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The Brave and the Bold (1955) #109-134
Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold: The Batman Team-Ups, Vol. 3
Batman joins forces with the DC Universe's greatest heroes including The Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, and others.
520 pages, Paperback
First published December 23, 2008
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65 people want to read
About the author
Bob Haney
450 books13 followersRobert G. Haney was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and the Super-Sons.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 12, 2014
I wrote a negative review of "Brave and The Bold" Volume 2 showcase, stating that while great artwork by people like Jim Aparo and Nick Cardy is to be found, the stories are kind of dull, with Bob Haney obsessively writing details about the criminal underworld, or how foreign policy works, wasting the opportunity of Batman and a guest star every month.
Volume 3 has the same problems, made worse by being 4 years "ahead"of the the last volume. Jim Aparo takes over as the sole artist, and his artwork is solid, if under-utilized. Bob Haney just continues to muddle through these political travelogues, muddled in details and not in creating drama or action.
Certain heroes I liked were a nice touch, like the Atom or Mister Miracle or Deadman or Swamp Thing, but their stories all stink. The heroes don't any personal touch, it's always Batman has to catch a crook, and he has a little helper friend. EVERY ISSUE.
What a waste of a solid idea 1/5
Volume 3 has the same problems, made worse by being 4 years "ahead"of the the last volume. Jim Aparo takes over as the sole artist, and his artwork is solid, if under-utilized. Bob Haney just continues to muddle through these political travelogues, muddled in details and not in creating drama or action.
Certain heroes I liked were a nice touch, like the Atom or Mister Miracle or Deadman or Swamp Thing, but their stories all stink. The heroes don't any personal touch, it's always Batman has to catch a crook, and he has a little helper friend. EVERY ISSUE.
What a waste of a solid idea 1/5
February 25, 2021
You are probably not reading this for the writing. If you are like me, you are getting this for the Jim Aparo art! Aparo was my favorite Bat-artist of the 70's. (I prefer him over Neal Adams.) There are only two weak spots in the entire 500+ page volume. One, Aparo can't seem to "get" Mr. Miracle or his cast of characters. It just doesn't work. It's not just a Kirby thing (Their styles are very different) because Aparo does a great Kamandi. The second is Catwoman. Issue #131 of Brave and the Bold features the least appealing cat-costume I've ever seen and the least sexy Catwoman ever. You'd think Aparo would do a great Julie Newmar-esque bodysuit (He does a great Wildcat) but nope. It's a puzzle because Wonder Woman looks good as the guest star.
December 28, 2024
I had a great time. The art by aparo is beyond reproach. the writing though is unhinged. there was the issue where the atom controlled the brain dead body of batman by shrinking so little he can control the parts of his bran and basically create a zombie batman. mad but fun as hell
March 9, 2013
I, and a lot of other fans, had a love/hate relationship with BRAVE AND THE BOLD in the 1970s.
On one hand, the great Jim Aparo made his mark on the series as the definitive Batman artist of the decade, despite never having a regular gig on the Dark Knight's solo adventures. Aparo's clean self-inked linework survives the translation to black-and-white here very well, and it's fun to see his interpretations of the many characters of the DCU. I always especially liked his Green Arrow.
On the downside, the series during this era was infamous for writer Bob Haney's callous disregard for (or ignorance of) the guest stars' continuity and characterizations. In this volume, we see Earth-2 heroes Wildcat and The Spectre (a decidedly less bloodthirsty version than was depicted in Spec's own series at the time) operating blithely alongside the Earth-1 Batman without explanation; multiple team-ups with an aged present-day Sgt. Rock (despite Rock's creator and then-writer Robert Kanigher's assertions that Rock did NOT survive WWII); the first very forced integrations of Kirby creations The Demon, Mister Miracle, and Kamandi into the larger DC Universe at a time when Jack himself was still handling the characters' own books; bizarre and out-of-character takes on the personalities of Plastic Man, Swamp Thing, Aquaman and others... the list could go on and on. Oh, and there's Batman's several references to his "bat-sense," which alerts him of danger (no, really). Because of all the anomalies, fans of the day kidded that B&B took place on "Earth-B," in a play on DC's multiple-Earth concept.
Haney was a veteran who broke into comics in the 1940s, and his logic-defying plots replete with wacky scientific and historical errors reflected that earlier era, flying in the face of comics' trend toward greater sophistication and realism in the 70s. These stories are more Silver Age than Bronze Age in nature, and aren't the best representation of the overall comics scene at the time.
That said, all the Showcase volumes are bargain-priced - 500+ pages of comics for $16.99 can't be beat. Some fans bemoan the fact that these are black-and-white reprints, but bear in mind that a color volume of similar length would run upwards of $75. Most of these stories have never been reprinted elsewhere, and it's worth a look for the gorgeous Aparo art alone.
