Comics Fondle

Maybe the title should be “Mark Waid takes you on a tour of the DC Universe”. Or, more appropriately, he takes you on a tour of the series near cancellation (Legion, Supergirl, Blue Beetle) in an attempt to get you to read said comic books. A lot of the comic feels like one of the “Hulk” TV movies, a pilot for another comic book rather than a chapter in an actual story. Because Brave and the Bold is about delievering an experience more than a story. I don’t even really understand the last issue, except that Waid somehow got the Challengers of the Unknown in there too, so they must have a limitd series coming sometime soon.

The experience Waid’s baking and frosting is not a bad one. He writes a good comic book here–modern age, in continuity superheroes doing and saying things sentimental readers will love. Hell, when Batman tells Green Lantern he wishes Barry could have seen him with money… my eyes almost teared up and I haven’t read a real Barry Allen Flash comic book in twenty years. Maybe even longer. Waid’s real good at what he does with the characters–his Supergirl is the first reasonable characterizatin of the character I have read, even if she does remind me almost absolutely of the pre-Crisis Supergirl, with maybe some Hilton-era inappropriateness thrown in.

As slickly commercial as Brave and the Bold gets, it’s always a good time–until the last issue, when it gets so seeped in continuity and mumbo jumbo, it’s a strain to read. Much like the in-movie references (I’m trying to remember the specific one) for the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” movies… when they had to address things going on in the other TV shows. Much of Brave and the Bold reads like something anyone armed with a copy of a new Who’s Who could enjoy, but once it gets embroiled into Rann and Thangar crap, my brain checked out. Waid’s did too. In the last two issues (or it might have just been the last one, I can’t remember where it started and I’m too lazy to get up and look… those endless five feet), he starts giving everyone magic powers to get the story finished. Green Lantern’s got powers they couldn’t come up with in the Legion’s era, why? Because he needs them to get the story finished.

It doesn’t help the ending’s totally lame. Waid wraps it all up in a few pages instead of half the comic; he might not have needed eleven pages, but five would have been nice.

Perez’s art is fine, really helps bring about the feeling Waid is going for, but he gets sloppy with his action scenes. I can never tell what’s going on or what panel to look at next.

I think there are a bunch of clues for coming events in the DC Universe throughout too, but I didn’t waste the time looking for those. The obvious ones were bad enough. I can’ t imagine how atrocious the others must be.

C+

Technorati Tags: Brave and the Bold, Comic Book, DC Comics, George Perez, Mark Waid, Review

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