Legends of the Dark Knight Jim Aparo 1

Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo #1

by Jim Aparo (artist)

Jim Aparo was one of the premier Batman artists of the 1970s, working primarily on the Batman team-up title THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD. Now, DC collects Aparo's run on the series in hardcover for the first time from the beginning. Aparo portrayed Batman as a detective who operated in shadow, yet captured the action and thrills of the Caped Crusader.These stories feature appearances by numerous DC heroes (and villains) including Robin, Green Arrow, Black Canary, The Teen Titans, Deadman, Wonder Woman, The Demon, The Joker, Aquaman, The Atom and many others. Collects stories from THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #98, 100-102 and 104-122.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book

512 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2012

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm BATMAN. No, I'm not, but who doesn't love to say that? Or love Batman for that matter? In my lifetime, I think it's fair to say Batman has overtaken Superman as the biggest Superhero on the planet, and certainly the biggest in DC Comics. The Shallow Comic Readers Buddy Read this week is all about that Bats, no trouble.

This is a gigantic 500pg collection of DC's The Brave and the Bold book, which was a Batman team-up showcase for many many years, but this one focuses on the early-mid 70s, and the work of artist Jim Aparo, and writer Bob Haney. It's not often you see the artist credited before the writer, but Aparo's Batman is one I'm very familiar with, and represents the Batman I first encountered, and even in the late 80s and early 90s I was seeing Batman art that looked just like this.

Haney isn't the best Bat-writer, and some of his 70s Jive talkin' slang is terrible. Also, some of his characterization of Batman is off, and he comes across as a bully, or incompetent, or threatens to kill people almost every second issue. He also uses guns more than once here, but of course it's covered by saying it was just blanks, or a smoke grenade, but still, the damage is done to his credibility. That being said, it's still got a lot of imaginative stories, which make up for some of the ridiculousness.

As I mentioned, this is a Batman book with lots of team ups. I'd say 75% of DCs roster shows up here in an adventure with Mr. Bats, and that's one of the joys of this book. However, remember 1970s Batman is not the Batman we all know and love today. This is pre-Dark Knight, pre-Michael Keaton and Tim Burton, way pre Christopher Nolan. This stuff is 40-45yrs old.

If I covered everything here, this would be the longest review ever, so instead, I'll just give a brief summary of the team ups and some story lines. This Batman also seems unhinged, but not in a cool way, just a jerk way, like he tells people to kill others, doesn't get bothered when they do, and the body count is probably worse than in some modern books, all from Bat-negligence...luckily, Aparo's artwork is enough to keep you interested, and it's familiar enough to anyone who read any DC books from the 70s-80s.

1-Batman and the Phantom Stranger versus a Satanic Cult.

2-Batman out of commission, gets Robin to gather Black Canary and the Greens (Lantern and Arrow) to fight a drug smuggling ring.

3-Bats and Metamorpho (a Haney creation actually!) fight to stop "Bounty Hunter".

4-Bats calls in the Teen Titans (Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, Wonder Girl) to relate to some "Ghetto Kids" and help save their neighbourhood from bad guys. (this one is particularly tasty period language!)

5-Bats and Deadman take down a plastic surgery clinic for criminals.

6-Bats and Wonder Woman (non-powered, Mod Girl Diana Prince Version) help some Spanish/Latin revolutionaries.
(a particularly racist interpretation of Latin peoples!)

7-Batman and Green Arrow versus Two-Face!

8-Batman and Black Canary vs. Hijackers in Mexico (more ethic stereotyping!)

9-Batman and Sgt. Rock vs. reincarnated Hitler!(or is it?)

10-Batman and Etrigan the Demon vs. a Swamp Thing-like Sea Monster/Man.

11-Batman and Wildcat vs. Industrial Espionage

12-Batman and the Joker Team Up!!! Yes you read that right!!!

13-Batman and Mr. Miracle discover the secrets of Ancient Egypt

14-Batman and Commissioner Gordon are retired by Gotham's new mayor and replaced by the Metal Men

15-Batman and Aquaman save Gotham from a Hydrogen Bomb. (Mostly Aquaman, who actually gets the credit too! - Anne, I know you'll love and treasure this...it's The Brave and the Bold #114)

16-Batman in a coma, the Atom steps into Batman's shoes and saves a kidnapped heiress (very creative even if the science behind it is sketchy at best)

17-Batman and the Spectre stop an Indian (Kali) Death Cult

18-Batman and Sgt. Rock, Sgt. Rock goes nuts, and Bats must get to the bottom to save Rock's career and life!

19-Batman and Wildcat are forced to fight each other by the Joker...to the death!

20-Batman and Man-Bat team up to return an escaped prisoner from a tinpot dictatorship (choice name: the Black Napoleon!)

