"The Brave and the Bold" Discussion/Talkback

[Binker]

You know what this thread will be for.

And to start, here's my review:

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #1

Written by Mark Waid
Art by George Pérez and Bob Wiacek
Covers A & B by George Pérez

PLOT:
The greatest team-up title of all time is back! Batman and Green Lantern are put on the trail of what could be the greatest weapon in the DCU!

REVIEW:
One of the finest, most greatest team up series wasn't Superman/Batman, or World's Finest as it was called before. But The Brave and the Bold. Many would agree as this title featured many team ups with characters instead of a main team up for the whole book, while Batman being in every team up could consider this book as a Batman-related title. While I knew of it, I never read any of the issues of the old series. I knew Batman was mostly in the team ups, and the title was know to spawn many other characters and teams that have become great today. Such as The Suicide Squad, the Justice League of America, Teen Titans and finally Metamorpho. When people were crying for DC to bring the title back, and got their wish, I looked forward to this title. Now here is the first issue....

So my reaction to my new title (new to me, old to many long-time fans) is what many have on this book: great. Well I should say good as this was the first issue and I should only say great as an reaction to the overall arc. But altogether this was good issue to a great title. I wasn't expecting anything bad but didn't keep my hopes up. Even though I know about this title from its old series, I've experienced and read this for the first time.
Batman has been known as whom the other superheroes teamed up with in the old Brave and the Bold series, which is why some called it a Batman-related title. Well for this issue, Batman happens to appear...again. Well, its been promised that he won't be the "main" hero for the title like before. The team up between Batman & Green Lantern was shown to be one of those cool team ups that work. While they have been known to teamed up before, I never seen it and am seeing it for the first time. Given what Batman felt toward Hal after Zero Hour up to Infinite Crisis, it seems all is forgiven. Well since One Year Later, Batman has changed for the better. So this is considered expected.

How the two work in this issue presents something different than Batman teaming up with Superman. Here they work together with no problems, they are not at odds. Green Lantern is taken by Batman's detective skills, and Bruce is taken by the bold (since Hal is the "bold" character in the team up) moves Hal makes gambling, and in turn winning by those bold moves. At no point do they argue. Which made me wonder why this is the case when Batman teams up with Green Lantern and not the case with Superman. Well I can't really explain as I didn't follow comics before Infinite Crisis that much, and Green Lantern in general, but my only option in answer is that it isn't the characters but the book itself. In that, it goes to make a good old team up superhero book. Thats why its like this. Basically, I like the team up with atman & Green Lantern.

Overall, this was a good issue for a title that is old to most, but new to me and in turn a new title to start collecting. As a team up title, it presents itself not too seriously which doesn't hurt the book at all. But it gives us a story and action scenes that are both fun to read and see in the pages.

RATING: 8/10

What's next: Green Lantern and.......Supergirl?

 

[mwm1331]

This was a great book, with excellent dialogue and spot on characterisation.
My two favorite lines were "if this were 1967" and "I wish barry could have lived to see you with money"
A solid hit

 

[yenaled]

I'm divided whether I want to read this... on one hand I can't imagine anything I want to read less than Hal Jordan teaming with Batman. I can't imagine a more boring team-up.

On the other hand it's Mark Waid and George Perez...

 

[WompuM]

so where the hell are the endless? if they have THE book of fate, shouldn't destiny be making an appearance?

 

[The_Guard]

I Liked it, but I wanted to like it a lot more. I was hoping for something more akin to Kirman's Marvel Team Up. And I'm not sure why but I didn't like Perez's art here. I love his art when I go back and read old Avengers books, and the JLA/Avengers books his art was great. I think maybe it was too dark here for Perez.

I'll get the next issue for sure, but I just don't like this book as much as I hoped to.

 

[BrianWilly]

Brave and the Bold #1
...huh.

There's nothing wrong at all with this series, and yet it doesn't quite grab me the way I expected it to. Mostly it's the sort of drab way that Batman and GL interact...

...Well, I take that back. There's nothing "drab" about their interaction, but there could be so much more. These two characters have so much history and so many nuances that could be played up, and it feels like we don't get much more than a cursory nod to that. It's almost as if we got the scaled-down, PCified, made-for-TV movie rendition of Bruce and Hal. I feel like Meltzer managed to say more about Bruce and Hal's relationship in a single microscoped page in JLA than the entirety of the pointless banter that we got here.

That might be overlooked if the plot were so overwhelmingly engrossing as to make up for lack of time to the character interaction. But the plot's nothing special. Some alien deception gambling thingy. So what's left of this series is a bunch of action scenes, albeit very pretty action scenes that are pretty well-staged. But I can go anywhere for that. Hell, I could go to Civil War for that *shudder*. I sort of expect more from a Waid/Perez team-up. And this book is sort of billed as the definitive nod to two characters teaming-up in the DCU. I just wanted more than banter.

I do have to say that I'm curious and interesting in the ending. The Book of Destiny? Would this have anything to do with Vertigo Destiny?

