I bought two copies of this one from a quarter bin that had at least three; because the print quality on the covers varied wildly between them! Enough to be momentarily interesting, anyway; let's see if the actual story is! From 1972, Brave and the Bold #103, "A Traitor Lurks Inside Earth!" Written by Bob Haney, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Frank McLaughlin.

The government thought if they put nuclear command in the hands of a "compu-bot" installed a mile underneath a magma dome; it would be safe from enemy interference. Of course, it was also unreachable to maintain or reprogram, so when "John Doe" starts acting up, the government asks Batman to try and find the rebellious robot's creator. Batman works the case, eventually finding John's creator, an apparent suicide; but Bats realizes John killed him with an ultrasonic signal triggering termporary insanity. John might be found out, but what could they do about it? Nothing! But, Batman might be able to get some help from this month's guest-stars, the Metal Men! If they decide to reform, that is.

I don't know where this fits in Metal Men continuity, but Professor Magnus was currently out of the picture, having become "the power-mad puppet of a foreign dictator via a brain operation." Feel like the Metal Men, or Batman for that matter, should do something about that; but the robots were currently living as second-class citizens. The surly Mercury is offended that Gold would choose to "pass" as a human, while Tina is working as an "all-nite" go-go dancer. Actually, it isn't clear if Tina is technically an employee, the nightclub owner may think he owns her. He gets rather casually knocked out by Iron, which is probably assault, but feels appropriate. This was a fairly common theme in Metal Men stories, although here "Robots' Lib" seems like a jab, like they were being uppity for wanting better treatment. Also, Tin has settled down with a little wife: who the hell was that? Actually, there seemed like a lot of robots, an auditorium full, at a Robots' Lib meeting; and the speaker's words seem familiar to Batman--because rights are universal? No, because John Doe has co-opted the movement. Batman approaches the Metal Men, who are divided about whether to help him or not; but Batman produces Professor Magnus's last will, which moves them, although Mercury argues Magnus wasn't really dead, that shouldn't apply!

The Metal Men are launched through terrible heat and radiation to get to John Doe--and then side with him! John makes his ultimatum: robots would take over, because let's be honest, it's not like they could do a worse job than humanity, right? Batman works out an alternate route--through a bat cave!--to get to John, but the heat and radiation is too much for even him. He's saved by the Metal Men--how they could have saved him from radiation poisoning, um, well--and they say they haven't gone bad: John had captured Tin, as a hostage against them! (Losing Tin on its own wouldn't break their responsometers; but they wouldn't be able to face his poor wife--again, who the hell was she? Looks it up...oh, no.)

The heroes manage to free Tin, and Gold rips out dozens of John Doe's memory banks--a slow, horrible death for a robot. But the robot had a reserve personality, that of its creator, that fights a little more before pulling its own plug. Still, maybe this could be an important lesson, against creating a race of slaves...no, we're gonna go out again playing "lib" as a bad joke. Read more!

I probably could've taken this comic apart for better scans, it wouldn't have hurt it any.

Back in the second year of this blog we saw a later Batman/Mister Miracle team-up from Brave and the Bold, and today I just so happen to have an earlier one. Sure it's beat to hell, but that just means it's been loved! From 1974, The Brave and the Bold #112, featuring "The Impossible Escape" Written by Bob Haney, art by Jim Aparo. 

This was a hundred-pager, but it's sadly lost the cover and a few pages, so I don't get to see the conclusion of Batman and Green Lantern's team-up against the Time Commander, or the first few pages of this one. And since it's Bob Haney, we could've already missed an alien invasion, a South American coup, three visits from Morgana the kissing bandit, and the astonishing return of Jim Brown.

