The Brave and the Bold | |
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Cover of the 1st issue (1955) |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
Schedule | Monthly |
Format | (vol. 1 & 3) Ongoing series (Flash and Green Lantern:...) Limited series |
Publication date | (vol. 1) August 1955 - July 1983 (vol. 2) December 1991 - June 1992 (Flash and Green Lantern:...) October 1999 - March 2000 (vol. 3) April 2007- August 2010 |
Number of issues | (vol. 1): 200 (vol. 2 and Flash and Green Lantern:...): 6 each (vol. 3): 35 |
Main character(s) | (vol. 1) Many characters until Batman and a rotation of DCU characters with #50 (vol. 2) Green Arrow, the Question, and the Butcher (Flash and Green Lantern:...) Flash, Green Lantern (vol. 3) Rotating characters from the DCU |
Creative team | |
Writer(s) | (vol. 1) Bob Haney (Flash and Green Lantern:...) Mark Waid Mike Grell and Mike Baron (vol. 3) Mark Waid Marv Wolfman J. Michael Straczynski |
Penciller(s) | (vol. 1) Russ Heath, Neal Adams, Jim Aparo (vol. 2) Shea Pensa (Flash and Green Lantern:...) Barry Kitson (vol. 3) George Pérez, Jerry Ordway, Scott Kolins, Phil Winslade, Doug Braithwaite, Jesus Saiz |
Inker(s) | (vol. 1) Mike Esposito, Vince Colletta, Dick Giordano |
Collected editions | |
The Brave & the Bold Team-Up Archives, Vol. 1 | ISBN 1401204058 |
The Brave and the Bold, vol. 1: The Lords of Luck | ISBN 1401215882 |
The Brave and the Bold, vol. 2: The Book of Destiny | ISBN 140121861X |
The Brave and the Bold, vol. 3: Demons and Dragons | ISBN 1401221904 |
The Brave and the Bold, vol. 4: Without Sin | ISBN 1401222862 |
The Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by mini-series in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing title in 2007.
The focus of each version of the comic has varied over time but most commonly (and currently) features team-ups of characters from across the DC Universe.
Contents |
Publication history
Volume 1
The first volume of the series ran for 200 issues from August 1955 to July 1983. Originally, Brave and the Bold was an anthology series featuring adventure tales from past ages with characters like Silent Knight, Viking Prince, Golden Gladiator, Robin Hood, and many others. With issue #25, the series was reinvented as a try-out title for new characters and concepts, and most of them are still active to this day: the Suicide Squad, the Justice League of America, Metamorpho, Nemesis, and the Teen Titans, among others.
In January 1963, then-editor Julius Schwartz decided to take the series into a brief detour and issues #45 through #49 were devoted to "Strange Sports Stories" combining sport and science-fiction in tales like "Challenge of the Headless Baseball Team" and "The Man Who Drove Through Time." "Strange Sports Stories" was later resurrected briefly as a DC Comics title in its own right in 1973, but lasted only six issues.[1]
The series was changed yet again with issue #50 as a "team-up" title between established characters, and starting with issue #67, more specifically a Batman team-up book with the Caped Crusader as the book's main focus. This was due to the popularity of the Batman TV Series which led to the creation of Batmania. As such, the popularity led DC to have Batman become "front and center" of almost any book he was appearing, such as the Justice League of America.[2] Except for issues #72 and #73, The Brave and the Bold would remain a Batman team-up title until it ended with issue #200.
The title is known for being the first to feature Neal Adams' version of Batman,[3] generating fan interest that led to Adams' style defining the modern Batman image to this day. The primary artist for the second half of the run was Jim Aparo, starting #98 (October/November 1971). The title's final issue featured a team-up of the Batmen of Earth-One and Earth-Two, and while it's unknown what led to the cancellation of the title, that final issue included a preview of the title that went on to replace The Brave and the Bold in DC's schedule and became Aparo's next regular assignment: Batman and the Outsiders.
