Outsiders #49 - DC

I gotta say, I was really impressed by this whole CheckOUT storyline. It was a brilliant move to cross-over CheckMate with the Outsiders. Simply brilliant. And the creative talent it brought together is just . . . incomparable. I mean Judd Winick and Greg Rucka writing it. And them Matthew Clark and Ron Randall on pencils. This is like an action comic enthusiasts wet dream. And on top of this fantastic story, it's all leading in to a shake-up with the team, where NightWing is leaving, but Batman is coming in. Wow! With this team, that's going to be really cool. But, the team is changing a bit. Some are staying, but some are going. From the preview art it looks like it's going to be Batman, Jonn Jonnz, Rex, and then Boomer, Katana, Catwoman and Grace. That should be an interesting team. Anyways, this issue, Batman gets personally involved and goes to North Korea to rescue Dick, Boomer and Sasha. Dick is relatively unscathed. Boomer is a little beat up. But Sasha? Man the Humpty Dumpty guy kicked the crap out of her. When he said he wanted to take her apart and see what made her tick, he wasn't kidding. Unfortunately he escapes before the whole rescue operation goes down. And on the final pages, Dick tells Bruce that he doesn't think he can lead them anymore. That's when Batman decides that he'll do it. But first he has to decide who he's going to keep, and who he's going to toss. Which leads into the 5 part mini-series coming up next. It's called Five of a Kind and will be here in August. That should be a nice little thrill ride, before this title comes back in September.