On one hand, the great Jim Aparo made his mark on the series as the definitive Batman artist of the decade, despite never having a regular gig on the Dark Knight's solo adventures. Aparo's clean self-inked linework survives the translation to black-and-white here very well, and it's fun to see his interpretations of the many characters of the DCU. I always especially liked his Green Arrow.
On the downside, the series during this era was infamous for writer Bob Haney's callous disregard for (or ignorance of) the guest stars' continuity and characterizations. In this volume, we see Earth-2 heroes Wildcat and The Spectre (a decidedly less bloodthirsty version than was depicted in Spec's own series at the time) operating blithely alongside the Earth-1 Batman without explanation; multiple team-ups with an aged present-day Sgt. Rock (despite Rock's creator and then-writer Robert Kanigher's assertions that Rock did NOT survive WWII); the first very forced integrations of Kirby creations The Demon, Mister Miracle, and Kamandi into the larger DC Universe at a time when Jack himself was still handling the characters' own books; bizarre and out-of-character takes on the personalities of Plastic Man, Swamp Thing, Aquaman and others... the list could go on and on. Oh, and there's Batman's several references to his "bat-sense," which alerts him of danger (no, really). Because of all the anomalies, fans of the day kidded that B&B took place on "Earth-B," in a play on DC's multiple-Earth concept.
Haney was a veteran who broke into comics in the 1940s, and his logic-defying plots replete with wacky scientific and historical errors reflected that earlier era, flying in the face of comics' trend toward greater sophistication and realism in the 70s. These stories are more Silver Age than Bronze Age in nature, and aren't the best representation of the overall comics scene at the time.
That said, all the Showcase volumes are bargain-priced - 500+ pages of comics for $16.99 can't be beat. Some fans bemoan the fact that these are black-and-white reprints, but bear in mind that a color volume of similar length would run upwards of $75. Most of these stories have never been reprinted elsewhere, and it's worth a look for the gorgeous Aparo art alone.
December 23, 2008
What I really like about these old reprints DC offers, beyond the low price, is the snapshot they offer of both the character and the country at the time they were first printed. These stories, reprinting The Brave And The Bold issues from 1973-77, show Batman and his allies dealing with Cold War espionage, angry Indians hyjacking a bicentenial train, and a rescue for a Middle Eastern monarch with the title of "Shah" that made me feel the need to supress a small gasp having recently seen the movie Perosopolis.
For character, Batman is somewhere between the Denny O'Neil scary guy and the smiling fellow Adam West portrayed on television. This is a Batman who not only appears at public events, he flies coach in-costume when he needs to travel. His adventures are not to be taken entirely seriously. And while he has his usual team-ups with heroes like Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the Atom, the Flash, and the Metal Men, he also got some vintage 70s team-ups with odder characters like Swamp Thing, Kamandi, Mr. Miracle, Richard Dragon, and Sgt. Rock. In fact, Rock is the partner for the oddest of these stories, when artist Jim Aparo is taken hostage by the terrorist organization and he, writer Bob Haney, and an editor referred to only as "Murray" need to outsmart them by giving Batman and Sgt. Rock the plot contrivances they need to find the very crooks chasing the artist drawing their story before they force Aparo to draw Rock and Batman dying.
For character, Batman is somewhere between the Denny O'Neil scary guy and the smiling fellow Adam West portrayed on television. This is a Batman who not only appears at public events, he flies coach in-costume when he needs to travel. His adventures are not to be taken entirely seriously. And while he has his usual team-ups with heroes like Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, the Atom, the Flash, and the Metal Men, he also got some vintage 70s team-ups with odder characters like Swamp Thing, Kamandi, Mr. Miracle, Richard Dragon, and Sgt. Rock. In fact, Rock is the partner for the oddest of these stories, when artist Jim Aparo is taken hostage by the terrorist organization and he, writer Bob Haney, and an editor referred to only as "Murray" need to outsmart them by giving Batman and Sgt. Rock the plot contrivances they need to find the very crooks chasing the artist drawing their story before they force Aparo to draw Rock and Batman dying.
October 26, 2009
Another great nostalgia read. This was particularly fun because I remember reading a few of the issues featured here. Particularly memorable issues include a Batman/Metal Men team-up (with Batman tied up to a speeding locomotive in the cover) which I remember having as a kid and one especially bizarre piece of metafiction with Batman/Sgt. Rock. My brothers and I used to be quite fond of that particular issue in which the bad guys threaten to kill Batman author Bob Haney and artist Jim Aparo. Classic!
There's plenty of silliness and campy fun in the issues collected. For instance, back in the '70s, apparently Batman did a lot of things in costume- like watching a horse race, or travelling by commercial airline. Also, there were a couple of instances where Batman would be doing undercover work and when he would pull off his mask to reveal himself and he would already be wearing his Batman mask underneath. Silly, but what the hell, right?
Anyway,this collection is lots of fun, especially if you grew up in the 70s and 80s with these comic books. The nostalgia and fun factors, Jim Aparo's terrific artwork, plus the very low price (for a collection of 25 issues!) makes this a good buy. I think I'll be buying some more of the DC Showcase (and Marvel Essential) series in the future.
