One of the best comics anthologies running these days is back this week with its third issue: none other than Batman: The Brave and the Bold. In the latest edition, we get four stories, two of which are ongoing and two of which are done-in-one tales. Batman may not be required to appear in every story in this series, but he pops up 50% of the time in excellent takes on crime and Gotham.
This collection opens with the story “Mr. Baseball” by Dennis Culver and Otto Schmidt. More of a crime family story than a Batman tale, this story focuses on a man who adores baseball and somehow utilizes the strategy of an excellent team to pull off crimes. However, his love of baseball comes back to bite him when he’s caught by a mobster with a score to settle. This is a fun origin story for a new Batman villain who is tactical and smart but also sure loves smashing heads with a baseball bat. This story feels like it gets enough done to warrant a return from the villain, especially since it doesn’t delve too deeply into the man himself.
Schmidt draws a mean story here, with colors by Pierluigi Casolino. Batman looks sharp when he appears, but the real quality of the tale comes from gangsters hiding out or flashbacks revealing Mr. Baseball’s solid crime team.
Next up is part 3 in Ed Brisson and Jeff Spokes’ Stormwatch story, which once again proves this deserves an ongoing series. This story continues to be excellent, from every panel drawn perfectly and pleasingly to the twists and turns. There’s an espionage angle to it all but with edgy super-powered characters. Brisson reminds us some of these characters are truly good, while others are okay with killing. The power levels are incredibly high but also street-level, so there’s a good balance of different abilities.
Mr. Baseball, indeed.
Credit: DC Comics
This chapter also reveals there may be someone or something pulling the strings of the team. So far the team takes orders, but for how long, when there may be nefarious reasons they’ve been plucking super-powered weapons and handing them over to someone?
Christopher Cantwell and Javier Rodriguez wrap up their “Superman: Order of the Black Lamp” tale. This story has a great pulp feel, wrapping up Superman’s search for a great classic hero. The concept of memory, or weaponizing it, is introduced and it’s a crazy idea, especially since it seems to work on Superman. This tale is a little wordier than I’d like, but maybe that’s partly it trying to be more pulpy and of a different era.
Closing out this collection is a prime example of how short stories can serve as strong opening salvos to huge potential stories. This one is by Colin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Jorge Molina. This story basically serves as a proof of concept for a new take on Batman, and it comes complete with its own twist on his rogues gallery.
Cast in back and white, Molina positively blows you away with every panel. From monster design to the sleeker and almost manga look of Batman, there’s a lot to love here. Captions keep us inside Batman’s head and keep his vision of Gotham–and his goals–quite clear. I wouldn’t be surprised if DC Animation someday turns this into a movie or short. It’s visually stunning and has some intriguing ideas that do new things with a lot of style when it comes to Batman.
A mix of superheroes, new villains, and new takes on Batman make Batman: The Brave and the Bold #3 a great addition to the anthology series. With the majority of tales ending, it feels like we’re at a crossroads, but far be it from me to argue against a fantastic Stormwatch series as a great idea to tether future stories onto.
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