3.5 starsVolume 5 - The volume with lots of gross-ass beards.The short version of this one is that a bearded man shows up and Kyle grows a beard to fit in with his new BFF. The End.I'm not really sure which one of them is on the cover because everyone looks exactly alike in this title, and I can't tell if that light spot on his facial hair is the new dude's skunk stripe or just a shadow. Then again, I think it's part of the fun to try and guess who everyone is by looking at which way the stripes...

I’ve been a huge fan of Robert Kirkman’s “Outcast” ever since the first issue released in 2014. To me, it’s been one of those rare series that has actually gotten better the longer it’s stretched on: the characters have deepened, the mythology has grown more interesting, and the overall confidence of the storytelling has made for a series that’s become more and more satisfying. Never once have I doubted that Kirkman knew exactly where he was taking this train. At least, unfortunately, until I re...

Bullet Review:Invasion of the Body Snatchers with more beards. Good lord, there were three men in this book with nearly the EXACT SAME BEARD and it's been too long since I read volume 4 - how the flying frak can you expect me to tell the different between Kyle, Simon and whoever the frak the third guy was?But...I really liked that the story seemed to go somewhere. I honestly think the end is in sight.

This was a cool volume as it focuses on Kyle getting back with his family, seeing Reverend do some stuff and then getting to know his father Simon, training with him, exorcising stuff and more things related to who these outcast and demons are, the legend behind them and more exorcising. Rescuing a girl named Daphne, growing closer with his sister Megan and his expanded family but there are threats on the horizon, a man named ROWLAND has come and he seems to be the top boss, The great merge is c...

This series is so good... though this is probably the weakest volume so far.What’s it about?I’m not gonna go into all that, that would pretty much be a journey into Spoilerland.Pros:The story is still interesting and is growing a lot!The art is still fantastic! There’s some really cool panels in this volume!This volume is very unpredictable.Most of the characters are very interesting. There’s some new characters that should be very cool!This series continues to do a great job at religion related...

Violence becomes battle. Mystery becomes much needed, long awaited answers. Plus new characters. Now this series is really getting started.

Another volume of Outcast is here, which means it's Halloween season again! It's becoming a tradition for me — three years in a row I am reading Outcast in October. I love it!This is an exposition-heavy volume, and those who were craving some answers will probably be pretty happy with this book. I wasn't too fixed on why Kyle Barnes is so special, or what does he actually do when he exorcises the evil spirits, or where the spirits come from, but hey, I guess it's nice to have some answers anyway...

I still like this series a lot and with this volume, we finally meet Kyle's dad, another Outcast who starts training him in the ways of "the force" (just kidding). He's an interesting character addition, but a lot of the mystery of this book has drained away as a result. Kyle and his dad go out and clean up demon safe houses and the story moves away from the personal focus on one troubled guy and his family and becomes more of a superhero/vigilante-type thing. I'm still going to keep reading, bu...

Individual issue reviews: #25 | #26 | #27 | #28 | #29 | #30Total review score: 3

Finally, ANSWERS. Big plot happenings are afoot.Plot points:(view spoiler)[--Kyle, Allison, and Amber move to a hidden farm with the sheriff to hide out.--Reverend Anderson, exiled to the barn for murdering Sydney, drinks the Koolaid and starts up an apocalyptic congregation in anticipation of the Final Battle.--Kyle's father appears out of nowhere and spends a few months training Kyle to be a demon-wrecking super-Outcast.--It is explained that another dimension leaks Dark Energy (the demons) an...

It occurs to me after writing my review of volume 4 of this story, that there's a third direction that this story could go other than the two that I was worried about...If the unfolding mystery of the story is revealing a problem to large for the characters to reasonably deal with, you can also bring in new characters who are *more* capable, powerful, or knowledgeable in order to make the bigger problems solvable.And that's what happens here. And it it works, because the new character coming in

3.5 stars. This volume was slightly better than the one before but the series is still kind of underwhelming. Instead of feeling like the story is slowly building into something great, it feels like the story is being dragged out. I am excited about the new characters that were introduced because they could add a little pizzazz to the comic. On a side note, I'm getting so sick of the Reverend. He's been annoying since volume 1 but it's almost unbearable now. With all of that said though, I still...

I feel like this series finally makes some progress in this volume. We find out a lot more where these "demons" come from. Kyle's dad, Simon, shows up and shows him how to channel his chi. My only remaining problems are that the Reverend is an idiot who's going to get them all killed and Azaceta has difficulty distinguishing between the gazillion characters in this book. There's 3 guys with beards, two guys with glasses, and two little blond girls who all look the same. If you don't have the tal...

The fifth volume doesn't advance the action all that much but we do get some clarity about the good guys and the bad guys. The unique things about this series is that exorcism is usually posed as a Angels and Demons issue, as the Reverend suggests, but Kyle, rejoined by his wife and kid, and his father, Simon, see this in secular terms as negative energy that needs to be eradicated. The good guys stay in a kind of safe house for the time being, as the tension slowly builds to some Great War. I a...

The story moves along, but the art is so dark and uninspired that it casts a pall over the whole experience.

Some action and revelations- at last! Yippee! You thought the series is taking its sweet time? Guess again. Hints say it's going for the loooong haul. Don't believe me? We'll talk about it when Barnes meet Grimes in issue 195, in 15 years odd.Jokes aside new players come into the fray, the plot takes a lot of steps in one volume and there's real action- like fights- that lead somewhere! Yippee again. Kyle's personality evolves (view spoiler)[- he feels less like a pussie- (hide spoiler)], as the...

I'm pretty keen on Outcast, even if I read one volume every two years and completely lose the thread between readings. Kirkman can write the pants off a compelling narrative, even if it doesn't make much sense. He's got real skill at building and maintaining mystery over hundreds of pages. Who are these demons? What is the merge? What are outcasts? Still don't really know! But in this fifth volume, I certainly feel like I'm getting closer to knowing. And that's kinda all I need.The art team is e...

The protagonist of this series has floundered about for four volumes. Finally, in this installment a new character is introduced who brings some definition to what is happening, trains the protagonist and sets him on a series of missions. I sort of like the new focus, but wonder if I really even care at this point. I'm mostly reading this series because it's there.

Not a dull moment in this latest installment. Between this and the latest Walking Dead book, Kirkman is absolutely killing it lately!

I’m done. It’s confusing. Nothing really seeks to be happening. And I can’t tell the three bearded characters apart. Or the two brown haired guys with glasses. Too bad.