Batman & the Outsiders #13 Review

Writer: Bryan Edward Hill / Artist: Gleb Melinkov / DC Comics Batman & the Outsiders #13 starts the beginning of a new arc after the action-packed finale of issue #12. The Outsiders faced Ra’s Al Ghul and his depleted reinforcements and kind of gave him an ass-whooping. But that wasn’t before he was able to use a mysterious new weapon that could have serious implications on the state of the world. Issue #13 is an aftermath, of sorts, as the Outsiders regroup after their showdown. It has two central stories, one centering Black Lightning and one centering Signal and Orphan. Black Lightning’s scenes follow his ever-evolving conflict with Batman and the way the Caped Crusader leads this team like a puppet master. In regards to this issue, Batman thinks that because they have the upper hand on Ra’s, they need to now shift gears and gather information on his new weapon. Black Lightning thinks that now is the perfect time to strike again before Ra’s is able to use that weapon for a second time and cause more damage.  The scene does a good job of showing us the contrast in how these two characters lead. And even though they’re on the same side, the tension is still very prevalent between the two. Black Lightning is very forward-thinking. While Batman, as we know, is very calculated. He doesn’t become the smartest person in the room by blindly pushing forward. Nevertheless, despite these two characters having a common goal and working together, Hill does a good job of conveying B…