the Brave and the Bold #35 - DC

Last issue the Legion and the Doom Patrol got together to stop a primordial black-hole from destroying the Earth. However, in the process there was a bunch of . . 'things' that happened, for which nobody really knew why. But in the end, they accomplished their mission and everybody went home. So they figured it was over. Well this issue, when the Legion of Substitute-heroes hears about what the Legion did, they figure that they can get their own time-bubble and go back to before the Legion saved the day, and do so themselves. They figure that they'll get the chance to be the heroes. However, as was expected . . it's a cluster, a real FUBAR, right from the beginning. In fact when they go back in time to get the Doom Patrol, before the Legion contacts them, they instead end up with the Inferior Five. Both groups together, I thought, were hilarious. So after going through this whole issue, and their attempt to become heroes . . by the end they're just trying to get everything back to the way it's supposed to be. Which they do, but . . they leave the Inferior Five in 2010, instead of 1972. It seems to me that this was really all just an experiment by J Michael Straczynski. I'm guessing that somebody added all that 'other stuff' to the last issue . . the things that couldn't be explained, and JMS used his incredible writing talents to put together a story that wrote his way out of all of it. I could be wrong. But that's what it seemed like to me. Either way . . I thought it was great. We don't get to see these characters very often. And I liked the way that everything fell together for this story . . literally. Jesus Siaz also did a great job with the art and cover. I'm not sure what the future holds for this book . . there's only 1 more issue listed between now and November. But I hope we see some more. I really like what they've done here.

the Brave and the Bold #34 - DC

This was kind of a pretty straight forward story, but . . it had some 'glitches' in it that left us asking a bunch of questions. Enough questions, actually, that when it looks like this story is over . . they've decided to carry things over into a second chapter . . next issue. In the future, Lightning Lad finds a black-hole out in space around Saturn. It called a primordial black-hole . . one that's been around since the beginning of time. It's small compared to other black-holes, but it still has enough power to destroy any planet in it's path. And it appears to be headed towards Earth. Lightning Lad makes his way back to Earth to warn the rest of the Legion. He presumes they have 3 to 4 weeks until it reaches Earth. But the next thing they know, it's already in Earth's atmosphere. A quick jump forward in time shows that it destroys Earth. So they go back to try to stop it. That's where the Doom Patrol comes in. The only way to stop this is to use the Hawking Principle . . 'The only way to kill a primordial black-hole is to get it to emit more energy than it consumes'. Basically, Lightning Lad will feed it energy causing it to reach out for more. The energy that it's reaching out with will be partly absorbed into Robotman, with the other half being negatively charged, by Larry, so that it repels away from the black-hole. They just have to be able to do this long enough to upset the balance of energy, forcing the black-hole to dissipate. Simple enough, but it puts everyone's lives on the line. In the end though . . it works. Everyone goes home. A little battered and beaten, but . . alive. But now . . the questions. First of all . . the time bubble seemed to have moved on it's own a couple of times. It appears on the opposite side of the room from where they thought they left it. Next, while traveling through time, something disrupts their tachyon collector. When they investigate, they find a 'pink fuzzy' shoved in the panel. And finally, when they get back, the Chief says that he's had the worst day in his life. And how is all of this connected to next issues guests . . the Legion of Substitute-heroes, and . . the Inferior Five. With those 2 groups involved . . how can this story possibly have a 'happy-ending'? I love what J Michael Straczynski is doing with this book. He's been writing some great stories. My only concern is . . he's going to be taking over Superman and Wonder Woman pretty soon. So . . will he still be scripting this book? This title is already missing a month in June . . the second part of this story won't be out until July. Plus, from the previews, it looks like it's going to be skipping an issue in September also. At least they don't have one scheduled to come out right now. So that causes me concerns about the future of this title. I think JMS is doing an incredible job, but . . it doesn't matter if this title no longer exists. Please . . say it isn't so! In the meantime . . enjoy issues #35 and #36. It may be the last. By the way, beautiful art by Jesus Saiz.