We meet Batman and Commissioner Gordon, fighting invaders to an Egyptian tomb moved stone-by-stone to Gotham, already in progress. (An aside here, possibly for my own reference: I have seen the phrase "stone-by-stone" dropped casually in a number of comics, usually to justify why there would be a Transylvanian-looking castle in New Jersey or something, but while it sounds like a massive undertaking it did happen on occasion! Pretty good article here.) The invaders are probably mummies, guessing by how hard they were to kill; then there's a legend about the location of another tomb, of Atun, Egypt's first pharaoh, who allegedly possessed the secret of immortality. Supposedly the secret was lost, but the ancient Egyptians had been imitating it after him, packing their tombs with "food and things the dead would need." Throw in territorial beef between the museum curator and an Egyptian cop: the former claims the tomb was bought legitimately, the latter rebukes that. 

Then, we get Mister Miracle, in another daring escape from the Eiffel Tower in a lightning storm...and then some more missing pages. Reading Haney is sometimes like reading comics blackout drunk, but I can't put that on him! Batman and Miracle are both in Egypt by page 8, albeit separately: Batman on camel with a guide, Miracle in a helicopter with a "gorgeous girl...(who) challenged my ego!" Pretty obvious she challenged Miracle to get into the lost tomb, although how she avoided Big Barda folding her into an envelope may be a more impressive escape. Miracle uses his anti-gravity discs to escape with the unfazed girl, then begin exploring the tomb; as Batman's guide turns on him, then collapses, and Batman begins investigating the tomb from the water. He had followed a bat-shaped clue, because of course he did.

Ooh, not a great scan there. Miracle and the girl, Ingrid, find the unaged pharaoh Atun in the tomb, where he announces he had returned seeking his people. Ingrid innocently asks about the secret of eternal life; when Atun says it's in his scepter, she grabs it and tries to yeet out of there, only to get herself and Miracle into a series of traps. Ingrid couldn't be more obviously evil if she had a mustache to twirl, but she also blurts out "by my master's life" as an exclamation, which seems totally normal. When Miracle says they've found the way out, she turns on him, and manages to get herself killed by one of her bullets ricocheting back at her. Miracle had lied, to get her to tip her hand, but finds his way to another "mummy case," containing...we don't get to see, as Atun returns, demanding his scepter; but Miracle defeats him and unmasks him as Batman! Unmasked, even, although he doesn't seem to mind: his costume had been in the sarcophagus. Feels like they stepped on the reveal there. Bats had been controlled by Atun's helmet...for reasons. I'm not missing a page here, I'm just not 100% on the why. 

Batman and Mr. Miracle are chased through the tomb by a weird beam, but manage to get to a small alien ship and escape. Outside, as the tomb is swallowed by avalanche and flooding, the ship and the scepter disintegrate, leaving no proof of anything. A few days later, Ingrid's boss, who apparently caused a lot of the ruckus searching for the secret to immortality, dies of old age; as the alien Atun is told by a tribunal of some kind that we know you love earth, but those primates couldn't handle immortality, and Atun agrees, never to return. Well, it's an efficient wrap-up, you have to give it that.

We may look at some of the reprinted features later, but that Time Commander story was from Brave and the Bold #59, and he somehow thinks sending GL to yesterday and Bats to tomorrow will somehow let him win today? It seems like a lot wrong with that idea.

Read more!

Sometimes, when life doesn't make sense, it's time to read a comic that doesn't make a lot of sense! From 1982, Brave and the Bold #190, "Who Killed Adam Strange?" Written by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Sal Trapani. 

The lead story was only 17 pages, so it has to zip along; with Batman taking the zeta beam to Rann, fighting his way through some young guards, and getting to Adam Strange's wife Alanna by page 4. Bats had received a letter from Adam's "earth lawyer," that was to be delivered if Adam went missing for more than six months. (Which I thought would've been often, for an archeologist back then!) Batman followed the letter's instructions and took the zeta beam, to find out what happened to Adam. Good news, he got a statue! Bad news...

