The Brave & The Bold Index Part 14
Team-ups: Coasting Part 3
March 1972 – May 1979
Continuing my index/history of the greatest comic magazine! ;-)
1977
#132: … & Richard
Dragon - Kung Fu Fighter, “Batman – Dragon Slayer”
With this
issue Joe Orlando takes over as managing editor and Denny O’Neil is the story
editor. Cary Burkett handles the letter column. They promise some new blood in
B&B and not the same old team-ups again and again! They start with one of
only ten new team-ups in this era.
Carlos
Esteban hires the Stylist, a kung fu killer, to assassinate Richard
Dragon. Why? Esteban was once the
partner of Calvin Curtis, deceased eccentric billionaire. Dragon once helped Curtis – he fixed his bike
and gave him a quarter for a cup of coffee.
In return, Dragon may have inherited Curtis’ billions!
#133: … &
Deadman, “Another Kind of Justice”
Batman
enlists Deadman’s help to lure drug lord Achille Lazlo back onto US
jurisdiction by reviving a ghost from his past – the former drug lord Lazlo
killed years before!
#134: … & Green
Lantern, “Demolishment”
Green Lantern defects to the “other
side’s” People Republic
The editors admit in the letter
column that Wildcat and Sgt. Rock might have been overused in the past few
years. “Hell factory” is used – arguably a swear word, but they’re still
pushing it!
#135: … & Metal
Men, “More than Human”
Prince
hikes to thirty-five cents.
A robot (created
in the 1800s) claims legal right to the land on which sits Bruce Wayne’s tower.
The judge agrees, thus ruining Bruce’s empire. Could his rival Ruby Ryder be
involved? Continues in the next issue.
#136: … & Green
Arrow, Metal Men, “Legacy of the Doomed”
This is the
third multiple-issue story (second with Green Arrow) and the fourth multi-guest
issue (third with Green Arrow).
Batman and
the Metal Men are enjoined by court order from interfering in Ruby Ryder’s
shenanigans, but Green Arrow is not!
#137: … & Demon,
“Hour of the Serpent”, Artist: John Calnan.
This is a
“sequel” to #76, as the evil Shahn-Zi returns.
Teenage gangsters in Chinatown disguised as
Shahn-Zi terrorize citizens. But their
actions summon the real Shahn-Zi who seeks revenge against Gotham
City
#138: … & Mister
Miracle, “Mile-High Tombstone ”
Trond-Hag,
“the Tombstone ”, is a volcanic
island riddles with caves. Geologist Steve Lang goes missing while exploring
the mountain, and Batman and Mister Miracle go to the rescue. They find Steve,
as well as the villainous escape artists Cosimo (sent to kill Lang), and Kraken
– the computer running an international crime cartel!
1978
#139: … &
Hawkman, “Requiem for a Top Cop”.
Back to
bi-monthly!!? Noooo!!! Hawkman’s first
appearance in B&B since #70 (over ten years). This has always been one of my personal
favorite stories. One time fan – now DC boss – Paul Levitz takes over from
Denny O’Neil as story editor. Since Paul does his own letter column, Cary
Burkett leaves for other pastures. Paul mentions that Bob Rozakis has had 135
letters published in his fan career. So in which four issues of Brave & Bold did he not write
a letter? J
In the late
1930s, Commissioner Gordon killed an alien accidentally. Although Batman and
Hawkman agree it was in self-defense (Gordon thought the alien was about to
fire at him), an alien mercenary disagrees, and tries to bring Gordon in for
trial per intergalactic law. Gordon, a
fellow adherer to the Rule of Law, agrees!
1978 B&B Special (DC
Special Series #8): …Sgt. Rock and
Deadman. “Hell is for Heroes”
Ric Estrada
and Dick Giordano artists. Paul Levitz,
editor.
DC had “annuals” (larger editions
of existing comics published once per year) throughout the 1960s with mostly
reprinted material. Marvel Comics had
since developed the Annual into an art form. DC Comics in the late 1970s, in an
attempt to boost a sagging market, tried bringing back the annuals. Not wanting
to be accused of copying Marvel, DC instead referred to their annuals as
Specials and Spectaculars. Every comic from Wonder Woman and Superman to the
Secret Society of Super Villains had their own specials. Unlike the annuals of
old, these were all new stories and art. The issues were not published as an
edition of their parent comic, but instead published under the umbrella title
DC Special Series. Brave & Bold was given its own special in 1978 as DC Special Series #8.
To
celebrate the uniqueness of this Special (that is, to differentiate it from a “usual”
issue of Brave & Bold), Batman never meets his partners – Sgt. Rock and Easy
Company along with Deadman appear together in one storyline linked with the
Batman storyline. This was the fourth
time more than one star (other than as an established team – the Teen Titans,
for example) appeared with Batman – #100 and the two-parters in #129-130 and 135-136– and would be the last.
Too bad, it is an interesting plot device and would satisfy readers who
clamored for more stars.
