Comic Rundown: The Brave and the Bold

I saw the new animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold last week, and it was . . . interesting. The new TV series actually uses the oft-ignored Silver Age version. Batman here is slightly darker than Adam West (at least in costume), yet serious enough in character to have that mysterious edge we expect from the Batman. Still, just don’t expect it to be too serious – the first five minutes had the Clock King holding Batman and Green Arrow over a vat of boiling green liquid clearly marked “Acid” – you know, just in case you thought it was Mountain Dew.

Overall, though, it was an enjoyable cartoon romp. I was slightly surprised by the choice of the new Blue Beetle for the subject of the first team-up – I kind of wanted to see the original Silver Age version instead. Still, I liked the humor of the episode. When Batman and Blue Beetle return from a mission in space through a portal, Blue Beetle exclaims “It’s like no time has passed”, while Batman replies “Due to temporal anonomolies, it hasn’t”, before thinking to himself, “Which is just really another way of saying ‘That’s weird.’” There’s a trace of humility in this Bats we really don’t see anywhere else.

Mark Waid starts penning Spider-Man as of Amazing Spider-Man #578. This two part story has New York plagued by earthquakes in the midst of a high profile mobster’s trial, with one of the major players possessing a crucial connection to J. Jonah Jameson.

Avengers/Invaders #6 has half the Invaders hanging with the New Avengers, while Captain America and Namor get a good look what the New World Order looks like under Tony Stark and the Mighty Avengers. With covers from Alex Ross, this comic looks like a pretty stunning break from Secret Invasion.

Ghost Rider #29 picks up with Ghost Rider vs. Ghost Rider – Johnny Blaze vs. Danny Ketch. This is a pretty huge showdown for Ghost Rider fans, who have been pondering the eventual fate of Ketch since Johnny Blaze first returned to the saddle shortly before the movie.

Nick Fury takes center stage in Squadron Supreme #5. Handed over by the Ultimates after they learned about his covert collaboration with Doctor Doom against the Squadron Supreme universe, Nick Fury is now starting his own superpowered team is mist of the alternate reality. Will this new team ever fight the Ultimates when – and if – Nick Fury returns to the Ultimate universe? Time will tell.

X-Factor #37 has Jamie’s team finally going up against the Karma organization, while questioning their government benefactors’ motives every step of the way. Of course, Val Cooper has something to say about this.

X-Men: Legacy #218 has Professor X and Wolverine facing both Sebastian Shaw and Wolverine’s own twisted son Daken in mental battle for survival.  No, I don’t know where they got the name Darken either.

X-Men: Worlds Apart #2 asks a pretty tough question for Storm – where does her loyalties fall – to the X-Men or Black Panther – when both are held in opposite directions halfway across the globe?

The Brave and the Bold #19 offers a pretty unique team-up – Green Lantern and the Phantom Stranger. While I’m sure these characters have met before – when you’re in the business of world-saving, it’s hard not to run into the Phantom Stranger every now and then. Still, a crossover could reveal some interesting things about the character whose as mysterious as they come.

The Justice Society of America one-shots continue with one dedicated to Magog. Lance Corporal David Reid was a soldier-turned-superhero – now he’s become Magog, the herald of the apparently benevolent god-like being Gog. Will Magog herald in the dark age of Kingdom Come to this universe like Earth-2 Superman saw?

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