Bats admits to Alanna he did not know Adam well, but there's a sense of admiration: like maybe if his parents hadn't died, he could've led a life like his. (Doubtful! Bruce would've been idle rich. I don't think he would've been Elon Musk-level terrible, but probably not great.) As Rann is attacked again, Batman is directed to Alanna's father, Sardath; since Batman's detective skills were what they really needed. Rann was under attack by their "ancestral enemies" (who I don't think we've ever seen before) the Kirri, who are crushing Rann's forces with their "aqua-ray" that turns their foes into water. Adam had stopped the Kirri before, so Sardath was certain they arranged his murder. 

Viewing footage of the crime scene, Batman notes that even though he had been shot multiple times with a ray-gun, Adam still tried to write something in his own blood. Watching Adam's other cases, Batman has a revelation: when the zeta-beam wears off, Adam is always returned to earth, in the same state he left. (Today. That may not be a hard-and-fast rule.) Sardath withdraws the zeta-radiation from Adam's corpse and Batman, returning them to earth--and Adam to life! Catching another zeta-beam back, Batman does advise, don't try that again. Oh, and Batman has solved the mystery.  

Yes, by bluffing! He tricks one of the guards that first attacked him into confessing. Adam then leads the charge against the Kirri, even as Batman wonders if being dead has brain-damaged him; but Adam figures out how to stop the aqua-ray: it can't penetrate ice. Using massive chunks of ice as shields, they rally and defeat the Kirri, who promise to restore their aqua-victims. Batman and Adam have just about a page to hang out with Alanna, before the zeta ray brings them to earth again. 

Also this issue: a Nemesis back-up! Man, I think DC has slept on him for a while.

Read more!

Perhaps appropriately, this copy appears to have had a bite taken out of it...

I was imagining this came up more often in the old team-up books: when the guest-starring hero's problem is a big enough deal that it should become the main character's main quest as well. What's the point in worrying about crime if there are vampires afoot? Maybe Batman can only be bothered about criminal vampires, as in today's book! From 1983, the Brave and the Bold #195, "Night of Blood!" Written by Mike W. Barr, art by Jim Aparo.

Batman's team-up this month was with Andrew Bennett, of the I...Vampire feature from House of Mystery, which ran on and off from 1981-83. Bennett was some 400 years old, and had spent a good chunk of that time trying to stop his former lover Mary, whom he had turned into a vampire, but she had gone a bit overboard with it. She had called herself the Queen of Blood, and had a whole conspiracy called the Blood-Red Moon going, doing the typical vampire cabal stuff. With vampires both real and fake moving into Gotham, and a mobster's daughter possibly dying of a vampire's bite, Batman works with both the mobster and Bennett pretty readily; much more so than Batman's usual "my city" of recent years. It's also a Batman who readily accepts hey, there are vampires; having encountered them elsewhere recently. And he's able to use the cross against them, which would preclude Batman being an atheist.

Bennett proves he's a good guy by taking a silver bullet for Batman; and Batman returns the favor by providing a blood donation for his surgery: apparently you don't have to type it for vampires, just give them an IV and dump blood in. Bats says he'll have to convince Commissioner Gordon to have the "vampire murder" victims staked, which at certain points in DC and Marvel's history seems like it should just be standard operating procedure. He also gives Bennett a friendly grin in the end, maybe just because he thinks him turning into a bat is cool. Even with unholy creatures of the night, this is a cheery, upbeat little comic; good for it.
Read more!

Like having the same fever dream twice.

Maybe more than that, since I think I have another reprint of this one! Originally from 1969's Brave and the Bold #82, today's scans are from Best of the Brave and the Bold #3, but I also had the black-and-white reprint volume Batman: the Frightened City! "The Sleepwalker from the Sea!" Written by Bob Haney, art by Neal Adams. So I know I've read it more than once, and it still barely makes any sense.

To begin, Batman sees a man following a girl on the Gotham waterfront, when the girl leaps into a pickup car, and the man is shot with a speargun by a man in full scuba gear! The car swings back to get something the diver takes off the man, and while Batman is able to get the driver to swerve into a pole, he's then stopped by a super-strong blond man, then shot in the shoulder by the scuba diver. Falling into the ocean, Bats is saved by the blond man, who he thinks was Aquaman, even if he's not sure later. While getting medical attention and reviewing with Commissioner Gordon, Batman retrieves a golden medallion of a kraken from the murdered man...even though we saw it stolen earlier, how did it get there? I've read these first five pages a dozen times now, did I miss something? Well, it's not important, Bruce has a date!