21-Batman is sent forward into the future, after the nuclear apocalypse, to team with Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, in a sort of Planet of the Apes style story. (very creative, other than the completely stupid lack of understanding about radiation - Batman can swing OVER the ring of Radiation, it won't affect him that way!)

22-Batman and the Metal Men have to stop some "Injuns" from destroying the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution...(Bicentennial story, they both were on a train with Batman). Some more choice racism here...Redskin, Paleface, etc. etc.

23-Batman and Swamp Thing team up to stop a Biological Disaster in Gotham. Swampy does all the work, Bats gives him credit. This is one of the best of the bunch.

So there's a LOT that goes on here, and most of it ignores continuity, but then again, this was before the days of yearly retcons and "events" to shake things up. I like that they just told stories. That being said, this Batman spends far too much time alongside Gordon and the GCPD, almost like a member of the police himself. Even so, he insults everyone around him all the time, Gordon a lot, and other heroes a fair bit too...funny enough Aquaman and Swamp Thing seem to be the ones who get treated the best...but they also save Gotham almost single-handed even without Bats.
I realize that what's racist now was acceptable back in 72-75, but it still stops you in your tracks to think, gee that was 40+yrs ago, but only 10 or so years into the civil rights movement...so ya, Women don't get the best treatment here (Black Canary especially is kinda odd being a strong female but also being made to be stereotypical as possible). I would have liked a Martian Manhunter, Superman, Flash story team ups, instead of having 2 stories about Sgt. Rock, Metal Men, Wildcat...but I also like that there's people who would be considered fringe characters today in DCU being alongside the Caped Crusader.

Oddly enough, the "Masked Manhunter" as he's called in nearly every story, uses the word "Hyena" a lot...a LOT, like calling people Hyena instead of Bastard, or Coward, or insert whatever else word you like...apparently there were lots of Jive Hyenas in the 60s...I'm just glad we didn't see any 70s style Luke Cage stuff, but the noticeable part was the entire lack of Black people at all...one or two but not much...

It's a fun look back at pre-Miller/pre-Denny O'Neill Batman of the early mid-70s. Things like super fuel, energy crisis, Cold War, Nuclear War, etc. all influenced the stories they told.
I found this a very interesting counterpoint to the late 60s just into the 70s Fantastic Four collections I read a few weeks ago...I feel like I almost owe Stan Lee an apology, because his characters grew a LOT, and his discrimination started to fade, but this book, which is a few years newer, doesn't really feel like it's all that much progressed, so I want to read Marvel books from 72-75 and see for myself...

So on the whole a fun collection, and it's in COLOUR! I dock one star for the version of Batman that Haney writes who's just going so against things, it's like seeing Superman wear Orange or something...

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun collection if you like Bronze era DC comics. A lot of the plots are contrived and don't make a lot of sense, but the way Bob Haney makes it all work still makes me happy to this day.

This volume is collected to showcase the art of Jim Aparo, who was the definitive Batman artist of my youth. His Batman is kinetic and expressive, his women beautiful and mysterious, and his Commissioner Gordon gruff and commanding.

All of these stories appeared in the the pages of Brave and the Bold, which was the Batman team up book of the day. Over the course of twenty issues or so, we see some unusual repetition, like two appearances each by Wildcat, the Joker, the Metal Men, and Sgt Rock, although the book was probably bi-monthly or published just 8 times a year at the time, meaning it may not have been as obvious to the casual reader.

Bob Haney, though, man, he can take some liberties with his scripts! Sgt Rock survived WW2 and is still in the army, Wildcat is on Earth-1, Batman (!) is telling people to kill other people... Well, Haney did write the goofy Super Sons material, so a certain amount of wackiness is to be expected.

Overall, though, these issues bring back a lot of memories and that's probably why I give this collection (and others from the same time period) higher marks. Definitely not in the league of the comics of today, let alone those of the 80s, but there's something to be said for fun, all ages comics. Not enough of those today.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BATMAN STORIES EVER.

These Aparo stories from The Brave and The Bold (along with Neal Adams run on Batman) for me are the most essential Batman stories ever. They're all team up stories with other heroes from the DC Universe and are from the 1970's, when Batman really was the world's greatest detective. That was his super-power. He wasn't dark or gritty. He was a detective, he solved crimes and these are mystery tales.

This collection is utterly timeless and great for readers of all ages. Each story is self contained, and this volume is the very best starting place for a new Batman fan.

My one quibble is that not all of the covers are reproduced inside. If I remember right, some of these books had Neal Adams covers, but they've very oddly been deleted here. I don't understand why. They were all in the Showcase Presents: Brave and the Bold (a cheaper version of the same material in black and white) book from a couple of years ago.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories, by Bob Haney, are variable, but never less than entertaining. The art, by Jim Aparo, is always fantastic, and it's great to see him finally showcased in a book like this. Let's hope the "Volume 1" label isn't just being optimistic!

