DC Comics’ anthology series Batman: The Brave and the Bold continues this week, and it’s largely not about Batman. Sure, he’s in there, but across five stories, we’ve got more flavor from Robin, Hellblazer, and more!
The lengthiest tale in this anthology is “Doubt,” which opens the issue. Written by Christian Ward with art by Patric Reynolds, this story focuses on a new villain named Doubt. He’s a meta-level criminal who can seed doubt in minds with a sentence. Ward ties the doubts of a young Bruce Wayne into this tale at the start, which leads to an intriguing exploration of Bruce later when Doubt’s powers work on him. Fans of Alfred should not sleep on this story.
Reynolds’ art is great, with a more Euro-comic detailed line. Visually, the issue feels like it’s from another time, like a lost masterpiece you haven’t read yet. Batman, sporting the blue costume, looks great, and Doubt has an edgy punk vibe. There’s a painterly quality at times that’s hyper realistic, too.
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou are great, especially a page where doubtful thoughts pile up on Batman. Batman goes to some dark places, and the lettering helps sell the almost spiritual place Doubt sends him.
I’d like to see this villain more.
Credit: DC Comics
“Petsurrection” part 2 wraps up Zipporah Smith and Mike Norton’s Hellblazer Dex-Starr’s story. Norton is the perfect artist for this, especially because he gives Dex-Starr a loud personality. The comical nature of a very serious Hellblazer working with a cat isn’t lost on the reader with some fun animal action. This is Scooby-Doo level shenanigans.
Jeremy Adams and Laura Braga tell a done-in-one tale with “Reflections”. Miss Martian opens the issue by attempting to help a ship getting sucked into the ocean. Enter Aquaman (Kaldur’ahm) who helps, but they soon find themselves on Mars. Villainy ensues, and the truth behind the threat is explained. This feels like a deep-cut DC adventure fans won’t want to miss.
Marguerite Sauvage, who writes and draws the tale “Swipe Left on Scams,” is next up. Harley is the victim of a scam and soon finds herself attempting to destroy the app company’s servers. Enter Ghosting Master, and a hilarious fight scene ensues. It’s a cute story with all the chaotic energy a Harley story needs.
Closing out this issue is the first part of a multi-part story titled “Robin Season”. Written by Brendan Hay with art by Marco Santucci, the story opens with a mystery as Tim Drake and Damian save three kids who are dressed as Robin. There’s some good detective work in this tale that leads to a major twist by the end. The cliffhanger is also exciting as Hay builds up Tim and Damian’s brotherly competitiveness.
At by Santucci is dark with good acting from all parties. The costumes look sharp, and Luis Guerrero’s colors add a lot of dimension.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #18 is another good chapter in the most consistently great anthology from Marvel or DC. The opening story offers a different kind of superpowered villain, the Robin tale is a delightful start, and the remaining tales offer different aspects that make DC great.
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