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Post by Prince Hal on May 25, 2023 22:55:23 GMT -5
Kanigher always swore left, right and center in letters pages that Rock was killed by the last bullet fired on the last day, in the last minute of the war, his way of peeing in the corner and more than implying that Rock was his character and his alone and that any other version in a non-war book was simply not real. More, he'd even go on to say that those other writers just didn't understand Rock. But Kanigher had as little regard for continuity as the more usual suspect, Haney. Rock fought everywhere from North Africa to the South Pacific, with little if any regard for chronological order. And it may be argued that it was a strength of the title, since the continuity wasn't the issue, the stories and characters were. Kanigher was no respecter of continuity when he occasionally wrote a super-hero story, either; witness the notorious, completely out-of-character romantic interlude between Batman and Black Canary in JLA 84. Maybe RK thought he could write anything about Black Canary because he'd been there at her creation; maybe he simply didn't do any research --like taking a peek at what had been going on with her since she came to Earth-One back in JLA 75; maybe he just felt like flexing his romance comic muscle; maybe he was trying to turn his fill-in issue into a regular gig by introducing such a sub-plot. The usually terse RK sounds more like the mawkish and verbose Mike Friedrich, who at least was a kid when he wrote the cringey self-indulgent story in JLA 89. (I was 16 when i read it and thought it sounded like a bad story in a high school literary magazine, the kind I might have written, but that I didn't want to read in JLA by a professional writer, however young he was.)  Friedrich was likely charged with tying up Kanigher's loose end in JLA 89...   |
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Post by Hoosier X on May 27, 2023 10:23:57 GMT -5
The Brave and the Bold #181
Batman and Hawk and Dove
“Time, See What’s Become of Me ...”
Writer: Alan Brennert
Artist: Jim Aparo
It’s a coincidence, but the next five reviews are all DC characters who only guest-starred with Batman once in TBATB. We start with this team-up with Hawk and Dove, a couple of 1960s Ditko characters who hadn’t been around much in the 1970s aside from a few appearances in Teen Titans. Brennert uses this opportunity to get the Hawk and Dove fans up to date on the pair, and also to bring a little closure to their odyssey. (It is, however, not a conclusion that isn’t easily tinkered with if somebody wants to bring them back later for some reason.)
I’m not a fan of Hawk and Dove and I never have been. I think I have one issue of the original series that I bought cheap, read once and then filed it away. I don’t want to say it was a terrible series or a dumb idea because I just haven’t read enough stories. But it sure never appealed to me.
I would love to hear from anybody who loves Hawk and Dove.
Briefly, this story takes place in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Hawk and Dove both live, though they haven’t seen each other for a while. Batman is on the West Coast searching for the ringleader of a drug operation. He finds himself pursuing the same crook as Hawk, who loses control of himself and causes one of the bad guys to fall off a building to his death. The death makes Hawk feel kind of bad, and Batman is pissed because he was trailing the dead guy, hoping he would lead him to the leader of the drug ring. The dead guy is the son of the drug gang’s leader.
It turns out that Hawk and Dove, though they are brothers, have drifted apart and haven’t seen each other for a while. Hawk has gotten more and more violent and Dove has gotten ... more wimpy, I guess?
Batman enlists Dove’s help in busting up the drug ring while Hawk operates independently, wreaking havoc in both his marriage and a strip club. The mysterious voice that gave them their powers in the 1960s pops up and lectures Hawk about how they haven’t learned the lesson he intended. They were supposed to moderate each other’s extreme natures. But they seem to have gotten worse. So he takes their powers away. His timing is TERRIBLE for Dove! But Batman and Dove manage to finish the mission anyway. Hawk and Dove make up and seem comfortable just to be regular people ... for a while anyway.
That was all right. My indifference to the characters doesn’t prevent me from enjoying a good story, especially with Jim Aparo art.
I also liked the way they offered up a conclusion to the Hawk and Dove arc without a massacre!
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Post by Hoosier X on May 27, 2023 11:13:09 GMT -5
Brave and the Bold #182
Batman and Earth-2 Robin
“Interlude on Earth-Two”
Writer: Alan Brennert
Artist: Jim Aparo
This one is really good! It’s a great candidate for Best TBATB Story Not Written by Bob Haney.
Earth-1 Batman somehow gets transported to Earth-2. I think it has something to with Earth-2 Hugo Strange, who is getting his revenge on dead Earth-2 Batman by threatening to destroy Gotham City with an artificial electrical storm. Hugo Strange is challenged by Starman (quickly sidelined), Earth-2 Robin and Earth-2 Batwoman.
(Batwoman (Kathy Kane) is generally said to be an Earth-1 character. This story explicitly mentions Earth-1 Kathy Kane (who had died fairly recently). The way Brennert just sort of throws Batwoman into Earth-2 almost on a whim seems like an homage to Bob Haney, who never seemed to worry about this stuff very much.)