Actually, two dates: Bruce breaks one with redhead Honor, to go out with model Ailsa: he's pretty sold on her, but may be barking up the wrong tree, since she's only interested in Bruce's investment in the waterfront project. She also has another one of those kraken medallions, then pulls a gun on Bruce when confronted, and judo throws him off a balcony! Bruce manages to save himself, then follows Ailsa to her boss, and lover, "millionaire ship fleet owner" Orm Marius. Orm, Orm...who do we know named Orm, besides no one ever? Oh yeah, the Ocean Master! Ailsa had painted a nice portrait of him, in full costume, which Orm has to take a knife to because she apparently didn't grasp the concept of "secret identity." Bruce confronts Orm and Ailsa, and while Orm knows Bruce can't prove squat, he still sics his zombie-like lackey on him: none other than Aquaman! Aquaman takes Bruce back down to the waterfront, to murder him in a giant piledriver. Or "murder" him: Aquaman wasn't really going to kill him, but when Orm sees them Bruce has to throw them both over the side, so Orm thinks they were killed.

This was an early appearance for Ocean Master, so his origin and grudge against Aquaman are recapped; and this was also set during a pretty good storyline in Aquaman as he searched for the missing Mera. It would almost be a side quest; yeah, it's completely irrelevant. Stopping what he thought was a poacher, Aquaman accidentally kills a marine biologist, then Orm tells his brother he's just as bad as he is, which seems to put Aquaman into a fugue state controlled by Orm. Batman doesn't believe that Aquaman would murder anyone, though, and has Aquaman drugged and brainwashed to straighten him back out! But--what--huh? First, Bats doesn't seem to look into the possible murder either way. He also has the aforementioned Honor play Mera in Aquaman's drug trip-slash-vision. Honor then tells Batman, tell Bruce Wayne she's through with him.

He's a little stung by that. While Aquaman is instantly back to normal after this little play, he demands Orm not be harmed when they stop him; Commissioner Gordon, who had been playing the marine biologist, gives his tactical squad orders to shoot to kill, even though I'm still not sure there was any proof Orm had done anything at this point.

The only person successfully shot, or brought in, in this one turns out to be Ailsa, who declines Batman's offer of getting Bruce Wayne to speak on her behalf: while Orm betrayed her, she was alive with him, but willing to pay for her "foolishness." Batman strikes out again! That the Frightened City reprint I mentioned was all Haney/Adams Brave and the Bold stories, and I think they all read like you were expecting to take a drink of lukewarm coffee and instead get a steaming swig of peyote tea. Seriously, I don't think I can make it through the whole thing in one sitting. The Best of the Brave and the Bold reprint has somewhat more vanilla Viking Prince, Golden Gladiator, and Robin Hood stories; all with nice art and slightly less baffling nonsense.

Slightly less. (Originally from 1956's Brave and the Bold #6, "The Battle of the Kites!" Written by Bob Haney, art by Joe Kubert.)
Read more!

I don't like him either, Booster, but don't bite off more than you can chew.

Magog gets his own logo in what I think is Kingdom Come's font, in 2009's Brave and the Bold #23, "Shadows of Tomorrow" Story and art by Dan Jurgens, finishes by Norm Rapmund.

When Rip Hunter returns from the future with an intruder, and a torn black S-shield, he mutters the "Magog" to his partner, Booster Gold. Booster goes into the future for a look, but only gets a peek of future devastation before Rip pulls him back. Booster complains he's from the future and already knows a lot, but Rip tells him he doesn't know everything. Booster decides if he can't see Magog's future, he can investigate him in the here-and-now.

