Line #49 Comicbook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The_Outsiders.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Why don't superheroes [[ThereWasADoor ever use the door?]]]]
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4	''Batman and the Outsiders'' is a 1983 series by Creator/DCComics, launched after the cancellation of ''ComicBook/TheBraveAndTheBold'', Batman's own TeamUpSeries, in the early 1980s. Writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jim Aparo, both of whom had extensive experience with Batman, created the team and launched the series on the last issue of TB&TB, #200 (July, 1983).
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6	After the ComicBook/{{Justice League\|of America}} refuses to help him rescue his friend, Lucius Fox, from being caught in the middle of a military coup in the European nation of Markovia (because they didn't want to start an international incident), Batman quits the team and goes alone, ending up running into various other heroes while there, including:
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8	* '''Black Lightning''', a black superhero with electrical powers.
9	* '''Metamorpho''', an [[HiredGuns adventurer]] transformed into a chemical shapeshifting creature by an AncientArtifact.
10	* '''Geo-Force''', the rightful prince of Markovia (and brother of Terra from ComicBook/TeenTitans) who gained the ability to manipulate the energies of the Earth (unlike his sister, who manipulates the earth itself) from an experiment.
11	* '''Katana''', a female samurai wielding a cursed sword (it steals souls) on a mission of revenge against the man who killed her family. Batman saved her life so she feels indebted to him.
12	* '''Halo''', an amnesiac, childlike girl with [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience one superpower for each color of the rainbow]] (Batman basically brings her along out of pity.)
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14	(ComicBook/BlackLightning and ComicBook/{{Metamorpho}} were already established characters; ComicBook/{{Katana}} and the others were introduced in that story.)
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16	After rescuing his friend (and incidentally ending the coup) Batman invited the heroes to stay together as a team, which they did, as The Outsiders, based off Bruce Wayne's penthouse.
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18	Later in the series, '''Looker''', a beautiful telepath/telekinetic, and '''Atomic Knight''', a man in PoweredArmor, joined the team. (Atomic Knight was also a pre-existing character).
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20	Eventually, the group left Batman (ironically, after he refused to help with a crisis in Markovia, busy with his own priorities) and the series changed its name to simply ''Comicbook/{{The Outsiders\|DC Comics}}''. (Batman later rejoined the League.)
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22	The team disbanded when the series was canceled, but not before Halo recovered her memories and Katana got her revenge. Under the original name they lasted for 32 issues (August, 1983-April, 1986), before changing title to ''Adventures of the Outsiders'', under which they got another 14 issues (May, 1986-June, 1987). As simply Outsiders, they had 28 more issues (November, 1985-February, 1988).
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24	----
25	!!Tropes:
26	* AmmunitionBackpack: In Issue #6, "[[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Batman_and_the_Outsiders_Vol_1_6_7784.jpg Death Warmed Over!"]]. The team battles the Cryonic Man, a villain with a backpack full of liquid nitrogen attached to wrist-mounted sprayers that he uses to freeze the Outsiders solid. [[HarmlessFreezing They got better]].
27	* ApocalypseHitler: Subverted. A clone of Hitler is decanted, shown films of the "accomplishments" of his predecessor, [[DrivenToSuicide and then shoots himself out of horror]].
28	* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Issue #1 calls Markovia "Eastern European", only to provide a map placing it in ''southern Belgium'', next to Luxembourg, which is four hundred miles from even the most generous definition of Eastern Europe[[note]]Ironically, the given borders would encompass Bastogne, one of the few places in Belgium Americans have heard of.[[/note]]. Later maps would place it between Switzerland and Italy (''still not Eastern''!) or between Austria and Hungary (better, but only just).
29	* AtomicSuperpower: The first issue of the original series featured the Nuclear Family, a supervillain team of androids with powers all based around radiation. They were created by a scientist named Dr Eric Shanner who wanted to bring attention to the dangers of radiation after his family was killed by careless mistakes he made in his nuclear science experiments.
30	* AwesomeBackpack: The Cryonic Man wears a liquid nitrogen tank on his back.
31	* BadSamaritan: Oddly enough, the villain NAMED the Bad Samaritan isn't an example of this trope, being outwardly villainous to the heroes from the beginning.
32	* BeneathTheEarth: From the original 80s series, Abyssia, whose leaders are locked in a civil war and have superpowers. [[spoiler:Turns out Emily Briggs is related to them (her grandfather was a previous king of Abyssia and had advocated peace with the surface world, only for him to vanish mysteriously), and unlocks her metahuman abilities in a ceremony, becoming Looker.]]
33	* BigBrotherIsWatching: The plan of the man who organized the patriotic superteam, [[CaptainGeographic The Force of July.]]
34	** In Annual #1, WellIntentionedExtremist B. Eric Blairman (inspired by ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'') launches a satellite called the Omni-Cast, which turns every television set in the nation into a surveillance device and allows him to monitor every computer.
35	%%* BigBrotherInstinct: Katana, to Halo.
