After work I went out and bought the current issues of The Outsiders and GCPD, as well as GCPD #1 and an earlier issue of The Outsiders.

And I realized that I need to know the run down of who is who for The Outsiders because right now they are a bunch of pretty faces. Except Nightwing, but I only know him because they said his name.

I have several questions--

where can I get the start of Cassandra's story and how Tim figured out who Batman was/Tim's parents die.

What's the deal with Shiva? In Robin A Hero Reborn she was helping Robin and in Batgirl A Knight Alone, she wanted to kill Batgirl.

Also I think I've been using terms wrong...what's the difference between a trade paperback and a graphic novel?

There were more questions but I didn't write them down at the time so I forgot them.

Also I think I've been using terms wrong...what's the difference between a trade paperback and a graphic novel?

A trade paperback (or TPB) collects part of a comic run. A graphic novel was never published as original monthly comic issues - it was created and published in book form first (like The Killing Joke).

Okay. So what I really have are trade paperbacks...glad that was cleared up.

where can I get the start of Cassandra's story

No Man's Land

how Tim figured out who Batman was

A Lonely Place of Dying

What's the deal with Shiva?

Shiva operates under her own moral code. It's a thing.

The trade of Outsiders will pretty much answer most of your questions. (It collects 1-7 of the series).

Crap. I have more to read, and it's Angel night, and I just want to wallow in Nightwing.

I had Batgirl No Man's Land in my hand today! But I was good and put it down.

I'll have to ask about the trade for The Outisiders, I bought #11 and #9 today. Despite the fact I was confused I really liked it. Also GCPD---who said it was like Homicide because I got that kind of feel.

Crap. I have more to read, and it's Angel night, and I just want to wallow in Nightwing.

You have transitioned already, haven't you? It's like they set up this schedule just to highlight your shift in fandom loyalties. (aka obsessions)

It is like Homicide.

Only on paper, and with the occasional guy in tights.

You have transitioned already, haven't you? It's like they set up this schedule just to highlight your shift in fandom loyalties. (aka obsessions)

Yeah. I have. It's weird.

Me! I said it.

And I have nothing left to contribute because I am not caught up in Nightwing.

Ummm, except in the Outsiders the blue girl is called Indigo and she is an alien, the stretchy guy is called Metamorpho and he has another name (Rex?) - but he's not really Rex he's something that grew from some of Rex' tissue. He's like a clone of Rex. Arsenal, i.e., Roy -- is the blond and he used to be the Green Archer's assistant. The green girl is Jade and she is the Green Lantern's daughter. The tattooed woman is Grace and she used to tend bar and get in fights. (I don't really know her back story.) The last woman is Thunder and she can make herself really really dense and her father was a super hero named Black Lightning.

Does that help?

Plei, what happened to Nightwing? I'm concerned all out of proportion to my actual investment in these fictional characters.

No, wait... my investment in these ficitonal characters has grown all out of proportion to REALITY. Dammit.