It's not necessarily out of place when Batman goes into cosmic or science fiction stories because sometimes the adventure is entertaining. It shows the strengths of the character. In the Justice League, we often see the Dark Knight in situations he should not be suited for. Batman always manages to show himself to be very adaptable.
With Batman and the Outsiders, Batman gave up the more fantastic adventures for those more grounded. There were still threats that should have been outside of his skill set. Writer Mike W. Barr proved how adaptable Batman is. Even in the more grounded 1980s, Batman could be taken into space and fight other-dimensional beings. With Batman and the Outsiders #22, Alan Davis joined as an artist who excelled at telling these stories, Alan Davis. In that issue, readers saw more than the team facing a cosmic threat illustrated by a new artist. We saw the beginnings of the rift between Batman and the Outsiders.
Batman And The Outsiders #22
June 1985 - DC Comics
Writer: Mike W. Barr
Artist: Alan Davis
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: John Workman
Synopsis:
Batman and the Outsiders teleport onto the abandoned and wrecked Justice League satellite. Batman is disgusted and reminiscent of the fall of the Justice League of America. He calls the Outsiders his weapon to bring justice to the world, which unnerves Metamorpho and Black Lightning. They move to use the equipment still on the satellite to get answers to Halo's origins.
Halo was Violet Harper, a criminal killer murdered in Markovia by the assassin Syonide. She still has no memory of that former life. Black Lightning charges the generators on the satellite. Dr. Jace uses the equipment in the JLA laboratory to stimulate her repressed memories.
Halo tells the Outsiders she was one of the Aurakles, energy beings almost as old as the universe. She came to be interested in life, and while witnessing the killing of Violet Harper, she found herself possessing the human body but losing all memory of what she was. The Outsiders find it hard to believe, but the Aurakles use the restored memories to locate Halo and emerge in the satellite.
The Aurakles want to Halo back to their realm and restore their unity. Batman refuses, and a battle commences. Dr. Jace activates the vertigo rays in the satellite. Seeing that the Aurakles can't handle the energy attack well, Black Lightning electrifies Katana's sword. When she throws it through one of the Aurakles, it destroys the energy being. This angers the Aurakles, who disable the vertigo ray device and then attack the Outsiders directly, with mixed results. They then deal with the Outsiders by blowing a hole in the satellite.
Everyone but Batman and Metamorpho is blown out into space. Batman orders Metamorpho to seal the breach, so Geo-Force can bring the others back to the safety of the satellite. Geo-Force uses the few seconds a person can survive in the vacuum of space and gets his teammates to the hole that Metamorpho is plugging. Metamorpho acts as an airlock, allowing them to return to a breathable atmosphere. The Aurakles disappear with Halo, and the Outsiders swear to find Halo but wonder how they will do so.
Review:
Batman stories are sometimes the best when he's out of his element. A prime example is Batman's role in JLA: New World Order, where he recognizes the White Martians. When placed against foes beyond his power level, Batman is forced to rely upon his intelligence and cunning. In this story, Batman is shown to be very adaptable. He also knows the abilities of his team very well. This makes Batman a good team leader. It also makes Batman a more compelling character because of what bizarre situations a writer can put him in to get himself out of.
Alan Davis is a great artist. This is relatively early in his career, so the figures are stiffer than in his later work. The characters seem bloated at times, but overall, they're solid. The storytelling is solid, too. A fun, cartoony element is added when Metamorpho becomes the airlock for the JLA Satellite. The action scene with the Aurakles is a little sparse in the scenery, but when the characters fight glowing circles, the scarcity is understandable. The drawback is the wrecked and abandoned JLA Satellite isn't fully explored.
The colors don't make full use of possibility, with broad spaces of flat color, only given variation by Alan Davis's line work. It works well with the Aurakles, and the abstract swirls and patches of color make Halo's Aurakle self stand out as unique, helping the story.
Final Rating: 8.0 (out of 10)
Notes:
This comic was collected in 2017's Batman and the Outsiders, Vol. 2. This comic is available digitally on DC Universe Infinite and for purchase on Amazon Kindle. The DC Universe version is better, as it is browsable panel by panel and is included in the subscription price. Currently, a physical copy fetches a few dollars for a near-mint copy.