Batman’s Most Underrated Team Just Flipped Their Name to Insult Him

Warning! Preview pages ahead for The Outsiders #1!A team long associated with Batman is redefining its name to finally step out of the Dark Knight’s shadow. Two Bat-Family members are coming together for an epic new era and they’re adopting a name familiar to DC fans. But this new spin on a classic DC team is surprisingly distancing itself from Batman.

In a preview for The Outsiders #1 by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, and Robert Carey, Luke Fox tracks down Batwoman, aka Kate Kane, in the aftermath of “Gotham War”. Kate is frustrated with the endless cycle of superheroism and to her surprise, Luke agrees with her.

Luke reveals that he’s funding a new organization to explore the makeup of the universe and that he wants Kate to be a part of it. Batwoman is indeed interested, but wants assurance that this isn’t “a Batman thing”. Luke swears that it’s not and that they are now Outsiders, completely independent of the Caped Crusader’s authority.

The New Outsiders are ‘Outside’ Batman’s Control

DC fans undoubtedly are aware of the connection between Batman and the original version of the Outsiders. The team was originally formed by Bruce Wayne after an international situation erupted in the nation of Markovia. Batman wanted to intervene, but after the Justice League refused to help, the Caped Crusader quit and formed a more proactive team not constrained by borders. The team acted as Batman’s black ops squad, which could venture into areas and handle the things Batman personally couldn’t get involved in. While the makeup of the team has changed over the years, the Outsiders have almost always been a group within Batman’s purview.

But Luke Fox is taking the Outsiders in a bold, new direction. The team isn’t just going outside the rules and regulations Batman generally followed. This new iteration of the Outsiders is stepping out from Batman altogether. It’s an understandable decision, given the recent instability Batman has been showing as of late. While Batwoman wasn’t involved much in “Gotham War”, she’s obviously aware of how unstable Bruce has been and doesn’t want to get involved in a team that he would be involved with. While the Outsiders have always been a team that Batman had waiting in the wings, Luke is reinventing the team so they can finally live up to their potential outside of Batman’s guidance.

The New Outsiders Are Truly Living Up to Their Name

Luke Fox wants to take the Outsiders far beyond what they’ve been before. Not only does he want the team to explore the mysteries of the universe, but he also doesn’t want this new iteration to be constrained by a man who, at the moment, isn’t fit to be in control of a team right now. By stepping outside of Batman’s authority, this new version of the Outsiders can go anywhere and do anything (which sounds like the idea according to Luke). While it may not be the team Batman fans remember, this new version of the Outsiders may go further now that they’re getting out from under him.

The Outsiders #1 is on sale November 14th from DC Comics.