the Brave and the Bold #33 - DC

I thought this was a great issue. I just love J Michael Straczynski's writing. It took me about half way through to figure out what was going on, but when I did . . the story turned kind of somber for me. But . . that was the intention. Basically what happens is . . Zatanna has a dream and decides that she needs to arrange a 'Ladies' night. So she gathers up Diana and Barbara and forces them to take a night off and enjoy the town. Which they do. But it's after some clubbing, when they're winding down in a diner, that I started putting the pieces together. Diana is looking a little melancholy and she tells Babs that she's thinking about the Greek Oracles . . women who could tell the future. First of all, that's when I realized this story actually takes place before she became Oracle. I know . . I'm a little slow sometimes. But then I also realize that they were giving her a not to subtle hint. Sure there was the Oracle of Delphi. Probably the most famous one . . she could see the future, but her curse was that if she told anyone about it, or tried to change it, it would only make matters worse. But then there were other Oracles who provided information. 'They did more than just prophesy, they read the signs of the times. Listened to reports from distant lands. And were absolutely vital to kings and others who needed advice about the world around them.' Does that sound like a job that a certain 'so & so' does now? Anyways, it turns out that Zatanna had a vision, or dream, much like Delphi. It included the future of Barbara, but . . she didn't know when exactly it would happen. So she just wanted to give her a night out that she could remember having a good time and dancing. She also gave her some advice to cross the bridge between her and her father and spend as much time with him as possible. And she does. Soon afterwards he's at her house having dinner, and there's a knock at the door. It's the Joker. And we all know what happens next. I thought it was an interesting story before I put the pieces together. But after, it became a much more emotional one. It was a story as only JMS could've told. I thought it was a brilliant perspective, and excellently expressed. I also enjoyed Cliff Chiang's art. It made the whole thing seem a little more light-hearted. Even when you knew that she was ultimately doomed. It also sports a beautiful cover by Jesus Saiz. Now . . I have some bad news. There's only 2 more issues for this solicited. I already know that JMS is heading over to one of the Superman titles. So . . I'm not sure what the future of this series is after that. It doesn't say that it's the final issue, so . . I'm hoping that it's just taking a couple of months off, much in the way of the Titans book. Maybe it'll come back after Batman's return, and return itself to being a Batman team-up book. I'm just speculating. I have no idea. All I know is that this book has had a great run and I'd hate to see it go away. If I find out more information . . I'll let you know.

the Brave and the Bold #32 - DC

I'm sorry that I keep raving about J Michael Straczynski, but . . I think he's doing an incredible job here. And no . . before you ask . . I'm not the president of the JMS fan club. But . . I wouldn't mind joining . . if there is one. This issue JMS does an incredible job of bring Aquaman and Etrigan together. I also liked the way that this story was told . . from a third person's perspective. It seems that there's some yearly ritual where this demon like creature tries to cross over into our world from another dimension. Apparently Arthur and Etrigan's powers are the best impediment for it. So . . they've agreed that once a year, when the future of our world is at stake . . they'll work together and try to thwart the demon's conquest. The problem is . . finding out where and when it's going to happen. Luckily, for them, this year the entity has assembled an army of the dead, by reviving every person that's lost his life to the seas. That's hundred's of thousands. But that's not really the lucky part. In the process of building it's army, it also starts to try to draw even more soldiers for the various vessels on the seas. The lucky part comes when this one vessel is capsized, but one of it's passengers survives, Whitford. He eventually washes up on shore, and apparently at the feet of our 2 heroes. Since he knows where it happened, Etrigan casts a spell that allows him to breathe underwater so that he can take them to the site. Once there he witness' the true potential and power of Aquaman and Etrigan as they fight to save the world. The ironic part of this story is that it's framed by the scene of Whitford, after the incident, robbing a grave. Or so it appears. While underwater Whitford came face to face with a friend of his that he had lost to the seas years earlier, Philip. When the incident was over, Arthur tried to take the memory away from Whitford. But . . he still retains it . . like a dream. He just doesn't know if it's real or not. But when he digs up his buddy Philip, and finds him grasping the St Christopher medal that he yanked off his neck . . his confusion is verified . . and he knows that it was more than a dream. As well as JMS is doing with scripting this book, so to is Jesus Saiz doing a tremendous job with the art. I've always liked Jesus' style, but . . I feel like he's putting in some extra effort on this one. The pages and panels are beautiful. And if that weren't enough . . next issue features Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Zatanna. After that we have a two-parter where the Legion has come back in time to recruit some new members. The first part is with the Legion and the Doom Patrol, while the second half features the Substitute Legion and the Inferior Five. It looks to me that this series is just going to get better and better.