Batman
tracks down Lucifer, a mad bomber. Meanwhile Sgt. Rock searches for a Batman
statue stolen by Scottish Nationalists. But whatever harm comes to the statue,
will also be wrought on Batman! Ouch! The statue is rammed by an army truck,
set it on fire by gypsies, attacked by the Loch Ness Monster and flung from a
clock tower … you get the idea. Who’s behind all this voodoo? Lucifer himself
(the fallen angel, not the mad bomber) with the aid of the ghosts of Hitler,
Guy Fawkes, Benedict Arnold, Bluebeard, Nero and Jack the Ripper! Rama Kushna
sends Deadman to a mysterious stranger for clues, and Deadman and Rock recover
the statue just in time for Batman’s final battle with Lucifer (the mad bomber,
not the prince of darkness). Rama Kushna herself takes care of Lucifer (the
vile spinner of lies, not the mad bomber) and his ghostly ilk! Deadman eventually discovers the identity of
the mysterious stranger to reveal this Special’s fourth star – the spirit of
Sherlock Holmes!
#140: … & Wonder
Woman, “Dastardly Events Aboard the Hellship” (spell out the first letters of
the title – get it?)
There’s
that aitch-eee-double-hockey-sticks word again.
Swear words or appropriate? Hmm…
The CEO of
Belmont Technologies offers Batman one million dollars to charity if he will
rescue his daughter Esmeralda from the clutches of evil industrial spy
Dimetrious (because she knows the secret of the new energy-crisis-ending solar
cell). The UN’s Crisis Bureau asks Wonder Woman to capture Dimetrious for his
crimes. Actually, Dimetrious kidnapped the scientist who created the solar cell
and Esmeralda and Belmont trick Batman and Dimetrious into revealing where the
solar cell is by Esmeralda stating she loves Dimetrious and was never
kidnapped! Dimetrious’ simian guards
capture Batman and Wonder Woman, who are drugged into performing as circus
animals…
Whew!
Anyone for an index of Richie Rich
and Casper instead?
#141: … & Black
Canary, “Pay or Die”
Lots of
“Jaws” references in this issue, as the Joker is back and now in the
loan-sharking business. Those who can’t pay mysteriously explode! Batman sets a
trap using Alfred as bait to catch the Joker. Batman and Black Canary must
track down the Joker to discover how his victims explode or, for Alfred, it’s
so long old chum (chum, sharks, get it? Never mind…!)
Haney must
have learned a new word – vigorish: underworld slang for loan interest – as it
is used about every third page. This issue also contains a rare thing for
B&B up until now – recognition of continuity of other DC comics! It is
recalled that Joker was supposedly killed the last time he and Batman fought in
Detective Comics, and that the Joker
was once in love with Dinah Lance (that is why Joker saved her from an
exploding lendee)!
#142: … & Aquaman,
“Enigma of the Death Ship”
The logbook
of the sunken Alhambra Gotham ’s
drug kingpin. The book may also contain
incriminating evidence against Aquaman’s father, the lighthouse keeper who may
have caused the wreck! Batman must fight
the drug lord’s scuba squad and Aquaman himself to get the log book! He does get it eventually, and absolves
Aquaman’s father from blame. And the
name of the drug lord is …
#143: … &
Creeper, “Cast the First Stone”
…Montgomery
Walcott, TV’s most respected and trustworthy newsman!
Unique to
B&B is this continued storyline without necessarily being a continued story
– something at which Marvel’s team-up books excelled!
With this
issue begins the DC Explosion!
Increasing the price to fifty cents and increasing the page count to 44,
with all new material throughout the DC line!
The beginning of a new era in comicdom! The greatest thing to happen to
comics since Superman! Why are you giggling?
The ripple
effect of the DC Explosion hits Brave
& Bold as a new feature debuts: Christopher Chance, the Human Target. “The
Cat and the Canary Contract” by Len Wein (story) and Dick Giordano (art). Chance
impersonates people marked for murder, betting he can stop the killers before
they stop him! Here Chance must protect
the mob witness who years earlier had Chance’s father killed for failing to pay
a debt!
#144: … & Green
Arrow, “The Arrow of Eternity”
Monthly! At long last!
After twenty-three years Brave
& Bold goes monthly!
While
searching for Merlin’s invincible arrow, Batman and Green Arrow are magically
whisked to the Battle of Agincourt to face the old Teen Titan’s foe the
Gargoyle!
Aparo’s art
is fantastic: a rare venture into the sword and sorcery genre. He could have
excelled in the Blazing Adventures years of B&B. While we’re on the
subject: with a little rewrite this could have been a book-length story, reset
in King Arthur’s time and also co-starring the Silent Knight! Why not? We will
have to be satisfied with the Silent Knight having a small cameo in a battle
scene being killed by an arrow! Boo!
Human
Target: “The Symphony for the Devil Contract”, Len Wein (writer) and Dick
Giordano (art). The Human Target
impersonates a famous symphony conductor, protecting him from a religious
fanatic. Everyone’s a critic…
"Dammit!" Brave
& Bold’s first blatant and undisputed swear word appears!