In Iraq Kahndaq, Magog offers his assistance with a hostage situation: separatists had taken children hostage, and planted explosives throughout the city. Magog is able to elbow his way into the situation since he knows the separatists want attention, and the involvement of a "cape" means news. Booster arrives to catch some grief, but is a known pro, at least for certain values of "pro." (Booster was allowing his reputation to be dragged through the mud in the present, so he wouldn't be thought of as a threat in the future.) While Booster has Skeets lock on the explosives, Magog takes a unique approach to a terrorist with a dead-man's switch: slapping a tourniquet on him, then tearing his arm off!

Booster is appalled, but Magog turns his nose up at him as a "lightweight." Still, for his tough talk, Magog had missed a guy with an RPG and some hostages, which Booster had to take care of. He also has Skeets match the dead man's switch frequency, so Magog doesn't have to keep holding a severed arm and would be free to throw down. Before Magog can try to feed Booster his teeth, Rip shows up to tell Booster he can't fight Magog now, since he has a role to play in the future. (Killing the Joker, maybe?)

This isn't a bad issue, but it's all set-up! I wanna see some fighting! Especially since Magog is a tool. I have a DCUC Magog figure, purchased in a case with S.T.R.I.P.E, and I've had a strip in mind for him for years that I haven't gotten around to...
Read more!

I was reading comics in 2008, right? How'd I miss this?

The Doom Patrol. Flash. Metamorpho and the Challengers of the Unknown. Mark Waid and George Perez? Why the ever-living hell didn't I buy the Brave and the Bold #8 back in 2008? Tell me! Oh, and inks by Bob Wiacek, who's also pretty great.

This month, the Challengers of the Unknown are still trying to wrap their heads around the Book of Destiny; while Wally and Linda West are looking for help for their kids, Jai and Iris. They had their dad's powers, sort of, and were unstable: I think they'd only been around a year or so, yet in the best soap-opera tradition were already 10 or 11. But there's help Wally is reluctant to take, from Dr. Niles Caulder, the Chief of the Doom Patrol. Wally thinks the Chief is creepy, and appearances and testimonials seem to back him up: he lives in a creepy castle, doing creepy experiments with his creepy super-team, and Beast Boy didn't speak too highly of him, either. (While this is set in Flash's then-current continuity, Waid takes a sort of traditionalist take on the Patrol; their next series was still a year out.)

Flash's kids take to the friendly-too-friendly Rita, but then get spooked by her stretching, and run smack into Robotman, then Negative Man. The subsequent brawl rubs Flash the wrong way, but he is placated a bit by a friendly visiting freak, "the one and only" Metamorpho! (That statement may not have been true...)

Over dinner, Linda accuses the DP of enjoying scaring the kids, what with radioactive mummies and visible brains. Iris is observant, and more unnerved by the constantly smiling Rita: Wally points out she's overcompensating.

I had a hard time getting a read on the Chief, here. Is he planning some experiment for his own goals, or is he genuinely trying to help and protective of his "freaks"? His procedure to use Metamorpho to stabilize the kids for a scan goes awry, though, when Metamorpho disappears midway through! (I think there's a clue there, though; that may have tied into the most recent run of Outsiders, but I could be wrong: it may also have been Waid and Perez trying to justify getting rid of those curlicues added to Rex.) The Chief gives Wally the choice of which child to save with Robotman's alloy body, but thinking fast Flash uses Negative Man to save Iris.

The kids are saved, or at least not killed, and the Chief rather uncharitably puts the accident on Metamorpho, who left a mysterious clue: the word "Megistus" etched in the rock. The Flash family, distrustful and scared of the Chief and the Doom Patrol, leave in a hurry. Later, Wally admits to Iris that while he was thinking, he did choose one child...and the guilt eats at him. I have to say, on this re-read, I'm siding with the Chief. The Flash family may have their problems, but the Doom Patrol are living with brutal trauma, if with a morbid sense of humor about it. I would ask Cliff not to take his brain out at the dinner table, though.