the Brave and the Bold #31 - DC

All I can say is that J Michael Straczynski is brilliant. Who'd have ever thought that a team-up of the Joker and the Atom would ever work. The Atom is called to Arkham Asylum. The doctors need his help. It appears that the Joker has a condition where the synaptic process' in his brain are running at full throttle. 'The condition first produces seizures. Then the patient lapses into a coma. If left untreated, the patient dies.' But the Atom is finding a hard time actually caring. 'I'm not seeing the problem here. It's the Joker.' Anyways, long story short, the Atom agrees to the process. Basically, he has to insert himself into the brain, and release a chemical into the Joker's neural net. It sounds easy enough. However, while in there . . the Atom gets caught in some of the synaptic lightning. When that happens . . the Atom relives the Joker's memories as if they're his. The good news is . . we actually get some views of the world through the adolescent Joker's mind. Things we might not have ever seen, otherwise. The bad news . . the Atom viewed them as memories of his own. So . . they could change his view of the world. Or, at the very least, they could cause some serious nightmares. After he comes out the Joker laughs at him because he let him live. The Atom responds with the words of a young Joker on a playground . .'I'm not weird. It's the world . . it's the world that's weird.' That instinct and response is going to sit badly with him for quite a long time. Like I said, JMS did a brilliant job scripting this story. I really loved the subtle nuances that he gave both characters. And, Chad Hardin and Justiniano does the art. The whole issue was very entertaining. Unfortunately, we skip a month next month. But then we come back in March with Aquaman and Etrigan. I wonder if they throw these characters at him just to see what he'll do?

the Brave and the Bold #30 - DC

Way back when . . actually, it was Justice League International #7 . . Kent Nelson, Doctor Fate, had taken the Gray Man to the dimension of the Lords of Order and watched while they stripped him not only of his power, but his very existence. Like a person spreading the ashes of a loved one, he was gone in the bright light and gentle breeze. Until . . he was no more. This gave Kent pause. He found himself contemplating his own worth . . questioning his own existence. I think this was a feeling, and emotion that Doctor Fate was unaccustomed to. Anyways, shortly after he came in contact with Hal Jordan, Green Lantern. Unknown to Hal, Kent hid a small piece of his essence inside of Hal's ring to come out at a later date. His thoughts were, he would see what the future held and determine his place in it, and the events leading to it. So . . many years later, Hal finds himself in an unfortunate situation. He took a chance that he shouldn't have, and found himself alone and backed into a corner. In searching for a nearby power source he finds one hidden in the ring. Next thing he knows, Doctor Fate appears. Now his original mission was to see what the future holds and then return to himself in the past imparting whatever knowledge or insight he had gained. The problem was . . he had 2 choices. Either he could use his power to save Hal, or . . he could use his power to return to himself in the past. But he couldn't do both. The dialogue between these 2 old friends was amazing. Basically they were weighing fate and destiny versus free-will. In the end, Doctor Fate chooses to save his friend, versus giving in to his own personal curiosity . . an exercise in ego, if you will. Although it leave Hal feeling guilty because he worries that maybe this is the little piece of his power that he needed to save himself and Inza in the past. Hal would rather have died in the future if he knew that he was saving his friend in the past. It was a tough decision on both sides of the coin. And, if you really pay attention to the words that J Michael Straczynski wrote here . . it really gave you a lot to think about as far as your own existence and future. In the end, I thought it was a very moving and touching story. It amazed me that JMS could take such as obscure piece of the JLA's past and use it to create this fantastic story. And by the way, Jesus Saiz' art was perfect. All I can say is . . if this is what we can expect month to month from these two . . keep them chained to their desks and cranking out this book because, to me . . this issue was near perfect. There's a new tag-line above the title of this book now . .'Lost stories of yesterday, today and tomorrow'. Actually, now that I think about it, that could be JMS' mission statement. This was an incredible book. I can't wait to read more.

