Outsiders teaches comics what a Superhero Team title should be.
My introduction into Outsiders was as convoluted as a Grant Morrison comic. I started out reading The Hunt and was only mildly impressed, and worried a bit when one of my favorite artists, Philip Tan, was taking over, feeling his talent may be wasted on the team (I don't hate them but I thought they weren't the best match compared to his stints on Batman and Robin and Green Lantern.) The first few issues of DD and PT's run were messy and inconsistent, with Don Kramer doing half the art sprinkled about in the issues. #28 almost completely overshadowed them, but #29 practically nullified that. THen I read The Deep and fell head-over-heels for the series, and #30 came out and I thought, THIS is how Outsiders should be. Issue 31 continues that feeling and now I don't want Philip Tan to leave.
The Good: -Obviously the art for starters. Tan makes everything look awesome with just the right amount of details and dark atmosphere. Just like #30, the entire issue looks phenomenal from beginning to end. I may be going crazy but from #28 to #30, to #31, I think his art has been steadily improving, and I'd never thought it needed improvement.
F-reight Train is a bundle of laughs, completely devoted to kicking ass whenever he feels like it and always ready with fresh battle banter. I'm picturing him sounding exactly like Samuel L. Jackson and it sounds perfect for him. I really hope he joins this half of the team, he fills both the the powerhouse and kooky wisecracking voids that Geo-Force and Creeper left respectively.
-With almost any other comic this would be a bad thing but there's far too many things happening at once, and I love it. With The Outsiders it somehow works perfectly. Geo-Force allying with New Krypton, Halo, Creeper being stalked by a baby-crazy demon, Simon Stagg and Chemo, the team divided in 2, Looker going to meet up with one group soon, Veritas doing something, Freight Train maybe joining the team. There's just so many little running plotlines and this is probably the only team that can properly juggle so many plots at once.
-Nice little Marvel reference.
The Bad: Black Lightning was mysteriously absent from the fight with Chemo which seemed kind of odd, where'd he go?
Nothing else really though.
In Conclusion: 5/5
Coupled with #30, this issue has shot this title to the top group of my monthly reading list and fulfilled all my hopes for the series after the glory of The Deep. If it weren't for the insane messaic glory of Widening Gyre #6 this would be my pick of the week, possibly even the month. Seriously, pick up this title, it's the best superhero team title currently running in DC.