Arrgh, I have a couple of these issues: we checked out #13 last year, but #12 would be the conclusion to this Megistus storyline!
Read more!

There's a reason they call it Earth-Haney.

I noticed it before in a issue guest-starring the Creeper, where he had yet another new job; but I wrote that off to just not paying a lot of attention to the Creeper's continuity. Then I saw it here, and figured unless it was a character as well-established as Clark Kent, Haney was going to put them in whatever job necessary for the story. Like today's book! From 1978, Brave and the Bold #141, "Pay--or Die!" Written by Bob Haney, art by Jim Aparo.

When several businessmen are blown to pieces, Batman begins working the case by checking their books, and finds out they were all in debt and making weekly cash payments, as to a loan shark: "Longreen." Black Canary gets involved when her career as a designer is derailed by her employer's sudden explosion. But the bomber knocked her clear, then escapes both Canary and Batman; and through "a quaint mispronunciation" come to the conclusion the loan shark "Long Grin" is none other than the Joker!

To break the case, Batman uses Alfred as bait; letting work slip that Bruce Wayne blew Alfred's pension, and that he needs to borrow "fifty big ones." The Joker takes the bait, and Alfred has a sly wit:

The Joker is able to get Alfred, even with Canary and Bats tailing him, but Alfred plays it cool, convincing the Joker he's going to recoup his losses with some insider trading, or embezzlement, either or. But after a drink from the Joker, Alfred can't recount enough details for them to find the Joker's hideout. After Canary is captured, Batman realizes Joker gave Alfred a bomb in the wine, a "chemical-timed explosive." Finally finding the Joker's hideout (which turns out to be a funeral home next to a burger joint with a giant, laughing clown mascot, because Haney) Alfred attacks him, putting him in a headlock, planning to take him with him. Canary stops the Joker's men, and Alfred is unmasked as Batman, giving the Joker a brief laugh until Bats forcibly uses the Joker to give Alfred a blood transfusion to defuse the chemical, since he knew the Joker took the antidote.

A slightly silly story, with the added effect of derailing Black Canary's new career before it even begins...
Read more!

So I'm running a bit behind because I'm getting ready to go on vacation, and then I pick up a comic and realize how behind I am on those, too: from 2008, the Brave and the Bold #13, "American Samuroids" Written by Mark Waid, pencils by Jerry Ordway, inks by Scott Koblish and Bob McLeod.

Unfortunate title aside, this issue is a fun throwback to the days when B&B was a Batman team-up book, with Bats joining forces with the Jay Garrick Flash. As Batman investigates a murder, he's attacked by a robot with a samurai sword, that is then taken apart by Jay. Jay's on the scene since the victim was a friend of his, who had been working on "artificial intelligence in chemical form." That research was stolen by T.O. Morrow, who's working with the Penguin! The Riddler paid off the Penguin with an old warehouse, which turned out to be full of old androids Morrow created, and now they're upgrading them with the new A.I. Penquin plans on getting into the "global security business," but they need supplies from Wayne Industries, who won't sell. He's even tried to have Wayne whacked a few times, which for some reason turns out to be surprisingly difficult. Lucky bastard...



Meanwhile, at the Batcave, Jay and Bruce have a discussion about mentoring: Jay also taught several scientists, along with the Flashes that followed him, which surprises Bruce. Bruce then makes himself a target, which draws in the...ugh, samuroids. Jay realizes the A.I. is making the androids more and more difficult to defeat, but the bacteria used for it is vulnerable to antibiotics. As Batman fights them, Jay whips up a batch and neutralizes the lot. They then follow the androids' chemical trail to Morrow's factory; somewhat surprisingly, they then blow it up. Morrow disappears into the timestream, although I'm not sure that's his doing; Batman implies that'll happen to him and it's more of a punishment. In the end, before they're off to new cases, Batman tells Jay how much he respects him.