the Brave and the Bold #29 - DC

Of all the Brave and the Bold stories that I've read, as well as any other books in which Batman has teamed up with . . well, anybody . . I have to say, I've never seen, or expected to see, Batman in a book with Brother Power the Geek. That's not to say that it didn't work, or wasn't interesting, but . . it was just something I never expected to see. I will say though, first . . it was awful daring of J Michael Straczynski. And secondly . . if all of JMS's stories get me thinking this much afterwards . . I think he's going to have a long a fruitful run on this book. Also, Jesus Saiz's pencils were fantastic. I loved the feel of this book. This story really turned out to be rather existential. For some reason Brother Power has woken up in Cindy's Toy Shop. It's in Gotham, and has been out of business for years. As it turns out, the owners never wanted to sell, hoping that the area would turn itself around. But now . . now somebody doesn't want to wait for that turn-around, and they've begun burning down buildings to speed up the redevelopment process and line their own pockets. The irony is that if BP had not returned, and was sighted by Batman, Batman probably wouldn't have looked in to the circumstances here and the abusers of power would have never been caught. So it seems that BP's power is that he's some kind of beacon, or 'sign' . . someone to open up others eyes to a development that needs rectifying. The part that really got my head racing though was the comparisons BP made between the 60's and now. BP's always been a character that's out of place. But now he's also out of time. Being a product of the 60's, and thereby his point of reference, it's easy for him to see the differences between the world he's woken up in, and the one he left behind. For us, it's been a gradual slide . . a change in degrees. But . . if you take a snapshot of the world then, and compare it to a snapshot today . . we see that all of the changes haven't been for the better. And that the world we live in now would barely have been dreamt of by our brothers and sisters in the 60's. But then again . . maybe they did know what was going to happen and that's why they were so adamant about their beliefs. Maybe we need to develop that same type of passion for the things that we believe in. But as most people today would probably say . . 'I'll look into that tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to 'veg. I worked really hard today.'

the Brave and the Bold #28 - DC

J Michael Straczynski did a great job of bringing this story together. I was wondering how the Flash was going to team-up with the Blackhawks. And it wasn't long before I got my answer. It ends up that the Flash, Barry Allen, has gone to Belgium to help out a scientist with a light experiment. He wants to test the theory that he can alter the speed of light through vibrations. But he needs the Flash to run along side to monitor the light and record the changes. The problem is, when the scientist changes the frequency of the light, it shorts out the recording device and pulls the Flash into it's stream. That, and the effects it has on the Speed Force, causes a rip in time and sends the Flash back to the past. He ends up in Belgium during WWII . . the Battle of the Bulge. It turns out the Blackhawks have recently come here for some r&r . . Belgium is supposed to be 'the safest place in Europe', but it's not long before the Germans show up. Barry's leg is broken so he can work up the speed to go back right away. For a few weeks he ends up helping the Blackhawks during the Battle of the Bulge. During which he has to come to terms with his vow not to kill. He wants to live up to that vow, but . . he is in the middle of a war. He starts asking himself, 'When is it right to kill? And when is it not right to kill? What makes it right?'. Tough questions. And ones I'm sure all the soldiers have asked themselves at one time or another. Anyways, long story short . . he heals, and after the battle is won heads back home. There, he's only been gone for seconds. The scientist is thrilled, but Barry is reeling in the knowledge and experience that he's just gone through. Also he's thinking of the new-found respect that he has for soldiers everywhere. 'What I do, what I've done, isn't extraordinary. They were the extraordinary ones.' JMS did a fantastic job with this book, and I really loved Jesus Saiz' art. The whole issue was incredible.

