Writer: Various (see below)
Art: Various (see below)
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $7.99
Release Date: June 27th, 2023
Tick, tick, tick goes the clock as Gotham City prepares for another shocking murder at the hands of The Joker as Tom King’s story continues in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2! The brutal and terrifying tale of The Joker and Batman’s first meeting continues as Tom King and Mitch Gerads once again deliver a shocking, bloody blockbuster tale! Meanwhile, Stormwatch race to find an ancient sword that has long been buried in the darkest depths of the ocean as . A sword of unspeakable hissue two continues. Let’s jump in!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2 Review.
THE DISPATCH
Writer: Tom King
Art: Mitch Gerads and Clayton Cowles
Cover: Simone Di Meo
The Winning Card
King and Gerads use their standard 9-panel grid to add tension and suspense to the story, which surprisingly worked out well. Additionally, it added a bit of a shock as to how the Joker was able to get to Mr. Wilde. Maybe it’s just me but I didn’t see the reveal coming. However, something seemed fishy about Jim’s conversation about his Dad that I would need confirmation on. Jim says to Batman that his Dad ultimately committed suicide, however, that doesn’t seem correct. Now, I know the TV Show “Gotham” has a different setup for his Dad. Nevertheless, that’s not comic continuity per se. So, can anyone confirm Jim Gordon’s Dad’s death? It just doesn’t seem correct.
Lastly, this tale by King takes a rather unique twist as Bruce Wayne steps in to find a way to capture the Joker. It was actually rather clever and made sense within the context of the story. Yet, the masquerade of realism that King attempts to portray takes an outrageous turn as the Joker is shot repeatedly, falls from three stories, steals a car, and manages to get the upper hand on Batman who jumps from the same window physically healthy. Now, I get that “things” can happen. However, we can’t set up a story to be realistic at one moment and then switch one second later. Overall, this opener in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2 wasn’t too bad AND it’s probably what most people are buying this series for right now. The problem is the price tag. Is this single story worth the price tag?
Writer: Ed Brisson
Art: Jeff Spokes and Saida Temofonte
Stormwatch: Down with the Kings
The team finds some sludge and has a long talk about real names and having sex with people who look like teenagers. Eventually, a fight ensues and the real mission objectives from Bones come into fruition. Luckily, the fight transpired to reasonably save this story but until that point, Brisson’s tale was going nowhere fast. Nevertheless, the sludge and the blade amount to a confusing story with a bunch of B-Level characters that only diehard fans know much about. I would wager that few are buying Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2 for the Stormwatch angle. So, is this story intriguing enough to help King’s story bring along the price tag? And once again like last week, where’s Batman?
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Art: Javier Rodriguez and Simon Bowland
Superman: Order of the Black Lamp
Superman, with the use of a secret decoder ring, finds a hidden lair of scientists within a mountain located in Kashmir. However, Cantwell opened this tale nice and slow as he attempted to get fluffy and philosophical instead of hitting up the facts coupled alongside some of the action. Instead, readers get Superman espionage, slow journal entries, and intellectual mumbo jumbo to mask the story within Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2 which appears to be moving at a snail’s pace. Furthermore, I continue to point out like the last issue, that, where’s Batman? I get it, this is a nice throwback, Golden Age feel, Superman story. And to readers coming in to grab Batman: The Brave and the Bold, I’d simply say… that’s not what they signed on for.
Writer: Joëlle Jones
Art: Joëlle Jones, and Steve Wands
All Things Considered
This was by far the most fitting story of the entire bunch. It’s an homage to Batman with layers of symbolism involving “scars”. Whether they be physical or mental scars, Batman has a ton. Jones masterfully creates perfect vignettes of all the trials, turmoils, and tribulations that Bruce has come across in his life. All the items that make Batman… Batman. Jones’ illustrations were gorgeous and helped fortify her narrative with the sentiment it deserved. Now, with all that being said, is this story alone worth the hefty cover price? We can take a look below and find out BUT at least it has Batman in it!
FINAL THOUGHTS
So, the big question has been is Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2 worth the cover price? Well fans, it’s pretty steep. And ultimately, you get one Batman story by King and an extremely short homage to Batman by Jones that’s less than half the issue. The other stories are about Stormwatch, sludge, a blade, Golden Age Superman, and some hidden science bunker found by a weird decoder ring. Not only are the other stories not very interesting BUT they don’t contain Batman at all.
Moreover, the Tom King story is simply ok. It’s King’s take on a first encounter (or THEE first encounter) of Batman and the Joker that’s unrealistic even for the Joker. He paints the Joker as almost horror movie strong as he’s shot repeatedly and leaps through a broken window three stories tall to safety. Yet, Batman can jump down that far without getting injured. Plus, the 9-panel grid layout gets a bit tiring after a while. However, King fans will probably adore this story and reach for it like a baby to a pacifier. I, for one, don’t think it’s worth the cover price and think the two unrelated Batman stories are what bro Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2 down the most. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!