This is exactly the type of story that probably wouldn't be doable under the New 52, since there isn't the same sense of legacy. And I don't know if T.O. Morrow--who was a workhorse of a villain in old JLA stories--has even appeared yet; or Red Tornado for that matter? And I don't think DC has been giving a lot of work to Jerry Ordway lately, either; but he has a book on the shelves now! He's been contributing art for a Mermaid Man cereal serial in Spongebob Comics! Hope he's having fun, since that story surely is. (Story and some art by Derek Drymon.)
Read more!

Today: Nightwing clears the benches.

I've seen lots of stories where the hero can't find anyone else for back-up, like the Fantastic Four or Avengers being out of town. I've seen fewer where the hero has to get rid of everyone. Like today's book! From 2008, the Brave and the Bold #15, "Wings and Arrows" Written by Mark Waid, art by Scott Kolins.

Nightwing is described as "next to Superman, Dick Grayson is the one guy alive that every other crimefighter trusts." So when he claims Trigon is going to invade earth, he's able to get the Justice League, Titans, Outsiders, and Justice Society in position to counter-attack. Too bad it's a lie.

Nightwing keeps Hawkman in reserve, but he also has Deadman, who explains the situation: the dragon-priest Siva Anuttara invaded Nanda Parbat, captured Deadman's boss Rama Kushna, and created "an army of body-haunting ghost assassins," who can take over people like Deadman can, except when they do it they kill their host. Deadman and Green Arrow failed to stop Annutara, but GA was able to put an arrow in Deadman and throw him off a cliff. This wasn't as stupid a plan as you'd think: while he comes back to life in Nanda Parbat, he returned to his ghostly self outside, and went to Batman for help. With Bats undercover, Deadman possesses Alfred to give Nightwing the head's up, but Nightwing realizes if he were to organize any superheroic help, they could be taken over and killed by the ghost assassins. So he lies to get all the heroes to safety; except for Hawkman, because they need his knowledge of ancient civilizations and whatnot.

Actually, Waid may need Hawkman for a specific bit later in the story, but it's fun so I'll allow it. I don't know how I missed this when it came out--I do kinda like the low-continuity, done in one or two stories better than the multipart crossover pseudo-epics. And for fifty cents, hell yeah.
Read more!

I was watching some episodes of Batman: the Brave and the Bold that I had inexplicably missed, when I saw the teaser before "Requiem for a Scarlet Speedster!" featuring the Outsiders. I've probably mentioned it before, but I like the idea of the Outsiders far more than any execution of that idea I've seen so far.

Metamorpho is the coolest, but hard to use in that setting since 99% of the problems that show up in an Outsiders comic could be taken care of in three panels. Panel one: an army of goons attacks the Outsiders! Panel two: Metamorpho turns into fluorine gas, carbon monoxide, what have you. Panel three: the Outsiders stack the "unconscious" bodies of the goons...Black Lightning is a great and woefully underused character--although, I remember seeing the promo ads for his first appearance, and I think his afro was part of his mask? Weird. I don't think I mind Katana, although DC keeps trying to make her happen and it hasn't blown up yet; but I don't have much use for Geo-Force or Halo. Looker...y'know, I think most Outsider fans like her, because Alan Davis, even if they don't like any stories with her in the last twenty years.

What I'm getting at, is that Batman may have missed an opportunity, by not giving an Outsiders spot to Nemesis. From 1981, the Brave and the Bold #170, "...If Justice be Blind!" Written by Cary Burkett, art by Jim Aparo. Nemesis had a brother that was an federal agent, who inexplicably went rogue and murdered his superior, then died in the ensuing gunfight. Seeking to clear his brother's name, Nemesis discovered that he had been brainwashed by a former Nazi scientist working for a crime boss called the Head. (Batman isn't sure the Head really exists, but Nemesis points out the Head avoided Gotham City.)