the Brave and the Bold #27 - DC

Ok . . with this issue . . J Michael Straczynski, JMS, takes over the Brave and the Bold. I can't believe he's doing it with Dial H for Hero. But . . with the reservations aside, I have to say that I thought this was a fantastic issue. After landing in Gotham with his Grandpa, Robby takes a spin on the dial and becomes '. . Mental Man. The greatest psychic who ever lived'. This is perfect because the Joker has started this string of strikes against Gotham. He's been robbing, or at least breaking into a dozen places at exactly the same time to spread the GCPD forces, and Batman, as thin as possible. Meanwhile he goes and steals what he really wants someplace else. So when he becomes Mental Man, Robby figures that he can figure out where the next strike will be. But then his eyes glow, and . . he crawls back in to bed and covers up his head. Later while he and his Grandpa are out, a homeless guy robs their room. Later still, when he gets curious, he spins the dial . . actually he feels like he's drawn to it, and becomes Star. A Superman type character. His ability to do good overpowers his 20+ years of thieving and treachery. He ends up actually making a difference in Gotham. Also, since he knows the time of the Joker's next visit . . he tips off Batman. Long story short . . he ends up helping with the attack, and saving lives when he rushes in and grabs a bomb. As he flies off into the air it explodes. Come to find out, Robby was scared when he looked into the future. Without seeing specifics he sees that the next person to come out of the dial was going to die. So he left it behind on purpose in his room, hoping that someone would steal it. Now? Now he feels guilty because the guy died saving innocent civilians. But Batman gives him a great speech talking about how the Star died a hero. I thought overall it was a different, and unique take on this character. I really liked it. I also enjoyed Jesus Saiz' art. I thought it was fantastic. I can't wait to see what JMS brings to this series. Anyways, speaking of JMS . . I recently picked up the Twelve series on E-Bay. I got all 8 issues,#0, #1/2 and both variants for $9.99. I thought that was pretty great. Cheaper than the TPB, I would expect. Anyways, a fellow blogger, Kello, suggested this series to me quite a while ago, but I just haven't picked it up yet. So now, when I get it, I'll go through it and tell you what I think. I heard it's pretty awesome. We'll see.

the Brave and the Bold #26 - DC

This issue introduces us to yet another of the Milestone characters . . Xombi, David Kim. We get a very brief explanation of his powers, and origin . . and then he jumps right into the action with the Spectre. We start out with the Spectre punishing a serial killer. The problem is . . his spirit doesn't cross over. So he continues his psychopathic behavior, but now he's taking it out on other restless spirits. The Spectre wants to punish him, but he's forbidden. "Your plea has been rejected. Raymond Walker has been punished by you already. The dead do not concern your office. Only the living fall under your jurisdiction." So he can watch, but he can't intercede. However, David gets involved when a friend of his, Julian Parker, has friends in the Vampire circles that are also becoming affected by this aberrant spirit. It seems that Raymond is getting more powerful with each 'kill', and is starting to cross over into the real world . . starting with those that inhabit both worlds. David goes to a seance to show him what is happening, but Raymond reaches out and kills their spirit contact, and then the medium by which they're communicating. Basically what happens here is Raymond has overreached his bounds. When David goes to the Spectre with the information of how he's targeting the living again . . the Spectre has just enough wiggle room to take action. David draws him out, and the Spectre shows up at the last second to finish the job. David appealed to the human nature still within the Spectre . . the homicide cop. I'm sure the Spectre will feel some repercussions from his action, but that's not addressed here. That will be a tale for the future. I've no doubt that these characters will meet again. They actually work very well together . . on many levels. I thought this was a pretty decent book by John Rozum and Scott Hampton. I was pleasantly surprised to see Scott's work in this book. It looked good.

the Brave and the Bold #25 - DC

This was another book that brought an Icon character a little more into the DC Universe. Hardware has come to El Paso because the System has brought some Mark III battle armor here to sell to Inter-gang. Blue Beetle got involved because, well . . that's what he does. Hardware doesn't really want, or appreciate the help, but . . the battle armor that he's fighting seems to be upgraded and is taking all that he can throw at it. Also, somehow, the System has gotten a lot of information about his suit. More information than he's comfortable with them having. Plus he concerned about how they got it. Anyways, Blue Beetle helps him and eventually they take these guys down. They stop the transaction between the System and Inter-gang, and Hardware confiscates the armor to take home to Dakota to study. "Shouldn't take long to see how these others tick, though, and modify my gear accordingly. They catch up a little to me, I move another step ahead. That's the game." But Hardware may be a little out-matched this time. It seems that the System has a consultant helping them. This whole attack was really just a way to gather intel on Hardware and his capabilities. Meanwhile, the System, with Gizmo's help, is ready to move from the Mark III to the Systematic Mark X. Hardware is definitely going to have his hands full the next time they meet. Also, Blue Beetle had to patch in to Hardware twice in this issue. Once to power him up, the second to give him extra power . . enough to take out the armor. Anyways, during these 'attachments' the Scarab also downloaded information about Hardware. We're not sure what, but it's all part of the Scarab now. I'm wondering how this is going to affect him in the future. Also, if the Scarab got info from Hardware, isn't it also possible that Hardware likewise hacked it? I guess we'll have to wait and see the fruits of this team-up. I thought Adam Beechen did a good job with this story. I also enjoyed Roger Robinson's pencils. There could be quite a bit to come out of this . . or, nothing. We'll see.