So Earth-1 Batman joins the fight against Earth-2 Hugo Strange.
Just read it some day when you get a chance.
I especially like the way it flashes back to Hugo Strange’s three Golden Age appearances, way back in Detective Comics #36, Batman #1 and especially the end of Detective Comics #46 where he falls off a cliff. He didn’t die, you see, and he had rather a hard time of it for several decades.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 28, 2023 20:03:05 GMT -5
The Brave and the Bold #195
Batman and “I ... Vampire” (Andrew Bennett)
“Night of Blood”
Writer: Mike W. Barr
Artist: Jim Aparo
As of #195, TBATB was nearing its last issue at #200 and it sure looks like the editors were trying to fit in a lot of DC characters who had never guest-starred with Batman during the course of the series, with guests like the Riddler, the Huntress, Rose and the Thorn, Superboy, Ragman, Catwoman and Karate Kid. That includes Andrew Bennett, the undead hero of the “I ... Vampire” series in House of Mystery from 1981 to 1983.
I know of the “I ... Vampire” series and I know a little bit about it from online articles, but I’ve never read any of it before now. It seems to have been a popular feature and I know that there are a number of dedicated fans of the character. If I can get it from the library or get it online, I’ll check it out in the coming weeks.
Andrew Bennett first appeared in House of Mystery #290. His appearances are somewhat erratic as he was in every other issue for a time and eventually Bennett was promoted to every issue from #304 to #319. House of Mystery only lasted two more issues as it was canceled with #321 in 1983. I don’t know if the series had a good conclusion or if it just ended mid-story. Hopefully, one of Andrew Bennett’s fans can leave a short comment about the series.
I don’t really have a whole lot to say about the story in TBATB #195. I liked it all right. Andrew Bennett has come to Gotham to investigate suspected vampire attacks and he crosses paths with Batman, who is investigating the plight of a very sick girl who seems to be the victim of a vampire ... but the diagnosis seems a little off. So they go to a vampire club where a lot of the patrons don’t realize that there are a lot of real vampires within! And Bennett is also seeking a confrontation with his former lover, the vampire Mary, who seems to be the major antagonist of the series as a whole.
The scenes that are mostly about Bennett are captioned with narration from Bennett. So I guess the whole series is a first person narrative from Bennett, probably in the form of a diary, unless he just likes to talk to himself all the time.
I am definitely intrigued and planning to seek out the “I ... Vampire” series.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 29, 2023 0:02:19 GMT -5
The Brave and the Bold #195 Batman and “I ... Vampire” (Andrew Bennett) “Night of Blood” Writer: Mike W. Barr Artist: Jim Aparo As of #195, TBATB was nearing its last issue at #200 and it sure looks like the editors were trying to fit in a lot of DC characters who had never guest-starred with Batman during the course of the series, with guests like the Riddler, the Huntress, Rose and the Thorn, Superboy, Ragman, Catwoman and Karate Kid. That includes Andrew Bennett, the undead hero of the “I ... Vampire” series in House of Mystery from 1981 to 1983. I know of the “I ... Vampire” series and I know a little bit about it from online articles, but I’ve never read any of it before now. It seems to have been a popular feature and I know that there are a number of dedicated fans of the character. If I can get it from the library or get it online, I’ll check it out in the coming weeks. Andrew Bennett first appeared in House of Mystery #290. His appearances are somewhat erratic as he was in every other issue for a time and eventually Bennett was promoted to every issue from #304 to #319. House of Mystery only lasted two more issues as it was canceled with #321 in 1983. I don’t know if the series had a good conclusion or if it just ended mid-story. Hopefully, one of Andrew Bennett’s fans can leave a short comment about the series. I don’t really have a whole lot to say about the story in TBATB #195. I liked it all right. Andrew Bennett has come to Gotham to investigate suspected vampire attacks and he crosses paths with Batman, who is investigating the plight of a very sick girl who seems to be the victim of a vampire ... but the diagnosis seems a little off. So they go to a vampire club where a lot of the patrons don’t realize that there are a lot of real vampires within! And Bennett is also seeking a confrontation with his former lover, the vampire Mary, who seems to be the major antagonist of the series as a whole. The scenes that are mostly about Bennett are captioned with narration from Bennett. So I guess the whole series is a first person narrative from Bennett, probably in the form of a diary, unless he just likes to talk to himself all the time. I am definitely intrigued and planning to seek out the “I ... Vampire” series. I didn't read the series, though I have digital copies of House of Mystery. The finale is in HoM #319, in a book-length conclusion. It is labeled "final chapter," on the cover.......  The comic book had two more issues, with Cain learning, in issue #321, that he is out of a job and being replaced by Condo of Fun, featuring Brad the Doorman. He appeals to Joe Orlando, who shows him various bad ideas for him and then suggests that a quick death was more merciful. There are a couple of regular stories, before returning to Cain. Andrew Bennett's coffin appears at Cain's birthday party, on the splash page. |
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Post by codystarbuck on May 29, 2023 11:55:36 GMT -5
JM DeMatteis created I...Vampire, but pitched it as Greenburg. He then later did Greenburg the Vampire, at Marvel. So, if you have seen that, then this was a kind of beta test, or that was a kind of revised version of I...Vampire. Or, he just wanted to use the name Greenburg, for a vampire. When I first heard the title, my thought was Mel Brooks kvetching, as a vampire.