Volume 2 and Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold
In December 1991-June 1992, The Brave and the Bold returned as a 6 part mini-series featuring Green Arrow, The Question, and the Butcher. The mini-series was written by Mike Grell and Mike Baron.
Then in October 1999- March 2000, a second 6 part mini-series was published starring The Flash and Green Lantern titled Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold. This mini-series was written by Mark Waid and Tom Peyer with art by Barry Kitson and Tom Grindberg. A trade paperback of this mini-series was published in 2001 (ISBN 1563897083).
The title was used again in 2001 for The Brave and the Bold Annual No. 1 1969 Issue, a one-shot special that reprinted selected Silver Age team-ups in the 1960s-style 80-Page Giant format, as a companion piece to the original comic book series, had an Annual issue been published at that time.
Volume 3
After years of fan interest since the cancellation of the first volume, DC resurrected the Brave and the Bold title as a second volume on-going series in April 2007. Deciding that it would be a random team-up book and not a Batman team-up book, the first writer was Mark Waid, who remained on the title for its first sixteen issues. While the first arc, the Lords of Luck, involved Batman in a team-up with Green Lantern Hal Jordan, the story -- tracking down the book of Destiny -- had the two team-up with various others characters as well. The arc featured appearances by Supergirl, Lobo, Blue Beetle, the Legion of Super Heroes, Adam Strange, and the Challengers of the Unknown. The second arc picked up threads from the first, but mainly focused on self-contained stories.
After Waid's departure, Marv Wolfman took over for a two part storyline involving Supergirl and Raven battling the son of Triumph, while David Hine and Doug Braithwaite did a four issue arc on the book featuring Hal Jordan and Phantom Stranger. Dan Jurgens wrote issue #23, featuring Booster Gold and Magog. Like Wolfman's run, though this time featuring team-ups between DC heroes and the characters of Milestone Media. Writer Matt Wayne and artist Howard Porter collaborated on a team-up between Static and Black Lightning, Adam Beechen and Roger Robinson did an issue about Hardware and Blue Beetle, and the final Milestone issue was a team-up between Xombi and the Spectre done by John Rozum and Scott Hampton.
J. Michael Straczynski and artist Jesus Saiz took over the book in September 2009 with issue #27, and featured a team-up between Batman and Dial H For Hero. The initial plan for Straczynski's run was supposed to be similar to the Milestone issues, with the book being used to showcase the Red Circle Comics characters that had been licensed from Archie Comics. This idea was ultimately scrapped, although teaser art featuring Batman battling the Fly and several other Red Circle heroes still exists.[4] Following the first issue, Straczynski wrote team-ups between Barry Allen and Blackhawk, the Joker and the Atom, Hal Jordan and Doctor Fate, Batman and Brother Power, Aquaman and Etrigan, and a team-up between Barbara Gordon, Wonder Woman, and Zatanna that ultimately served as a companion piece to Alan Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke graphic novel.
Collections
In 2005 an archive edition, The Brave and the Bold Team-Ups Archive, was published containing the first 'team-up' issues. Other issues have appeared in the following collections:
- Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol 1. (#28-30)
- Showcase Presents: Hawkman Vol 1. (#34-36, #42-43)
- Showcase Presents: Green Arrow vol 1. (#50, #71, #85)
- Brave and the Bold Team-Up Archives Vol. 1 (#50-56, #59)
- Showcase Presents: Haunted Tank Vol 1. (#52)
- Showcase Presents: The Teen Titans Vol 1. (#54, #60)
- Showcase Presents: Metal Men Vol. 1 (#55)
- Showcase Presents: Metamorpho Vol 1. (#57-58, #66, #68)
- Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 3 (Brave and the Bold #73)
- Showcase Presents: The Brave & The Bold - Batman Team-Ups Vol 1. (#59, #64, #67, #69-71, #74-87)
- Showcase Presents: The Brave & The Bold - Batman Team-Ups Vol 2. (88-109)
- Showcase Presents: The Brave & The Bold - Batman Team-Ups Vol 3. (109-134)
- Showcase Presents: Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 1 (Back-up story from #200)
Then in 2007, DC Comics started releasing hardcovers of the current Brave and the Bold series. Volume 1 was released on December 5, 2007, Volume 2 was released on August 5, 2008, Volume 3 was released in April 2009. Volume 4, which was released in July 2009, and Volume 5, released in February 2010, were both released in softcover, though the series' sixth volume, titled Teams-ups of the Brave and the Bold, will be released in softcover in August 2011.