the Brave and the Bold #24 - DC

With the characters from the Milestone line of comics becoming more integrated into the DC Universe, it was only a matter of time until one of their villains showed up also. Static has been appearing in the Justice League and Teen Titans books. This issue, he gets a solo story . . of sorts, except for the reluctant team-up with Black Lightning. Jefferson Pierce is the key-note speaker at a graduation in Dakota . . Hemingway High. Which appears to be Virgil's home-town. Holocaust is there also. It appears that while Luthor was in office, Holocaust was trying to ride on the tails of a gambling bill and hoping to open a casino. He had the up-front money and everything. But when Jefferson helped to defeat the bill, remember he was the Secretary of Education at the time, Holocaust now blames him for losing all of that money. Anyways, long story short, they each try to defeat him separately, but they can't. Together they have enough power to bring the guy down. Virgil goes into the story being a little suspicious of Jefferson, and his motives. He was, after all one of Luthor's lackeys. But by the end of the story, he has a new-found respect for him and even goes so far to say "Forget what you heard, Black Lightning's my hero. Um . . and Static's. I'd imagine." Matt Wayne does the story. It's a little simplistic, but . . it's ok. Howard Porter does the art. There's going to be a couple of fill-in issues here as we wait for issue #27. In it, J Michael Straczynski takes over the reins of this book. That's when this title should be back in it's glory again.

the Brave and the Bold #23 - DC

Now I know why Dan Jurgens couldn't do the latest issue of Booster Gold . . he had to do the writing and pencilling on this book. And really . . this really could've just been another issue in the Booster Gold series. The only real difference is that they cross paths with Magog. the only thing I don't really like about this issue, is that we don't really resolve anything. Booster is in Rip's lab with Skeets when the time-platform is activated. Booster sees Rip and someone else coming through. They appear to be fighting. He works the control to separate them, and just before he's successful, he gets a gander at Magog's visage. When the dust settles, Rip is sprawled out across the platform, ripped and tagger-ed looking like he's been in a war. In his hand he's grasped what looks to be Superman's emblem. It looks like it's been ripped right off his costume. Well . . it's not from our Superman. But rather the Superman from Earth 2 that's been hanging out with the Justice Society recently. Anyways, Booster wants to go into the future to find out what's going on, but Rip forbids him. "You aren't ready for this aspect of time-travel yet, Booster. There are facets of the future you aren't yet ready to know. You don't know the exact fates of some of your friends. Before learning all that, you must be properly prepared." So . . he decides to go catch up with Magog in regular time, and start building a file on him. He comes upon him handling a hostage situation in Kahndaq. Needless to say, Magog's methods for completing the mission are extreme and rather brutal. Booster's ready to take him out right now. But, again . . Rip stops him. "For the immediate future, Magog has his own course to chart. It will be unconventional, but he'll do a lot of good over the next couple of years. He'll save lives Booster. Important lives." So, even though they're both 'heroes', Magog is definitely now on Booster's list. Overall it was a good issue. I just don't understand why it wasn't just another issue of Booster Gold. But . . I'm not the editor, so . . mine's not to reason why. I enjoyed it, and that's all that matters. At least to me.

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #3 - DC

Ok, I appreciate the concept of this line of books . . and I actually do enjoy the TV episodes. But, I think I'm going to have to quite reviewing these books. I want to be positive because of the opportunity for new, younger readers to get turned on to the DC Universe. But . . since they're so corny, and lame . . I'm having a hard time doing that. Remember last issue? I said that it ended with Batman sitting down at the dinner table with Jamie's family, and seeing him sucking on a chicken bone? Well, this issue ends with Batman and Green Arrow sitting down with the President at a Luau . . wearing a lei and everything. I'm sorry . . it was just more than I could bear to witness. So I'm just going to say that I think these titles are a great opportunity for younger readers to see some of these characters that they may not be familiar with. It's a great jumping on point if someone wants to get their kids interested in collecting comics. However, for the more mature readers out there . . . 'Just say no!'

