I've been aware of The Outsiders, a young DC superhero team associated with Batman, for quite some time, and yet I've never been curious enough to add it to my reading list. The team has gone through several incarnations over the years, and I finally decided to give a recent version a try.

The team in this case is led by Dick "Nightwing" Grayson and Roy "Arsenal" Harper and is formed, over Nightwing's objections, in the wake of the violent breakup of the Titans and Young Justice (two separate but related teams). Several new and familiar characters comprise the Outsiders this time around, including Jade, the android Indigo, Metamorpho, Grace and Thunder, who wears one of the worst superhero costumes on record.

The idea here is that this team won't wait for supervillains to strike, but will instead seek them out before they become a problem. The heroes also want to retain some emotional distance from one another, so they can function less as a family (one of the Titans' perennial failings) and more as a team. Their first mission puts them in the unenviable position of saving President Lex Luthor from no less a villain than the Joker. There are gorillas and cultists, too.

This isn't the greatest ensemble book on the market by any stretch, and the Justice League can rest easy that its place in the DC Universe is secure. It is enjoyable enough, however, to warrant another look.