Outsiders Special #1 – “From Here to Infinity” – Mike W. Barr/Chuck Patton/Bob Smith
This story takes place after Infinity Inc 42 and Outsiders 21. It starts with Sylvester (Skyman) Pemberton in Markovia, looking for a location to shoot a movie about the JSA’s wartime exploits. He’s a little leery of Markovia’s new prime minister (Vittings) who seems like an isolationist who isn’t big on international cooperation. But his liaison (Ms. Kazmeyer) assures him Vittings will be glad of the revenue the movie will bring. After hitting on Kazmeyer, Skyman decides to go flying around the countryside and runs into the Markovian military. Their elite mercenary
forces capture him and throw him in jail, where Prime Minister Vittings comes to see him. But Vittings isn’t alone … he has Baron Bedlam with him. Back in Los Angeles, the rest of Infinity Inc. gets worried when they can’t contact Skyman, so Brainwave, Wildcat, and Jade head over to the recently-closed Markovian consulate to snoop around. They run into Katana, Black Lightning, and Geo-Force doing a little investigating of their own and Black Lightning suggests they compare notes. Both teams gather at Outsiders’ headquarters and get to know each other. Batman calls to tell them he’s 
uncovered a link between Vittings and Abraham Lincoln Carlyle, a fascist who unsuccessfully ran for President and then disappeared. They split into two groups, one heading for Markovia and the other (Jade, Nuklon, Metamorpho, Mr. Bones, Katana, Looker, and Windfall) going to check on Carlyle, who has a compound in California. They get inside, but run into some animated vines that try to strangle them. They chop the vines up, but run into the Force of July (who they last met in Outsiders 23). The Force of July takes down the superheroes (a little too easily, it seems to me) and reports to Carlyle, who’s still a megalomaniacal nutcase. In Markovia, the other squad (Geo-Force, Halo, Black Lightning, Obsidian, Wildcat, Brainwave, and Fury) sneak into the castle and find Geo-Force’s brother,
King Gregor, and his wife Ilona. But Gregor isn’t happy to be rescued, punching Geo-Force and giving him shit for not arriving sooner. Brainwave suddenly feels terrified and the others start getting mad at each other for no reason, fighting among themselves, which amuses Bedlam and Vittings to no end. Between the heroes fighting each other and Vittings’ mercenaries, they all end up knocked out and captured, but Brainwave tries to fight off the unnatural fear that’s affecting his mind. Too late he realizes who must be manipulating them and his suspicions are confirmed when Bedlam rips off his mask to reveal he’s actually … Psycho-Pirate.
Infinity Inc. Special #1 – “Siding With the Outsiders” – Roy and Dann Thomas/Vince Argondezzi/Mike Gustovich, Arne Starr
As we saw above, both teams are in trouble and Skyman’s not doing much better, still languishing in prison. Some mercenaries come to take him to see Vittings and he tries to escape, but gets pounded. He notices Gregor and Ilona in another cell, recognizing Gregor as the king. Vittings and Ms. Kazmeyer want Skyman to turn his JSA film into a propaganda documentary to ease the world’s fears about what’s going on in Markovia. Skyman’s not eager to help them, so “Baron Bedlam” shows up to persuade
him. But when Skyman mouths off, Bedlam reveals himself to be Psycho-Pirate, who Skyman last saw in Infinity Inc 36. Psycho-Pirate shows Skyman the square outside the castle, where Geo-Force and his captured teammates are on display, held in special bonds that negate their powers. Psycho-Pirate admits he’s using his powers (enhanced by the Medusa Mask) to control the emotions of the entire Markovian population, making them not only tolerate the capture of the heroes, but enjoy it. Skyman still doesn’t want to cooperate, so Psycho-Pirate uses his powers to make him crawl in 
obedience, but Skyman fights back as best he can. In California, the Force of July are torturing the captured heroes for information, but none of them will talk. Carlyle gets a call from Vittings, who tells him Psycho-Pirate is losing it, and we find out it was Psycho-Pirate’s powers that forced the Markovians to elect Vittings in the first place. We also find out that Carlyle found Psycho-Pirate half-crazy after his encounter with the female Thunderbolt in issue 32 and used the Medusa Mask to restore some part of his sanity, in exchange for Psycho-Pirate working for him. Carlyle wants to use Markovia as a stepping stone to world domination, to impose his twisted vision on the
whole planet, but when Vittings tells him Psycho-Pirate plans to execute the captured heroes (and Gregor and Ilona), Carlyle realizes he has to stop Psycho-Pirate before his excesses make Markovia a pariah state. Carlyle tells the Force of July they have to go to Markovia and Mr. Bones decides he’s had enough torture and tells them Batman is behind everything. They take Bones when they leave, but he tosses his cigarette near Katana, allowing her to light Jade’s vines on fire. That helps Metamorpho escape and free the others and they go after Carlyle and Force of July, leaving the now-raging fire to 
burn down Carlyle’s mansion. On Carlyle’s plane, he shows his minions some special contact lenses that will insulate them from Psycho-Pirate’s powers. Bones “accidentally” knocks the lenses out of Carlyle’s hand and quickly returns them, but I bet he switched them. In Markovia, Vittings tries to stall the execution, but Psycho-Pirate realizes he’s wearing the special contacts and has him tossed in prison. He goes out to order the execution himself and the people freak out when they see Baron Bedlam, so he has to use his powers to make them happy to see their former dictator. That makes the captured heroes suspicious and Geo-Force reminds “Bedlam” that an old
law says condemned prisoners can choose to be executed by the people. Psycho-Pirate manipulates the people into stoning Geo-Force, breaking the headband that keeps him from using his powers. He frees the others and they confront “Bedlam”. Meanwhile, the other heroes catch up with Carlyle’s plane over Markovian airspace and threaten to expose him to international scrutiny. After hearing what’s going on in Markovia, the Force of July realize their intervention will cause an international incident and refuse to help Carlyle, turning the plane around and heading back. (Bones jumps out to rejoin his teammates.) Carlyle isn’t too bothered, since he figures the Medusa Mask will let him control Psycho-Pirate whenever he wants, but he 
doesn’t know his mansion is currently burning to the ground. In Markovia, the second bunch of heroes show up (wearing the special lenses to keep them safe from Psycho-Pirate) and end up fighting their teammates, who are being controlled by Psycho-Pirate. He leaves them to fight and goes into the dungeons to force the mercenaries to kill each other and make Skyman and Gregor fight. Psycho-Pirate revels in his triumph as all the heroes kill each other and the people praise him … but it turns out to be fake. Looker and Brainwave got far enough away during the fight to break Psycho-Pirate’s hold, then came back and used their combined mental powers to make him think he’d won. He ends up in an asylum, still believing his scheme worked. The teams say their farewells and head home.