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #2 - DC

This was an ok book. It really was in the exact same genre as the cartoon. Reading it . . I have to keep telling myself that this isn't part of the regular DC Universe. And . . it's written for kids. If I didn't keep thinking about that . . this book would probably drive me crazy. At the end, after Blue Beetle and Batman have beaten the Thinker, they're sitting down to dinner at Jamie's house and Batman's sucking on a chicken bone. Besides that . . he's the only one at the table in costume. A little weird . . maybe? Plus when this whole thing first started, with the avatar characters, Batman thinks of Jaime . . teen-ager, video-games . . so he goes knocking on his door. On one hand, how cool would that be? You open your door to find Batman standing there. But then I'm thinking . . no way! Anyways, for the kids, it was probably a fun book. I'm all for anything that introduces the younger audience to some of my favorite characters. But it really is written, probably for the 8 to 10 year old audience. Which is fine. It could've drove me crazy, but . . I didn't let it.

the Brave and the Bold #22 - DC

This issue wraps up the Green Lantern / Green Arrow / Phantom Stranger team up. Over all I thought it was a really good book. I think due mostly to David Hine's incredible story. When we saw all the extinguishing of life because of the Purge, I was wondering how Green Lantern or the Phantom Stranger were ever going to be able to stop him. Especially considering that the Phantom Stranger isn't really supposed to even intervene. And then, back on Earth, this orphanage with it's drug trials that have turned these children into mutants, or worse . . . I wasn't even sure how that was related. As it comes to turn out, the most special girl in this orphanage, Cora, was being inhabited by the Purge's sensei, Mistress Ghada. She left to go on meditations and returned to find that the Purge had destroyed their world. Apparently, in all the universe Cora's mind was the only place that she could take refuge. Anyways, when the Purge took over Hal Jordan, the Phantom Stranger tricked it into coming back to Earth. He knew that Ghada was the only one that could get the Purge to stop extinguishing life. In the end the Stranger trapped him in Cora's mind. She's about to die, so she would take the Purge with her. However, before Ghada moves on also she convinces the Purge to give his life essence over to Cora willingly and move on himself. Ollie's job was to keep Cora safe until Hal and the Stranger's arrival. And he does so with great zest. It really was a moving story. I also thought that Doug Braithwaite did a fantastic job with the art. But the real news is that starting next issue . . sometime in the near future . . J Michael Straczynski will be taking over the scripting chores. I can't wait.

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #1 - DC

This book was ok. However, in this instance, I'd have to say that I like the cartoon much better. I've seen, I think, 9 or 10 episodes so far. And they've had a nice variety of characters. I think this book will go a long way towards introducing the younger audience to a pretty wide variety of DC heroes and villains. This issue we meet Aquaman, Power-girl and Luthor. They do a little bio in the back on Power-girl and Luthor also. That's nice for the kids. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this book in my list. I'm starting to think I'm wasting my time by reviewing them here. But I'll at least do the first couple of issues. I've said this before, but I think this Johnny DC set of books is a great way for the younger audience to get introduced to these characters. With the various titles they've introduced over the last year or so, that same audience has had a pretty wide selection. It's nice to know that our hobby has a future.

the Brave and the Bold #21 - DC

As much as I love both the Green Arrow and Green Lantern . . especially these 2 together . . you know . . as opposed to . . well . . there's several variations on each character . . as much as I like these 2 characters I think what really sold this book for me was David Hine's brilliant writing. And Doug Braithwaite's incredible art. Hal and Ollie aren't even really together in this book. Hal is off-world with the Phantom Stranger, and Ollie is dealing with crap back home. Of course their individual experiences are intertwined . . even across the vast space that separates them. Of course this character . . the Purge . . with his twisted sense, or plan for cleansing the universe . . would also leave it life-less . . in order to purify every sentients potential to sin . . the Purge is the antagonist of the story. But it's hard to capture something that can travel from body to body. His essence is like that of the wind . . or thought. Anyways at the end of the story, after the Stranger expels it from this alien, Orlan . . I think the Purge has taken up residence in Hal. Which is where I think Ollie fits in because the Purge's next destination looks to be Earth. I love the detail and intricacy that David puts into his stories. He's seems to be very detailed oriented and by the end of a story he gives you a lot of information. I hope he stays on this book for quite a while.