Oi vey!
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Post by Hoosier X on May 29, 2023 16:44:29 GMT -5
The Brave and the Bold #196
Batman and Ragman
“The Two Faces of Midnight”
Writer: Robert Kanigher
Artist: Jim Aparo
Ragman is another DC character that I know of but have never read. Maybe I read an issue at someone’s house when I was a kid. The cover to Ragman #5 looks awfully familiar. Ragman debuted in his own series in 1976. It lasted five issues, and then he appeared a few more times in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
One of those appearances was TBATB #196. Ragman is wandering around Gotham, as you do when you’re a super-hero. There’s an explosion! And Batman comes flying out of a window!
Ragman rescues him and finds out that he’s been investigating the kidnapping of Nina Norwood by a revolutionary group called the DFD. The Dynamiters for Democracy! Batman wants to return to the scene of the crime, but he’s still recovering. He thinks it’s important for Batman to be there to draw out the militants.
So they trade costumes and Ragman goes to the site and they throw some dynamite at him (thinking he’s Batman) and he gets caught in an explosion. He stumbles back to the junkyard (Ragman’s HQ). Ragman has to meet an informant who might know where to find the DFD, but he’s still groggy from being exploded. So Batman goes in his place! He’s still dressed up as Ragman anyway, plus he’s all better from being blown in the first scene.
So Batman (dressed as Ragman) finds out the DFD is going to rob a bank and they shoot at him and he falls in the river and they think he’s dead.
But he’s not.
He returns to the junkyard and changes clothes with Ragman and they go thwart the robbery and Nina Norwood has been brain-washed and she’s one of the bank robbers but she gets control of herself and won’t shoot anybody and the bad guys shoot her and Ragman and Batman beat up the bad guys and take Nina Norwood to the hospital and she’s going to be OK!
The story gets a lot of extra points for providing a lot of background on Ragman and his origins, and we also get some characters who I would guess are Ragman’s supporting cast.
I liked it all right. Great Aparo art. It doesn’t make me want to rush out and buy the complete Ragman.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 29, 2023 16:50:03 GMT -5
I had some of the original issues; but I haven't read them in a long, long time. I do recall Keith Giffin's post-Crisis revamp, where Ragman is actually a golem. That was an 8-issue mini and was pretty good.
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Post by zaku on Jun 1, 2023 9:29:21 GMT -5
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Post by zaku on Jun 1, 2023 10:37:54 GMT -5
By the way, building a real-life Bat-Signal is incredibly difficult. You can't just put a bat-shaped cardboard cutout on a giant spotlight
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 1, 2023 11:19:40 GMT -5
By the way, building a real-life Bat-Signal is incredibly difficult. You can't just put a bat-shaped cardboard cutout on a giant spotlight Not with THAT attitude! |
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Post by Calidore on Jun 1, 2023 17:38:51 GMT -5
Tom Peyer credits Rachel Pollack for coming up with Girl, the Boy Wonder.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 1, 2023 17:54:16 GMT -5
Tom Peyer credits Rachel Pollack for coming up with Girl, the Boy Wonder.
That’s great! But I’m a sucker for anything that makes Ron DeSantis poop his pants. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Jun 1, 2023 18:39:07 GMT -5
The Brave and the Bold #198
Batman and Karate Kid
“Terrorists of the Heart!”
Writer: Mike W. Barr
Penciller: Chuck Patton
Inker: Rick Hoberg
I read TBATB #198 and #199 while I was pet-sitting over the weekend and I was a little tired and then I got busy after the holiday weekend ended, and now I’m trying to write some short reviews for these two comics after a few days have passed. I will gladly read #199 again because it was one of the best of these later TBATB stories and I would like to write the review when it’s a little more fresh in my memory.
#198, on the other hand, was OK, but I don’t feel like reading it again. So I’ll just write a very short review and all you Karate Kid fans can expand on my comments if you want. Or if you’ve never read it, you can find a copy of TBATB #198 and check it out!
Karate Kid is, of course, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. His real name is Val Armorr and he goes all the way back to Adventure Comics #346 in 1966.
