Batman: The Brave and the Bold #5 cover, via DC Comics.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #5 — Tom King, Ed Brisson, Rob Williams, Writers; Mitch Gerads, Jeff Spokes, Stefano Landini, Jorge Fornes, Artists; Antonio Fabela, Colorist
Ray — 9/10
Ray: With three continuing stories this month, it’s business as usual — but the headliner that kicked off this run returns after two months off, as Tom King and Mitch Gerads take us back into Joker’s first attack on Gotham in part three of “The Winning Card.” We’ve seen some twisted things from Joker before, but the seemingly random attacks he pulls off this issue make him seem more like a hard-boiled horror villain than a comic book rogue. And in the middle of this, Batman is physically and mentally broken after his previous conflict with the clown, Alfred is desperately trying to keep him alive while dealing with his charge’s fraught mental state, and Jim Gordon is trying to stay ahead of the killer with little success. This is the first time we’ve seen the Joker’s first attack in such stark terms, with the narrative making painfully clear that this is the best Gotham has — and they’re largely defenseless.
Last laugh. Via DC Comics.
“Stormwatch: Down with the Kings” is the only story in this book that has been in every issue, with Brisson and Jeff Spokes continuing their tale of the DCU’s new black-ops team. This story is usually just okay, an expansion of the work Brisson did on Batman Incorporated, but the team does something very unexpected this issue — pitting the team against a literal God. The return of Apollo, most associated with the Azzarello Wonder Woman run, is a great twist that adds much higher stakes to the latest superhero battle.
“Harcourt: Second Life” by Williams and Landini started as a slow-burn noir last issue, focusing on the mysterious agent who we first met in Lazarus Planet. Emilia Harcourt is a pretty classic hard-boiled secret agent, out to solve her own murder after she’s resurrected under mysterious circumstances. She’s on the trail of her potential killer, an obscure villain named Weapons Master, and the action is strong. The problem is, she’s not a particularly likable character and it’s a little hard to get invested as a result.
Ed Brisson pulls double-duty this issue, also doing the black-and-white segment with Jorge Fornes on art, and “The Angel of Gotham” is a melancholy tale about the forgotten victims of Gotham. When someone known as the Angel of Gotham turns up dead, the victim of the same senseless killings they tried to solve, Batman becomes determined not just to solve this murder but all the other unsolved ones. This leads him into the underbelly of Gotham in a story that only lasts eight pages but packs a strong punch.
Overall, another great issue with a truly spectacular main feature.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