- Brave and the Bold: vol 1. The Lords of Luck (#1-6)
- Brave and the Bold: vol 2. The Book of Destiny (#7-12)
- Brave and the Bold: vol 3. Demons and Dragons (#13-16, Brave & Bold v1 #181, Flash v2 #107 and Impulse #17)
- Brave and the Bold: vol 4. Without Sin (#17-22)
- Booster Gold: vol 4. Day of Death (#23, Booster Gold v2 #20-25)
- Brave and the Bold: vol 5. Milestone (#24-26, Hardware #16, Static #12 and Xombi #6)
- Team-ups of the Brave and the Bold (#27-33)
Awards
The series won Alley Awards in 1962 for Best Single Comic Book Cover (#42 by Joe Kubert), in 1965 for Best Comic Book Cover (#61 by Murphy Anderson), and in 1968 for Best Full-Length Story ("Track of the Hook" in #79 by Bob Haney and Neal Adams). Issue #28 of the current series (the Flash and Blackhawk team-up) was nominated for an Eisner Award for "Best Single Issue (Or One-Shot)" in 2010.
In other media
Justice League
The Brave and the Bold was used as the title for a two-part episode of the first season of Justice League. The title refers to The Flash (Wally West) and Green Lantern (John Stewart) characters in connection to the second mini-series featuring Barry Allen and Hal Jordan in the roles.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
An animated series based on the Brave and the Bold concept began airing on November 14, 2008. As the title suggests, the series features Batman teaming-up with various characters of the DC Universe, much like the first volume of the ongoing series. The tone of the series is markedly lighter than the previous Batman: The Animated Series and The Batman.
Major characters who have appeared so far include:
- Heroes
Adam Strange, Aquaman, The Atom, Batman, Black Canary, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, Captain Marvel, Deadman, Doctor Fate, Fire, Firestorm, Flash, Green Arrow, The Green Lantern Corps, Guy Gardner, Jonah Hex, Kamandi, Huntress, Metamorpho, Red Tornado, Plastic Man, Hawk and Dove, The Question, Bat-Mite, OMAC, Vixen, Jay Garrick, Bronze Tiger, Hawkman, Wildcat, and Superman.
- Villains
Black Adam, Black Manta, Calendar Man, Cavalier, Clock King, The Joker, Gentleman Ghost, Gorilla Grodd, Terrible Trio, Kite Man, Morgaine Le Fey, Kanjar Ro, Despero, Ocean Master, Shrapnel, Major Disaster, the Sportsmaster, Equinox, the Music Meister and Zebra-Man.
Notes
- ^ "Remembering DC Comics' Strange Sports Stories". BuckBokai.com. http://www.buckbokai.com/2010/08/strange-sports-stories-dc-comics-451/. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ Justice League of America #48
- ^ The Brave and the Bold #79 (August/September 1968), co-starring Deadman.
- ^ http://www.comicbitsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/dc-batmarchie.jpg
References
- The Brave and the Bold (1955) at the Comic Book DB
- The Brave and the Bold (1991) at the Comic Book DB
- Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold at the Comic Book DB
- The Brave and the Bold (2007) at the Comic Book DB
External links
- Index and Cover Gallery of the original Brave and the Bold
- The Brave and The Bold Animated Series Announcement