From 1976 to 1978, he had his own series! It lasted only 15 issues and was swallowed up by the DC Implosion. Val traveled to 20th-century New York City and had various adventures. I don’t know very much about the series. I only have one issue, #15, and I only have that one because of the Kamandi cross-over.
This issue of The Brave and the Bold came out several years after that, and I’m guessing that this story is tying up a few loose ends.
Val has journeyed to the 20th century to find a woman named Iris Jacobs. I assume she’s from the old series and it appears that she had a crush on him. In any case, he tracks her down to an apartment in Gotham City ...
Meanwhile, Batman and the GCPD are having some trouble with an anarchist terror organization called the Black Heart. A member of the Black Heart named Katy has betrayed the organization and given up its secrets to the GCPD. So the Black Heart has hired a super-powered assassin named Pulsar to kill her. In a nod to continuity that I like to see in TBATB, Pulsar is a villain from the Karate Kid series. I’ve not read the story, but I bet it was very nice for fans of the series to see a familiar face who’s not a Batman villain or a lame one-shot bad guy.
While fleeing Pulsar, Katy runs into Iris Jacobs, who sees that she’s in trouble and let’s her stay at her apartment for a few days. The streets are so dangerous these days, what with all these terrorists and super-villain assassins running around.
So of course, Batman, Val, Pulsar, the Black Heart and the GCPD congregate on Iris’s apartment and bananashenanigans ensue.
When the dust settles and the bad guys are chastised, Val tells Iris that he’s getting married in the 30th century and he came to the 20th century to invite her to the wedding. She’s not real thrilled about the idea and she tells Val to leave. Batman tries to comfort her as she cries on his shoulder.
The End
I’m wondering if Iris ever heard that Val died right after the wedding, killed in a big fight with Nemesis Kid and the Legion of Super-Villains.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 1, 2023 23:19:13 GMT -5
The Brave and the Bold #198 Batman and Karate Kid “Terrorists of the Heart!” Writer: Mike W. Barr Penciller: Chuck Patton Inker: Rick Hoberg I read TBATB #198 and #199 while I was pet-sitting over the weekend and I was a little tired and then I got busy after the holiday weekend ended, and now I’m trying to write some short reviews for these two comics after a few days have passed. I will gladly read #199 again because it was one of the best of these later TBATB stories and I would like to write the review when it’s a little more fresh in my memory. #198, on the other hand, was OK, but I don’t feel like reading it again. So I’ll just write a very short review and all you Karate Kid fans can expand on my comments if you want. Or if you’ve never read it, you can find a copy of TBATB #198 and check it out! Karate Kid is, of course, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. His real name is Val Armorr and he goes all the way back to Adventure Comics #346 in 1966. From 1976 to 1978, he had his own series! It lasted only 15 issues and was swallowed up by the DC Implosion. Val traveled to 20th-century New York City and had various adventures. I don’t know very much about the series. I only have one issue, #15, and I only have that one because of the Kamandi cross-over. This issue of The Brave and the Bold came out several years after that, and I’m guessing that this story is tying up a few loose ends. Val has journeyed to the 20th century to find a woman named Iris Jacobs. I assume she’s from the old series and it appears that she had a crush on him. In any case, he tracks her down to an apartment in Gotham City ... Meanwhile, Batman and the GCPD are having some trouble with an anarchist terror organization called the Black Heart. A member of the Black Heart named Katy has betrayed the organization and given up its secrets to the GCPD. So the Black Heart has hired a super-powered assassin named Pulsar to kill her. In a nod to continuity that I like to see in TBATB, Pulsar is a villain from the Karate Kid series. I’ve not read the story, but I bet it was very nice for fans of the series to see a familiar face who’s not a Batman villain or a lame one-shot bad guy. While fleeing Pulsar, Katy runs into Iris Jacobs, who sees that she’s in trouble and let’s her stay at her apartment for a few days. The streets are so dangerous these days, what with all these terrorists and super-villain assassins running around. So of course, Batman, Val, Pulsar, the Black Heart and the GCPD congregate on Iris’s apartment and bananashenanigans ensue. When the dust settles and the bad guys are chastised, Val tells Iris that he’s getting married in the 30th century and he came to the 20th century to invite her to the wedding. She’s not real thrilled about the idea and she tells Val to leave. Batman tries to comfort her as she cries on his shoulder. The End I’m wondering if Iris ever heard that Val died right after the wedding, killed in a big fight with Nemesis Kid and the Legion of Super-Villains. I only saw the last issue, which a friend of mine had. Iris and Pulsar were both introduced in the KK series and he originally came to the 20th Century to track down Nemesis Kid; so, some symmetry there. So, wait...Black Heart? You mean Joan Jett led a terrorist/criminal group..... The Karate Kid comic book series was the reason why the Ralph Macchio film had that notation, in the end credits, that The Karate Kid was trademark DC Comics. The comic book would have been more interesting with the Cobra Kai in it. |
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