36	* BladeBelowTheShoulder: The Outsiders once fought a villain named Nunchuku, who instead of hands, had, well... what do you expect? He was arguably one of the ''less'' silly opponents The Outsiders faced.
37	* TheBlank: Halo had a nightmare where she was like this; it reflected her anxiety over not knowing who she really was.
38	* CaptainGeographic: A team of America-themed super ''villains'': [[StealthPun The Force Of July]]. They considered themselves heroes, but were too extremist (and manipulated by a rich superpatriot type.)
39	* CharacterNameAndTheNounPhrase: Batman and the Outsiders.
40	* CorruptedCharacterCopy: Sparkler, part of the Force of July, is essentially Cannonball from ''ComicBook/NewMutants'' as a MyCountryRightOrWrong patriot who mindlessly obeys the orders of his evil superior.
41	* DontYouDarePityMe: In Issue #13, ComicBook/{{Katana}} (who actually [[KatanasAreJustBetter Is Just Better]], by the way) is tracking a poisoned and delusional ComicBook/{{Batman}}. She stops to save a civilian's life and thus, loses Bats. So she expresses her regret to substitute commander ComicBook/BlackLightning, prompting the following conversation:
42	-->'''Black Lightning:''' Don't go committin' [[{{Seppuku}} Hara-Kiri]] or anything over it, Katana! You've been through a lot lately!\
43	'''Katana:''' Don't pity me because of the death of my husband, Lightning! I won't have that!\
44	'''Black Lightning:''' Sorry! But any of us would have done the same thing!
45	* DoppelgangerAttack: The standard tactic of Silent Majority, a member of the Force of July.
46	* DoWithHimAsYouWill: In an early issue, Geo-Force left [[TheUsurper Baron Bedlam]] to the mercy of the Markovian people after overthrowing his regime.
47	* EnergyBeings: Part of [[spoiler:Halo's origin. She was actually such a being trapped in human form.]]
48	* EverybodyKnewAlready: In issue #13, Batman is knocked out and in danger of death; the rest of the team decides to contact Bruce Wayne (who they know as their rich patron). To prevent them from wasting time, Alfred lets them in on the truth. Later, when Batman reveals his identity to the team, they pretend to be surprised.
49	* EverythingsBetterWithSamurai: ComicBook/{{Batman}}'s original outsiders team had fairly standard-issue superheroes... and Katana, a steely-eyed female samurai.
50	* FireIceDuo: The Masters of Disaster included members called Heatstroke and Coldsnap. They were lovers whose powers prevented them from even touching. Their motivation for being supervillains was to earn enough money to find a cure for their powers so they could be together.
51	* FreezeRay: Used by Cryonic Man.
52	* GiantSquid: In her first appearance, the Marine Marauder uses a giant octopus to attack an ocean liner and drag Looker down to her undersea lair.
53	* LighterAndSofter: The original series was this, compared to other Batman comic books of the time.
54	* MindControlDevice: Princess Tamira used an obedience potion on Emily Briggs before the Princess's brother, Mardo, turned her into Looker.
55	* MorallySuperiorCopy: Nazis [[YouClonedHitler created a mature clone of Hitler]] that they had being watched by a simple-minded Jewish girl. They then showed him movies of his predecessor's accomplishments, intending for him to kill the girl once his memories returned. The clone, whom the girl had saved from choking on his food at one point, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone shot himself out of horror]] once he understood his origins. Turns out clones aren't really the same person the original was.
56	* ThePsychoRangers: Batman villain Maxie Zeus organized his own team with counterparts to the original Outsiders.
57	* SecretTestOfCharacter: After deciding that the team is distracting him from his mission to protect Gotham City, Batman declares the team dissolved. They instead decide to remain together without him, which was evidently [[BatmanGambit just the outcome he'd been hoping for]].
58	* ThouShallNotKill: Subverted with Katana, although most of the time it was in self-defense. Ironically Batman was OK with this, as editorial were not militant in Batman never allowing villains to be killed off.
59	** Similarly evoked during ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths''; when Geo-Force, Blue Beetle, and Doctor Polaris are sent back in time by the Monitor, to when Nazis occupied Markovia, Geo-Force tells Doctor Polaris that he can kill the Nazis attacking the three heroes and even joins in.
60	* WardensAreEvil: In #4, Warden Brewster of Gotham State Prison deliberately denies a prisoner (codenamed "Meltdown") needed medical treatments and then lies that the Prison Board was responsible. He does this to trick the dangerously radioactive felon into escaping so he can be killed to save the public. Turns out the warden has decided rehabilitation doesn't work, so he's been finding ways to "legally" off prisoners.
61	* WhatTheHellHero: In later issues, Geo-Force became increasingly warlike and distant, seemingly viewing the team as an adjunct to the Markovian military, until Black Lightning finally snapped.
62	* WithThisRing: When Sapphire Stagg is kidnapped from her wedding to Metamorpho, the rings are lost during the battle to rescue her. Metamorpho formed two gold rings from his own body to replace them.

Context Comicbook / BatmanAndTheOutsiders