Batman: The Brave and the Bold #6 cover, via DC Comics.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #6 — Guillem March, Ed Brisson, Rob Williams, Sean Lewis, Writers; Guillem March, Jeff Spokes, Stefano Landini, Javier Fernandez, Artists; Arif Prianto, Antonio Fabela, Colorists
Ray — 9/10
Ray: It’s another skip month for the King/Gerads Joker story, so instead the main feature is “Batman: Pygmalion” by the acclaimed writer/artist Guillem March. This is a fascinating story, starting with Batman having a disturbing nightmare before waking up — in a random apartment, with no memory of who he is. He pieces things together, and finds out that he was seriously injured and rescued by an immigrant single mother who he saved years back, and is now sharing an apartment with her and her daughter. Although he doesn’t know who he is or why he’s Batman, muscle memory starts restoring things, and traumatizing flashbacks do the rest. At the same time, he finds an odd confidant in the little girl, Aurora, and starts to find a deeper connection with her mother. But others are watching — and they want their Batman back. It’s an intriguing down-to-earth take on Batman that breaks him down to his essentials.
Broken. Via DC Comics.
The sixth chapter of “Stormwatch: Down With the Kings” by Brisson and Spokes wraps up the arc with a chaotic final issue that finds the team in space dealing with Kanjar Ro and his band of space criminals. This is a high-stakes story that’s oddly played for laughs, and it’s resolved in dramatic fashion. From there, the team heads back to Earth where they meet with new management Amanda Waller for a bit of back-and-forth. A lot of little subplots, like a connection between Ravager and another team member, are introduced before the story ends, so it definitely feels like more is coming.
The third chapter of “Harcourt: Second Life” by Williams and Landini seems to wrap up this story as well, as Emilia Harcourt gets to the core of who killed her, facing off against a Suicide Squad icon in a dramatic final scene. But before that, we get a look at just how ruthless she can be when dealing with other villains, as well as a great flashback segment to how she was turned into the weapon she is today. Overall, I don’t know if this character made a huge impact out of the gate, but this is a compelling spy thriller.
Finally, this month’s black-and-white installment by Lewis and Fernandez, “The Performance,” takes place at the Gotham Theater, and this eight-page tale has a twisted actor claiming to put on a performance that will expose Batman’s secrets. Naturally, Bruce Wayne has to attend — so he’s watching when the actor is seemingly murdered mid-performance. Things aren’t what they appear to be, and Batman is soon lured into an ambush. This is intriguing, but it’s a little too short to fully get what it wants across.
The main story is definitely the headline here, but this is overall another strong issue.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
