwork matches the story well, with strong colors and lines. The action is easy to follow, but the humanity of the characters is not lost. The subplot showing the interaction between Roy and his daughter uses this to particularly good effect. This is not a book for younger readers. Winnick uses both violence and sex to good effect and with purpose, but he also isn’t coy about it.
Outsiders, vol. 2: Sum of All Evil
ISBN: 9781401202439
By Judd Winick
Art by Tom Raney, Will Conrad, Tom Derenick
DC Comics 2004
