Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Brave and the Bold

Can it be that no one's started a thread about this title?

I guess it was over on the LSH board since the Legion was involved in the first storyline.

They're not scheduled to be in upcoing issues, I don't believe. So it's time to discuss B&B here, if there's going to be any discussion.

This month's issue featured the FLASH and the DOOM PATROL, minus its 'new' members, Vox and Bumblebee.

Wally West and his wife, Linda, take their children to Dr. Niles Caulder at the DP HQ to see if the mad scientist can help them with their children's unstable speed-related powers.

I enjoyed reading this issue, but there was one 'revelation' that makes me nonplussed. Rita Farr, we're told' constantly wears an artifical rictus grin now because she fears being seen as a freak.

What?

On one hand, that would give a touch of freakiness to the most visually normal Patroller. On the other hand, it was her inward freakiness that made Rita fit in with her fellow Doom Patrol members.

It was a weird little scene.

I was disappointed at Karen and Mal's exclusion, too. Either they are Doom Patrollers or they aren't. Maybe the story was written and worked upon before they joined?

It wasn't ML.

Remember - we got that little panel toward the start telling us that Mal, Karen, Gar and Steve Dayton were all away on some mission or something.

Wally even makes a comment like "At least I liked those guys" or something. Which was a fact I'd totally forgotten. With having three former teammates/friends in the DP and someone he's gotten to know quite well over the years in Steve, there really wasn't that much reason for him to be as apprehensive about visiting the team as he was.

Still, I was sad to those four characters all omitted from the story but I was at least thankful that we got an explanation for it, rather than just some unknown absence.

I'm still longing to see someone do something with Mal and Karen (two characters with enormous storyline potential and hugely underestimated powers) but I'm not holdibg my breath. The fact that they are the most cannon-foddery members on a team with a loooonnngg history of losing members worries me greatly too.

As for the B&B - Loving it! One of my fave books week in, week out. There's nothing I can say about George Perez's art that hasn't already been said so I'll just say that with his health deterioration and everything I take everything I get from him as a blessing.

Mark Waid's telling some really good stories too. I know it received some criticism but I thoroughly enjoyed the Wonder Woman/Power Girl pairing last issue as well as all the others too.

I'm not too sure how splitting the book up into lots of smaller team-up adventures (as is what appears to be happening from next issue on) will work as I'd like to see these characters get fleshed out and really spot-lighted a bit more, but I'll keep an open mind and will likely enjoy that approach too.

I do find the surprisingly disappointing sales of this book to be a worry though. It's not that this book is doing bad, just that 'average' doesn't seem to me what DC were probably wanting from it. I don't think it's in any danger of cancellation (God, I hope it isn't) but I'm a bit concerned that DC might start messing with the formula of it, and I'm perfectly happy with how things are going right now.

Can anyone post some B&B sales figures? Last time I checked it was a big seller (of course this would have been about 6 months ago)

I read # 8 and really enjoyed it.

When THE FLASH relaunched after Wally's run ended I used it as a breaking point and dropped the book, and haven't picked it up since Wally's launch started back up again, so it was nice to catch up with he and Linda here.

And it's always nice to see the Doom Patrol since their excellent return back in the faboo Johns/Daniel era of Teen Titans.

A shame Gar, Mal and Karen couldn't be around but that would have eased Wally a bit and Waid wanted him on edge.

I thought the Flash/DP issue was the best one yet story-wise.

The art is what's making this series for me.

I really enjoyed the latest issue, with all the old-school (and new-school too) DC characters! Waid's heart clearly is in this title, unlike his LSH 3boot relaunch.

I also checked sales figures, and was saddened to see this (and Booster Gold) so far down on the top 100.

Wow, B&B veered off into even odder directions than the Doom Patrol in #9. Pages from the Book of Destiny coming unbound all by themselves, then coalescing (?) into a human-shaped figure which threatens, or at least looms over, June?

She then sees panels that appear to be the three stories with which we're presented.

Weirdsville.

I would gladly have paid to see each of the three vignettes in this issue as full size installments. New Atom and Hawkman... Metal Men and Robby Reed... Blackwhawks and Boy Commandos... I wonder why they were all crammed together?

The Metal Men and Dial H for Hero was my favorite of the three sections. Go, Man-bot! Yea, Tin!

I unexpectedly enjoyed the Blackhawk/Boy Commandos team-up. I was left wanting more, which is a good thing, I guess.