#145: … & Phantom
Stranger, “Choice of Dooms”
The only
member of Gotham ’s diamond-smuggling ring willing to
testify suddenly becomes paralyzed! You see, the head of the ring is also a
voodoo priest!
Back to
seventeen pages and now forty cents, as the “DC Implosion” hits the comic
giant, making them cancel many of their new books and reeling back their
much-hyped back-up features.
1979
#146 : … (Earth Two)
& Unknown Soldier, “The Secret that Saved the World”
Artist:
Romeo Tanghal. #84 was partly set during
World War II and told in flashback. This is the first B&B story (during the
team-up years) set during the war.
A defecting
German nuclear scientist is murdered and his secret designs for an atomic bomb
will be smuggled back to Germany
unless Batman and the Unknown Soldier can catch the Nazi killer!
#147: … & Supergirl,
“Death Scream from the Sky”, Writer: Cary
Burkett.
The
Children of Light, a terrorist-cult, gets control of a communications satellite
complete with a killer laser aimed at Gotham ! Batman and Supergirl finally discover an old
JLA foe is behind it all. It seems the
“father” of the Children of Light is a certain Doctor…
Mohammed
comes to the mountain: some issues back, Paul Levitz admitted he was having
trouble convincing Bob Haney to do a Supergirl team-up. The solution was simple: Haney got the boot
and former letter column editor Cary Burkett wrote the much-demanded
story! This is only the fifth issue of Brave & Bold since #50 Haney did not
write!
#148: … & Plastic
Man, “The Night the Mob Stole Christmas”, (Artist: Jim Aparo and Joe Staton).
Haney
returns and takes his frustrations out on his favorite whipping boy, Plastic
Man , the last of Plas’ four appearances in B&B. Plas is (of course) still
shown as a lone loser (see the commentary of #123 for Haney’s dislike of
Plas.). A Florida mobster
smuggles in illegal (untaxed) cigarettes into Gotham
City
The
combination of Aparo and Staton works here despite their divergent styles –
Staton’s heroes are drawn thickly and muscular, Aparo’s are wiry and thin.
#149: … & Teen Titans,
“Look Homeward, Runaway”
This is the
last appearance of the Teen Titans in Brave
& Bold, the magazine in which they debuted nearly fifteen years before.
Haney’s
temper tantrum over, it’s back to B&B business. Batman asks the Teen Titans
to reunite to infiltrate the Runaways – an organized teen crime gang of (who
else) runaways – to break up the gang and find their leader.
#150: … & ?,
“Today Gotham , Tomorrow the World”
Terrorists
called the Battalion of Doom threaten Gotham
City Wayne ’s
Batman identity, is super fast (faster, even, than a speeding bullet), is very
strong (more powerful than a locomotive)…
You get the
idea, the terrorists have also kidnapped Jimmy Olsen. Superman hoped to be
assigned as Jimmy’s bodyguard, but got Bruce Wayne instead.
In the past
fans screamed for Superman to guest in B&B. Those requests were (rightly) ignored:
if you want to see Supes and Bats together, go buy World’s Finest. In fact it was clearly stated in #120 Superman will
never appear in B&B.
How times
change. Letters in later issues panned the choice for this anniversary issue,
saying it was nothing more than a warmed-over World’s Finest story. I
disagree. If this was a story from WF, there certainly wouldn't have been
any “surprise”. However, I expected a
more special guest for #150. Superman could have easily been Martian Manhunter.
Throw in Green Arrow (like Haney and company needed an excuse to bring him
into a story) and you would have Batman teaming up with B&B’s first team
from #50! That would have been a good anniversary team-up. Still, it was
an interesting story and well done, if not up to hype. The letter column lists
all the team-ups in B&B starting with #50. Unfortunately it also lists #150
as starring Superman, ruining the surprise for anyone reading the letter column
first (including yours truly…).
***
The issues
in this era of B&B weren't all stinkers.
In fact, it contained some of the most interesting plots. And Aparo’s art is brilliant. But the comic wasn't cutting edge anymore; it wasn't leading the field.
Although
the letter columns promised new team-ups, you could almost hear the arguments
behind the door – Levitz admitting to all that Haney does not want Supergirl in
B&B is a good example. Was he trying to coax readers into pleading for her
appearance?
And Batman,
for all his different interpretations, was turning into nothing more than a
super-cop. He did fight some name supervillains, but the Joker as a loan
shark? Dr. Light as a terrorist leader?
What was the point of that? There were no new super-bad guys introduced in
these fifty issues (like Hellgrammite or Bork), no new versions of old heroes
(like Green Arrow), just Batman and … whoever.
And because
of that, Brave & Bold was no
longer the best and brightest star at DC. Then again, it didn't need to
be. It was no longer challenging and exciting. Instead of asking, “Who knows
what the next issue will hold,” readers said, “I don’t know who will be here
next issue, but the writing will be good and the art will be great and that’s
all right with me!”
Instead of
leading the field, Brave & Bold ran in place. Naturally and inevitably that meant it
started to fall behind. Its momentum has
kept it going after its prime for eight years now. In only half that time it
will be gone.
Copyright (c) 2012 Michael G Curry
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