Summary
- DC Comics announces new Outsiders series with Batwoman and Luke Fox, and confirms that the third member will be the Drummer from cult series Planetary.
- The new Outsiders series will be the DCU's answer to Planetary, featuring the three main characters as super-archeologists exploring the DC Universe and beyond.
- The resemblance between the new Outsiders team and Planetary is likely intentional, with cover art paying homage to the original series. Fans won't want to miss this perfect homage to a beloved cult classic.
DC Comics recently announced an all-new Outsiders series starring Batwoman Kate Kane and long-time Gotham hero Luke Fox. There was much speculation on who the third member appearing on the cover art could be, but now fans have confirmation it’s a long-lost hero from cult favorite series Planetary.
Speaking at of the new Outsiders will be a version of the Drummer. The information-gathering specialist from Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s Planetary will be ed by the previously-announced Batwoman and Luke Fox. The revelation that the third member is the Drummer seems to confirm that this new series will essentially be the DCU’s answer to Planetary. Spinning out of the events of the Gotham War crossover, this new Outsiders series (written by Lanzing and Kelly and with art by Robert Carey) will see the three main characters transform from superheroes to super-archeologists, excavating the far corners of the DC Universe, and beyond.
DC Brings Back A Version of The Drummer For New Outsiders Team
Published by DC/Wildstorm from 1999 to 2009, Planetary follows the adventures of the so-called “Archeologists of the Impossible” Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner and the Drummer. Working for the global Planetary organization at the behest of the mysterious “Fourth Man,” Snow, Wagner and the Drummer routinely search the globe for strange occurrences - sort of like The X-Files if Mulder and Scully were on the trail of superhumans instead of aliens. The 27-issue series acted as a document of superhero history in all of its various permutations, and remains a beloved cult classic to this day.
New Outsiders Team Is the DCU’s Answer to Planetary
Judging from Roger Cruz’s cover art for Outsiders #1 and the team’s overall modus operandi, the new Outsiders’ resemblance to the team from Planetary is likely very much intentional. Cruz’s art is a clear homage to John Cassady’s cover of Planetary #1, even going so far as to put Luke Fox (who seems to have left his Batwing armor behind for the time being) in a snazzy white suit just like Elijah Snow’s. Whether or not the Outsiders’ new Drummer also has the ability to read and manipulate electrical signals like the original remains to be seen, but it’s likely the new hero will have some variation on the original’s powers, possibly even with a new twist. With Batwoman filling in the “Jakita Wagner” role of the original group, the overall premise of a Planetary-styled team exploring the vastness of the DC Multiverse sounds like a series fans won’t want to miss.
By taking three heroes and spinning them off into a new version of the Outsiders, DC Comics has just created the perfect homage to one of its most beloved cult classic series.
Source: DC Comics
