Batman typically has an array of solid comics and the Brave and The Bold titles in particular have always been solid. The stories are decently good and I’d say that the comic is decent overall. There’s no reason to really dislike them, although they are naturally pretty basic. There are multiple stories and the collection even skips some of them so that we can see the best ones..or are they just skipping them to keep a green theme? Either way, I don’t approve, but let’s see how much fun the comics were!
The first comic involves Batman taking a solid injury to his leg and he is unable to protect Gotham City anymore. His friends quickly realize that this could get dicey for the city so they decide to dress up as Batman and stop the villains, but can they really defeat such a large number of opponents? This comic was pretty solid since it’s nice to see Batman’s friends try to help. Batman may have been a little ungrateful about the whole thing, but at least Robin was ready to come and help. I’d say that Shazam did the best job, but it’s arguable I suppose. It’s a fun story and it shows that even villains can be nice sometimes.
The next comic dealt with Huntress as she requests Batman’s help to fend off a new villain. This villain is pretty tricky and his riddles would even make the Riddler proud! The writers didn’t really handle the Huntress that well unfortunately and the ending was very cheesy. This definitely wasn’t one of the better comics and I’m glad that the others managed to step up their game.
We also had a comic where Batman had to team up with Wonder Woman as they faced off against an egg themed villain. The actual villain was pretty weak, but then they woke up a being of immense power! Batman bravely leaped into the fray, but can he hold out until Wonder Woman has to come and save him? The comic was decently good although the writing was a little cheesy again. Batman and Wonder Woman end up telling each other the same thing in the comic. One of them says it at the beginning while the other says it at the end.
Next up, we had a team up with the Martian Manhunter! Let me tell you, this guy’s no joke! The Martian Manhunter has super strength and…he looks pretty bad in this comic. If not for Batman’s quick thinking, both of these guys would be down for the count and the White Martian (aka, the villain of the comic) would have won. The comic was fun since the stakes were higher than usual, but Martian Manhunter still managed to look pretty bad. Dr Fate gets his kicks in, but it’s ultimately Batman who must do the heavy lifting.
Next up, we had Cyborg Superman as he tries to take Green Lantern’s Power Ring by force! That’s not a very nice thing to do, but luckily for Hal, Batman’s around! Hal looks pretty weak for the most part, but he is up against Cyborg Superman so I would say that it’s pretty understandable. Cyborg Superman is definitely under powered in this issue, but he still manages to give the heroes a good run for their money. It’s always great to see Batman use the Power Ring and he almost put it to good use. Adding in the Manhunters was also a nice bonus and things got real! The comic definitely had more stakes than the others and it was nice to see such an epic villain.
Finally, we had Hal appear again as he teamed up with Batman to fight an all powerful being. This guy is definitely not to be underestimated and things get intense when Batman realizes that he must make a tough decision. Green Lantern looks pretty weak again, but Batman looks good and I suppose that he is the most important character anyway.
The comic did have some key negatives such as the art. The art is actually pretty bad and it makes most of the other Batman comics look good. The characters are typically off model and it doesn’t really look like they put a lot of effort into it. You wouldn’t find art like this in the mainstream titles like Justice League or Superman. A Batman Brave and The Bold comic should definitely get more respect than this and it’s what I’ve come to expect.
Another negative is the writing. It’s not completely bad as there can be good parts to it as well, but many of the lines are very cheesy. Some of the characters are just not written well and you just have to sigh as you miss the good ole days. The writing can definitely get better if the author really puts some heart into this.
Overall, this is a decent comic at best. It is a little close to getting a 6, but it’s still fun. There are many flaws with it, but it’s a nice collection of stories to read if you’re tired or just feel like reading something. There’s no deep plot or anything like that, so you can just pick it up and start reading. It’s a decent start to your DC career, but the art can be a turn off. That being said, I still recommend it since the cast of guest stars is pretty strong and you actually get to see Cyborg Superman.
Overall 7/10
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