(6.6 out of 10)

 

[WompuM]

you know, you could use a 100 point scale rather than a ten point scale and get rid of the decimal points.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

It's almost as if we got the scaled-down, PCified, made-for-TV movie rendition of Bruce and Hal.

Blame Johns. He had them kiss and make up in GL, in another of his attempts to wipe away literally every flaw that Hal has ever had.

 

[Kebab gud]

i think they made a mistake her.. hal and bruce where talking like hal and ollie does (only a bit more political)

 

[Prognosticator]

I thought I'd give this series a try at one point, but after hearing about Countdown I'll likely save the money toward that series.

B&B seems like something I can collect down the line in Trade if it's a success.

 

[yenaled]

Blame Johns.

We usually do.

After Brian's review I'm thinking I might pass up the book till they have a team up not involving characters I want to mame.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

It's "maim," but I appreciate the thought, if not so much the delivery.

I arrived at that same conclusion months ago, when they first unveiled the line-up for this issue. I wasn't expecting it to go from bad to worse in #2, though. First Hal and Batman, then Hal and Supergirl? Christ, does Waid want me to put a gun to my head? Oh well; I'll just keep waiting until they have an issue with characters who are actually worth reading. Hopefully I'll be able to proudly purchase my first issue of B&B before the end of the year...

 

[mwm1331]

Christ, does Waid want me to put a gun to my head?

While I can't speak for Waid, I for one wouldn't mind.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Aw shucks, I like you, too.

 

[yenaled]

It's "maim," but I appreciate the thought, if not so much the delivery.

:P The thought was at least there.

I arrived at that same conclusion months ago, when they first unveiled the line-up for this issue. I wasn't expecting it to go from bad to worse in #2, though. First Hal and Batman, then Hal and Supergirl? Christ, does Waid want me to put a gun to my head? Oh well; I'll just keep waiting until they have an issue with characters who are actually worth reading. Hopefully I'll be able to proudly purchase my first issue of B&B before the end of the year...

I kind of want to see someone else write the new Blue Beetle so #3 maybe brought. But I'm not sure how Waid is structuring Brave and the Bold I know they stories tie together and aren't stand alone but in that case I'm not going to pick up '3 of a 5 issue arc just because Supergirl or Hal isn't in it.

 

[BrianWilly]

Blame Johns. He had them kiss and make up in GL, in another of his attempts to wipe away literally every flaw that Hal has ever had.

But even Johns put in a bunch of drama and tension that totally evoked their history together. Here it's just..."Gee, Hal, you're a rambunctious fighter pilot!" "Gee, Bruce, you're rich! And you don't get out much!" Any other characters could have made the exact same observations about these two.

What I really, really like about the DCU is that you could probably take any two random-ass characters from the entirety of the company, put them in the same room together, and know pretty much EXACTLY how they would act around each other. There's so much interconnectivity and relationships and backstory and sixdegreesofKevinBaconiness. The dialogue practically writes itself.

And we didn't get nearly enough of that, here. A little. Not enough.

 

[The Question]

It was interesting. I must say, I still have problems with Hal spending so much time on Earth playing super powered cowboys with the rest of the League while his fellow GLs are out in space actually patrolling their sectors and doing their jobs, but that's an overall thing, not just with this book. It was kind of average, but the prospect of a potential team-up with The Endless and their associates will probably keep me reading for a little while.

 

[gildea]

I really enjoyed this actually.

 

[Knives122]

This was a great book, with excellent dialogue and spot on characterisation.
My two favorite lines were "if this were 1967" and "I wish barry could have lived to see you with money"
A solid hit

Solid hit agaisnt Hal ehhhh?

"I've trained my lantern to come to me when I call for it. You know. Like you did with Robin".

OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, buirn

 

[CConn]

How well does Waid write Supergirl in LOSH?

 

[The Question]

Alright. Although, her presence seems kind of forced, as editorial more than likely pushed the character into the book, not Waid. Also, my main problem with her in the Legion is that she's written as being so powerful that she's often used as a Deus ex Machina. She even stopped an earthquake by whistling.

 

[Harlekin]

This issue was nice, banter-wise, but it felt... empty. It didn't really accomplish anything beyond setting up the story and give us a few one-liners. It felt like it could've been told in five pages.

 

[dmor173]

i Didnt like this that much. The little back and forth is good, but I thought they still had a bit of tension, as seen in 'rebirth' and some other story.

Is this taking place in continuity, like is it in sync with JLA? Because they were pretty friendly. Thats moreso the way bruce is with clark than hal.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Alright. Although, her presence seems kind of forced, as editorial more than likely pushed the character into the book, not Waid. Also, my main problem with her in the Legion is that she's written as being so powerful that she's often used as a Deus ex Machina. She even stopped an earthquake by whistling.

Yeah, it's annoying how often she just snaps her fingers and everything is made right. Hopefully Mon-El's return will allow Waid to stop showing Supergirl as the new Jesus in terms of power.

 

[Darthphere]

It was a nice issue, nothing really complain worthy. I wont be picking up the next issue however, and probably go with my original plan and just buy the team-ups I'm interested in.