Yeah, Zinda in BoP totally has me into the Blackhawks, lately, and that was a DC property I never cared for before.

Another great issue!

I also would've loved to see any one of those 3 team-ups expanded to fill the whole issue but I guess if even a Wonder Woman/Power Girl pairing got sales dropping then a Blackhawk/Boy Commandoes team-up would've put them in the toilet. So sad!

I'm loving Waid's use of obscure old villains in this book too! Dr Alchemy and the Warlock of Ys are two old faves of mine so it's great seeing them again here!

And am I right in thinking that the "Page Monster" was actually the Warlock trying to escape from the book? I didn't quite get that bit.

Is Perez still on this book? If so, have there been delays and/or fill-ins?

Yes he's still on the book and No fill ins or delays yet LL, i good to see Waid writing Wally again, BB is the only bright spot in the current roster of DC books i look forward to

Hm, Perez leaving now could well mean that he would be free to do some Legion title in our anniversary year... hmmmmm, there'es hoping...

As for Ordway, he's okay but I don't think i will be staying on this title. The first storyline was good, but the inclusion of more and more obscure DC characters lately may be a reason to celebrate for some diehard DC "dictionary" fans, but I can get no fun out of Blackhawks and whatever the names are.

So, if Perez should be really drawing his own childhood heroes, the only thing we need to do is getting this Al Vey guy to ink it. That would be... simply... perfect!

I'll say the same thing about #10 as I did about the Metal Men, Dial H for Hero, Boy Commandos, etc. issue.

I would *gladly* have paid for whole issues for each of the halves of this one.

Silent Knight? Cool character that hasn't been seen since... well, I can't remember since when. And the revelation about who his descedants are? News to me-- is that new to DCU continuity?

Perez' art is a knockout-- especially the page tinted all in red. Reminescent of a medieval woodcut. Beautiful stuff.

Now, the Teen Titans in Atlantis stuff-- heck, I'd happily buy an ongoing featuring this team for the next 10 years.

Not sure if it dovetails with the YEAR ONE storyline that's also excellent. No *huge* discrepancies stuck out for me-- though the attitudes of Wally and Dick towards Garth don't exactly jibe with the mini.

Earrings that enable the wearer to breathe underwater... Aquaman and Mera (I've forgotten what a nice couple they made)... Wonder Chick... Garth's social issues... heroes and sidekicks...

Yes, both stories were well done. Although I also thought Wally & Dick's initial attitude towards Garth wasn't right.

I don't get this anymore, not after the first arc. I'm just kind of flipping through it now, seeing if anyone I like is in it.

They've announced that #16 is Mark Waid's last issue.

Wonder if the book will continue?

All it needs is the right writer or artist or (wishfully thinking) both. They should put one of those Kubert brothers on this.

There was big news about B&B at the Comic-con this past weekend. The new writer is going to be introducing the former ARCHIE COMICS superheroes into the DCU via this comic. I think there'll still be at least two DC characters teamed up as well.

#15-- billed as a NIGHTWING/HAWKMAN team-up, it's actually a NW/HM/GREEN ARROW/DEADMAN grouping, as they fight a mythological figure in Nanda Parbat.

I enjoyed it- and I usually like Collins' art. I liked the opening scene and Hawkman's recognition of Nightwing's unique status in the DCU. The combination of artifacts and personalities used to win the day was fun.

Nothing earthshaking here, but good, solid, enjoyable, somewhat old-fashioned comic book storytelling is on view.

Darn! I forgot to mention this. Re: Archie Comics Heroes are now apart of the DC Universe!

Kabir told me this after he went to the Archie panel on Sunday. Archie being one of the few comics he likes.

I can't wait to see it! I love the characters and have a complete set of the Mighty Crusaders both the 60's and 80's versions.

*loves the reluctance to say "JMS"*

Actually, it's a reluctance to spell out the S of JMS, accompanied by a lazy spell that made me not want to look up the correct spelling.

Me to Gary, I also have a complete set of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents and from the 60's and 80's and I love those characters as well.

The Superman/Catwoman issue was a fun bit of fluff-- showing sides of each of the characters in slightly new and different ways. I liked the dynamic between them.

I can echo your review word for word.

I'm also interested in the upcoming Supergirl/Raven issue.

I have never been exposed to the Archie hero characters. This could either be something new and fun or a good jumping-off point for me. I will give it a couple of issues for sure.

I think the Catwoman/Superman issue was the best of the series thus far. Too many of the issues have been 'pretty good', but this one was fantastic.