[Shawn Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute classics

While the writing ranges from the wacky to downright offensive, it's still great fun. It's the art,however, that's breathtaking. Aparo, to my mind, ranks second only to Neal Adams as the all time great Batman artist.

[Nicholas Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aparo is my very favorite batman artist, so I really enjoyed this book...even though Haney's stories were kind of nutty most of the time. I can't wait for volume two!

[Catherine_bones Chapitre 32 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je mets 5 étoiles car malgré l'ultra patriotisme inherent à l'époque, toutes ces histoires sont cultissimes.

[Adam Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book collects the beginning of Jim Aparo's legendary run as artists on Brave and the Bold, collecting Batman team ups from Issues 98, 100-102, and 104-122. The stories are all by Bob Haney

Rather than detail each team-up , I'll offer some highlights both good and not so good.

The good:
Jim Aparo has been an overlooked talent who brought so much to Batman with so many great panels, and little added touches that bring emotion and power to the work.

Wildcat Returns (#88)


Batman has to deal with ritual sacrifice and discovers the chilling truth about a late friend's family. One of the most disquieting Batman Comics I've read from this era. (#98)

Metamorpho returns to rescue his girlfriend from an assassin and Bob Haney retcons his horrible conclusion to the Metamorpho solo series with something far better. (#101)

A good youth activism story as Batman helps kids positively clean up their neighborhood. (#102)

Batman teams up with mod Wonder Woman to deal with intrigue in a Latin American country. (#105)

An heiress has sold shares of her estate, yet the shareholders are being killed off and Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) is on the list. (#106)

A great team up with Black Canary as they try to foil a $3 million skyjacking. (#107)

Batman thinks the Joker committed a murder, then concludes the Joker didn't do it and the Joker wants to catch the one who did, setting up a "team up" with the Joker and a surprising end. (#111)

Batman and Mister Miracle head on a collision course inside an Egyptian tomb. (#112)

Batman wants to find out about a plane brought down that was carrying an important witness and is shocked when Aquaman claims responsibility. Some good twists in this one (#114)

The Joker infects a prison population and its up to Batman and Wildcat to save the day, but the Joker makes them fight each other if they'll have any prayer of saving the day. (#118)

Swamp Thing is put on display by an unscrupulous promoter but Batman needs Swamp Things help when the city is attacked by a strange vine. Really good Swamp Thing tale. (#122)

The Bad:


Batman is wounded in a Wheel Chair and decided to play Ironside to bust a drug ring. He gets a team of four heroes to help him. However, Black Canary almost ruins his plan when she goes inside to keep her hair dry. (Horrible treatment of the character.) Denoument ends up disappointing as well. (#100)

Gotham City decides to force Batman and Gordon into retirement and have the Metal Men replace Batman. This goes about well as you'd expect. (#113)

The Metal Men and Batman are forced to battle undercover Native Americans who are hijacking the Freedom Train to hold the Declaration of Independence and Constitution for ransom. (#121)


The So Bad It's Good:


Batman falls into a well, panics, screams he'll sell to get out, is rescued by a man who claims Batman's soul for evil. Batman finds out that Sergeant Rock believes that the man who bought Batman's soul is Hitler who is still alive. (#108)

Batman is brain dead, but the Atom goes into Batman's body and restarts his nervous system so he can finish his last case. It's a superhero version of Weekend at Bernie's. (#115)

Batman is sent forward in time through Indian magic while his body in the 20th Century put into a coma. He discovers a post-apocalyptic world where Kamandi is the hero and a copy of Brave and the Bold #118 survived the apocalypse and they have a working tape recorder. (#120)

The Annoying:

The book leaves out covers that Aparo didn't draw even for issues that he did. I missed the covers. However, any comic cover can be found online, so this is a minor quibble.

Overall, despite some mixed quality stories, the book is a fun read and the art is superb throughout.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Aparo is an incredible artist. I loved his work on Phantom Stranger and the Spectre, and picked this book up based solely on my enjoyment of those titles. Needless to say, the artwork is great. Aparo is similar to Neal Adams, delivering high energy photo-realistic drawings and clear, concise storytelling.

Bob Haney's writing impressed me a lot as well. I am not a Batman or DC expert by any stretch, but I loved his depiction of the character. He wrote some dark, hard-edged stuff dealing with organized crime and drug dealers and smugglers. This was darker than anything going on at Marvel during this time period. Haney tapped into the vibe of the times, but these comics hold up remarkably well today.

The Brave and the Bold is a team-up title (Marvel swiped the idea for Marvel Team-Up), so while Batman is the star of the book, he co-headlines with a different character each month. There are some really cool team-ups (Deadman, the Phantom Stranger) and some pretty lame ones (Metal Men). I enjoyed every issue in this book.

