A review by nickpalmieri
Teen Titans/Outsiders: The Insiders by Carlos D'Anda, Marlo Alquiza, Art Thibert, Tony S. Daniel, Matthew Clark, Geoff Johns, Judd Winick

4.0

This book serves as the "finale" of sorts to the initial era of both the 2003 Outsiders and Teen Titans series (both went on to tie into Infinite Crisis immediately after this, then re-start with "One Year Later"). As such, it's almost a sequel to the terribly mediocre [b:Titans, Young Justice: Graduation Day|573486|Titans, Young Justice Graduation Day|Judd Winick|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1243519718s/573486.jpg|560499] which launched these two titles, shedding light onto that story through its themes, intentional parallels, and the villains' plans, actually making me glad I read the initial story. As the culmination of elements set up throughout the preceding three volumes of Outsiders and four volumes of Teen Titans, this book contains tons of moments of great payoff and is an essential and satisfying end. Taken on its own, however, it's a bit less great. The first three chapters are nearly completely action, with a slightly convoluted plot from the villains. The fourth chapter (and final part of the "Insiders" storyline) turns things around, however, adding a ton of heart to the battle and making us care for what happens. The final two issues of the collection are heartfelt epilogues from each series, each of which serve as both epilogues to the battles and epilogues to each of the series. This isn't a book to jump into with no prior knowledge, but if you've been reading Teen Titans and Outsiders up to here, this is the endpoint- and while not perfect, it's a solid, fun, and ultimately rewarding read.