Batman gives Nemesis a bit of hassle about using guns, although Nemesis used "toxin-bullets," not unlike the non-lethal "mercy bullets" the Punisher used to use. But Batman may be more than a little jealous over another kid's toys: a silent helicopter, ultra-thin masks that can duplicate facial expressions and dissolve in an instant, a knife hidden under fake skin. (OK, maybe not so much that last one.) In the end, the heroes discover the Head earned his nom de plume by running his criminal syndicate from an iron lung. The Head makes a pretty good argument for Nemesis killing him, since he figures if he could do his job from an iron lung, he could do it from a jail cell; but ultimately one of his dying flunkies cuts the iron lung's power cord.

Nemesis has appeared here and there since (including a stretch dating Wonder Woman!) but I've always suspected Batman "borrowed" his gadgets.
Read more!

"The End" Week: the All-New Batman: the Brave and the Bold #16!

I wasn't expecting to get ten Batman figures this year, nor was I expecting six Batman last issues. Like this one! From 2012, the All-New Batman: the Brave and the Bold #16, "Love at First Mite" Written by Sholly Fisch, pencils by Rick Burchett, inks by Dan Davis. This was the second tie-in series for the 2008-2011 animated series, although I don't know why the previous series ended. Except maybe to get another #1, I suppose.

This issue opens with Batman fighting the Mad Mod (of Teen Titans occasional fame, having appeared in the cartoon) and his men, who try to steal some of Batman's specialized uniforms from a display. Batman of course had fail-safes in place for that, but Bat-Mite calls that a "Cheat!" He disables Batman's remote, so he'll have to beat the bad guys up the old-fashioned way; but the extra-dimensional imp is surprised--and smitten--by the sudden entrance of Batgirl.

Batgirl is amused, but not sold on a "team-up," or whatever. Bat-Mite points out, as a super-heroine, Batgirl would probably end up "marrying an alien monster or being Lex Luthor's gun moll or something." He also keeps bringing in super-villains, like the Music Meister and Mister Polka-Dot, as "everything's better with super-villains." Batgirl lets him down gently, though; suggesting there may be another girl out there for him, someone smiley and magical...

The issue ends with a page of Bat-Mite lamenting the end of the series, but Batman points out he still has his old issues, and can read them whenever he wants. Good advice. Of course, this was another cancellation because the tie-in animated series was ending; the current Batman cartoon and tie-in comic is Beware the Batman, which I haven't seen or read yet...

Tomorrow: a blistering hangover The Eighth Annual Year in Toys! It's a big one!
Read more!

"The End" Week: the Brave and the Bold #200!

Sometimes, a comic is cancelled less because of sales, than the feeling that it's perhaps going out of fashion, or to clear the schedule for something new. Like this issue, another cancelled Batman book! How is that guy still around...Brave and the Bold #200, "Smell of Brimstone, Stench of Death!" Written by Mike W. Barr, art by Dave Gibbons, inks by Gary Martin.

Although this was a team-up book, the heroes don't meet this time: the Batman of Earth-2 in 1955, and Earth-1's Batman in the present 1983. The villain, a hood using the nom de plume Brimstone, uses hell-themed gimmicks like white phosphorous capsules; but is no match for Batman and Robin. Batman escapes from Brimstone's death-pit, but Brimstone is clonked on the head and put into a coma for 28 years. Revived by an experimental treatment, Brimstone is furious over his aged, decrepit body; but a grinning senior citizen Joker gives him the bad news: Batman was already dead.

But Brimstone had an ace up his sleeve: as a child, he was aware of another Nicholas Lucien, his counterpart on Earth-1, who was as good as Brimstone was evil. Transferring his consciousness to the Earth-1 version, Brimstone begins a new crime spree, starting with random bombings. As Batman works the case, he doesn't realize Brimstone's whole goal is a rematch for revenge, since they've never met. After a trap with goons and "hellebore flower," Brimstone puts Batman in a updated version of his death-pit, which Batman escapes again; and after another clonk on the head Brimstone is forced back into his own body, to live out his days as a vegetable.

The rest of this issue was a preview for Brave and the Bold's replacement, Batman and the Outsiders. Enh.

Read more!