by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
The Dawn of DC continues with the release of the new ongoing series titled Batman: The Brave and the Bold! The latest incarnation of the title takes anthology-style approach to introduce readers to new characters and concepts across the DC Universe. With several incredible creative teams in control, Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 will take the audience on an unexpected journey throughout its incredible debut.
Creative Team: Batman: The Winning Card – Part 1
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Mitch Gerads
Colorist: Mitch Gerads
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Tom King and Mitch Gerads present the first chapter in a twisted story set in the first year of Batman’s crusade against evil. The mysterious villain known as the Joker has promised to steal a diamond and kill a prominent member of Gotham’s elite by midnight, and only the Gotham P.D. stand in his way. Meanwhile, Billionaire Bruce Wayne has stepped away from a fancy event to suit up as the Dark Knight and deliver justice against a murderer. As these events transpire, we also get to experience a chilling interaction between a little girl and The Joker. What does he have in store for Gotham? Only the creative team knows for sure, but readers will get to experience Part 1 of “The Winning Card”.
Of all of the narrative elements used in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the choice to have the Joker’s dialogue separated into black and white silent film-style title cards might be the most harrowing of all. This creative decision added to the mystery and build of the offscreen Clown Prince of Crime, making his eventual debut that much more impactful. Gerads moves between story elements with ease, channeling a stunning color palette for each of the settings. The single page “delivery of justice” shot was simply jaw-dropping, creating an image that will surely be iconic. So Mitch, if you’re reading this – congratulations on that page. We might need to talk.
Creative Team: Stormwatch: Down with the Kings – Part 1
Writer: Ed Brisson
Artist: Jeff Spokes
Colorist: Jeff Spokes
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Ed Brisson wastes no time with a reintroduction to the Stormwatch concept, using Director Bones to catch the audience up with the current status quo. As part of the new initiative, Stormwatch has moved away from alien encounters to focus more on issues close to home. As the Director gives a tour to Phantom-One, the former protege of Ghostmaker, we learn more about the collection of characters who will be operating under the Stormwatch banner. Ravager, Flint, Peacekeeper-01, Shado, Core, Dr. Xanto Zema, and Winter take the spotlight in this adventure as they work to stop a rogue faction of Black Hole from breaching Iron Heights.
Being that I was less familiar with Stormwatch and the previous adventures, I found this to be a great story that was welcoming to new readers. I was expecting all of the stories in this collection to be heavily Batman-centric based on the title of the book, but I was pleasantly surprised when the anthology turned out to be more DC Universe friendly. The setup was excellent, and the characters and their respective skill-sets were very intriguing. The dynamics from the special ops group added to the engaging story (with colorful artwork from Jeff Spokes), and I look forward to reading more adventures featuring this team.
Creative Team: Superman: Order of the Black Lamp – Part 1
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Javier Rodriguez
Colorist: Javier Rodriguez
Letterer: Simon Bowland
The Man of Steel takes the stage for the first chapter in “The Order of the Black Lamp”, with a contemporary story set after the events of Action Comics #1050. Still dealing with the fact that his secret identity was restored against his will, Kal-El continues to struggle with how to go back to being Clark Kent. Following a thwarted bank heist, our hero returns home to a new mysterious delivery containing an actual decoder ring and map. Clark takes this opportunity as the chance to solve his mental block, setting out on a quest that will take him to parts unknown…
Javier Rodriguez has created a really impressive visual style for this Superman adventure, evoking a feel that is classic yet modern. The entrance of Superman in the vault was particularly entertaining, but the use of Batman 66′ style visual sound effects added to the wonderfully campy undertones. Cantwell’s incorporation of Clark’s handwritten notes as a narrative element tied the story together perfectly to bring the total experience to life.
Creative Team: Heroes of Tomorrow
Writer: Dan Mora
Artist: Dan Mora
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Dan Mora is currently one of the most talented writers/artists in comics, and his work continues to be nothing short of breathtaking. If you have been following his creative social media posts with Tokusatsu-inspired versions of the Bat-family, then this book just became a must-read for you. Even if you hadn’t seen any of these art pieces, you will be blown away by the black and white Manga-esque adventure of Batman as he fights off against a robotic version of the Joker.
This component of the anthology seems to be the only “one-off” story in the set, with all others detailed as being the first chapter. I am extremely confident that this particular story will resonate with readers, and I am extremely hopeful that Dan will have the opportunity to expand on this concept in future chapters…because damn. It’s really that good.
Overall
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is a celebration of DC’s history, both in the style and quality of storytelling. These talented individuals have delivered four insanely engaging tales in this first issue, expertly showcasing a variety of new and familiar characters to readers. Most importantly, this book was just fun. I truly appreciated each of the chapters in this first outing, as each story felt like it needed to be told. Each and every page turn added to my overall excitement.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 is the gold standard for how anthology stories should be handled, and I can’t wait for the next issue.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 – 5/5 Caped Crusaders.
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