Batman and the Outsiders #25
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeBatman and the Outsiders #25 is the debut appearance of Emily Briggs, the mild-mannered Gotham bank teller who would eventually transform into the psionic heroine Looker — one of the most distinctive new characters introduced in the title's run. The issue also caps a major story arc that writer Mike W. Barr had been building across the series, with Halo's infiltration by the Kobra Cult forcing her to expose Batman's secret identity to the villain, a genuinely high-stakes breach of the team's security. It is a bridging chapter of real consequence: it seeds the Outsiders' forthcoming split from Batman and the launch of their companion Baxter-format title, making it a hinge point in the broader Outsiders mythology.
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The issue was written by Mike W. Barr — who also served as the book's editor — with interior art and inks by Alan Davis, colors by Adrienne Roy, and lettering by John Workman; associate editor Barbara Kesel and managing editor Tom Condon rounded out the editorial team. By issue #25, Alan Davis had taken over penciling duties from series co-creator Jim Aparo, bringing a sleeker, more kinetic visual style to the book. Barr had conceived Emily Briggs as a deliberate addition to the roster ahead of the team's graduation to their own standalone Outsiders series, designing her as a character with psionic abilities — an area no other team member covered — and a transformative arc that would unfold over subsequent issues.
Trivia · 9 facts
- First appearance of Emily Briggs (later Looker), a Gotham City bank teller who goes on to gain psionic powers and joins the Outsiders as a full member beginning in Outsiders #1 (1985).
- Story title: 'A Serpent in Eden!' Written by Mike W. Barr; art and inks by Alan Davis; colors by Adrienne Roy; letters by John Workman.
- On-sale date: May 28, 1985; cover date: September 1985. Published by DC Comics.
- Plot centers on Halo being recruited into a cult secretly run by Kobra (Jeffrey Burr, appearing here as 'Brother Abraham'), who captures her and coerces her into revealing Batman's secret identity as Bruce Wayne.
- Lady Eve appears in this issue under the alias 'Sister Eve,' deepening the Kobra Cult supporting cast.
- Closes out the Kobra-cult story arc that ran through the preceding issues; the arc's resolution at #25 directly sets up the team's transition into the companion Outsiders ongoing series.
- Two contemporary variants exist: a Direct Edition and a Newsstand Edition, plus a Canadian Edition.
- Reprinted in the German Batman Taschenbuch (Egmont Ehapa) #31 (1986) and again domestically in Batman and the Outsiders (DC, 2017 series) #3 (2019).
- Looker (as Emily Briggs) has since appeared in the Arrowverse live-action series Black Lightning (portrayed by Sofia Vassilieva) and in the animated series Young Justice (voiced by Grey Griffin).
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Reprints
Reprinted in Batman Taschenbuch #31 (1986), Batman and the Outsiders #3 (2019)
Key issues in Batman and the Outsiders
Variants (2)
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