Oh, and did I mention that Jim Aparo's art is great?
There's plenty of silliness and campy fun in the issues collected. For instance, back in the '70s, apparently Batman did a lot of things in costume- like watching a horse race, or travelling by commercial airline. Also, there were a couple of instances where Batman would be doing undercover work and when he would pull off his mask to reveal himself and he would already be wearing his Batman mask underneath. Silly, but what the hell, right?
Anyway,this collection is lots of fun, especially if you grew up in the 70s and 80s with these comic books. The nostalgia and fun factors, Jim Aparo's terrific artwork, plus the very low price (for a collection of 25 issues!) makes this a good buy. I think I'll be buying some more of the DC Showcase (and Marvel Essential) series in the future.
Oh, and did I mention that Jim Aparo's art is great?
September 29, 2015
Bob Haney was a master story-teller. His Brave and the Bold stories bringing Batman together with such offbeat co-stars like Kamandi, The Metal Men and even his arch-nemesis, The Joker, are just amazing. Haney, partnered with artist Jim Aparo made The Brave and the Bold a must read book.
One of the stories in the collection is a team-up with Batman and Green Arrow versus The Joker and Two-Face. The prize is The Emperor Eagle. I had gotten The Brave and the Bold 129 at a newsstand, but was never able to track down 130 with the conclusion to the story. Until reading this collection. Haney manages to adapt The Maltese Falcon to comics with Batman. It's a brilliant, offbeat story.
I started collecting B&B around the final fifty issues. The Showcase collections have been a fantastic way to catch up from the start.
I have a number of Showcase collections; for Teen Titans, Batman and the Outsiders and Super Friends. On my bucket list is to track down the collections for Robin, Supergirl and Jimmy Olsen in Superman Family. The format is awesome! I really enjoy the 500 pages of collected comics!
One of the stories in the collection is a team-up with Batman and Green Arrow versus The Joker and Two-Face. The prize is The Emperor Eagle. I had gotten The Brave and the Bold 129 at a newsstand, but was never able to track down 130 with the conclusion to the story. Until reading this collection. Haney manages to adapt The Maltese Falcon to comics with Batman. It's a brilliant, offbeat story.
I started collecting B&B around the final fifty issues. The Showcase collections have been a fantastic way to catch up from the start.
I have a number of Showcase collections; for Teen Titans, Batman and the Outsiders and Super Friends. On my bucket list is to track down the collections for Robin, Supergirl and Jimmy Olsen in Superman Family. The format is awesome! I really enjoy the 500 pages of collected comics!
November 7, 2013
I always liked this era of Batman. It's just a hair below the quality of the Frank Miller/Neal Adams/Grant Morrison era in some ways, but it excels in others.
This was the Batman who was driving around in a real car: Not a car that could climb a building or take out an entire building by bulldozing its way through it, and not a big cartoon car that attracted attention to itself, just a muscle car with some life-saving gadgets that a billionaire could actually make and repair by himself or with the assistance of a single butler.
Storywise, the mood is darker (but not as dark as things got in the mid 80s), his detecting skills are what sets the character apart (as established in the Marv Wolfman/Neal Adams run), and the Jim Aparo art was masterful and extremely underrated!
Give these comics another look -- you will like this!
This was the Batman who was driving around in a real car: Not a car that could climb a building or take out an entire building by bulldozing its way through it, and not a big cartoon car that attracted attention to itself, just a muscle car with some life-saving gadgets that a billionaire could actually make and repair by himself or with the assistance of a single butler.
Storywise, the mood is darker (but not as dark as things got in the mid 80s), his detecting skills are what sets the character apart (as established in the Marv Wolfman/Neal Adams run), and the Jim Aparo art was masterful and extremely underrated!
Give these comics another look -- you will like this!
May 14, 2009
Surprisingly bad for (a) Batman and (b) the 70s. My rigorous research (ahem) of the Silver and Bronze ages of comics through reading the Showcase Presents volumes has shown that DC comics published after 1968 are more mature and darker. The second volume of Brave and the Bold: Batman Team-Ups was one of the best examples of this thus far, but apparently in about '73, Brave and the Bold returned to its more childish roots, and the editorial staff started approaching their stories more like Marvel Comics did. It was all very disappointing.
April 14, 2015
Very enjoyable compilation of stories from the middle 1970s. Many of the issues of the day are woven into the stories, such as pollution, the plight of native Ameicans, skyjacking, etc. Even Gerald Ford makes a cameo. Many of the stories are smartly written even though it certainly is a different Batman character. Many of the old standards are represented in the team ups, both hero and villain. Many new heroes also are also introduced for the first time. I wasn't disappointed.
April 13, 2017
Nice collection of these Bronze age stories. If you are only familiar with the modern age Batman then these will be a very different read for ya. The 1970's era Batman stories were written with a different attitude for the character. Recommended
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews