Team-ups: Lo, there shall come a Dark Knight! Part 1
January 1968 – January 1972
The next
twenty-five issues of Brave & Bold
are considered the best of the run during the team-up years. And rightly so:
the issues from #79 through #86 inclusive are considered the best issues of the
entire run; and among the best comics ever published!
By this
time Marvel had been regularly beating National comics in popularity (nowadays
we could call it “buzz”), if not in sales.
Charleton was successfully publishing heroes like Captain Atom and the
Blue Beetle. There were more superhero comics
being published than there had been in twenty years. Compared to all the
Distinguished Competition, DC seemed staid, static and – worst of all – boring
to the older reader. So National decided to fight back! Such strong competition
helped DC grow rather than wither. National decided to change their style –
introducing new and off-beat characters like the Creeper and Hawk & Dove.
Comics such as Aquaman and Justice League of America and most
notably Green Lantern/Green Arrow
started to become – what’s the word? – relevant! Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.
This was
to be the "new-look" Brave & Bold:
no longer will the adventures of the caped crusader be square and archaic, to
use the words of a letter-writer, but real and important. Drug runners instead
of petty crooks, terrorists and spies instead of monsters and aliens! Heavy; and
deep, man, real deep.
Chances
were taken – team-ups were done (and done well) that would seem unlikely: Adam
Strange, Sgt. Rock and Phantom Stranger met the Caped Crusader. DC’s most
recent creation the Creeper starred. Experiments were done: The Bat Squad
introduced a cast of assistants for Batman akin to the aids of pulp heroes Doc
Savage and the Shadow. Batman entered the “House of Mystery”. And Green Arrow,
the most frequent guest in the team-up years, was given a make-over: a new
costume and character. That hadn’t been done in B&B since the Hawkman
reboot in March 1961, 8½ years earlier.
Neal Adams
was the artist during the classic eight-issue span (#79-#86) and helped make
these issues the comic book classics they are. Adams wasn't a comic book artist – he was a photographer! The art in Brave & Bold
never looked more realistic, and the stories were inspiring.
Otherwise
the artwork was excellently done by (mostly) Nick Cardy. With #98, however, another artist took over
most of the art chores. Dick Giordano brought him over from Charleton. His name
was Jim Aparo. More on him later.
Bob Haney
was still in his own little continuity bubble – Bruce Wayne was a Senator, adopted
a second ward and became a godfather to another youth, none of these facts have
been acknowledged since – not even in Haney’s later stories. Nonetheless, the stories written were still
exciting. You never know what would happen on the next page!
For the
most part these twenty-five issues featured stories and art which were fun and
admirable; entertaining and laudable. It
was a brave and bold step for the comic and it helped put it at the forefront
of comics generally and National Comics specifically. Comic book readers were starting to grow up,
and Brave & Bold grew up with
them. It was the very best.
November 1967
#74: Batman &
Metal Men, “Rampant Run the Robots”, (since Batman stars in all remaining
issues, only the guest – as indicated on the magazine’s cover – will be listed).
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Ross
Andru.
Batman begins his run through the
remainder of B&B as its star. This
is also the first meeting of many with the Metal Men. Robots run amuck and
commit crimes aplenty during a robot exposition in Gotham .
Are the Metal Men also affected and committing crimes? Batman thinks so!
1968
#75: … &
Spectre, untitled tail, Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Ross Andru. Wonderful cover by Neal Adams! A typo has the editor being George Hasdan
instead of Kasdan!
On Chinese
New Year (the Year of the Bat), the Lord of the Yellow River, Shahn-Zi traps
the citizens of Gotham’s Chinatown until its mayor, Bill Woo, turns over his
son to become the new Lord of the River.
#76: … &
Plastic Man, “Doom, What is thy Shape?”,
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: George
Roussos.
The Molder and his plastic robots
terrorize Gotham !
This issue also features a reprint of a Robin solo story, but the comic doesn't tell us when and in which comic it was originally published.
#77: … & Atom,
“So Thunders the Cannoneer”,
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Ross
Andru. Artist and writer credits are starting
to appear more regularly now. Ross Andru
has been drawing so many issues of B&B lately it almost, almost
seems to establish a specific look of continuity for the book! This idea of a certain look for B&B will
be very important in future issues with Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Also in this
issue, in the text page, the editor requests letters to the comic. Instead of one-page texts regaling us with
information on the Great Wall, ghosts, real-life tiny individuals, “real” proof
of ghosts, etc., we will soon get correspondence from fellow fans!
The Cannoneer and his circus
cronies steal the Brotherhood Train – featuring one car for every nation, a
World’s Fair on a rail!
#78: … & Wonder
Woman (with Batgirl), “In the Coils of the Copperhead”,
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Bob
Brown, Editor: Murray Boltinoff.
To lull the villainous Copperhead
into the open, Wonder Woman and Batgirl pretend to be in love with Batman,
distracting him from his battle against crime.
It seems to work, until they really fall for him!
Batgirl is the co-star, and is
giving a mention on the cover, but it is more of a Batman-Wonder Woman
team-up. Batgirl’s presence is more to
capture the TV fans.
This issue also introduces the villainy
of the Copperhead, the last bad-guy of note to debut in B&B (others being
Starro, Amazo, Matter Master, Shadow Thief, and the Manhawks). Copperhead fought Hawkman in the fourth
series of his magazine, teaming with the Shadow Thief – a Brave & Bold
reunion that went unnoticed!
#79: … &
Deadman, “Track of the Hook”, August-September 1968.
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Neal
Adams.
Beginning
the “classic” run of B&B through #86.
At the time this issue was phenomenally popular (still is in the back
issue market).
Deadman
helps Batman identify “The King” – Gotham’s syndicate leader, in exchange for
Batman helping track down Deadman’s killer, the Hook. They break the syndicate, but fail to find the
Hook. But we do meet Max Chill – the brother of the man who killed Batman’s
parents.
The first
letter column appears in Brave & Bold
since issue #49, exactly five years before!
#80: … &
Creeper, “And Hellgramite is his Name”,
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Neal
Adams. Another new villain is introduced
with some durability – Hellgramite tormented Green Arrow through the 1970s in World’s Finest Comics, but hasn't been
seen much in the past thirty years.
Future DC writer Tony Isabella has a letter in the letter column..
Hellgrammite captures three of Gotham ’s
gangland bosses. Batman and Creeper
fight Hellgrammite, Commissioner Gordon and each other to find out why!
1969
#81: … & Flash,
“But Bork Can Hurt You”,
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Neal
Adams.
A two-bit hood suddenly becomes
invulnerable and takes over Gotham City Gotham ’s mayor
from banishing Batman forever. Flash
runs in outer space and through the sun unharmed, a power he’s never shown
before!
Bork was
revived by Kurt Busiek as a member of his “Power Company” series.
#82: … &
Aquaman, “Sleepwalker from the Sea”,
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Neal
Adams. This issue begins a new
logo. Gone is the waiving Brave &
Bold banner seen since the first issue.
Now we have simple blocked script in capital letters announcing the comic
name. Small wonder – the banner logo has
been shrinking for years and was almost invisible. The plain logo belays the excellent material
within!
Aquaman’s brother Orm, the Ocean
Master, tricks Aquaman into being his “muscle” in a shady marine development
deal.
#83: … & Teen
Titans, “Punish Not My Evil Son”,
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Neal
Adams.
Robin is jealous when Batman adopts
a second ward – the son of a deceased friend. But the second son of Batman is a
bad seed. He finally turns from the dark side in time to save Batman.
#84: … & Sgt.
Rock, “The Angel, The Rock & The Cowl”,
Writer:
Bob Haney, Artist: Neal Adams. Joe
Kubert assists an uncredited co-artist.
The combination of Adams and Kubert (who assists on the panels with Easy
Company) is fantastic! Adams
photographic style and Kubert’s distinctive style gives the art a
natural look – actions become realistic speed blurs!
Another friend
of Bruce Wayne is killed (two issues in a row now…), this time during WWII
while spying on the Nazis. Bruce Wayne
takes over the case and interferes with Easy Company’s orders to blow up a
bridge on D-minus-one-Day. According to
the Overstreet Price Guide (and others), this is the first appearance of the
golden age (Earth-Two) Batman in the Silver Age (barring an earlier one-panel
cameo in Justice League #82). In the
letter column to #86, one writer complains about the time-anomaly: A 60-year old Rock and a still-young Bruce
Wayne.
A house
ad for this issue appears on the last page – “how can it (this team-up) be
possible?”
The blurb for the next issue asks,
“How can we top this?” The answer: this is to prepare you for what’s coming
next! The beautiful thing about B&B
in this era is … they’re right!
#85: … & Green
Arrow, “The Senator’s Been Shot”.
Writer: Bob Haney, Artist: Neal
Adams. Fifteen cents?! Fifteen
cents! For a comic book? Outrageous!
This better be some story!
It is! Although probably not to compensate us for
the extra three cents, this is the most popular B&B of this era. It is certainly the most reprinted, most
recently as a Millenium Edition. This
issue introduced a “new look” for Green Arrow – new costume, blond goatee – but
the radical attitude came later in Green Lantern’s comic. Here B&B combines its team-ups with its old
genre of introducing new characters (or newly remodeled characters) and is done
excellently!
The Senator
was shot because he supported a crime bill that would eliminate the career of
evil financier Miklos Minotaur. Bruce
Wayne is appointed interim senator.
Meanwhile, Minotaur must eliminate his competitor (Ollie Queen) from
wining a multi-million dollar Gotham renovation plan.
This is a
prime example of Bob Haney’s isolated DC Continuity. Bruce Wayne’s stint as a senator has never
been elsewhere referenced, not even in Brave & Bold.
#86: … &
Deadman, “You Can’t Hide from a Deadman”,
Writer:
Bob Haney, Artist: Neal Adams. Tony
Isabella again contributes to the letter page.
In a
story continued from Strange Adventures
#216 (Deadman’s last issue in that magazine): Deadman is poisoned while in
Namba Parbat (where he obtains corporeal form).
To save his life, Batman and Deadman’s brother Cleveland
fight the Sensei’s Society of Assassins, one of whom has the antidote.
Copyright (c) 2012 Michael G. Curry
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