the Brave and the Bold #20 - DC

The thing I like about David Hine . . as I noticed in his Spawn stories, is that he's a very complex writer. He's gifted. He has fantastic ideas. And his stories are thought provoking. He definitely does not write down to his audience. What I mean by that is that he doesn't over explain things. Instead of trying to make sure the reader can keep up with the pace and progression of his stories, he writes under the assumption that the reader will be able to keep up with him. It's kind of like my movie sequel theory. I think that the reason the 2nd movie, in a series, is always better than the first is because in the first movie so much time is spent explaining things. Time is spent introducing us to characters, explaining motivations and actions, and building relationships both good and bad. And then the story kind of revolves around that. However, in the sequel it's assumed that the movie-goer has already seen the first one. So they know the characters better. They know who the antagonists and protagonists are. That way they can spend more time on the story. There's always character development, but that should be true in any story. I think David writes under the assumption that the reader is already going to know who Hal Jordan is. They're already going to be familiar with the Phantom Stranger. And, the idea that someone is wiping out whole populations for the sake of 'cleansing', doesn't need to be over explained. As the story progress' we figure out who did it, what their motivations are, and how the 'good-guys' are going to bring it to a halt. This issue we learn a little bit more about the planet that's currently in trouble, Kahlo. Their trouble started out with one city in particular, but it seems to be spreading to different areas of the planet rather rapidly. Now we just need to figure out what the Green Lanterns are going to do about it . . how they're connected to it . . and what this special little girl at Acadia has to do with the whole thing. I thought this was a great issue. I'm obviously impressed with David's story, but I'm equally thrilled with Doug Braithwaite's art. He really gives this book a nice feel. Well, as good as you can feel about watching a planet and it's civilization being slowly destroyed. This issue ends with Hall getting in a bit of a pickle, but it looks like next issue Ollie's going to be joining in on the action. If anyone can lick this problem, it's the Green Lantern/Green Arrow team.

the Brave and the Bold #19 - DC

This was an interesting book. I thought the team of Hal Jordan and the Phantom Stranger was an interesting choice. Really, it's a brilliant story written by David Hine. I hope he sticks around the DC Universe for a while as I really enjoy his scripts. And this issue looks even better as Doug Braithwaite does the art. Basically, the Stranger has brought Hal to a hospital in Arcadia West Virginia. Since it's an out of the way place, they've been conducting experiments on pregnant women without anyone knowing. Basically, they're trying to develop a drug, Genesin. It's for women undergoing fertility treatments, and it's supposed to prevent miscarriage. The tested it on rabbits, but the drug seeped placenta barrier between mother and fetus. However, that information was discarded and they proceeded with human tests anyways. So far they have 8 surviving children, but they all have varying degrees of birth-defects. But the one that's caught the Strangers attention is Cora. Basically all of the children have a disease that causes the atrophy of muscle tissue. However, on all of these children it affects their brains. About 4 months ago Cora began to write. She wrote anywhere and everywhere she could, including the walls and her own body. The doctor sees it all as ramblings, but when Hal examines the texts with his ring, he finds that they're written in alien languages. Then when the doctor takes them into the other room, they find that she's got the Green Lantern mantra written on the wall. The most disturbing of the texts is one talking about some cataclysm that has yet to occur on a planet called Kahlo. Hal and the Stranger proceed to the planet to find out what's going on, but it's a very complicated situation. Back on Earth, Cora's health takes a turn for the worse and she has to be put on life-support. As the doctor is watching her, something comes across her monitor . . "Don't let me die. Keep me alive. If I die . . everyone dies." The thing I like about David's stories is the complexity of the events. This story is definitely no exception to that. I can see this one taking at least 3 to 4 issues to wrap up, because there's an awful lot going on here. I just hope DC realizes how lucky they are to get David to do some work for them. He's definitely a force to be reckoned with.