Brave and the Bold #34

                This comic featured the Legion of Superheroes and The Doom Patrol. I usually rave over this series, but not today. I waited over a month for this issue to come out, and when I got it, I had high hopes. Yet again I was disappointed. Lightning Lad comes back from patrol and says he sees a Black Hole which is coming towards earth. The legion gets out just in time, and goes back in time to get help, so that they can destroy the black hole. They needed someone with energy projection capabilities. Saturn Girl goes into her database and finds the Doom Patrol. They fly back to Legion time and Lightning Lad and Negative Man use their powers to stop the black hole.
               That entire story could have been done in five or so pages, but instead Stracznski decided to fill 22 pages with useless story. I suppose this could work because there were some unsolved mysteries in this issue, and this is a two part Brave and the Bold, which I haven't seem in a while. That is the only big complaint I have, but it makes sense. If you are going to write a 22 page comic, you better have the story to fill it. This comic was a great ad though. I now really want to read Doom Patrol comics. Negative man seems too cool to pass up, and Robotman was hilarious. I could want to read Doom Patrol because the they are very similar to the X-men (whom I like a lot) which were created around a year later. I also have to point out a flaw in the coloring. For a couple panels Saturn Girl's costume became pink. What really made that stand out is that she was pointing something else out that was pink, and told Cosmic Boy: "It is your color" while she is warring the same color. I like the Legion, but in this issue Doom Patrol was the better feature. I do not have high expectations for Brave and the Bold #35 which features the Legion of Substitute Heroes and the Inferior Five. I am very exited for Brave and the Bold #36 which features Adam Strange, and Lois Lane.

Grade: 7/10
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The Brave and the Bold #33

           In my entire comic collecting career the best thing that I have ever done was subscribed to the Brave and the Bold. One thing that I like about this series is that it is secluded from what is happening in the rest of the DCU, Batman is Bruce Wayne, Aquaman was alive, stuff like that. This comic is the only comic that featured something that has happened already, and they made it work.
            This comic wasn't the usual "heroing" around, but it was a girls night on the town. It showed Wonder Woman, Zatanna, and Bat Girl going around to parties. Nothing really happened at these parties (so forgive me for my short review) but afterwords, when everyone is tired, Wonder Woman begins to talk about Oracles. After a while everyone goes home, and Zatanna starts to cry, this is when the comic is explained. Zatanna saw in a vision the unfolding of the "Killing Joke," and made this girl's night out so that Barbara would remember dancing.
             One thing that I thought was pretty cool was that the comic used the same panels as "The Killing Joke" just put it into the art style of Cliff Chiang. Also it was a gutsy move by J. Michael Straczynski, explaining the "Killing Joke" but he did it very well.

Grade: B+
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Brave and the Bold #32 (Aquaman & The Demon)

Just like the comic, with the Atom and the Joker, this comic had a very unusual combination. Although unlike the Geek, or Hardwire, the Demon is not wildly unheard of. He was in Quiver and Swamp Thing. The combination was jaw dropping nonetheless.

The comic featured a random person who was unjustly thrusted into Aquaman and the Demon's affairs of keeping an unheard of horror arising from what is logically Hell.

Sometimes when I think of Aquaman I think of a useless man who dresses up in orange and swims around. This comic showed the true, raw power that is Aquaman.

"...He could control every creature that lives in the sea. But I don't think either of you know what that really means. Do you know, do you understand, do you have andy idea how much life there is in just one single square mile of the sea? I don't think you do."

I found that the Demon was underplayed in this comic, which I found disappointing. I do know that he was the minor or featured character in this issue, but all he did was say a few rhymes and spit fire at one guy. If they were to underplay one character, I was glad that it was the Demon. I am also glad that Aquaman has returned in his old costume. He went from his classic orange costume, to a "scruffy" guy. Never mess with the story too much.

My subscriptions renew dates all came up, and I canceled many things, like: Red Robin, and Batman and Robin, but there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to cancel this series. It is one of the better series that DC has, and it looks like it is only uphill from here.

Grade: B+

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The Brave and the Bold #31

The most unusual combination I and probably anyone else could think of is featured in this comic. The Joker and the Atom. When the Joker is dying will the worlds smallest heros save or kill him, and if he does save him how can he live with that on his conscience?

This is one of the best comics that I have ever read. It shows some of the Joker's memories (which I and most people have always wanted to see) and gives a pretty accurate mental analysis of the Joker given by himself. I would definitely buy it if I hadn't already.

Some of the Brave and the Bolds I have not liked. (Batman and the Geek #29) Some have been Ok. (Dr. Fate and the Green Lantern #30) But this one it amazing

Grade: A

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