DC does some befuddling line branding. They have been issuing these artist-centric collections, but there are two lines titles that I can't make head nor tales of. This one is titled Legends of the Dark Knight, as is the Marshall Rogers collection. The Don Newton and Gene Colan ones are titled Tales of the Batman. If it is confusing to hardcore comic book collectors like myself then it must be even more confusing to the mythological mainstream bookstore buyer that DC seems to be chasing. It would help if the name Batman were featured in the title so that it turns up in a search. A more streamlined titling such as “Batman Visionaries” or having one consistent title for all of the books would be more helpful to everyone.

DC has done some puzzling decontenting of their hardcovers recently. They no longer coat their hardbacks, and they feel cheap because of this, They no longer use foil in the stampings on the cover, adding to the cheap look and feel. DC also no longer shrinkwraps most of their hardcovers. They are out of their mind if they think that any of us uber-anal retentive fans are going to plunk down this kind of coin on a book that some greasy troll was manhandling in a comic shop. Give me my environmentally unfriendly shrinkwrap or give me...well, not death. Maybe a headache. DC not including the covers to some of these issues simply because Jim Aparo didn't do the artwork is clowntown. Come on, DC!

The question then becomes if DC is aiming a $50 book at some mythical mainstream bookstore buyer who saw The Dark Knight Rises, or are they aiming for the high end collected edition obsessive snobs like myself. I freely admit that we are not a huge market, but then again, how large is the market for these types of books anyways? I wonder if they aren't alienating one camp at the expense of chasing the other.

I just know that these brick-like square books have got to go. Part of the problem of these super squared books is that they are not comfortable to hold, with their edge digging into your hand under the weight of the heavy paper stock. Not only that, but the casing is glued square to the spine, which causes the gutters to be tight and actually curl around the edge at the front and the back of the book. Sewn binding and a more rounded spine would have greatly reduced this problem. Stop the madness, DC!!

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have 1980s Batman, 1950s Batman but have not read 1970s Batman until I picked up this trade paperback. There’s some Batman adventures here! There’s over five hundred pages of Batman comics in this volume, which is excellent amount of pages for the serious Batman fan.
This volume collects THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD issues #98, 100-102 and 104-122. I have not heard of this line of issues before. With this series we see Batman teaming up or fighting various characters. For example the first story collected in this volume is Batman and the Phantom Stranger. Phantom Stranger end up helping Batman out. There's also one with Sgt. Rock where they fight a potential Hitler. Sometimes it is Batman with a team of other heroes such as the Team Titans, a team up of Green Lantern and Green Arrow with Black Canary. There’s even characters that seems to be only from past time that DC don’t use anymore such as the quirky Metal Men and Wild Cat (not to be confused with the team Wild Cats in later DC and Image comics).
Overall it was fun. But there’s times when the 1970s slang words and idioms was too much. There’s the obvious ones I understand such as “fuzz” but it shows the quirks of the times (sorry Boomers!). I would be willing to give volume two a try, but not right away, after five hundred pages of 1970s Batman!

[ISMOTU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Aparo was one of the great talents to come out of the late Silver Age of comics. He is among the greatest artists to ever delineate the Batman and I loved reading this first volume of his collected Batman works. The stories are all from "The Brave & the Bold" and all written by Bob Haney in his own unique voice. But Aparo elevates each tale with his superb draftsmanship and storytelling abilities. He pencilled, inked, and lettered all of the artwork in this volume which is frankly a little insane. Aparo also expertly depicted a wide variety of co-stars ranging from Sgt. Rock to the Metal Men to Etrigan the Demon. Definitely worth a read for anyone who likes Batman and wants a peek into the wider DC Comics universe.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art was good and I enjoyed most of not all the stories. A different take on Batman in these stories. He’s not much of a dark knight but more of national hero who walks about town and no one in Gotham gives him a second look.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the finest comics ever made?

I remembered these from my childhood. All the big players of the dc universe. The villains are pretty funny ,in an unintentional fashion.

[Night · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this and the good far outweighs any bad. What I liked most though was the artwork. Not sure when I will hit volume 2, but for the time being this was a fun time.

[Lukas Schoppel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgie pur, damals 5. klasse zum Geburtstag bekommen .
Einzige Sorgen waren Hausaufgaben

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great compilation of Cheesy, campy Batman comics from the 70's After re reading this I've found I love it. and some great artwork in here as well.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories were hit or miss but the art is spot on through out. it's always interesting to me to see how comics have changed through the years. Solid collection.

[Mmetevelis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early versions of not only Batman but so many other characters in the DC universe. Great art. So glad for these re-releases.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A giant collection of reminders of how truly awful comic book writing used to be.